These are 40 original research methodology MCQs with answers, arranged in eight topic groups, and every answer has a one-line explanation. If we have a guide on that idea, the answer gives a link to it. We made these questions for scholars preparing for a PhD coursework exam, a university research entrance test (RET) or the research aptitude part of UGC NET Paper I. Every question was written by us only, so you will not find any previous year question here.
Try every question yourself first, and only after choosing click “Show answer”. When you commit to one option first, you come to know what you actually understand. Reading the answers one after another mostly gives a false feeling of knowing, because the words look familiar. If you get one wrong, the explanation gives name of the idea you missed. Where we have a guide on it, the link sits just after that explanation, so you can read more there.
For timed practice there is our free research methodology quiz. It gives you ten random questions at a time from a bigger bank of 61 and shows your score topic-wise. To see how coursework is set up, including the compulsory Research and Publication Ethics course, read our PhD coursework guide. Last reviewed September 2026.
MCQs on types of research and research approaches
This set checks if you can classify research by its purpose (basic or applied) and by its reasoning (inductive or deductive). A few questions go into the approach also, whether the study is positivist or interpretive, quantitative or qualitative. Many scholars are losing marks here because they read the example in a hurry. So first see what the researcher wants to achieve. The topic of the study does not decide the answer.
A lot of the questions across all eight topics are made from one of the pairs in the table below. Once you are clear on these pairs, a good number of questions become very easy to answer.
| Term | Often confused with | The difference in one line |
|---|---|---|
| Inductive reasoning | Deductive reasoning | Induction starts from particular cases and reaches a general conclusion. Deduction starts from a general premise and comes to a particular one. |
| Independent variable | Dependent variable | The independent variable is the presumed cause, and the dependent variable is the outcome. |
| Moderator | Mediator | A moderator changes when or how strongly X affects Y. A mediator is the route through which X affects Y. |
| Stratified sampling | Cluster sampling | Stratified takes a sample from every group, but cluster picks some whole groups at random. |
| Reliability | Validity | Reliability means consistency, and validity means measuring the right thing. |
| Questionnaire | Schedule | The respondent fills in a questionnaire, whereas an enumerator fills in a schedule. |
| Type I error | Type II error | Type I rejects a true null hypothesis, and Type II fails to reject a false one. |
| Fabrication | Falsification | Fabrication is inventing data, while falsification is changing or leaving out real data. |
1. Research carried out mainly to find a solution to an immediate, practical problem facing a community or an organisation is called:
- Fundamental research
- Conceptual research
- Applied research
- Historical research
Show answer
Answer: (c) Applied research. Applied research is aimed at solving a specific practical problem; fundamental (basic) research aims at generalisations and theory building.
2. Which kind of reasoning moves from specific observations to a general conclusion?
- Inductive reasoning
- Deductive reasoning
- Hypothetico-deductive reasoning
- Syllogistic reasoning
Show answer
Answer: (a) Inductive reasoning. Induction generalises from particular cases; deduction works from a general premise to a specific conclusion that follows from it.
3. In the positivist approach to research, valid knowledge about the world comes mainly from:
- Tradition and the authority of experts
- The researcher’s intuition
- The meanings that each participant constructs
- Observable evidence that can be measured and checked
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Answer: (d) Observable evidence that can be measured and checked. Positivism treats as knowledge what can be observed, measured and verified; the focus on meanings constructed by participants belongs to interpretivism.
4. A scholar studies colonial-era land revenue records to explain how present-day tenancy patterns in a district came about. This is:
- Experimental research
- Historical research
- Action research
- Survey research
Show answer
Answer: (b) Historical research. The scholar is working from old revenue records to understand what happened earlier, and that is historical research. Records and other surviving sources are its main material.
5. Which statement best describes qualitative research?
- It seeks an in-depth understanding of meanings and experiences, mostly from words, observation or images
- It never uses any form of sampling
- It always begins with a hypothesis to be tested statistically
- It cannot be used in a PhD thesis
Show answer
Answer: (a) It seeks an in-depth understanding of meanings and experiences, mostly from words, observation or images. In qualitative work the scholar goes deep into meaning and experience, usually with interviews, observation or documents. Sampling is there, but it is purposeful. No hypothesis is needed at the start. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
MCQs on the research problem, hypotheses and variables
In variable questions, mostly the whole study is given in one sentence and you have to name the role of one variable. Find the outcome first, because the outcome is your dependent variable. After that, see how each of the other variables is connected to that outcome, and its role will become clear. For bringing all your variables together in a thesis, read our guide to theoretical and conceptual frameworks.
6. A study tests whether the number of hours of weekly coaching affects candidates’ UGC NET scores. Here, hours of weekly coaching is the:
- Dependent variable
- Extraneous variable
- Moderating variable
- Independent variable
Show answer
Answer: (d) Independent variable. The independent variable is the presumed cause; the NET score is the dependent variable, the outcome being explained. Read more: How to write a research hypothesis
7. A null hypothesis (H0) usually states that:
- The researcher’s prediction is true
- There is no difference or no relationship in the population
- The sample was chosen with bias
- The result has practical importance
Show answer
Answer: (b) There is no difference or no relationship in the population. H0 is the statement of no effect that the test tries to reject; the alternative hypothesis (H1) states the difference or relationship the researcher expects. Read more: How to write a research hypothesis
8. Which of these is a testable research hypothesis?
- Social media is bad for society
- Students should use social media wisely
- Undergraduates who use social media for more than three hours a day have lower sleep quality scores than those who use it for less than one hour
- Is social media good or bad for students?
Show answer
Answer: (c) Undergraduates who use social media for more than three hours a day have lower sleep quality scores than those who use it for less than one hour. A testable hypothesis names measurable variables and makes a specific prediction that data could prove wrong; the other options are an opinion, advice and a question. Read more: How to write a research hypothesis
9. A variable that changes the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable is a:
- Moderating variable
- Mediating variable
- Dependent variable
- Control variable
Show answer
Answer: (a) Moderating variable. A moderator affects when or how strongly X relates to Y; a mediator explains how or why X affects Y. Read more: Mediation and moderation analysis: the difference and how to test each
10. Education raises income, and higher income in turn improves health. In the link between education and health, income is a:
- Moderating variable
- Dependent variable
- Mediating variable
- Dummy variable
Show answer
Answer: (c) Mediating variable. A mediator sits on the path between X and Y and carries part or all of the effect of X on Y. Read more: Mediation and moderation analysis: the difference and how to test each
MCQs on research design
Design questions mostly depend on one or two small details given in the case. First check whether the people were randomly assigned. Then see if the data were collected one time only or repeated over a period. For a mixed-methods study the order is important, so note which method came first. Underline these points in the question paper itself before you look at the options.
11. The feature that defines a true experimental design is:
- A large sample
- Random assignment of participants to groups
- Use of a structured questionnaire
- Data collection over several years
Show answer
Answer: (b) Random assignment of participants to groups. Random assignment makes the groups comparable before the treatment, so a later difference can be attributed to the treatment. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
12. A study that collects data from people of different age groups at a single point in time uses which design?
- Longitudinal
- Panel
- Cross-sectional
- Cohort
Show answer
Answer: (c) Cross-sectional. A cross-sectional design takes one snapshot in time; longitudinal, panel and cohort designs follow people over time. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
13. A teacher compares two existing class sections, teaching one with a new method and the other as usual, without randomly assigning students. This is:
- A quasi-experimental design
- A true experimental design
- A historical design
- An ethnographic design
Show answer
Answer: (a) A quasi-experimental design. There is a comparison group here, but students were not randomly assigned, so call it quasi-experimental. The two sections may already be different from before, and that stays a threat. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
14. A scholar runs a survey first and then interviews some respondents to explain unexpected survey results. Which mixed-methods design is this?
- Exploratory sequential
- Convergent parallel
- Embedded experimental
- Explanatory sequential
Show answer
Answer: (d) Explanatory sequential. In an explanatory sequential design the quantitative phase comes first and the qualitative phase follows to explain it; exploratory sequential runs the other way round. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
15. Which design aims to describe the characteristics of a population or situation as they exist, without manipulating anything?
- Experimental design
- Descriptive design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Action research
Show answer
Answer: (b) Descriptive design. Descriptive research reports what exists, such as the profile of MSME owners in a district; experiments, trials and action research introduce a change. Read more: Types of research design: which one fits your research question
MCQs on sampling methods
In sampling, the first division is probability versus non-probability. For that, ask yourself whether every unit have a known chance of being selected. After that, look whether units are picked from inside every group, which is stratified, or whether some whole groups are taken, which is cluster. How many people to sample is a separate question, and our sample size guide deals with it.
16. In simple random sampling:
- The researcher picks the most typical members
- Respondents recruit other respondents
- Only volunteers are included
- Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
Show answer
Answer: (d) Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. Simple random sampling gives each unit the same known chance of selection, for example by drawing random numbers against a complete list. Read more: Sampling techniques in research: which method to use and how to defend it
17. A researcher divides colleges into rural and urban groups and draws a random sample from each group. This is:
- Stratified random sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Quota sampling
- Snowball sampling
Show answer
Answer: (a) Stratified random sampling. Random selection is happening inside each subgroup (stratum), so it is stratified. In quota sampling also there are subgroup targets, but nobody is selected randomly. Read more: Sampling techniques in research: which method to use and how to defend it
18. Which of these is a non-probability sampling method?
- Systematic sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Stratified random sampling
- Purposive sampling
Show answer
Answer: (d) Purposive sampling. In purposive sampling the researcher picks cases by judgement, so the chance of selection is unknown; the other three rely on random selection. Read more: Sampling techniques in research: which method to use and how to defend it
19. To study borrowers of informal moneylenders, for whom no list exists, a researcher asks each respondent to refer others like them. This is:
- Systematic sampling
- Snowball sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Simple random sampling
Show answer
Answer: (b) Snowball sampling. When no list of the group exists, referrals are the way in, and that is snowball sampling. The weak point is that people with more contacts mostly get picked more. Read more: Sampling techniques in research: which method to use and how to defend it
20. The list of units from which a sample is actually drawn, such as an electoral roll or a list of colleges, is called the:
- Sampling error
- Parameter
- Sampling frame
- Sample size
Show answer
Answer: (c) Sampling frame. The sampling frame is the working list of the population; units missing from it can never be selected. Read more: Sampling techniques in research: which method to use and how to defend it
MCQs on scales of measurement, reliability and validity
You can get scale questions right quickly if you check two things. Does the order of the values carry any meaning, and is there a true zero? For reliability and validity, just decide whether the question is talking about consistency or about measuring the right thing.
21. Respondents rank five brands of tea from most preferred to least preferred. The data are on which scale?
- Nominal
- Interval
- Ordinal
- Ratio
Show answer
Answer: (c) Ordinal. A rank tells you which brand came first and which came second. How big the gap is between them, the rank cannot say. So it is ordinal. Read more: Choosing the right statistical test
22. Temperature measured in degrees Celsius is on which scale of measurement?
- Interval
- Nominal
- Ordinal
- Ratio
Show answer
Answer: (a) Interval. Celsius has equal intervals but no true zero (0 °C does not mean an absence of heat), so 40 °C is not twice as hot as 20 °C.
23. Monthly household income in rupees is measured on which scale?
- Nominal
- Ordinal
- Interval
- Ratio
Show answer
Answer: (d) Ratio. Rupees have equal intervals and zero income really means no income. So you can say ₹40,000 is twice ₹20,000, and that makes it ratio.
24. The reliability of a research instrument refers to:
- Whether it measures what it claims to measure
- How consistently it measures
- How many items it contains
- Whether it has been published before
Show answer
Answer: (b) How consistently it measures. Reliability is consistency of measurement; whether the instrument measures the intended construct is a question of validity. Read more: Reliability and validity in research
25. Cronbach’s alpha is used to check:
- Normality of the data
- Content validity
- Internal consistency reliability of a multi-item scale
- Adequacy of the sample for factor analysis
Show answer
Answer: (c) Internal consistency reliability of a multi-item scale. Alpha shows how consistently the items of one scale measure the same construct, and 0.70 is the minimum most examiners expect. Read more: Reliability and validity in research
MCQs on data collection tools
This group is about the sources of data and the tools used for collecting them. Kothari’s textbook is followed in many Indian universities, and it discusses about the questionnaire and the schedule as two different tools. For university exams it is good to know that difference well. Our methodology chapter guide shows how you write up these same choices in a thesis.
26. Data that a researcher collects first-hand for the current study, for example through a survey, are called:
- Secondary data
- Primary data
- Tertiary data
- Metadata
Show answer
Answer: (b) Primary data. Primary data are original data gathered for the study at hand; data collected earlier by someone else for another purpose are secondary. Read more: How to write the research methodology chapter
27. A thesis uses figures from Census of India reports and RBI publications. For this thesis, these are:
- Primary data
- Experimental data
- Secondary data
- Observational field notes
Show answer
Answer: (c) Secondary data. Data collected and published by another agency for its own purposes are secondary data for the researcher who reuses them. Read more: How to write the research methodology chapter
28. “How satisfied are you with your salary and your working hours?” is a weak questionnaire item mainly because it is:
- Double-barrelled
- Too short
- Open-ended
- Written in the second person
Show answer
Answer: (a) Double-barrelled. It asks about two things but allows one answer, so a respondent happy with the salary and unhappy with the hours cannot answer accurately. Read more: Designing a research questionnaire
29. An interview in which the researcher follows a prepared guide of main questions but can change their order and ask follow-up probes is:
- Structured
- Unstructured
- Semi-structured
- A focus group
Show answer
Answer: (c) Semi-structured. Semi-structured interviews combine a set guide with flexibility; structured interviews fix the wording and order, and unstructured ones have no set guide. Read more: Semi-structured interviews for qualitative PhD research
30. A schedule differs from a questionnaire mainly because a schedule is:
- Always sent by post
- Used only for children
- Made up only of open-ended questions
- Filled in by an enumerator who asks the questions and records the answers
Show answer
Answer: (d) Filled in by an enumerator who asks the questions and records the answers. A questionnaire the respondent fills on his own. With a schedule the enumerator asks and he writes down the answers. That is why it is used when people cannot easily read or write the form. Read more: Designing a research questionnaire
MCQs on statistics and hypothesis testing
At this level you will mostly be asked to pick a test or read a result, and most of them don’t need any calculation. For p-value just keep one definition in mind. It is the probability of getting results at least this extreme if the null hypothesis were true. Errors and tails are explained in our hypothesis testing guide, and the statistical test chooser takes you step by step through picking a test.
31. A Type I error occurs when a researcher:
- Fails to reject a null hypothesis that is false
- Rejects a null hypothesis that is true
- Uses a sample that is too small
- Uses a one-tailed test
Show answer
Answer: (b) Rejects a null hypothesis that is true. A Type I error is a false positive, and its probability is the significance level α; failing to reject a false H0 is a Type II error. Read more: Hypothesis testing explained: p-values, errors and tails
32. A test gives p = 0.03, and the significance level was set at 0.05. What follows?
- There is a 3% probability that the null hypothesis is true
- The effect is large and practically important
- The null hypothesis is rejected at the 5% level of significance
- The study had 97% power
Show answer
Answer: (c) The null hypothesis is rejected at the 5% level of significance. Because p is below α, H0 is rejected; p is the probability of data at least this extreme if H0 were true, not the probability that H0 is true. Read more: Hypothesis testing explained: p-values, errors and tails
33. To compare the mean scores of three or more independent groups on a continuous outcome, the usual parametric test is:
- One-way ANOVA
- Paired t-test
- Chi-square test
- Pearson correlation
Show answer
Answer: (a) One-way ANOVA. One-way ANOVA compares three or more group means at once; running several t-tests instead inflates the Type I error rate. Read more: Choosing the right statistical test
34. To test whether gender is associated with the type of bank a customer prefers (public, private or cooperative), the suitable test is:
- Independent samples t-test
- One-way ANOVA
- Pearson correlation
- Chi-square test of independence
Show answer
Answer: (d) Chi-square test of independence. Both variables are categories, so the chi-square test of independence compares the observed and expected counts in the cross-table. Read more: Choosing the right statistical test
35. Which measure of central tendency is least affected by a few extremely high values, such as a handful of very large incomes?
- Arithmetic mean
- Median
- Weighted mean
- Mean of the highest and lowest values
Show answer
Answer: (b) Median. Median looks only at the middle position. A few very large incomes hardly change it, but the mean gets pulled up towards them.
MCQs on research ethics, plagiarism and referencing
Here the questions are on research ethics, the UGC plagiarism rules and citation styles, which is a big part of what the Research and Publication Ethics course teaches. Whenever a question asks about similarity levels, it quotes the UGC regulations of 2018. But your university may have a stricter limit, and for your thesis that stricter limit is the one to follow.
36. Under the UGC plagiarism regulations of 2018, what level of similarity in a thesis falls in Level 0, with no penalty?
- Up to 10%
- Up to 20%
- Up to 30%
- Up to 40%
Show answer
Answer: (a) Up to 10%. Up to 10% similarity is Level 0. Some universities go stricter than this or keep their own exclusions, so do check what your ordinance says. Read more: Plagiarism limits for PhD theses in India
37. Valid informed consent means that participants:
- Are paid for taking part
- Sign the form before they are told what the study involves
- Agree voluntarily after being told the purpose, procedures, risks and their right to withdraw
- Are kept unaware of the purpose so that their answers are not biased
Show answer
Answer: (c) Agree voluntarily after being told the purpose, procedures, risks and their right to withdraw. Participants should know what they are agreeing to. They should also know they can walk out any time and nothing will happen to them for it. Only then you can call the consent informed and voluntary. Read more: Research ethics approval for a PhD in India: when you need it and what to submit
38. Publishing substantially the same findings in two journals without telling either journal is:
- Fabrication
- Duplicate (redundant) publication
- Falsification
- Ghost authorship
Show answer
Answer: (b) Duplicate (redundant) publication. Sending the same work to two journals as if it is new both times is duplicate publication. The UGC Research and Publication Ethics course teaches it along with fabrication, falsification and plagiarism. Read more: PhD coursework and the RPE course
39. Changing or leaving out data so that the results appear to support the hypothesis is:
- Fabrication
- Plagiarism
- Paraphrasing
- Falsification
Show answer
Answer: (d) Falsification. Here the data exist, but somebody changed or dropped some of it, so it is falsification. If the data was never collected and somebody just made it up, then we call it fabrication. Read more: PhD coursework and the RPE course
40. In APA 7th edition style, a standard in-text citation gives:
- A number in square brackets
- The author’s surname and the year of publication
- The full title of the work
- The DOI of the work
Show answer
Answer: (b) The author’s surname and the year of publication. APA is an author-date style, as in (Sharma, 2021); numbered citations in square brackets belong to styles such as IEEE. Read more: APA 7 formatting guide for theses
Want a specialist to help with this in your own work? Research Methodology Consulting: a free first consultation, then a written scope and fixed quote.
Sources
- UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, clause 5(2)(ii): entrance test syllabus (PDF)
- NTA, UGC-NET June 2025 information bulletin, sections 2.2 and 2.4: pattern of examination and marking scheme (PDF)
- UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018: levels of plagiarism (PDF)
FAQ
Questions scholars ask
Are these previous year UGC NET questions?
No. All 40 were written by us to test the ideas that come again and again in research methodology papers. We have not copied or adapted any of them from a past paper or a question bank. If you want actual past questions, the National Testing Agency puts answer keys for recent UGC NET sessions on ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
How many research aptitude questions come in UGC NET Paper I?
The NTA bulletin gives the pattern only for the full paper, that is 50 questions for 100 marks. There is no fixed number of questions published for each unit. If someone quotes a count for research aptitude, that is only their guess from old papers. Our suggestion is, cover the whole unit and don’t go after any number.
Does the PhD coursework exam have multiple-choice questions?
That depends on your university. In many places the coursework exam is a written paper with essay and short-answer questions, as explained in our coursework guide. Objective questions are more common in entrance tests. Ask your department for old question papers and see the pattern yourself. Even for a written exam, MCQ practice is useful. Your definitions become clear, and you have to explain those same definitions in the answers.
Which textbooks do these questions follow?
We have gone by the standard definitions given in textbooks like C. R. Kothari and Gaurav Garg’s Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques and John W. Creswell’s Research Design. Some terms you will find with slightly different definitions from one book to another. In such cases we either dropped the question or used the meaning most books give. If your syllabus has its own reading list, give that list priority.
What is the quickest way to revise research methodology before an exam?
Start with the confused pairs in the table above. Then try these questions without looking at the answers. After that, do one or two rounds of the quiz so that you face questions you haven’t seen before. Wherever you keep losing marks on a topic, read the linked guide for it and write a three-line answer in your own words. Written papers want you to explain the idea, and only spotting the right option will not be enough there.
