UGC NET Research Aptitude Previous Year Questions
Unit 2 of UGC NET Paper 1 (Teaching and Research Aptitude) is Research Aptitude. JRFSmart holds 395 previous-year questions for it, organised into 62 topics, from 87 exam papers. Pick a topic below to see what NTA asks and how often it returns.
Important concepts
Research questions are easiest to solve when the design is clear. Start by separating a problem, objective, hypothesis and variable; then identify the population, sampling method and data needed. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed approaches answer different kinds of questions, while reliability and validity address the consistency and soundness of evidence. Keep research ethics in view throughout: informed participation, honest reporting, proper attribution and protection against plagiarism. In statistics questions, read the hypothesis and the meaning of the result before choosing a test or conclusion.
Topics in this unit
Ordered by how many exam papers each topic appears in.
| Topic | Questions | Papers | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statistics in research | 40 | 33 | High |
| Variables | 26 | 25 | Medium |
| Research ethics | 21 | 20 | Medium |
| Research approaches | 20 | 19 | Medium |
| Sampling | 19 | 18 | Medium |
| Types of research | 19 | 15 | Medium |
| Research design | 15 | 13 | Medium |
| Validity | 13 | 13 | Medium |
| Referencing | 12 | 12 | Medium |
| Methods of research | 13 | 11 | Medium |
| Qualitative research | 12 | 11 | Medium |
| Research paradigms | 10 | 10 | Medium |
| Measurement | 10 | 8 | Low |
| Experimental research | 9 | 8 | Low |
| Research process | 9 | 8 | Low |
| Survey research | 9 | 8 | Low |
| Data and measurement | 8 | 8 | Low |
| Hypothesis testing | 8 | 8 | Low |
| Research designs | 9 | 7 | Low |
| Research methods | 7 | 6 | Low |
| Nature of research | 7 | 5 | Low |
| Research writing | 6 | 5 | Low |
| Philosophy of research | 5 | 5 | Low |
| Research metrics | 5 | 5 | Low |
| Tools of research | 5 | 5 | Low |
| Academic writing | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Experimental design | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Hypothesis | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Literature review | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Research philosophy | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Research problem | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Statistics | 4 | 4 | Low |
| Observation | 4 | 3 | Low |
| Reasoning in research | 4 | 3 | Low |
| Content analysis | 3 | 3 | Low |
| Descriptive statistics | 3 | 3 | Low |
| Research communication | 3 | 3 | Low |
| Research publication | 3 | 3 | Low |
| Research bias | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Research quality | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Response bias | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Scientific method | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Threats to validity | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Validity and reliability | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Action research | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Correlation | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Correlation and causation | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Data analysis | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Data collection | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Deductive and inductive reasoning | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Educational thinkers | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research concepts | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research funding | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research institutions | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research literature | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research logic | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research proposal | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research reporting | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research resources | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Research tools | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Review of literature | 1 | 1 | Low |
| Theory | 1 | 1 | Low |
Practise Research Aptitude
All 395 questions in this unit. One topic in every unit is free.
Practise this unit