A Guide to Common University Entrance Test (CUET)

 a guide to common university entrance test (cuet)

Suppose you are a student aspiring to get admitted to the prestigious Indian National Universities to pursue UG or PG courses. In that case, you must have come across the term CUET. The CUET Entrance exam is knocking on the door, and the results of this entrance exam will determine your undergraduate or postgraduate admissions. Since this is the first time such a unified entrance examination for university admissions will occur in India, students and all other stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and instructors, are apprehensive about the CUET entrance, harboring plenty of queries. So, here it is – a detailed CUET guide for you.

What is CUET?

CUET stands for Common University Entrance Test. NTA or National Testing Agency shall conduct this computer-based or CBT examination. Admissions to all the Undergraduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) courses in the 45 Centralised Universities of India will be conducted through this examination’s merit score and ranking. This practical implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 aims to make admissions to government institutions centralized and unified. 

Institutions such as Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Jamia Milia University shall conduct their admission process through the CUET. Initially, the examination was named CUCET, standing for Central Universities Common Entrance Test. Later on, CUCET got revamped to CUET, and it has now become mandatory for all the central universities to facilitate the admission process through this examination.  

What is the Need for CUET?

Over the past several years in India, there has been increased agitation among students regarding university admissions. Prestigious National Universities of India set the cut-off marks extraordinarily high, making it difficult for the students to secure a seat at their deemed institutes. 

Moreover, students from various boards opt for the same platform to compete for seats in the universities. There is no parity since all the boards do not follow a similar marking scheme for the board exams. Also, the students from rural and suburban India do not get fair chances of admission because of commutation issues. In addition, some students may not score excellent marks in the board examination due to several other restraints. Therefore, CUET aims to mitigate all such inequalities and establish parity in India’s Higher Education sector. 

Who Can Apply for CUET?

All the Students who have cleared the Class XII board exams from any recognized educational board or India or hold an equivalent degree can apply for the CUET UG entrance examination in their preferred subjects. Students who have passed the graduation final year examination and hold a bachelor’s degree from any UGC-recognized institute or other equivalent degrees could opt for the CUET PG entrance examinations in their preferred subjects. 

Candidates can check the official website of the CUET entrance examination and register for the exam. The application process is relatively easy. Students and parents must always check the website regularly to stay updated on the recent information updated by NTA. Also, students should not fall into the trap of any fake website that offers CUET exam details. 

CUET Exam Pattern

Most of the CUET entrance exam questions are expected to test the students’ aptitude, general reasoning skills, and analytical ability necessary for higher education. This CBT test shall be based mainly on the topics covered in NCERT textbooks. 

The exam structure is expected to consist of 3 sections –

The three sections in CUET Entrance Exam

  • Section A will be based on evaluating the Language Skills. 
  • Section B shall be based on the Domain Specific Subject. This section shall assess the student’s proficiency in the particular subject that they apply for. NTA offers 27 domains for the CUET exam. A student can choose a maximum of 6 domains out of these. Students should thoroughly check the CUET syllabus for a detailed understanding of the domains and a vivid idea of the domain contents.
  • Section C is dedicated to Vocational/Cross stream test/ open eligibility assessment. This section will have two subsections that will assess general aptitude and language tests, respectively. 

Students shall be awarded five marks for every correct answer, and for every incorrect answer, one mark shall be deducted. NTA declares that there will be no negative marking for unattempted questions. 

Final Words

CUET thus targets to establish parity and uniformity in Indian Higher Education. It makes education interdisciplinary and broadens the scope and horizon of higher education in India. To ace CUET, students must choose a reputed course. Also, opt for the mock test series of the CUET exams to have a practical test experience. 

 

FAQS

  • Will CUET make the Board Examination Irrelevant?

No. CUET will not make the board examination irrelevant. This is because universities will still have minimum qualifying board exam marks as their admission criteria. Apart from rank and merit scores in CUET, universities will also check the board scores for a student’s admission. Moreover, board examination marks can also be used as tie-breakers. However, it will end the era where board examination marks will be the sole determinant of admission.

  • Will CUET be held twice a year?

There is no possibility of CUET being held twice a year. However, NTA has justified in a press interview that since this is the first CUET in the country, they are not planning to hold it twice. Therefore, from the next session, there may be a possibility.

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