CUET 2026 English Question Paper Analysis (OUT) & Answer Key

Common University Entrance Test 2026 ( CUET )

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CUET UG 2026 Provisional Answer Key

9 Jun '26

Shruti
Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial
Updated on May 27, 2026 08:59 IST
CUET UG English 2026 exam analysis for the May 26 for shift 1 and 2 has been updated after exam concluded. NTA is conducting the exam from May 11 to May 31, 2026. Candidates appearing for CUET English 2026 exam can check the memory-based questions, paper analysis, and answer key.

CUET UG English 2026 exam analysis for the May 26 for shift 1 and 2 has been updated after exam concluded. NTA is conducting the exam from May 11 to May 31, 2026. Candidates appearing for CUET English 2026 exam can check the memory-based questions, paper analysis, and answer key.

CUET UG English 2026 Analysis

CUET UG English 2026 Analysis

CUET UG English exam 2026 for May 26 has concluded. As per the student review the exam was moderate in difficulty level. NTA is conducting the CUET exam 2026 between May 11 and May 31, 2026, in Computer-Based Test mode. The English paper aims to assess candidates’ reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, verbal ability, and literary aptitude. Students appearing for the exam can check this page for CUET English question paper analysis 2026, memory-based questions, answer key, and section-wise difficulty level.

LATEST: CUET UG 2026 May 27 Exam Analysis LIVE

Still Have Shifts Left? Get the Complete Day-wise Paper Analysis Before Your Next Exam

Download the CUET 2026 May 11-26 Subject-wise Analysis PDF - difficulty levels, memory-based questions with solutions, topic weightage & last-minute strategy for all subjects across Shift 1 & 2.

Table of contents
  • CUET English 2026 Memory-Based Questions & Answer Key
  • CUET UG 2026 English Exam Analysis
  • CUET English 2026 Important Topics & Expected Questions
  • CUET English 2026 Difficulty Level

CUET English 2026 Memory-Based Questions & Answer Key

As the exam is conducted online, candidates do not receive printed copies of the English question paper. Memory-based questions and unofficial answer keys can be checked below. Students preparing for future shifts can use these questions to understand the pattern and frequently asked topics.

Topics Question Type and Number
May 26, Shift 1 and 2
Reading Comprehension 2 passage
Speech 2 questions
Voice 1 question
Misspelled 1-2 questions
Setence re-arrangement 7-8 questions
Vocabulary
  • Misanthropic
  • Tumultuous
  • Validate
  • Iconoclast
  • Maverick
  • Rebel
Idioms
  • Hand in glove
  • To upset the apple cart
  • A man of letters
  • By the book
Homophones Sore, shore, sure
May 22, Shift 1
Synonym/ Antonym Match the following
RC Direct questions
1 passage – Story based
1 passage – Fact based (Side-effects of Technology on Humans)
Rearrangement 4 questions
Grammar Adjectives (Determiners)
Indirect Speech (1-2 questions)
Active/Passive (1 question)
Preposition (1 question)
Figure of Speech (Simile, Metaphor, Metonymy, Alliteration)
Adverb
Idioms Hit the Sack (Repeated)
Throw in the Towel
Bee in his Bonnet
Feather in one’s hat
Vocabulary Verbose
Innocuous
Pediology
Philatelist
Spelling Error -
One word subsitution -
May 21, Shift 1
Passage Color theory and stroy
Sentence correction 6-7 questions
Idioms 3-4 questions (odd one out)
Antonym/Synonym 10 questions
Radiant
Dim
Fill in the blanks articles, homophones, tense, subject and verb agreement
Phrasal verb Lay
take
Push
Pull
Play
Stamp paper collection -
Correct Spelling -
May 20, Shift 1
RC First RC (Easy) Direct Questions
Second RC - Varanasi Related (Indirect Questions)
Phrasal verbs Stand
Put
Pull
Idioms Bring down the house
Vocabulary Rescind
Gregarious
Ardous
Strenuous
Enervate
Grammar Voice (3 questions)
Naration (No questions)
Fillers (3-4 questions)
Choose the incorrect sentence
Choose the correct sentence
Sentence Re-arrangement 5-6 questions
May 19, Shift 1
Reading comprehension  2 passages
Figure of speech 1 question on match the following (simile, hyperbole, pun and personification)
Sentence re-arrangement 4-5 questions (easy)
Grammar  preposition (match the following), article (matching), tenses, voice (2 questions), Idioms (difficult)
Synonyms/Antonyms  tumultuous, Incorrigible, truculent, pugnacious, bellignant, taciturn, laconic, scrawny
May 15, Shift 1
Reading Comprehension 10 questions
Cricket Related
Narrative (Indirect Questions)
Rearrangement (Easy) -
Spelling Errors  4-5 questions
Direct Indirect  1 question
Active Passive  1 question
Preposition  1 question (Match)
Vocabulary (Maximum Match the Column) (Few Fill in the Blanks) Stoic
Umbrage
Vindicate
Vitiate
Innocuous
idioms & Phrases  Fill in the Blanks
One-word Substitution  Stoic
Phrasal Verbs call, cast-off, cut, pull
May 14, Shift 1
Reading Comprehension

Writers opinions

Tea in Assam

Rearrangement 4 Questions
Grammar narration, active/passive voice
Verbs
fill the correct form
Vocabulary
  • 1 idiom question (sentence given and identify idiom- Catch 22, hand in glove, hit the sack, bite more than  can chew)
  • Figure of speech- 1 question (Litoles, hyperbole, antithesis, oxymoron)
  • Important words
    • Pelvish
    • Incarnation
    • Palpable
    • Exonerate
    • Exuberant

Conjunction

No sooner, hardly

Adjective

degree

Spelling error

fill in the blank

Homophones

accept, except (fill in the blanks)

Synonym/ antonym 

2-3 questions

May 13, Shift 1
RC Passage

2

  • Ava/ Anant Artificial Intelligence
  • Boondi, Rajasthan Painting
  • Options of RCs were lengthy
  • 1 figure of speech question
Vocabulary
  • Diligent
  • Pertinent
  • Unsympathetic (Synonym)
Active/Passive 1-2 questions
Narration 1-2 questions
Figure of Speech 2-3 questions (Metonymy)
Homophones  Bear, Boar, Beer
Rearrangement 4-5 questions
Adjective few, lesser, less
One-word Substitution Plutocracy
Tenses My dog died 5 years ago. Whenever I __________ (missing/missed)
Phrasal Verb Call, Look, Drop
May 13 Shift 2
Reading Comprehension 2
Rearrangement 5-6 questions
Vocabulary (Synonym, Antonym)

5-6 questions:

  • Hazardous
  • Dearth
  • Mutinous
  • Retaliation
  • Avarice (Greed)
  • Imprecise
  • Somber
  • Preconsciousness
  • Ecstatic
  • Jubilant
  • Ebullient
  • Pedagogy
  • Pecuniary
  • Quaint
  • Boisterous
  • Insipid
  • Dipsomaniac
  • Demagog
Voice 1 question
Grammar

5-6 questions

  • Preposition
  • Tense
  • Adjective
  • Article
Phrasal Verb Call, Look, Drop, Take, Break, Cut
May 12 Shift 1
Reading Comprehension 10 questions
Vocabulary -
Match the following  
Phrasal verbs- get, cut, crop  
Figure of Speech 3 questions
Rearragenement 4 questions
Tenses 1 question
Spelling error 1 question
Active/Passive 2 questions
May 11 Shift 1 
Reading Comprehension 3 passages (maximum 4 questions in each passage)

Fill in the blanks for tenses/verbs

-

Match the following

-

Rearragnement

-

Figure of Speech (Simile, Metaphor, Personification)

-

May 11 Shift 2

Reading Comprehension (Boy and grandma narrative)

2 passages

Rearrangement

-

Verbs forms- single filler

-

Active & Passive voice

5 questions

Figure of speech- Matching (simile, metaphor, anecdote, personification)

-

Idioms (Match the following)

-

One word (Match the following)

-

Phrasal verb

-

Vocabulary (Perfunctory, hedonist, Hysteria, griseous )

-

Check Here: Top 10 Important Topics in CUET English 2026

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CUET UG 2026 English Exam Analysis

NTA is conducting the CUET exam for English across multiple shifts. The complete exam analysis, including passage difficulty, grammar questions, and vocabulary level, has been updated here after each shift.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What type of questions are asked in the CUET exam?
A: 

The CUET questions are objective in nature and carries four options also known as MCQs. Candidates will have to choose the correct answer option and click on it with the help of mouse. Since CUET UG 2026 exam will be conducted in a CBT mode, test-takers will be able to mark only one answer option. In case it is the correct option, students will get +5 marks and in case of wrong answer, negative marking scheme will be applied. Hence, candidates must ensure the accuracy of the answer before selecting the answer. 

Q:   How to get CUET UG previous year question paper?
A: 

To download the CUET UG previous year question papers for all subjects, candidates must visit the link provided below:

CUET Question Paper 2022-2025

Candidates can access the subject-wise CUET UG question papers for past four years.

Q:   Which subjects have been removed in CUET UG?
A: 

UGC has announced the deletion of 26 subjects from CUET UG 2025 onwards. CUET UG 20 foreign languages and six domain subjects have been removed. Check the list below to know the name of the subjects:

  • Foreign Languages (French, Spanish, German, Nepali, Persian, Italian, Arabic, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Santhali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Japanese, Russian, Chinese)
  • Domain Subjetcs (Entrepreneurship, Teaching Aptitude, Fashion Studies, Tourism, Legal Studies, Engineering Graphics)
Q:   What is the CUET marking scheme?
A: 

NTA prescribes the CUET UG marking scheme. Check below to know the CUET UG marking scheme 2026:

  • Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Five marks (+5)
  • Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1).
  • Unanswered/Marked for Review will be given no mark (0).
  • If more than one option is found to be correct then Five marks (+5) will be awarded to only those who have marked any of the correct options.
  • If all options are found to be correct then Five marks (+5) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.
  • If none of the options is found correct or a question is found to be wrong or a question is dropped, then all candidates who have attempted the dropped question will be given five marks (+5) marks.
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Exam Date and Shift Difficulty Level
May 26, Shift 1 and 2 Easy
May 22, Shift 1 Easy
May 21, Shift 1 Moderate
May 20, Shift 1 Easy
May 19, Shift 1 Easy to Moderate
May 15, Shift 1 Moderate
May 14, Shift 2 Moderate
May 12 Shift 1 Moderate
May 12 Shift 2 To be updated
May 11 Shift 1 Moderate
May 11 Shift 2 Difficult

The CUET English paper will include reading comprehension passages, para jumbles, synonyms and antonyms, grammar correction, vocabulary, and verbal ability questions.

CUET 2026 English Exam Pattern Highlights:

  • Mode of Exam: CBT
  • Question Type: MCQs
  • Duration: 60 Minutes
  • Total Questions: 50
  • Negative Marking: 1 mark deduction for wrong answer

Candidates can check the shift-wise English paper analysis and good attempts after the exam.

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Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Why should I practice with CUET question papers from previous years?
A: 

Practicing with CUET UG (Common University Entrance Test) question papers from previous years offers following benefits:

  1. Helps in knowing format, structure, and types of questions.

  2. Student can know repeated question types.

  3. Help students know weak and strong sections

  4. Helps in developing important skills.

  5. Regularly solving CUET question papers improves problem-solving skills and speed.

Q:   Is it compulsory to attempt all the sections of the CUET question paper?
A: 

CUET UG question paper for each subject will consist of 50 questions. Candidates will be required to attempt all questions and no optional questions will be provided. In CUET UG 2026 there are 37 subjects- 13 languages, 23 domain subjects and general tests. While filling the CUET application form, candidates can select upto five CUET subjects aligning with the subjects studied in class 12th and course requirement.

Candidates must attempt all the questions of the subjects selected. However, candidates must keep in mind the negative marking and select the options carefully.

Q:   Where can I find CUET UG 2025 question papers?
A: 

Common University Entrance Test UG 2025 question papers can be download at - CUET UG 2025 Question Papers. Candidates can visit the provided link and download subject wise CUET question paper 2025 PDF online for free. CUET PYQs are important for exam preparation.

Q:   From where can I download CUET sample papers?
A: 

Common University Entrance Test (CUET) sample papers are released by the conducting body, National Testing Agency (NTA). To download the CUET question papers follow the steps below:

  1. Go to- CUET Question Paper
  2. Select CUET subject to download the question paper for
  3. Click on the tab download
  4. Create the login details for new registrations
  5. Link to download the CUET question paper will be sent on the registered email ID
  6. Click on the link provided and save the PDF.

Also Read: CUET English Syllabus 2026

CUET English 2026 Important Topics & Expected Questions

Candidates appearing for CUET UG 2026 English exma can check the table below to know the CUET English important topics and expected number of questions:

Topics

Expected number of questions

Comprehension

15

Parts of speech

3-4

Para jumbles

3-4

Synonyms and antonyms

2-3

Active/passive voice

3-4

Fill in the blanks

3-4

Incorrect/correct statement

3-4

Phrases and meaning

5-6

CUET English 2026 Difficulty Level

According to previous year trends, the CUET English paper is expected to be easy to moderate in difficulty level. Reading comprehension passages may be slightly lengthy, while grammar and vocabulary questions are likely to be direct. The detailed exam analysis for all shifts will be updated after the exam.

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About the Author
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Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial

Shruti Garg is a graduate in English and Education with over 7 years of experience in content writing/editing and education journalism. At Shiksha.com, Shruti covers UG and PG entrance exams like MBA entrance exams,

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Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered Yesterday

No, CUET-UG counselling is yet to begin for academic year 2026. Results for this year's exam are scheduled to release by July. Counselling rounds will begin only after results have been declared. Candidates can track counselling dates from website of TISS, Mumbai for BSc admission.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

No, candidates cannot get admission into BA at Tata Institute of Social Sciences without appearing for CUET-UG. Candidates will be selected during CUET-UG counselling for which, appearing in its entrance exam is a mandatory requirement.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

Yes, CUET-UG is a mandatory entrance exam for admission into Tata Institute of Social Sciences BA course. No other entrance exams are accepted for admission into this course and candidates cannot apply directly.

CUET-UG registrations also affect admission schedule if TISS, Mumbai.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

With your score, you can apply in colleges like

·       Central University of Jharkhand

·       Amity University, Ranchi

·       Jharkhand Rai University

·       Sarala Birla University

These colleges offer hostel facilities.

S

Swati Pandey

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 6 days ago

No, CUET is not compulsory to take admission in MIT School of Business and Computer Applications, MIT-ADT University. Admission is generally merit-based.  The college also considers specific entrance exams scores such as BBA/BCA CET exam conducted by the university.

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

No, you cannot get admission to the Indian Institute of Technology IIT Delhi with CUET scores. IIT Delhi admits students on the basis of national-level engineering entrance exams. The institute considers JEE Main, JEE advanced and UCEED for UG courses. Whereas, GATE/ IIT JAM/ CEED and others are con

...Read more

G

Gaurika Chhabra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

Yes, it is possible to get in DU without CUET. However, this is not applicable for traditional regular UG courses. For most programmes, the university asks for CUET UG or CUET PG score. For courses, such as MBA and Law programmes, the university also considers other exams. Students can also join DU

...Read more

M

Manashjyoti Srivastava

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

SRM Institute of Science and Technology does offer scholarship based on CUET score. This scholarship is open for all UG courses of Faculty of Science and Technology and BBA. Below is the criteria:

PercentileScholarship %
95 percentile & above100% tuition fee waiver
90 percentile to 94.99 percentile75% tuition fee waiver
85 percentile to 89.99 percentile50% tuition fee waiver
80 percentile to 84.99 percentile25% tuition fee waiver

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a week ago

Mostly all central university take admission on the basics of CUET score but North Eastern hill university's like Assam University, Manipur University,   mizoram university, Nagaland University offers admission without CUET.

R

Riya kumari

Beginner-Level 1

Answered a week ago

The overall difficulty level of CUET UG 2026 exam is moderate. As per the student review, the domain subject question paper is mostly based on NCERT books and previous year questions.

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Shruti Garg

Contributor-Level 10