A total of 13,000 candidates wrote the National Eligibility Test (NET), conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC), at the University of Madras on Sunday. The examination was held in 79 centres across the country.
The examinations were held for Junior Research Fellowship and eligibility for lectureship. Speaking to Express, coordinator for the examinations, Prof K K Sharma, said the conduction of the three exams was a smooth affair.
The NET, comprising paper-I, II and III, commenced at 9.30 am and ended at 4 pm, with an one-and-half hour break.
The question papers were of multiple-choice, with answers to be inscribed on OMR sheets.
The examination was conducted in three other centres in the State and Pondicherry. Candidates had to answer a minimum of 50 out of 60 multiple choice question in paper-I, 50 objective type questions in Paper-II, and 75 objective-type compulsory questions.
Questions in all the sections were for two marks each.
The NET was also held at the Bharatiar University, Coimbatore; Bharatidasan University, Tiruchy; and Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai and Pondicherry University.
The UGC conducts the NET for lectureship and JRFs twice a year on the last Sundays in the months of June and December.
Meanwhile, a release from the UGC stated that the conduction of the NET was disrupted at a centre in Delhi due to reported misinformation.
Candidates staged a protest outside the centre, when the UGC officials met them and assured them of appropriate action.
Conduct of the NET at a centre in Ranchi was also affected, it mentioned. Considering the interest of the students in mind, it has decided to conduct the exam once again at these centres.