Second largest entrance exam 'CUET-UG' begins today

New Delhi: The debut edition of the Common University Entrance Test-UG, the second biggest entrance exam in the country, will begin on Friday at test centres in over 510 cities of India and abroad.

With 14.9 lakh registrations, the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) -- the common gateway for undergraduate admission in all central universities -- is now the second biggest entrance exam surpassing JEE-Main's average registration of nine lakh. NEET-UG is the biggest entrance test in India with an average of 18 lakh registrations.

While the National Testing Agency (NTA) is having a final check of the logistics, the aspirants are an anxious lot, preparing for the exam that will transform the way undergraduate admissions are conducted in the country, especially at popular central universities like Delhi University where class 12 scores was a deciding factor.

"The CUET (UG)–2022 has been scheduled for approximately 14,90,000 candidates, with around 8.1 lakh candidates in the first slot and 6.80 lakh candidates in the second. These candidates have applied for 54,555 unique combination of subjects across 90 universities," UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar said.

"Given such a large number of subjects, a unique date sheet for every individual candidate has been created. Accordingly, advance intimation slip for examination city to all candidates with the date and city of the exam has been issued followed by admit cards," he added.

The exam will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will be held in July and the second one in August. Candidates who have opted for Physics, Chemistry or Biology have been assigned for Phase 2 of the CUET exam given the NEET (UG) - 2022 will be held on July 17.

"The exam will be conducted from July 15 to August 20 at exam centres located in over 500 cities across India and 10 cities abroad," Kumar said. The aspirants have been anxious about a delay in receiving admit cards and less time for preparation for those appearing in phase 1 of the CUET exam.

"Some candidates have requested a change of centre. Such requests are being considered by the NTA and the candidates need not feel anxious about it," Kumar said. Elaborating on the format of the score, Kumar said it will be the NTA score which is in percentile format. "The score will indicate the position of a candidate vis-a-vis other candidates who took the test. It is an indicator of the relative position of the candidate," he said. The UGC chief had in March announced that CUET scores, and not Class 12 marks, would be mandatory for admission to 45 central universities which can fix their minimum eligibility criteria. Kumar had clarified that students from state boards will not be at a disadvantage under the new system and the exam will not give a push to the coaching culture.

A total of 44 central universities, 12 state universities, 11 deemed universities, and 19 private universities have applied to participate in the first edition of CUET for UG admissions in the 2022-23 academic session. (PTI)