UGC, also known as University Grants Commission, recently brought an entrance exam into the eyes of the students. It is called the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). The UGC has also announced that this exam will be common to get admitted into central universities’ UG programs.
It means that the 12th-grade marks will not be considered an entrance ticket anymore, to get admission into top universities. Also, this exam is going to be the first-ever common examination for getting admission into Undergraduate programs in central universities.
Now that we have seen how important this new form of test is, let us discuss it more and help the students and parents have a clear cut idea of how it works. We will also talk about some advantages and disadvantages in the meantime in the following passages of this article.
What is this CUET exam?
The full form of CUET is the Common University Entrance Test. It is a computerised test which can be conducted in two shifts. An autonomous agency named NTA or the National Testing Agency is accountable for making the question papers for this exam and will also carry out this exam.
This exam has been planned to be conducted in two slots. Slot 1 is allotted 195 minutes, while slot 2 is given 225 minutes. So, generally, this exam would take somewhere around three and half hours to complete. This exam contains multiple-choice questions. Most of these questions will be from NCERT Class 12 textbooks.
This exam is the only requirement for 45 central universities across India. The 12th-grade marks will not be considered in those universities. It has been planned to be held in the first week of July. The chairman of UGC has mentioned this test as a student-friendly reform. It will play a key role in securing merit-based admissions in India’s top universities, such as Delhi University. In earlier days, CBSE and State Board marks were used.
The application process for this exam is usually set to start in the first week of April, giving students ample time to prepare. This test has become mandatory for UG admissions in India’s central universities. Soon, they are planning to adapt the same for private, state and other institutions.
A big con of this exam is that the students will receive negative marks for incorrect answers. This test is subdivided into three sections. However, it is treated as a single entrance exam for admission into universities. The main objective is to decrease the burden on the students who seek higher education.
What is the CUET exam? Why is it important for Class 12 students?
What are the three sections?
Given below is the detailed information regarding all three sections of the CUET examination:
- The first section provided in this exam is the language test. There are 13 languages in which the CUET exam is being offered. The students have the right to pick one. The 13 languages are:
- English
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Malayalam
- Kannada
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Bengali
- Odia
- Punjabi
- Urdu
- Assamese
- Gujarati
Usually, the questions under this section are mainly focused on grammar, verbal ability, and reading comprehension.
- The second section consists of subjects based on four domains. The students are given the privilege to choose one between history, bookkeeping, accounting, geography or economics and answer them.
- The third and final section includes two subsections. The first one is a general test for open eligibility and vocational programs. Here, the students are tested on logical and analytical reasoning, mental ability, awareness of current affairs and general knowledge. The second subdivision is an optional one. It includes the testing of additional language skills. There are 10+ languages in this subsection. French, German, Spanish, Italian, Persian, Japanese, Tibetan, Nepali, Bodo, Konkani, etc.
If needed, the students are allowed to switch streams. It indicates that a science student can join commerce or arts streams, an arts student can switch to commerce and vice versa. However, it is technically impossible for commerce or art students to be able to switch to the science stream. So, that is how switching between domains is possible. Do have a look at the CUCET Syllabus to boost your preparedness!
Why is a single entrance test the right thing?
The main objective of the UGC is to eliminate the diversity in evaluation methods. It will have huge positive impacts on the students’ careers. It will also make the admission process hassle-free. However, the 12th-grade marks will have no big impact on the university admissions, and some institutions would still ask for them as qualifying criteria.
Therefore, UGC regarded CUET as the right move since it is definite. Also, it will have a larger vision of uniform education. The following are some of the other important reasons why CUET is the best way:
- It is a common platform for obtaining admission to all colleges and universities. Therefore, it would give equal opportunities to students even if they are from rural or underdeveloped areas.
- CUET is considered a huge movement. It would help students focus more on understanding the concepts rather than concentrating only on the results.
- With the implementation of CUET, no students have to waste time and money filling forms out and giving donations to universities.
- The CUET will be capable of filling up a large gap, mainly in terms of the marking system, since many are debating how lenient the central board is, compared to the state board, in terms of marks evaluation. This problem will be completely solved and will not create any further problems or debates. Furthermore, the boards will no longer decide the students’ fates as students themselves have a hold of their careers. It will enhance students’ chances of getting admitted into the university of their dreams.
- With the presence of CUET, the students can focus on one common entrance exam instead of writing multiple tests for each university, for example, universities like Assam University, Jamia Millia Islamia. University of Allahabad, Aligarh Muslim University, etc.
- There are already two centralised UG examinations conducted, one for medical admissions (NEET) and the other for engineering admissions (JEE). With their success, the UGC board also expects this new examination to be fair and successful.
- Finally, the CUET Results will eliminate issues such as whether or not to be admitted to a specific college or to wait for counselling or other results and choose a different college or university. It will solve this major dilemma among the students and their parents and help them with their desired institution. It enables the students to plan according to the rankings instead of planning based on the dates. Therefore, the CUET examination will play a vital role in helping the students choose an appropriate and deserved university of their choice as it provides fair assessments.
The 12th standard cut-off system does not offer fair opportunities for all the students regardless of caste and community and the marking system. In that sense, CUET will judge students only on their rank or the marks so that it will not be a disadvantage for students who studied under stricter boards that will not award marks leniently.
Some additional information regarding the CUET entrance exam
Apart from what we have discussed earlier, some additional information has been announced by the NTA. Let us have a comprehensive look at them shortly:
Participating universities of CUET 2022
There is a new announcement that all the central universities will have to participate in accepting the CUET 2022 examination. All those universities will accept the CUET scores for UG admissions. For PG, this test is optional as of now.
Here is a university list that accepts the CUET exam:
- Central Sanskrit University
- Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh
- Central University of Andhra Pradesh
- Central University of Gujarat
- Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya
- Mahatma Gandhi Central University
- Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University
- Central University of Haryana
- Central University of Himachal Pradesh
- Central University of Jammu
- Central University of Jharkhand
- Central University of Karnataka
- Aligarh Muslim University
- Assam University
- Central University of Rajasthan
- Central University of South Bihar
- Central University of Tamil Nadu
- Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
- Banaras Hindu University
- Central University of Kashmir
- Central University of Kerala
- Central University of Odisha
- Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya
- Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya
- National Sanskrit University
- North-eastern Hill University
- Pondicherry University
- Rajiv Gandhi University
- Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
- Indira Gandhi National Tribal University
- Jamia Millia Islamia
- Sikkim University
- Tezpur University
- Manipur University
- Maulana Azad National Urdu University
- Mizoram University
- Tripura University
- University of Allahabad
- University of Delhi
- University of Hyderabad
- Visva-Bharati University
- Nagaland University
- The English And Foreign Languages University
Conclusion
To conclude, it is very vividly understandable that the new CUET examination will be held accountable for obtaining admissions to the central universities of our country. Before that, they considered 12th standard cut-off marks for getting seats into colleges. However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) declared that this new format would be followed to obtain university admission.
Only the central universities and a few more colleges have adapted to this new method. In the future, we can expect more colleges willing to participate in this format. In this article, we have discussed everything related to the exam so that the students will obtain maximum knowledge and prepare for their careers accordingly.
FAQs
1. What is the maximum age limit considered to be able to apply for CUET 2022?
There is no specific age limit mentioned on the official website. The only practical qualification would be to either finish 12th grade or an equivalent examination or should be appearing in 2022 for the same. However, it depends on the university. Some might have age criteria, and some don't for obtaining admission.
2. How to obtain the CUET Admit Card 2022?
The CUET Admit Card is available on the CUET official website. The applicants are advised to carry the printout of the same while at the time of their examination. It will be asked at the examination centre.
The candidates should remember that the admit card should not be delivered by post or provided at the exam centre. They should only carry them on their own.
3. Is it possible to submit the test and move to the next one before the test duration expires?
No, it is not possible to do that. Candidates cannot submit the ongoing test to move on to the next one until the fixed time duration is over. It is mainly because all the tests are distinct, and the system will not allow doing so.
4. What is the maximum number of universities that the students could choose at registration?
The Commission sets no such limit. The candidates have the permission to choose as many as they want while at the time of registration. The aspirants must keep an eye on the official website of CUCET and stay updated with the notifications released by the authorities.
5. In which mode the CUET exam is being conducted?
The CUET 2022 examination is set to be conducted as a computer-based test. Students must make sure they practise attempting questions on the computers by taking several mock tests that will enhance their preparations. If you have more queries regarding CUCET or want to ask other CUCET FAQs, check them out now!
