Twelve candidates have topped CUET UG 2022 by scoring 100 percentile in at least five papers. The Indian Express spoke to nine of them to find that all are students of CBSE-affiliated schools and would like to study at Delhi University. Majority of them want to study political science. BCom, History, psychology and economics are the other programme preferences. Since they had already done reasonably well in their Class 12 Board exam, we asked if CUET opened any new doors for them. To this, many said that they are now sure of securing a seat in coveted colleges like Shri Ram College of Commerce which would have earlier closed admissions at unrealistic cut-off marks like 98-99%. Edited excerpts:
Name: Megha Goenka
Age: 17 years
School: Delhi Public School, Guwahati
Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 98% (Commerce)
CUET Score
English (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Accountancy/Book Keeping (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Business Studies (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Economics/Business Economics (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Mathematics/Applied Mathematics (100th percentile, 196.294 marks), General Test (99.55 percentile, 261.869 marks)
Exam prep tips
I prepared for CUET, but that was mainly self-study. I revised what I had already studied for my Board exams. I feel the papers were fairly easy for anyone who has had her concepts clear from the start.
Is CUET helpful?
I think I now have a good shot at getting into SRCC. Although I scored well in my Board exams, I feel my English score (92%) was pulling my best-of-four average down to 97.75% and that would not have been enough to land a seat at SRCC. CBSE’s Term 1 English paper was vague, and I don’t think students of other boards would have faced the same problem. I feel CUET has given everyone a level-playing field
Programme and college preference: BCom (Honours), SRCC, Delhi University
Name: Sahaana Ramesh
Age: 18 years
School: Cambridge School, Noida
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 99.2% (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), History (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Legal Studies (100th percentile, 199/200marks), Political Science (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Psychology (100th percentile, 200/200 marks)
Exam prep tips
“Most of the questions were from our Board syllabus, and the fact that we had two board exams, one of which was MCQ based, was a huge help. I used various MCQ-based guidebooks to solve papers, which was helpful in my preparation”
Is CUET helpful?
“The execution needs to be fine-tuned, but it’s a good way of streamlining the process and providing a level field for all students. Earlier, there were students from different boards, and there was disparity because of the marking standards, but now there is more uniformity”
Programme and college preference: Political Science (Honours), Miranda House, Delhi University
Name: Priyanshi Choudhary
Age: 18 years
School: National Victor Public School, Gorakhpur, UP
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 98% (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); Economics/ Business Economics (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); Political Science (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); History (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); Home Science (100 percentile, 194/200 marks); General Test (85 percentile, 179 marks)
Exam prep tips
“I did not have any coaching and I was afraid that coaching classes might be teaching kids something that I didn’t know because I opted for self-preparation.”
Is CUET helpful?
“It was a new experience for all of us. My exam was postponed twice until I took it on the 21st of August. My exam was initially scheduled for the 1st Day of the CUET Phase 1 Exams and I got to know about it 2 days before the exam, it was frightening to prepare all the subjects in just two days. But CUET is a great option because Board exams were lenient and not conducted strictly and there were ups and downs in boards. I would have gotten my college based on board marks but I scored better in CUET. It was a strict and proper exam; it was a good experience and it has opened better opportunities for me.”
Programme and college preference: B.A Hons. Political Science, Vivekananda College, Delhi University
Name: Preetam Singh
Age: 17 years
School: Sanskrit Public School, Gorakhpur, UP
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 97.4 (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), Political Science (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), History (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), Hindi (100 percentile, 198/200 marks), Geography/Geology ((100 percentile, 200/200 marks), General Test (98 percentile, 242 marks)
Exam Prep Tips
“I came to know about CUET and my boards were near so I tried to study for both of them at the same time but it didn’t happen. I could not focus. I decided to focus on Boards first and then CUET. I studied for CUET later and it was the same syllabus, that is NCERT. So, I decided to focus on English and General Test as I had never studied that before. I focused on it.”
Is CUET helpful?
“The level of the exam was normal and the paper was easy and it has increased competition. CUET proposed it would provide an even field for all courses but I don’t think it has done so. It has increased competition because many students have scored 100 percentiles.”
Programme and college preference
BA (Honours) History, Hindu College, Delhi University
Name: Sneha Dey
Age: 18 years
School: Cambridge School, Noida (Sector 27)
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 97.8% (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); History (100 percentile, 200/200 marks); Legal Studies (100 percentile, 199/200 marks); Political Science (100 percentile, 200/200 marks) and Psychology (100 percentile, 200/200 marks)
Exam Prep Tips
“Initially, when the CUET was proposed I was upset that we will have to study extra. I felt that our batch already had to go through two board exams. But it turned out pretty well eventually. I thought I had to take coaching but I was able to do it on my own. Most of it was covered in Boards. We had to cover the parts that were in the deleted syllabus.”
Is CUET helpful?
“I checked the previous cut-offs and they were rather high. So, even though I would have gotten in for History (Honours) based on Board Marks, I would not have been able to get into Political Science without CUET, which is my preferred program. I was also lucky when it came to the matter of technical issues because I did not face any cancellations or glitches”.
Programme and college preference: B.A. (Hons.) Political Science or B.A. (Hons.) History at either Miranda House or LSR or Hindu College
Name: Apeksha Sehgal
Age: 17 years
School: St. Marks Girls Senior Secondary School, Meerabagh, Delhi
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 98.8% (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Economics (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), History (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Political Science (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Psychology (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), General Test (95.80 percentile, 219.11 marks)
Exam prep tips
Online tutorials were a big part of my preparation, but self-study with consistency is what was most important to me.
Is CUET helpful?
“I could have possibly gotten into Delhi University with only my Board marks. But even with CUET, students with higher percentile will get the top colleges, so it is more or less the same thing”
Programme and college preference: Psychology (Honours), Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University
Name: Ansh Gattani
Age: 18 years
School: Noble International School, Bhilwada, Rajasthan
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 99% (Commerce)
CUET Score
English (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Accountancy (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Business Studies (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Economics (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Mathematics (100th percentile, 196.29/200 marks), General Test (99.89 percentile, 275.611 marks)
Exam prep tips
“I only took classes for English and did self-study for the rest of the subjects. They were the same as my Board exam subjects and syllabus, so I faced no problems.”
Is CUET helpful?
“CUET gave me the opportunity to possibly get into SRCC. Earlier every student didn’t have an equal opportunity because they were from different boards. My board marks are good, but there always remains a doubt whether it is enough”
Programme and college preference: BCom (Hons.), Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University
Name: Tanmay Singh Bhadawat
Age: 18 years
School: Delhi Public School, Jodhpur
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 97.4% (Humanities)
CUET Score
English (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Economics (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Geography (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), History (100th percentile, 200/200 marks), Political Science (100th percentile, 200/200 marks)
Exam prep tips
“I only used the NCERT textbooks to prepare. Self-study is key.”
Is CUET helpful?
“The exam went smoothly, luckily. I think CUET is an additional benefit, even though I did well in my board exams. It has also opened new doors for me because some universities earlier either only looked at board marks or their own entrance test score. CUET was a common platform for all”
Programme and college preference: Political Science (Honours), Delhi University (college not decided)
Name: Khushi Sharma
Age: 17 years
School: Manav Rachna International School, Sector 14, Faridabad, Haryana
School Board: CBSE
Board Exam: 98% (Commerce)
CUET Score
English (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), French (100 percentile, 170/200 marks), Accountancy/ Book Keeping (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), Business Studies (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), Economics/ Business Economics (100 percentile, 200/200 marks), Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics (98.6 percentile, 135/200 marks) and General Test (94.6 percentile, 212 marks).
Exam Prep Tips
“The experience was pretty much the same. If you study in Class 12 properly, it is not much of a problem. It was okay. I did not have any specific strategy for CUET preparation and did not take any coaching for the same. I prepared all by myself based on the books my teachers had recommended.”
Is CUET helpful?
“I could have secured a seat in the college of my choice with my Board marks. But I believe CUET gives a second chance to those who could not do well in Class 12. And it is not as difficult as people think it is”.
Programme and college preference: Economics (Hons), SRCC, Delhi University
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