Common University Entrance Test

Common University Entrance Test
AcronymCUET
TypePaper-based
Computer-based test (CBT)
AdministratorNational Testing Agency (since 2021)
Skills testedLanguage, domain-specific subject, general aptitude and reasoning
PurposeAdmission to various Universities and participating institutes
Year started2010 (2010)
DurationSection 1A, 1B - 60mins for each language
Section 2 - 60mins for each Subject
Section 3 - 60minutes
Score range250 per subject (Max. 5 subjects can be chosen)
OfferedOnce a year
RegionsIndia
LanguagesEnglish, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Punjabi, Odia
Annual number of test takersDecrease 1,071,735 (2025)[1](UG)
Websitecuet.nta.nic.in

The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is a standardised test in India conducted by the National Testing Agency at various levels for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Universities and other participating institutes.[2] It is also the means through which students are admitted to certain Deemed universities across India.[3][4]

History

CUCET was first conducted to admission for seven central universities for 1,500 seats in 41 undergraduate, postgraduate and integrated courses from 2010. The application form was filled up through CUCET-2010 which held on 19 and 20 June 2010 in about 30 examination centers spread across the country.[5] From its inception in 2010 until 2020, the CUCET was conducted by the Central University of Rajasthan for 12 Central Universities. The National Testing Agency took over the conduct of these exams in 2021.[6] In 2024, as a part of National Education Policy 2020, CUET is introduced as revamped version of CUCET making it compulsory for all 45 central universities and other universities to adopt and accept.

Exam pattern and structure

All question papers are Multiple Choice Question-based organized into different parts.

For Undergraduate Programmes

Starting 2024, the CUET exam pattern has three sections, which are Section IA – 13 Languages, Section IB – 20 Languages, Section II – 27 Domain-Specific Subjects, and Section III – General Test.

The CUET-UG consists of the Language Test, Domain-Specific papers, and the General Test.[7] Candidates can opt for a combination of at most 2 languages and 6 domain-specific subjects or 3 languages and 5 domain-specific tests. CUET entrance test 2024 will now be conducted in two slots. The duration of the first slot is 45 to 195 minutes, and the duration of the second slot is 45 to 225 minutes. CUET-UG 2023 was conducted in 3 slots of 3 hours each.[8]

The marking scheme includes 5 marks for each correct answer, and 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong response.

Criticism of exam pattern

In August 2022, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) raised questions regarding the inadequacy and inappropriateness of the multiple-choice-question (MCQ)-based CUET for postgraduate programmes. In an interview with The Indian Express[9], she blamed bureaucrats for failing to understand that academic merit implies analytical, language, and writing skills and cannot be equated with mere rote memorization, which, in her view, is the principal feature of MCQ-based tests. However, as her proposals were not well received by various groups, including the JNU Teachers’ Forum, and as the pattern of the CUET itself became a battleground in broader debates over nationalism[10], she later described the test as beneficial because it draws students from diverse sections of society[11], while refraining from commenting on its value as a measure of academic merit.

In the year 2026, a parliamentary committee requested the Central Government to reassess the examination pattern for social sciences and humanities. However, the report of the committee faced severe criticism from NITI Aayog. One of its members, Gobardhan Das, termed the debate over the pattern of the test as a battleground between English-educated elites and vernacular rural communities and argued that intelligence is something much more than elegance in speaking and writing alone. Furthermore, he connected the qualitative aspects of a test with rote learning and described the MCQ pattern of the test as more suitable for assessing intelligence, as it places less emphasis on rote memorization.[12]

Subjects, Pattern of CUET - UG
Section 1A -

13 languages

 Section 2 -

27 Domain-specific Subjects[13]

 Section 3 -

General Aptitude Test

Subjects
  • English
  • Telugu
  • Tamil
  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Marathi
  • Bhojpuri
  • Bengali
  • Assamese
  • Punjabi
  • Hindi
  • Urdu
 STEM:
  • Agriculture Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Studies/Biotechnology/Biochemistry
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science/Informatics Practices/Information Technology
  • Environmental Studies/sciences
  • Mathematics / Applied Mathematics
  • Physics

Commerce/Business:

  • Accountancy/Book Keeping
  • Business Studies
  • Economics/Business Economics

Humanities and Social Sciences:

  • Anthropology
  • Geography/Geology
  • History
  • Home Science
  • Knowledge Tradition-Practices India
  • Mass Media, Journalism & Communication
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sanskrit
  • Sociology

Arts, Sports & Others:

  • Fine Arts/Visual Arts
  • Art Education & Sculpture /Painting & Commercial Art
  • Performing Arts
  • Teaching Aptitude
  • Physical Education/National Cadet Corps (NCC)/Yoga
  • General Aptitude Test
Syllabus
  • Reading Comprehension based on different types of passages–Factual, Literary and Narrative - Tested on understanding of a passage and its central theme, meanings of words used therein, etc.
  • Literary Aptitude and Vocabulary - Tested on Questions on synonyms & antonyms
  • Grammar from all topics - Tested on correcting grammatically incorrect sentences, filling blanks in sentences with appropriate words, Rearranging the parts, etc.
  • Verbal Ability
  • Vocabulary, Writings
 Based On Latest Syllabus Prescribed As Per NCERT.
  • General Knowledge & Current Affairs
  • General Mental Ability
  • Numerical Ability
  • Aptitude
  • Quantitative Reasoning (application of basic mathematical concepts arithmetic, algebra geometry, mensuration, statistics & Probability)
  • Logical & Analytical Reasoning[14]
Pattern & Duration 50 MCQs to be answered in 50 Minutes (per subject)[15] 50 MCQs to be answered in 60

Minutes (per subject)

 50 MCQs to be answered in 60 minutes as per 2025

circular[14]

For Postgraduate Programmes

The CUET-PG has an additonal 72 test papers for various courses. The complete mapping of test paper code versus course and university is provided by NTA in the information brochure.[16]

CUET PG Subjects[17]
Languages & Linguistics Sciences & Mathematics Engineering & Technology Education Arts Commerce & Management Humanities & Social Sciences Indology, Religion & Philosophy Others
Linguistics:
  • Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Linguistics and Language Technology, Linguistics & Tribal Languages, Computational Linguistics (LAQP04)
  • English, Comparative Literature, English & Cultural Studies, English, Modern European etc. (LAQP01)
  • Hindi, Hindi translation, Hindi and Comparative Literature, Hindi and Modern Indian Languages etc. (LAQP02)

Indian Languages:

  • Assamese (LAQP06)
  • Bhutia (LAQP08)
  • Bengali (LAQP07)
  • Gujarati (LAQP13)
  • Hindi (LAQP02)
  • Kannada (LAQP16)
  • Kashmiri (LAQP17)
  • Khasi (LAQP18)
  • Kokborok (LAQP19)
  • Lepcha (LAQP21)
  • Malayalam (LAQP23)
  • Manipuri (LAQP24)
  • Marathi (LAQP25)
  • Nepali (LAQP26)
  • Odia (LAQP27)
  • Pali (LAQP28)
  • Punjabi (LAQP33)
  • Sanskrit (LAQP03)
  • Santali (LAQP40)
  • Tamil (LAQP35)
  • Telugu (LAQP36)
  • Urdu (LAQP37)

Foreign Languages:

  • Arabic (LAQP05)
  • Chinese (LAQP09)
  • French (LAQP10)
  • German (LAQP12)
  • Italian (LAQP41)
  • Japanese (LAQP15)
  • Korean (LAQP20)
  • Persian (LAQP30)
  • Russian (LAQP34)
  • Spanish (LAQP31)
  • Agricultural Science etc. (SCQP01)
  • Agro-forestry etc. (SCQP02)
  • Animal Science & Poultry (SCQP30)
  • Applied Microbiology & Microbiology etc. (SCQP03)
  • Architecture etc. (SCQP04)
  • Biochemistry (SCQP05)
  • Bioinformatics (SCQP06)
  • Botany (SCQP07)
  • Chemistry etc. (SCQP08)
  • Computer Applications and Information Technology etc. (SCQP09)
  • Environmental Sciences etc. (SCQP11)
  • Food Science and Technology etc. (SCQP12)
  • Forensic Science (SCQP13)
  • Geology, Earth Sciences etc. (SCQP14)
  • Geophysics (SCQP15)
  • Horticulture etc. (SCQP16)
  • Life Science etc. (SCQP17)
  • Material Science and Technology etc. (SCQP18)
  • Mathematics etc. (SCQP19)
  • Medical Laboratory Technology etc. (SCQP20)
  • MPT/MRT etc. (SCQP21)
  • Nanoscience etc. (SCQP22)
  • Pharmacy etc. (SCQP23)
  • Physics etc. (SCQP24)
  • Plant Biotechnology etc. (SCQP25)
  • Soil Science - Soil & Water Conservation etc. (SCQP26)
  • Statistics etc. (SCQP27)
  • Zoology etc. (SCQP28)
  • Atmospheric Science (SCQP29)
  • Public Health (COQP19)
  • Architecture etc. (SCQP04)
  • Chemical Thermal & Polymer Engineering (MTQP01)
  • Civil, Structural & Transport Engineering (MTQP02)
  • Dairy Technology (MTQP03)
  • Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security & Computer Science (MTQP04)
  • Electrical, Power and Energy Engineering (MTQP10)
  • Electronics, Communication and Information Engineering (MTQP05)
  • Food Engineering and Technology (MTQP06)
  • Mechanical Engineering (MTQP07)
  • Nanoelectronics & Material Sciences (MTQP09)
  • Nano Science & Nano Technology etc. (MTQP08)
  • Textile Engineering (MTQP12)
  • Water Engineering and Management etc. (MTQP11)
  • B.Ed. (COQP03)
  • B.Ed. Humanities and Social Sciences (COQP04)
  • B.Ed. Languages (COQP05)
  • B.Ed. Mathematics (COQP07)
  • B.Ed. Science (COQP06)
  • M.A. Education (COQP16)
  • M.Ed. (COQP15)
  • Applied Arts (HUQP03)
  • Art and Aesthetics (HUQP04)
  • Fine Arts etc. (HUQP07)
  • Dance (HUQP05)
  • Music - Karnatak (HUQP12)
  • Music - Percussion (HUQP25)
  • Music – Hindustani (HUQP14)
  • Painting (HUQP15)
  • Pottery & Ceramics (HUQP19)
  • Plastic Arts (HUQP17)
  • Theatre (HUQP24)
  • Agri-Business Management etc. (COQP01)
  • Commerce, Business Finance, Accounting & Taxation, Economic Administration and Financial Management etc. (COQP08)
  • Economics, Financial Economics, Business Economics, Rural Economics etc. (COQP10)
  • General MBA, Marketing & Finance Management, Tourism, Travel & Hotel Management, Business Analytics, Sales & Marketing etc. (COQP12)
  • Healthcare & Hospital Management (COQP22)
  • Ancient Indian History, Culture & Arch, Archaeology Heritage Management, Conservation Preservation and Heritage Management etc. (HUQP01)
  • Anthropology (HUQP02)
  • Disaster Studies (COQP09)
  • Development and Labour Studies (HUQP06)
  • Geography (HUQP08)
  • History and Archaeology, Ancient Indian History, Culture etc. (HUQP09)
  • History of Art, Archaeology Heritage Management etc. (HUQP10)
  • Home Science-Food & Nutrition, Nutrition and Health, Human Development & Childhood Studies, Fabric & Apparel Science, Resource Management & Design Application, Development Communication & Extension etc. (HUQP11)
  • Museology (HUQP13)
  • Philosophy (HUQP16)
  • Political Science, Public Administration, Human Rights, Politics and International Relations etc. (HUQP18)
  • Psychology, Applied Psychology, Health Psychology etc. (HUQP20)
  • Social Work, Urban & Rural Community Development etc. (HUQP21)
  • Sociology, Peace and Conflict Studies and Management (HUQP22)
  • Rabindra Sangit (HUQP26)
  • Commerce etc. (COQP08)
  • Criminology (SCQP10)
  • Shiksha Shastri B.Ed. (ACQP01)
  • Shiksha Acharya M.Ed. (ACQP02)
  • Agama (ACQP03)
  • Baudha Darshan & Buddhist Studies (Trilingual - Hindi, Sanskrit & English) (ACQP04)
  • Dharma Shastra, Vastu, Paurohitya and Veda (ACQP05)
  • Dharma Vijnan (ACQP06)
  • Dharmashastra (BHU) (ACQP07)
  • Hindu Studies (Bilingual - Sanskrit, English) (ACQP08)
  • Indian Knowledge System (ACQP09)
  • Jain Darshan (BHU) (ACQP10)
  • Jyotish - Falit (BHU) (ACQP11)
  • Jyotish - Ganit (BHU) (ACQP12)
  • Krishna Yajurveda (BHU) (ACQP13)
  • Nyaya Vaisheshika (ACQP14)
  • Phalita and Siddantha Jyotisha (ACQP15)
  • Puranetihas (ACQP16)
  • Rigveda (ACQP17)
  • Sahitya (BHU) (ACQP18)
  • Sahitya (Alankara and Kavya Varga) (ACQP19)
  • Samveda (ACQP20)
  • Shukla Yajurveda (BHU) (ACQP21)
  • Veda etc. (ACQP22)
  • Vedanta (BHU) (ACQP23)
  • Vedanta, Sarvadarshan, Mimansa, Nyaya etc. (ACQP24)
  • Vyakaran (BHU) (ACQP25)
  • Vyakarana & Sabdabodha Systems (ACQP26)
  • Yoga (COQP21)
  • General, L.L.B., Bachelor of Library & Information Science, Defence and Strategic Studies, Jammu & Kashmir Studies, Hindu Studies, Women Studies, Anthropology, Digital Society, Finance & Taxation, Physical Education, Textile Design, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Gender Studies etc. (COQP11)

Library and Information Science:

  • Library & Information Science (COQP13)
  • L.L.M. (COQP14)

Mass Communication and Journalism:

  • Mass Communication and Journalism (COQP17)

Physical Education, Yoga and Sports:

  • Physical Education (COQP18)
  • Sports - Physiology, Biochemistry, Nutrition, Biomechanics etc. (COQP20)
  • Yoga (COQP21)

Negative marking

Negative marking scheme is followed with a deduction of 1 mark for each wrong answer.

Application fees

Only online applications are accepted for CUCET-2024, and application fees for various categories are listed below.

For CUET-UG: (According to Data of CUET-UG 2024) [18]

For CUET (UG) – 2024, fees will be charged based on the number of subjects chosen by the candidates. The following fee structure is applicable for CUET (UG) - 2024:

Category Up to 03 Subjects For each Additional Subject
General (UR) Applicants ₹1,000 (US$10) ₹400 (US$4.20)
OBC/EWS Applicants ₹900 (US$9.30) ₹375 (US$3.90)
SC/ST/PWD Applicants ₹800 (US$8.30) ₹350 (US$3.60)
Centres outside India Applicants ₹4,500 (US$47) ₹1,800 (US$19)

For CUET-PG: (According to Data of CUET-PG 2024) [19]

For CUET (PG) – 2024, fees will be charged based on the number of subjects chosen by the candidates. The following fee structure is applicable for CUET (PG) - 2024:

Category Up to 02 Subjects For each Additional Subject
General (UR) Applicants ₹1,200 (US$12) ₹600 (US$6.20)
OBC/EWS Applicants ₹1,000 (US$10) ₹500 (US$5.20)
SC/ST Applicants ₹900 (US$9.30) ₹500 (US$5.20)
PWD Applicants ₹800 (US$8.30) ₹500 (US$5.20)
Centres outside India Applicants ₹6,000 (US$62) ₹2,000 (US$21)

Participating Universities

CUET-UG

Admission to the following universities is done through CUET-UG in 2024 (only undergraduate and integrated master's dees)-

Central Universities Deemed Universities State Universities Private Universities

CUET-PG

Admission in the following universities is done through CUET-PG in 2024 (only master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas):

Central Universities Deemed Universities State Universities Private Universities

[53]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CUET 2025 Press Release" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "What is the difference between CUCET and CUET 2022?". India Today. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. ↑ केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय-संयुक्त प्रवेश परीक्षा (सीयू-सीईटी) 2021 [Central Universities -Common Entrance Test (CU-CET) 2021]. National Testing Agency. Government of India. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. ↑ "DU to provide PhD admissions through CUET from upcoming academic year". hindustantimes.com. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Now, the all-new CUCET". The Hindu. 5 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "What is the difference between CUCET and CUET 2022?". India Today. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "CUET (CUCET) Exam Pattern 2022 (Revised): Marking Scheme, Subject, Marks, Duration". university.careers360.com. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "CUET Explained | Exam Format, Dates, Slot, Eligibility, Admit Cards, Evaluation – All You Need to Know". News18. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. ↑ The Indian Express (21 August 2022). “Appealing Govt To Change MCQ Format Of CUET PG”: JNU V-C Santishree Pandit. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Delhi: Section of JNU teachers slams VC over CUET". The Times of India. 22 August 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  11. ↑ The Sunday Guardian (16 February 2026). UGC regulation irrational, JNU VC Santishree D. Pandit tells Joyeeta Basu | Ths Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ PTI (5 July 2026). "NITI Aayog Defends MCQ Format in Entrance Exams Despite Criticism". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "CUET Syllabus".
  14. 1 2 "General Test - Syllabus CUET 2022" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Language Papers 1, 2, Syllabus CUET 2022" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "CUET PG Test Paper Codes". aglasem.com. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Syllabus". pgcuet.samarth.ac.in. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "CUET-PG Information Bulletin(IB)" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "CUET-PG IB" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "AMU to adopt CUET for UG admissions, centre denies exemption request". TimesNow. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Assam University".
  22. ↑ "Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University".
  23. ↑ "Banaras Hindu University".
  24. ↑ "Central Sanskrit University".
  25. ↑ "Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh".
  26. ↑ "Central University of Gujarat".
  27. ↑ "Central University of Himachal Pradesh".
  28. ↑ "Dr. Hari Singh Gour University".
  29. ↑ "The English and Foreign Languages University".
  30. ↑ "Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya".
  31. ↑ "Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University".
  32. ↑ "Indira Gandhi National Tribal University".
  33. ↑ "Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women".
  34. ↑ "Gurukul Kangri".
  35. ↑ "National Rail and Transportation Institute".
  36. ↑ "Tata Institute of Social Sciences".
  37. ↑ "Gandhigram Rural Institute".
  38. ↑ "Sri_Dev_Suman_Uttarakhand_University".
  39. ↑ "Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya".
  40. ↑ "Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University".
  41. ↑ "Dr. B. R. Ambedkar School of Economics University".
  42. ↑ "Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi".
  43. ↑ "Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology".
  44. ↑ "BML Munjal University".
  45. ↑ "Galgotias University".
  46. ↑ "IIMT University".
  47. ↑ "Jagannath University".
  48. ↑ "Jagannath University, Jaipur".
  49. ↑ "Jaypee University".
  50. ↑ "Mewar University".
  51. ↑ "Teerthanker Mahaveer University".
  52. ↑ "Best University in Gurgaon | Private University in Gurugram: KRMU". www.krmangalam.edu.in. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  53. ↑ Common University Entrance Test Guide (Graduate) National Testing Agency
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