3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 19, 2026 12:06 PM IST
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday concluded the Joint CSIR-UGC NET June 2026 examination. According to the NTA, a total of 1,50,057 candidates appeared for the test held on July 17 and 18. A total of 1,87,739 candidates had registered, taking the overall attendance to 79.9 per cent. With the examination now over, candidates are awaiting the release of the provisional answer key.
Going by past trends, the answer key is expected to be released within 10 to 15 days of the examination. In both the June and December sessions last year, NTA had issued the provisional answer key around two weeks after the exam concluded.
The Joint CSIR-UGC NET is conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, admission to PhD programmes, or both Assistant Professor and PhD admission in universities and higher educational institutions across the country. The examination was held in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode across five science disciplines, with NTA stating that all sessions were conducted smoothly with arrangements for candidate verification, security and examination management.
Among all subjects, Life Sciences recorded the highest number of candidates. Out of 83,546 registered, 67,650 candidates appeared, registering an attendance of 81 per cent. Chemical Sciences recorded 30,885 appearances against 38,740 registrations, while Mathematical Sciences saw 24,964 candidates appear out of 31,574 registered. In Physical Sciences, 21,810 candidates took the examination from 27,791 registrations, while Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences recorded 4,748 appearances out of 6,088 registered, with an attendance of 78 per cent.
The provisional answer key, along with candidates’ recorded responses and question papers, is expected to be uploaded on the official website, csirnet.nta.nic.in, shortly. Candidates will be able to log in using their application number and date of birth or password to access these documents. NTA will also open an objection window, allowing candidates to challenge any answer by paying the prescribed fee for each question.
After the objection window closes, subject experts will examine all valid challenges. If any objection is accepted, the answer key will be revised accordingly. The final answer key will then be published, and the CSIR UGC NET June 2026 result will be prepared on its basis. Candidates are advised to regularly check the official website for updates regarding the answer key, objection schedule and result declaration.