UGC NET Law: Eligibility Criteria, Exam Pattern, Syllabus & FAQs

This is a complete guidebook if you are looking to prepare for the UGC NET Law Exam conducted by National Testing Agency, twice a year. This article is solely for Legal aspirants.

Introduction to UGC NET Law

The UGC (University Grants Commission) NET (National Eligibility Test) Law exam is taken by LLM graduates who are interested in academic careers such as assistant professors in law, junior research fellows, or other similar positions. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is responsible for administering the UGC NET Law twice a year.

Candidates can check the main themes and syllabus for the UGC NET legal test, which can be used as a reference while they are preparing for the exam, here in this post. Please read on for further information.

With a total of 150 questions, including 100 subjects (preferred) and 50 general MCQs, the UGC NET Law subject syllabus 2023 is divided into Paper-I and Paper II. There are 2 points available for each correct answer. Law Syllabus has the UGC NET Subject Code of 58.

Biannually, the National Testing Agency (NTA) administers the UGC NET for those applying for Lectureship/Junior Research Fellowship positions at universities and colleges throughout India.

Concepts of law, constitutional law, and administrative law form the basis for the questions in this section. We’ve discussed the UGC NET Law exam content and format here.

• Paper-I: Evaluate the candidate’s skills and eligibility for Teaching and Research Ability
• Paper II: Questions will be based on the chosen subjects opted by the candidate.

UGC NET Law Highlights

UGC NET Law Eligibility Criteria

• Age Limit – 31 Years (For Junior Research fellowship; No age limit for Net Assistant Professor)
• Age Relaxation –
  • Females of all categories – 5 years of Age relaxation
  • SC/ST/OBC/PwD/Transgender – 5 years of Age relaxation
  • Candidates holding LLM Degree – 3 years of Age Relaxation
  • Candidates in the Armed Forces – 5 years of Age relaxation

• Nationality – The candidates should be of Indian origin. Other candidates who have acquired citizenship through registration and not by any illegal means are also eligible for a junior research fellowship and net assistant professor.
• Educational Qualification –
  • The candidates must have passed the Master’s course in a certain specific subject or stream.
  • Paper two must be of the same origin as the post-graduation subject.
  • The LLM holders are also eligible for the exam.
  • For the Junior Research Fellowship and the Net Assistant professor, candidates must have secured 55% in the Post-graduation.
  • The marks for SC/ST/Obc are 50% of the Qualification.

UGC NET Law Exam Pattern

There are two tests that make up the UGC NET Law: Paper I and Paper II. Paper I is required to be taken by all applicants for the UGC NET, and its purpose is to assess candidates’ abilities in areas such as education, research, mathematics, communication, the environment, and other such topics. There are one hundred questions of the objective type.

The syllabus for Paper II of the UGC NET law exam, which is subject-specific, has been provided here. The test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions with a total of 200 points each. As there is no provision for negative marking in the UGC NET Law exam, applicants are free to attempt any and all questions without worrying about receiving a lower score.

UGC NET Law Qualifying Marks and Marking Scheme

• The correct answer is given two marks
• There are no marks given for unanswered questions
• There is no provision for Negative Marking in the UGC NET Exam and so there are no marks deducted for the wrong answer.

UGC NET Law Syllabus (Paper-I)

The primary aim is to evaluate the candidates’ potential as educators and researchers. The exam is meant to gauge not only classroom performance, but also research potential.

Candidates are expected to have and demonstrate a variety of cognitive skills, such as reading comprehension, argument structure analysis, and deductive and inductive reasoning. Candidates are also expected to have a basic understanding of how higher education institutions operate in terms of pedagogy. They also need to understand how the interplay of humans, ecosystems, and natural resources influences the standard of living.

Unit-I Teaching Aptitude

• Teaching: Concept, Objectives, Levels of teaching (Memory, Understanding and Reflective), Characteristics and basic requirements.  
• Learner’s characteristics: Characteristics of adolescent and adult learners (Academic, Social, Emotional and Cognitive), Individual differences.  
• Factors affecting teaching related to: Teacher, Learner, Support material, Instructional facilities, Learning environment and Institution.  
• Methods of teaching in Institutions of higher learning: Teacher centred vs. Learner centred methods; Off-line vs. On-line methods (Swayam, Swayamprabha, MOOCs etc.).
• Teaching Support System: Traditional, Modern and ICT based.  
• Evaluation Systems: Elements and Types of evaluation, Evaluation in Choice Based Credit System in Higher education, Computer based testing, Innovations in evaluation systems.

Unit-II Research Aptitude 

• Research: Meaning, Types, and Characteristics, Positivism and Postpositivistic approach to research.  
• Methods of Research: Experimental, Descriptive, Historical, Qualitative and Quantitative methods.  
• Steps of Research.  
• Thesis and Article writing: Format and styles of referencing.  
• Application of ICT in research.  
• Research ethics.

Unit-III Comprehension 

• A passage of text be given. Questions be asked from the passage to be answered.

Unit-IV Communication  

• Communication: Meaning, types and characteristics of communication.  
• Effective communication: Verbal and Non-verbal, Inter-Cultural and group communications, Classroom communication.  
• Barriers to effective communication.  
• Mass-Media and Society. 

Unit-V Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude  

• Types of reasoning.  
• Number series, Letter series, Codes and Relationships.  
• Mathematical Aptitude (Fraction, Time & Distance, Ratio, Proportion and Percentage, Profit and Loss, Interest and Discounting, Averages etc.).

Unit-VI Logical Reasoning  

• Understanding the structure of arguments: argument forms, structure of categorical propositions, Mood and Figure, Formal and Informal fallacies, Uses of language, Connotations and denotations of terms, Classical square of opposition.  
• Evaluating and distinguishing deductive and inductive reasoning.  
• Analogies.  
• Venn diagram: Simple and multiple use for establishing validity of arguments.  
• Indian Logic: Means of knowledge.  Pramanas: Pratyaksha (Perception), Anumana (Inference), Upamana (Comparison), Shabda (Verbal testimony), Arthapatti (Implication) and Anupalabddhi (Non-apprehension).  
• Structure and kinds of Anumana (inference), Vyapti (invariable relation), Hetvabhasas (fallacies of inference).

Unit-VII Data Interpretation  

• Sources, acquisition and classification of Data.  
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data.  
• Graphical representation (Bar-chart, Histograms, Pie-chart, Table-chart and Line-chart) and mapping of Data.  
• Data Interpretation.  
• Data and Governance. 

Unit-VIII Information and Communication Technology (ICT)  

• ICT: General abbreviations and terminology.  
• Basics of Internet, Intranet, E-mail, Audio and Video-conferencing.  
• Digital initiatives in higher education.  
• ICT and Governance.

Unit-IX People, Development and Environment  

• Development and environment: Millennium development and Sustainable development goals.
• Human and environment interaction: Anthropogenic activities and their impacts on environment. 
• Environmental issues: Local, Regional and Global; Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste (solid, liquid, biomedical, hazardous, electronic), Climate change and its Socio-Economic and Political dimensions.  
• Impacts of pollutants on human health. 
• Natural and energy resources: Solar, Wind, Soil, Hydro, Geothermal, Biomass, Nuclear and Forests.  
• Natural hazards and disasters: Mitigation strategies. 
• Environmental Protection Act (1986), National Action Plan on Climate Change, International agreements/efforts -Montreal Protocol, Rio Summit, Convention on Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, International Solar Alliance.

Unit-X Higher Education System  

• Institutions of higher learning and education in ancient India. 
• Evolution of higher learning and research in Post Independence India. 
• Oriental, Conventional and Non-conventional learning programmes in India. 
• Professional, Technical and Skill Based education. 
• Value education and environmental education.  
• Policies, Governance, and Administration.

UGC NET Law Syllabus (Paper-II)

Unit – I: Jurisprudence

• 1. Nature and sources of law
• 2. Schools of jurisprudence
• 3. Law and morality
• 4. Concept of rights and duties
• 5. Legal personality
• 6. Concepts of property, ownership and possession
• 7. Concept of liability
• 8. Law, poverty and development
• 9. Global justice
• 10. Modernism and post-modernism

Unit – II: Constitutional and Administrative Law

• 1. Preamble, fundamental rights and duties, directive principles of state policy.
• 2. Union and State executive and their interrelationship
• 3. Union and State legislature and distribution of legislative powers
• 4. Judiciary
• 5. Emergency provisions
• 6. Temporary, transitional and special provisions in respect of certain states
• 7. Election Commission of India
• 8. Nature, scope and importance of administrative law
• 9. Principle of natural justice 10. Judicial review of administrative actions – Grounds.

Unit – III: Public International Law and IHL

• 1. International law – Definition, nature and basis
• 2. Sources of International law
• 3. Recognition of states and governments
• 4. Nationality, immigrants, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
• 5. Extradition and asylum
• 6. United Nations and its organs
• 7. Settlement of international disputes
• 8. World Trade Organization (WTO)
• 9. International humanitarian law (IHL) – Conventions and protocols
• 10. Implementation of IHL – Challenges

Unit – IV: Law of Crimes

• 1. General principles of criminal liability – Actus reus and mens rea, individual and group liability and constructive liability
• 2. Stages of crime and inchoate crimes – Abetment, criminal conspiracy and attempt
• 3. General exceptions
• 4. Offences against human body
• 5. Offences against state and terrorism
• 6. Offences against property
• 7. Offences against women and children
• 8. Drug trafficking and counterfeiting
• 9. Offences against public tranquillity
• 10. Theories and kinds of punishments, compensation to the victims of crime

Unit – V: Law of Torts and Consumer Protection

• 1. Nature and definition of tort
• 2. General principles of tortious liability
• 3. General defences
• 4. Specific torts – Negligence, nuisance, trespass and defamation
• 5. Remoteness of damages
• 6. Strict and absolute liability
• 7. Tortious liability of the State
• 8. The Consumer Protection Act 1986 – Definitions, consumer rights and redressal mechanism
• 9. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 – No-fault liability, third party insurance and claims tribunal
• 10. The Competition Act, 2002 – Prohibition of certain agreements, abuse of dominant position and regulation of combinations

Unit – VI: Commercial Law

• 1. Essential elements of contract and e-contract
• 2. Breach of contract, frustration of contract, void and voidable agreements
• 3. Standard form of contract and quasi-contract
• 4. Specific contracts – Bailment, pledge, indemnity, guarantee and agency
• 5. Sale of Goods Act, 1930
• 6. Partnership and limited liability partnership
• 7. Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
• 8. Company law – Incorporation of a company, prospectus, shares and debentures
• 9. Company law – Directors and meetings
• 10. Corporate social responsibility

Unit-VII: Family Law

• 1. Sources and schools
• 2. Marriage and dissolution of marriage
• 3. Matrimonial remedies – Divorce and theories of divorce
• 4. Changing dimensions of institution of marriage – Live-in relationship
• 5. Recognition of foreign decrees in India on marriage and divorce
• 6. Maintenance, dower and stridhan
• 7. Adoption, guardianship and acknowledgment
• 8. Succession and inheritance
• 9. Will, gift and wakf
• 10. Uniform Civil Code

Unit –VIII: Environment and Human Rights Law

• 1. Meaning and concept of ‘environment’ and ‘environmental pollution
• 2. International environmental law and UN Conferences
• 3. Constitutional and legal framework for protection of environment in India
• 4. Environmental Impact Assessment and control of hazardous waste in India
• 5. National Green Tribunal
• 6. Concept and development of human rights
• 7. Universalism and cultural relativism
• 8. International Bill of Rights
• 9. Group rights – Women, children, persons with disabilities, elderly persons, minorities and weaker sections
• 10. Protection and enforcement of human rights in India – National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Schedule Tribes and National Commission for Backward Classes

Unit – IX: Intellectual Property Rights and Information Technology Law

• 1. Concept and meaning of intellectual property
• 2. Theories of intellectual property
• 3. International conventions pertaining to intellectual properties
• 4. Copyright and neighbouring rights – Subject matters, limitations and exceptions, infringement and remedies
• 5. Law of patent – Patentability, the procedure for grant of patent, limitations and exceptions, infringement and remedies
• 6. Law of trademark – Registration of trademarks, kinds of trademarks, infringement and passing off, remedies
• 7. Protection of Geographical Indications
• 8. Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge
• 9. Information technology law- digital signature and electronic signature, electronic governance, electronic records and duties of subscribers
• 10. Cybercrimes, penalties and adjudication

Unit – X: Comparative Public Law and Systems of Governance

• 1. Comparative Law – Relevance, methodology, problems and concerns in Comparison
• 2. Forms of governments – Presidential and parliamentary, unitary and federal
• 3. Models of federalism – USA, Canada and India
• 4. Rule of Law – ‘Formal’ and ‘substantive’ versions
• 5. Separation of powers – India, UK, USA and France
• 6. Independence of judiciary, judicial activism and accountability – India, UK and USA
• 7. Systems of constitutional review – India, USA, Switzerland and France
• 8. Amendment of the Constitution – India, USA and South Africa
• 9. Ombudsman –Sweden, UK and India
• 10. Open Government and Right to Information – USA, UK and India.

UGC NET Law Preparation Strategy and Material

UGC NET-JRF (Law) Examination Course

UGC NET Law Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Source: Lawctopus