CUET-UG 2022: All you want to know about the exam, schedule

1. When is CUET-UG scheduled to be held this month? 

Unlike the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET, CUET will be conducted over multiple days. It is scheduled to take place on July 15, July 16, July 19, July 20, August 4, August 5, August 6, August 7, August 8, and August 10. NTA will also hold CUET for postgraduate admissions, but that date sheet has not been released yet. But the application window for CUET-PG is still open and the last date for online payment is July 11. The correction window for CUET-PG will be open from July 12 till 11:50 pm on July 14.

2. How will I know the date on which I am supposed to appear for CUET-UG? 

NTA Director General Vineet Joshi told the indianexpress.com that registered candidates will soon be given a “city intimation slip” which they can access on https://cuet.samarth.ac.in with their registered credentials. This slip will provide the name of the city in which the candidate will have to take the CUET-UG along with the date (or dates) of the exam. The aspirant will be informed about the exact exam centre just two to three days before the test. “The information about the exam centre is released towards the end for security reasons and that will be mentioned on the candidate’s admit card which one can download from the official website two to three days before one’s examination date,” said Joshi. 

3. Will the admit card be mailed to me or sent to my registered phone number? 

Admit cards for CUET-UG 2022, Joshi said will be available a few days before a candidate’s exam date and can be downloaded from https://cuet.samarth.ac.in. Candidates will be able to login through their registered credentials and download their admit cards. They will be informed on their registered mobile numbers as soon as the admit cards are available for download. In addition to this, NTA will also mail the admit card to the email address that the candidate mentioned officially at the time of registration for CUET-UG.  

4. Will I be allowed to change the date or the exam centre allocated to me on the admit card?

No, as per the current instructions, candidates will not be able to change their exam date or centre that is allocated to them. “However, in case of difficult or extenuating circumstances, a special concession can be made. A candidate can request a change in her examination centre by writing to the official email address. NTA will consider the request and decide accordingly,” said Joshi.  

5. What is the pattern and structure of the exam?

CUET-UG is a computer-based test with multiple choice questions (MCQs). There are three sections in the CUET exam — Section I (IA and IB) for language proficiency, Section II for core topic knowledge and Section III for general knowledge.

Section I: This section has been divided into two parts— IA and IB.  IA will test a candidate’s command over English or one of 12 Indian languages — Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Punjabi, or Odia. Candidates will be given 45 minutes for this section. IB is for students who are opting for undergraduate degree programmes in foreign languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Tibetan, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Santhali, Kashmiri, and others.

Section II: This section is designed to test a candidate’s fundamental knowledge of the disciplines they are opting for at the undergraduate level. Candidates can choose six subjects from a list of 27 including Accountancy/Book Keeping, Biology/ Biological Studies/Biotechnology/Biochemistry, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computer Science/ Informatics Practices, Economics/Business Economics, Engineering Graphics, Entrepreneurship, Geography/Geology, History, Home Science, Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India, Legal Studies, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Physical Education/NCC /Yoga, Physics, among others.

Candidates will be asked to attempt 40 out of 50 questions in 45 minutes.

Section III: The third part of the entrance test will be a general test with questions on general knowledge, current affairs, general mental ability, numerical ability, quantitative reasoning (simple, application of basic mathematical concepts arithmetic/algebra geometry/mensuration/stat taught till class 8), logical and analytical reasoning. A candidate will appear for the general test only if it’s desired by the programme and university of choice.

Candidates will have an hour to attempt this section This section will last for an hour and will also assess quantitative reasoning. There will be 75 questions on this paper, 60 of which must be answered.

6. How long is the exam? Will there be different exams for each of these sections? 

The CUET-UG will be held in multiple shifts over several days (see answer to the first question). The morning shift will be held from 9 am to 12.15 pm, and the evening shift is scheduled from 3 pm to 6.45 pm. A candidate may have to appear for the three Sections over two days and not all on one day. “The dates on which the candidate has to sit for the exam will be available on the city initiation slip,” Joshi said. 

7. Is it too late to prepare for CUET UG?

No, it is definitely not too late to prepare for the CUET UG 2022 exam. The syllabus of CUET UG 2022 will be based on Class 12 syllabus and hence candidates who have just completed their Class 12 need not fret or panic as they do not have to prepare for it separately. “All questions in various testing areas will be benchmarked at the level of Class XII only. Students having studied Class XII Board syllabus would be able to do well in CUET (UG) – 2022,” an official notice from NTA reads.

8. Will there be negative marking in CUET 2022? 

Yes, there will be negative marking for incorrect answers. Every incorrect answer will result in deduction of one mark, but no points are deducted for leaving a question unanswered.