The National Testing Agency (NTA) officially released the highly anticipated subject-wise datesheet for the UGC NET June 2026 session on June 6, 2026. If you are one of the lakhs of applicants aiming for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) or an Assistant Professor post, your countdown has officially begun.

The exams are locked in from June 22 to June 30, 2026. They will be conducted entirely in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode across nine consecutive days, covering 87 subjects.

Instead of just copying and pasting raw dates, this guide breaks down the schedule, decodes the exam pattern, clarifies common misconceptions about qualifying marks, and gives you a practical framework to ace the final stretch.

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1. UGC NET June 2026: Critical Deadlines

Missing a date can ruin months of hard work. Bookmark these three essential dates right now:

2. Complete Subject-Wise & Shift-Wise Datesheet

To make this easy to scan, we have organized the entire NTA schedule by date and shift. Find your subject code and mark your calendar.

June 22, 2026 (Day 1)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Visual Art (including Drawing & Painting/Sculpture Graphics/Applied Art/History of Art), Museology & Conservation, Punjabi, Tamil, Geography, Marathi, Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management, Santali.
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Computer Science and Applications, Persian, Russian, Bengali, Home Science, Music, Population Studies.

June 23, 2026 (Day 2)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Public Administration, Education, Social Work, Malayalam, Urdu, Criminology, Performing Art – Dance/Drama/Theatre, Tribal and Regional Language/Literature, Folk Literature, Political Science.
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Mass Communication and Journalism, Electronic Science, Women Studies, Law, Telugu, Forensic Science, Nepali, Library and Information Science, Philosophy.

June 24, 2026 (Day 3)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Political Science (Remaining batches), Comparative Study of Religions, Japanese, Dogri.
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Commerce, Defence and Strategic Studies, Indian Culture, Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian and Peace Studies, Rajasthani, Linguistics.

June 25, 2026 (Day 4)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): English, Chinese, Konkani, Spanish, Kashmiri, Hindi.
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): History, Pali, Prakrit, Comparative Literature.

June 29, 2026 (Day 5)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Hindi (Remaining batches), Arab Culture and Islamic Studies, Indian Knowledge Systems, Manipuri, Kannada, German, Sindhi, French (French Version).
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Psychology, Maithili, Arabic, Management (including Business Administration Management/Marketing/Marketing Management/Industrial Relations and Personnel Management/Personnel Management/Financial Management/Co-operative Management), Physical Education, Sanskrit traditional subjects (including Jyotisha/Sidhanta Jyotish/Navya Vyakarna/Vyakarna/Mimansa/Navya Nyaya/Sankhya Yoga/Tulanatmaka Darsan/Shukla Yajurveda/Madhav Vedant/Dharmasasta/Sahitya/Puranotihasa/Agama), Ayurveda Biology, Disaster Management.

June 30, 2026 (Day 6)

• Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Economics/Rural Economics/Co-operation/Demography/Development Planning/Development Studies/Econometrics/Applied Economics/Development Economics/Business Economics, Environmental Sciences, Hindu Studies, Anthropology, Bodo, Gujarati, Sanskrit, Politics including International Relations/International Studies (including Defence/Strategic Studies; West Asian Studies; South East Asian Studies; African Studies; South Asian Studies; Soviet Studies; American Studies), Human Rights and Duties.
• Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Assamese, Sociology, Yoga, Tourism Administration and Management, Adult Education/Continuing Education/Andragogy/Non-Formal Education, Archaeology, Oriya, Social Medicine & Community Health, Statistics, Forestry.

3. Shift Timings & The "Body Clock" Strategy

The exam runs in two distinct sessions. You do not get a break between Paper 1 and Paper 2. It is a grueling, continuous 3-hour marathon.

Pro Tip for Students: Once you find out your shift on June 12, start taking full-length mock tests exactly during your shift timings. If you are in Shift 2, your brain needs to be operating at peak capacity between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM—a time when many naturally feel sluggish. Train your body clock early.

4. Deconstructing the UGC NET Exam Pattern

Understanding the weight distribution of the papers is key to scoring high. You are looking at 150 questions total, with zero negative marking.

Total Exam Duration: 3 Hours (180 Minutes) | No Sectional Break
├── Paper 1: General Aptitude (50 Questions | 100 Marks)
└── Paper 2: Core Domain Subject (100 Questions | 200 Marks)

5. The Big Misconception: Qualifying Marks vs. The Actual Cut-Off

Many candidates see the official "Minimum Qualifying Marks" table and assume that hitting those percentages guarantees a pass. It does not. The percentages below are simply the minimum floor required to even be considered for the merit list. The actual selection depends on the top 6% of appearing candidates for each subject category.

6. Actionable 14-Day Prep Blueprint (How to Spend the Final Two Weeks)

With two weeks left on the clock, trying to read new books will only trigger panic. Shift your strategy to targeted optimization.

Phase 1: Days 1 to 5 — The Weak-Spot Clean-Up

• Paper 1 Overhaul: Dedicate mornings to Data Interpretation (DI) and Mathematical Reasoning formulas. These are certain scoring areas if your mechanics are clean.
• High-Yield Paper 2 Topics: Review summary notes and conceptual maps for your core subject. Avoid opening fresh, unread chapters.

Phase 2: Days 6 to 10 — Full-Length Simulated Endurance

• Sit down for two full, uninterrupted 3-hour mock tests during your designated shift timing.
• Practice moving seamlessly from Paper 1 to Paper 2 without standing up. Building mental stamina is just as important as knowing the answers.

Phase 3: Days 11 to 14 — Zero-Stress Revision

• Review your personal error logs from previous tests. See where you typically slip up on silly mistakes.
• Memorize key dates, constitutional articles, research steps, and creator theories specific to your subject domain.

7. Smart Test-Taking Strategies for Exam Day

Because there is no negative marking, leaving a blank answer box on your screen is equivalent to tossing away free potential marks.

• The Two-Pass Technique: Go through the entire paper and solve every question you are 100% sure about first. This locks in your base score quickly and builds momentum.
• The Process of Elimination: For tougher questions, do not guess blindly right away. Eliminate the two options that are obviously incorrect first. Choosing from the remaining two options gives you a 50% probability of getting it right.
• Watch the Timer: Allocate roughly 50-60 minutes for Paper 1, leaving a clear 120 minutes for the deep, passage-based questions in Paper 2.

Stay focused, maintain a steady pace, and use these remaining days to fine-tune your exam strategy. Good luck!