With CUET a day away, student anxieties begin to mount

With the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) set to begin Friday, many from the first set of candidates for this mega test are anxious about schedules, centres and preparations.

After the expansion of the scope of the CUET this year, it has become the gateway exam for undergraduate programmes in some of the most sought-after institutes, including Delhi University, which has been admitting students based on class XII examination marks so far.

Admit cards for the first phase of the exams were issued Tuesday, and many students were far from happy about their schedules.

With the exam being conducted in two phases, multiple students who were allotted dates in the first phase said they felt they were being put at a disadvantage. The first phase will take place on July 15, 16, 19 and 20 and the second phase will be held on August 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10.

“I am giving my CUET exams on July 15 and 16 while I have friends who are giving the same in August. How is it fair? There’s a huge difference between writing the exam in three days and writing it in 40 days. I barely have time to cover the whole syllabus and write an unfamiliar exam while they’ll have ample time to understand the test format and the kind of questions asked,” said Mihika Gupta from Delhi. She is trying to get into a BMS or BCom (Honours) programme at DU. “The level of competition is so high. I feel such a difference means my opportunity to get into a dream college has been already snatched away from me,” she said.

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Some students are also feeling the pressure of writing a large number of papers in one day itself.

“I have five papers, including the general test paper on July 16. I want to try for Shri Ram College of Commerce but I can feel a huge burden. I just finished taking other major exams like IPMAT, and I don’t have enough time to study and revise, while a friend of mine who also opted for commerce subjects has her exam on August 20,” said a student from Hyderabad.

This was echoed by Naomi Sengupta from Delhi. “Everybody has been given different dates, which is unfair because now some have more time than others to prepare. Also, I have five tests in one day, and many are in the same position as me, which is very stressful.”

While the University Grants Commission chairman stated that 98% of candidates have been given the exam centre of their choice, students who have not been allotted their preference face additional challenges. Shreya Mishra found that she has been allotted her fourth choice, which is more than 300 kilometres away. “I live in Chattarpur and that was my first choice. Instead, three days before the exam, I have been given Bhopal as my centre, which is more than 300 kilometres away. Weather is disastrous, roads are blocked because of rain, so I had to book train tickets a day before the test. It’s a huge disruption to my preparation,” she said.

Lawyer Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, who is the president of the India Wide Parents’ Association, said, “Students have been given admit cards only two days before the exam. Some exam centres specified in these are far off from students’ locations. For some, it is very hard to commute this distance, especially at a short notice, and taking into account the situation when the monsoon has arrived and Northeast states are dealing with landslides. They could postpone it to August and do both phases together. This also solves another problem — students in August have it easy and can study for long whereas July students get less time.”

Students are also wondering whether they are prepared. Hana Moin studied in a CISCE-affiliated school where she did not study the NCERT curriculum, based on which the CUET will be conducted. “The syllabus taught at my school was drastically different from what will be asked in CUET, which is an issue for me and my batchmates. I’ve been preparing through a private coaching centre after my board exams, but half of my problems right now are because of the test. I’m worried about the limited seats and a large number of applicants,” she said.