The online registration process for the University Grants Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) is closing on April 5, 2018. The candidates who have not completed their registration procedure, must apply as soon as possible to avoid the last-minute rush at cbsenet.nic.in. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct the entrance exam on July 8, 2018 at various centres across the nation. UGC have made several changes this year for NET aspirants that ranges from extending age limit for Junior Fellowship (JRF) to changing examination pattern. The upper age limit as per the recent development has been extended from 28 years to 30 years.

The UGC NET is to determine eligibility for college and university level lectureship and for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for Indian Nationals. The CBSE holds the test aiming to the suitability of positions for Assistant Professor only or Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor both in Indian universities and colleges. Here are some important points of UGC NET 2018 that candidates must know:

1. The last date for completing the registration process online is April 5, 2018.

2. To apply for UGC NET July 2018, candidates must visit cbsenet.nic.in. And click the link that states—Apply for NET July 2018.

3. To fill in the application form, you must keep the scanned copy of your passport size photograph and signature ready.

4. Once you are done with the registration procedure, you will be directed to a confirmation page. Download and take a print out of the same for future references.

5. The aspirants must submit the examination fee on or before April 6, 2018. For candidates under general category, they have to pay Rs. 1,oo0; for Other Backward Classes it is Rs. 500 and the rest reserved categories shall pay Rs. 250.

6. The upper age limit for applying in UGC NET has been extended to 30 years.

7. This time, UGC NET will comprise of 2 papers only instead of 3.

8. Paper 1 is aimed to test the teaching or research aptitude of the candidates and will include 50 objective type questions that will carry 100 marks. The questions are based on reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness. The candidates will be given 1 hour to attempt the paper, from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.

9. Paper 2 is to test the proficiency of the candidates in their chosen subject and will comprise of 100 objective type questions carrying 200 marks. They will be given 2 hours to attempt all the questions, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

10. There is no negative marking for any wrong answers.

The answer key for CBSE UGC NET 2018 is expected to release in the fourth week of August 2018. The dates shall be announced on the official website after the examination. The candidates who have secured at least 55 percent marks in Master’s degree or an equivalent examination from a recognized university or institution in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science and applications, Electronic Science, etc. are eligible for this test. In fact, students who are pursuing their Master’s degree or may have appeared in their final year of Masters or equivalent course and whose results are still awaited may also apply for the test.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2018 02:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).