From 'Ritzer' To 'Putzer': Why UGC NET's Sociology Paper Is In The Spotlight

Last Updated:July 02, 2026, 17:46 IST

One of the errors involved renowned American sociologist George Ritzer, best known for introducing the concept of "McDonaldization". His surname was allegedly printed as "Putzer".

The National Testing Agency (NTA)-conducted University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) has come under scrutiny after aspirants flagged several typographical, grammatical and translation errors in the sociology question paper, raising concerns over the quality of the examination.

The controversy gained momentum after sociology aspirant Antara Chakraborty detailed the alleged errors in a post on X, claiming the paper was riddled with mistakes that left many candidates struggling to even understand the questions.

According to Chakraborty, nearly half of the sociology paper contained spelling mistakes, poor grammar and confusing sentence construction.

“Fifty per cent of the paper had terrible spelling errors and grammatically disastrous sentence formation," she wrote.

One of the most talked-about errors involved renowned American sociologist George Ritzer, best known for introducing the concept of “McDonaldization". In the question paper, his surname was allegedly printed as “Putzer".

Several other names and terms were also reportedly misspelled. Govind Sadashiv Ghurye, widely regarded as the father of Indian sociology, was allegedly printed as “Ghunye", while noted Indian sociologist A.R. Desai was referred to as “A.K. Desai". Common sociological terms and names, including “social" and “Parsons", were also allegedly misspelled.

Aspirants argued that such mistakes were particularly problematic because sociology involves hundreds of scholars and theoretical concepts, making accurate names essential for answering questions correctly.

Chakraborty also alleged that some questions appeared to be AI-generated and referred to obscure thinkers and books that were not part of the prescribed sociology syllabus. However, the NTA has not commented on this specific allegation.

The controversy was not limited to the English version of the paper. Candidates also criticised the Hindi translation, alleging that it was riddled with errors and difficult to comprehend.

“It seemed like it was written by a five-year-old," Chakraborty claimed, adding that many students spent valuable exam time trying to decipher poorly worded questions instead of answering them.

The concerns extended beyond the sociology paper. Aspirants who appeared for the English paper also alleged irregularities, claiming several questions were repeated from previous years.

Melwin Anthony, a second-year MA English student at the University of Delhi who appeared for the June 24 examination, told News18.com that many questions, including the reading comprehension passage, appeared to be direct repeats from the 2024 paper.

“As a person who practised previous-year questions, I can assure most of the questions were repeated. The reading comprehension was also an exact photocopy," he said.

Anthony also expressed concern over speculation that the examination could be cancelled. “June 2026 NET was my last attempt to clear JRF unless I wanted to waste a year. I prepared much more seriously this time than in my previous two attempts. If the exam gets cancelled, it will be mentally very difficult to maintain the same momentum," he said.

Summing up the frustration of many candidates, Chakraborty wrote that students struggled to even understand the questions.

“Students could not even understand the questions, let alone attempt them. Half the time went in literally making sense of what nonsense was scribbled in the name of a paper like NET, which is supposed to make you eligible for Assistant Professor positions and PhD admissions. Is this some joke?" she wrote.

What Did The NTA Say?

Responding to the controversy, the National Testing Agency acknowledged that it had become aware of the complaints through media reports and social media discussions. The agency said typographical errors are not uncommon and noted that it was examining the concerns raised by candidates.

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