UGC NET Paper 1 unit 2: Research Aptitude
Research Aptitude is unit 2 of 10 in the UGC NET Paper 1 syllabus. The syllabus notes that five questions of 2 marks are set from each unit, so it carries 10 of the 100 marks. Here is what it covers and how our papers set it: 5 questions in each of our 8 papers.
What the unit covers
Research Aptitude tests whether you know how knowledge is built, not what any one study found. It begins with the meaning of research, its kinds and the features that make an inquiry systematic. Two broad views of knowing are named: the positivist view, which trusts what can be observed and measured, and the post-positivist view, which accepts that every observation is shaped by the observer.
The unit then covers methods: experiments with their variables and controls, descriptive studies such as surveys, historical research built on records, and the qualitative and quantitative approaches. It walks through the steps of a project, from choosing a problem and reviewing what is already written to forming a hypothesis, sampling, collecting and analysing data and drawing conclusions.
Writing is part of it: how a thesis and a journal article are put together, and how sources are cited and referenced in a standard style. The unit ends with the use of computers and the internet in research, and with research ethics: honest reporting, informed consent, and the avoidance of plagiarism and invented data.
How our papers set it
- 5 questions in each of our 8 papers, always questions 6 to 10; 40 in all.
- Question types: 40 single-answer questions.
- Difficulty, as our authors grade it: 30 graded easy, 10 medium and none hard.
Or take a full timed paper, with this unit among the 10:
- What is in practice paper 1
- What is in practice paper 2
- What is in practice paper 3
- What is in practice paper 4
- What is in practice paper 5
- What is in practice paper 6
- What is in practice paper 7
- What is in practice paper 8
Questions people ask
How many questions come from Research Aptitude in UGC NET Paper 1?
The UGC syllabus notes that five questions of 2 marks are set from each of the 10 units, so Research Aptitude carries 10 of the 100 marks. Each of our 8 free practice papers sets 5 questions from it, 40 in all.
What does Research Aptitude cover?
The meaning, kinds and features of research, the positivist and post-positivist views, methods from experimental and descriptive to historical, qualitative and quantitative, the steps of a project, thesis and article writing, ICT in research and research ethics.
What kinds of Research Aptitude questions do your practice papers set?
Of the 40 questions on this unit in our papers, there are 40 single-answer questions. Every question has 4 options with one correct answer and an explanation shown after you submit.
How hard are the Research Aptitude questions in your papers?
Our authors grade every question easy, medium or hard. Of the 40 on this unit, 30 graded easy, 10 medium and none hard. The grading is ours, not NTA's.
Can I practise Research Aptitude on its own?
Yes. Unit practice gives untimed sets of 10 questions from this unit, drawn from all our papers: choose an answer, press Check the answer, and see the correct answer with its explanation. Your progress stays in this browser.
Sources
- UGC NET Bureau, Paper-I syllabus, General Paper on Teaching and Research Aptitude (PDF), read 26 Oct 2026.
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PhD entrance
The UGC-NET December 2026 bulletin says a NET result in categories 2 and 3 can be used as an entrance test for PhD admission in place of the entrance tests of universities and institutions. For the research-methodology part of university entrance tests: PhD research methodology practice papers.
Practice papers in the pattern of UGC NET Paper 1. Not affiliated with NTA or UGC.