CUET pattern to change... exam to be held in a single day! NTA prepares to offer major relief to students..
There is a major update for students preparing to take the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to central and other universities, such as Delhi University (DU). The National Testing Agency (NTA) is preparing to modify the exam patterns for CUET UG and CUET PG. This entire initiative aims to provide relief to the students taking the exam. According to media reports, NTA experts have prepared a new roadmap based on directives from the Ministry of Education; this roadmap could be issued as official guidelines following final approval. It is expected that the NTA will release these guidelines soon.
Let us take a closer look at CUET. We will examine how the current CUET UG pattern has become a source of difficulty for students and also look at the proposed changes.
A Quick Look at CUET
CUET is conducted by the NTA for admissions to over 45 central and other universities.
CUET UG is conducted for admissions to undergraduate (UG) seats in these universities.
CUET PG is conducted for admissions to postgraduate (PG) seats in these universities.
Universities grant admission to UG and PG seats based on CUET scores.
CUET UG is a major exam conducted by the NTA, involving over 1.5 million (15 lakh) students.
The NTA conducts the CUET UG exam over a period of 12 to 15 days.
Under CUET UG, the NTA conducts examinations across 37 subjects.
A Look at the CUET UG Exam Pattern
To understand this matter fully, we must first look at the current CUET UG exam pattern; this will make it easier to grasp why changes to the pattern are necessary. Let us examine the CUET UG exam pattern and the difficulties it causes for students. Students must take exams for 4 to 5 subjects, leading to prolonged stress
The NTA conducts the CUET-UG across a total of 37 subjects. This includes 23 domain subjects, 13 languages, and one General Aptitude Test (GAT).
Depending on university admission criteria, students are mandatorily required to take exams for 4 to 5 subjects. While some universities have made the GAT score mandatory, others require two languages. This situation adds to the students' difficulties. A major challenge arises from the exam schedule window; often, a student's exams for two subjects might fall on the initial days, while the remaining exams take place during the final days. Since exams for different subjects are held on different days, students have to travel to the exam center multiple times—a process that is both impractical and costly. For instance, students may need to visit the examination center on two or three separate days.
Currently, each subject has a 60-minute exam featuring 50 questions
Under the current CUET-UG pattern, students are required to take exams for 4 to 5 subjects. The existing format involves a 60-minute exam for each subject, comprising 50 questions. Consequently, a student taking exams for five subjects would spend a total of five hours across different days solving 250 questions. Similarly, appearing for four subjects in a single day would require solving papers for a total of 240 minutes.
Changes to the pattern are under consideration
There has long been a demand for changes to the CUET pattern. Reports indicate that experts have deliberated on the matter and prepared a roadmap. The NTA is expected to make an official announcement regarding this soon. According to reports, the NTA is preparing to issue guidelines incorporating these changes soon. Let us look at the potential changes being proposed.
**Exam to be held on a single day at one allotted center**
Previously, for CUET UG, students often had to visit different examination centers—sometimes on multiple days—to take exams for various subjects. Under the proposed changes, the NTA plans to conduct exams for all subjects for each candidate on a single day at one allotted center. This means exams for all subjects will take place at the same center on the same day.
**Fewer questions and reduced duration**
As part of another significant change, the NTA is working on a plan to reduce the number of subject-wise questions in the CUET; consequently, the time allotted to solve them will also be reduced. Under the proposed plan, a duration of 40 to 45 minutes may be set for each subject. Conducting exams for all subjects on a single day will allow students to complete their examinations in less time.
**Plans to reduce the number of subjects**
Under the current CUET UG pattern, students are required to take exams for 4 to 5 subjects. Plans are now underway to provide relief regarding the mandatory nature of certain subjects, in consultation with the universities. It is believed that the mandatory requirement for the General Test (GT) might be relaxed.
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