The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct a retest for more than 1,000 candidates of the Common University Entrance Test-UG (CUET-UG) on July 19. This decision follows the provisional answer key release on July 7 and an announcement that a retest would occur if student grievances about the exam were validated.
Despite announcing the retest schedule, the NTA has remained silent on the declaration of the CUET-UG 2024 results, which have been delayed by more than two weeks. The final answer key is still pending. This delay adds to the ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including NEET-UG and UGC-NET.
Reasons for CUET Retest
NTA sources indicate that the distribution of question papers in languages not chosen by candidates is a primary reason for the retest. “Some grievances include time loss due to the distribution of wrong question papers,” a source said. The affected candidates are spread across six states, with 250 of them from Oasis Public School in Hazaribagh, currently under scrutiny for the alleged NEET-UG question paper leak.
Official Notification and Grievances
The NTA reviewed grievances received up to June 30 and complaints emailed between July 7 and July 9. Based on these, a re-examination will be conducted on July 19 in the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for the affected candidates.
Previous Issues and Current Challenges
During the NEET-UG exam on May 5, wrong question papers were distributed, leading the NTA to initially grant grace marks for lost time. However, after protests and a Supreme Court ruling, the NTA canceled the grace marks and offered an optional retest, attended by 813 of 1,563 candidates on June 23.
The CUET results, originally scheduled for release on June 30, were delayed amidst allegations of paper leaks involving NEET-UG, UGC-NET, and CSIR-UGC-NET. A source mentioned that while there was an initial plan to release results before the retest, a final decision is still pending.
CUET UG Exam Schedule
The CUET-UG exam, conducted in hybrid mode for the first time, faced logistical issues leading to a last-minute cancellation in Delhi. It was later conducted in the capital without further issues. The NTA had earlier stated that the third edition of CUET-UG would be completed in seven days without score normalization, as all exams were to be conducted in a single shift.
This year, over 13.4 lakh candidates registered for the CUET-UG, seeking admission to undergraduate courses in 261 central, state, deemed, and private universities. The first edition in 2022 faced technical glitches and required score normalization due to multiple test shifts.
Stay tuned for updates on the CUET-UG results and the outcomes of the upcoming retest on July 19.
