3 weeks ago
UGC-NET, ICAR, CSIR aspirants await NTA answer keys amid silence
Many students in India take big tests to become professors or research scholars.
After each test, students wait for an 'answer key' that shows the correct answers.
This helps them guess their scores and plan their next steps.
After the UGC NET test in June, the answer key usually comes within a couple of weeks.
But this year it has not come for a very long time.
Students have called and emailed the testing agency, but they only get a thank you for their patience.
Some students worry they might miss a whole year of school because of the delay.
Answer keys for other tests, like ICAR and CSIR, are also late.
The testing agency is changing how it works and let go of 47 workers.
Many students hope they hear some news soon.
UGC NET June 2026 was held from June 22 to 30, but the provisional answer key remains unreleased, marking the longest delay in recent exam cycles.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued no official timeline or explanation; responses to candidate queries have been generic acknowledgements asking for patience.
The ICAR AIEEA (PG) and AICE-JRF, SRF (PhD) exams, held on July 4, had seen a 35-day wait for the answer key by August 8.
The joint CSIR-UGC NET June 2026 exam, held on July 17 and 18, had passed more than three weeks as of August 10 without an answer key or update.
NTA terminated the services of 47 officials in July as part of a restructuring exercise following examination controversies.
- Who
- Candidates of the UGC NET, ICAR AIEEA (PG), AICE-JRF and SRF (PhD), and joint CSIR-UGC NET June 2026 exams, along with student bodies such as ABVP and JNUSU, awaiting responses from the National Testing Agency (NTA).
- What
- Delays in releasing provisional answer keys and results for multiple NTA-conducted examinations, with no official explanation or timeline provided.
- Where
- India, for examinations conducted nationwide by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
- When
- UGC NET was held June 22-30; ICAR exams on July 4; CSIR-UGC NET on July 17-18; as of August 10, 2026, no answer keys had been released.
- Why
- The NTA has not offered an official reason, while the agency is undergoing an internal restructuring after previous examination controversies.
Key facts
- UGC NET June 2026 exam dates
- June 22-30
- ICAR AIEEA (PG) and AICE-JRF, SRF (PhD) exam date
- July 4
- CSIR-UGC NET June 2026 exam dates
- July 17-18
- ICAR answer key wait
- 35 days as of August 8
- NTA helpdesk phone numbers
- 011-69227700, 011-40759000
- NTA query email
- [email protected]
- Officials terminated by NTA in July
- 47
- Usual UGC NET answer key timeline
- Within a few days to two weeks of the exam









