CUET Subject Strategy: Why confidence and course fit matter more than popularity

According to CUET UG 2024 data, Business Studies led with 2,098 students scoring a perfect 200, followed by Political Science (5,141 candidates) and English (1,683). In 2023, English had topped the list with 5,685 students scoring full marks. These mainstream subjects remain favourites due to large student pools and widely available resources.

Interestingly, regional and less commonly opted subjects—such as Assamese, Mizo, Japanese, and German—had just one or two students scoring full marks. Though seemingly marginal, this points to a strategic opportunity for students aiming to stand out.

Introduced in 2022, the CUET UG is held as an entrance test to shortlist candidates for admission to UG programmes at central universities across the country and other participating state universities. Candidates can choose a maximum of five subjects from a pool of 37 subjects (13 languages + 23 domain-specific subjects + one general aptitude test). The subjects are selected based on the eligibility criteria for a programme at a desired university.

This year, only one student scored 100 percentile in four of five chosen subjects. Of the 13.54 lakh registered candidates, 10.71 lakh appeared for the exam.

‘Smaller pool, lesser competition’

“Many students are now waking up to the fact that niche subjects may offer an edge,” says an assistant professor at a central university in Assam. “If a student is genuinely strong in a subject like Sanskrit or Persian, their chances of ranking high improve due to less saturation and more manageable competition,” the professor added.

According to Karan Mehta, co-founder of Toprankers, a smaller test-taker pool doesn’t guarantee a high percentile; it only changes the distribution dynamics. 

“If you’re among the top scorers in a niche subject, you might get a high percentile with less pressure. But if the test is tough or the pool is highly competent, even one incorrect answer can drastically lower your score. So, your percentile depends more on relative performance than just the number of test takers,” he added.

However, as per Ritika Gupta, CEO and counsellor at AAera Consultants, for a niche CUET subject with a smaller number of test-takers, a student can certainly stand a better chance of attaining higher percentiles, as long as they perform well. Generally, with a smaller number of candidates, there is less spread in scores, which may favour a prepared candidate. 

“This only holds if the student is capable of the subject. If a student does poorly, then the poor performance of a smaller number of candidates would become noticeable and could lead to a drastically lower percentile. It is worth noting that normalisation also benefits groups; therefore, the key remains performance. The more important thing for choosing a subject is the subject’s relevance to the programme the student is seeking, as well as how confident the student feels with the content. Choosing just based on the lower number of test-takers should not be the priority,” she added.

In CUET’s normalised scoring pattern, how many people score high in a subject can directly impact percentile rankings. So, even though it might be easier to find resources for business studies or biology, scoring in these subjects can be more competitive.

Students weigh in

For Angad Arora, a humanities student from Chandigarh who took Punjabi as a language subject, the decision paid off. “I was fluent in the language since childhood, but people discouraged me because it wasn’t ‘mainstream’. Turns out, I scored 200 — and it boosted my CUET percentile,” he says.

Garima appeared for six subjects in CUET UG 2022 – English, Hindi, political science, geography, history and physical education. She got full marks in all the subjects and took admission in Political Science (Hons) at the Hindu College. She opines that if one is interested in niche subjects, it can be beneficial for the score card. “It just boils down to one thing – which subjects you are confident in,” she added.

The double-edged sword

However, teachers caution that niche subjects should be chosen only when a student is genuinely confident. Ramnath Kanakadandi, senior course director at T.I.M.E, opines that subjects should be selected based primarily on one’s interest combined with the long-term prospects of the area. Competition is a factor to be considered, only after considering the earlier two parameters and only in an all things being equal kind of scenario, Kanakadandi added.

“If we make competition the primary factor, we run the risk of getting into subjects or courses that may not offer the benefits that we can otherwise get, based on our interest/ability,” he added.

Before selecting your subjects for CUET, Garima added, it is extremely important to see the particular requirements for your desired course and University. Candidates will have to make sure that their combination of subjects satisfies those requirements.

“Taking niche subjects might give you a competitive edge but it needs to align with your overall goal too. For example, if you want to pursue a bachelors in Zoology from DU, you need to score marks in Biology, Chemistry and Physics with English only being a qualifying subject. In such scenarios, I would say there’s not much scope for niche subjects. Hence, you’ll have to work harder in your domain subjects. Have a clear understanding of the requirements of your desired course and dedicate your time and efforts accordingly,” she added.

Moreover, limited takers for some subjects mean that a poor performance might have a sharper negative impact on percentile, since normalisation factors in the overall difficulty and cohort performance.

With CUET opening doors to over 200 universities and changing the face of undergraduate admissions, subject selection has become more strategic than ever.

How to select your subject?

Experts suggest that students should begin self-assessment early in Class 11, mapping their comfort zones and aligning their CUET subject choices accordingly.

Mehta said subject selection is one of the most critical steps in CUET planning. He has asked the candidates to always begin by checking the subject requirements of target universities and programmes on the CUET information bulletin or university websites. Some programmes mandate specific subjects — Economics (Hons) often requires maths. “Choose your subjects in a way that you keep multiple program options open including backups,” he added.

Emphasising that ability should be a key factor when selecting subjects, a senior course director at T.I.M.E. noted that eligibility criteria vary across colleges. For instance, English is not a mandatory subject for many programmes. Even where it is required, each university and programme has its own CUET score cutoffs. While a high English score may help meet the cutoff for certain courses, a low overall score due to other subjects could still affect admission chances.

The key to success in CUET lies in aligning subject choices with both your strengths and your academic goals. While niche subjects can offer a strategic edge by reducing competition, they should only be considered when they align with the eligibility criteria of your desired course and institution. For aspirants aiming for specific programmes like zoology or economics, prioritising core domain subjects is non-negotiable. Ultimately, whether you choose a popular or less conventional subject, the decision must be guided by confidence, clarity of purpose, and a deep understanding of university requirements.

There has been a noticeable shift toward strategy-based subject selection. Earlier, students picked subjects based on boards or school teaching. Now, they are considering scoring potential, normalisation impact, and previous year college cut-offs. For example, many students are adding the General Aptitude Test and language subjects purely for college flexibility and backup options.