CUET 2023 May 21 Shift 1 exam concluded on May 21. The exam was conducted from 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM. This shift had English Test and General Test. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Know the detailed CUET 2023 analysis of English and General Test here.
CUET 2023 Day 1 Shift 1 has concluded on May 21, 10.30 AM. The first slot/shift of CUET 2023 was on two sections, Language and General Test. In the first section, a majority of the candidates had opted for the English language. This article by Shiksha brings the CUET exam analysis of the May 21 English and General Test. The analysis is based on student reactions and expert reviews.
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Also Read: CUET 2023 Exam Day Live Updates
- CUET 2023 Exam Pattern
- CUET 2023 May 21 English Test Analysis
- CUET 2023 May 21 General Test Analysis
CUET 2023 Exam Pattern
The CUET 2023 is a computer-based test (CBT) carrying multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The table below brings the CUET 2023 exam pattern and broad structure of the test in terms of the number of questions in each section along with the duration.
Commonly asked questions
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.
Yes. There is a negative marking in the CUET exam. For each wrong answer, one mark is deducted. Negative marking will not be applicable in case of unattempted questions. The marking scheme as per NTA is given below.
i. Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Five marks (+5)
ii. Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1).
iii. Unanswered/Marked for Review will be given no mark (0).
iv. 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.
v. If all options are found to be correct then Five marks (+5) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.
vi. 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.
CUET normalisation procss refers to a process of adjusting scores inbterms difficulty between different sessions of CUET exam. The normalization process does not reduce marks for students. It aims to adjust scores. CUET Normalization might involve scaling scores, adjusting grade, or applying techniques to make sure that difficulty level of the assessment doesn't disadvantage any particular group of students.
| Section |
Number of Questions |
Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Section IA |
40 questions to be attempted out of 50 in each language |
45 minutes for each language |
| Section IB |
||
| Section II |
35/40 Questions to be attempted out of 45/50 |
45 Minutes for each Domain-Specific Subject |
| Section III |
50 Questions to be attempted out of 60 |
60 minutes |
Also Read: CUET 2023 Analysis and Student Reactions
CUET 2023 May 21 English Test Analysis
According to the students and experts, the difficulty level of the CUET 2023 English Test was easy. The questions were based on Reading Comprehension and the types of questions were direct from the passage, and others were vocabulary and synonym-antonym, idioms and phrases and basic grammatical based. The questions of Grammar were on Active Passive, Types of Speech, Tenses, etc. Students did not face many challenges in this section. According to them, basic preparation and applying common sense would suffice in solving the questions from the English section of CUET 2023.
The following table brings the topic-wise questions and difficulty level in the CUET 2023 English Test of May 21.
| Topics | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension (3 passages) | 12 | Easy |
| Synonyms-Antonyms | 4-5 | Easy |
| Idioms and Phrases | 3-4 | Easy to Moderate |
| Voice and Figure of Speech | 4-5 | Easy to Moderate |
| One Word Substitution | 3-4 | Moderate |
CUET 2023 May 21 General Test Analysis
This section has been termed moderate to tough. The weightage was more on the Numerical Ability or Quantitative Ability area. The difficulty level was slightly high in this area, but the questions were manageable. The Reasoning questions were also on the basic lines such as Blood Relations, Tables, etc. The questions on GK were on Tokyo Olympics, Nobel Prize in Literature, etc. From the Static GK, some of the questions were on History and a few on Politics and Geography.
In terms of Numerical and Reasoning, there were around four to five questions of moderate to tough difficulty level. The Mathematics questions were a bit tricky and time-consuming.
There were more questions from Quant and Reasoning as compared to the GK and Current Affairs. From Quantitative Ability, the topics were as follows:
| Topics | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 3-4 | Moderate |
| Ratio and Proportion | 4-5 | Easy |
| Profit and Loss | 4-5 | Easy |
| Height and Distance | 3-4 | Moderate to Tough |
| Mensuration | 4-5 | Moderate to Tough |
| Geometry | 3-4 | Tough |
| Simple Interest and Compound Interest | 4-5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Data Interpretation | 3-4 | Moderate |
The focus was more on Non-Verbal Reasoning, Calendars, etc. topics.
CUET 2023 Day 1 Student Reactions
Overall, Slot 1 of CUET 2023 of May 21 was easy to moderate. Time management was a bit difficult for a few students. According to UGC, the Slot 1 was conducted successfully in 271 cities and 447 centres. As many as 87,879 candidates appeared on Day 1 Slot 1.
Read More:
CUET 2023 Day 1 Slot 2 over, Slot 3 to begin from 3.30 pm, Check CUET Marking Scheme here
CUET Exam 2023 Day 1 Slot 1 Over, Entry begins for Slot 2 candidates

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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Yes, the BHU UG 2026 Counselling registration has been started at the samarth portal. The last date to apply for the BHU UG 2026 admissions is July 25.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Yes, aspirants can get admission at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University via CUET-UG scores. Aspirants who pass CUET can register on the university's website with their score. Once selected, aspirants have to come for document verification and pay course fees to confirm their seat.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered Yesterday
No, candidates cannnot get admission in Shri Ram College of Commerce without CUET. It is strictly mandatory for applicants to register and qualify CUET UG and CUET PG exam for applying into UG and PG courses. Seats are offered through the Delhi University Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). Candid
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Aspirants do not require CUET scores for admission in BA LLB course of Brainware University. Candidates are selected based on their merit or BET scores. No, entrance exam is required to get admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered Yesterday
No, CUET is not required to get admission in BCom at Jai Hind College. Admission is given by considering: 50% merit (Class 12 marks) and 50% entrance-based (Jai Hind College Common Entrance Exam - CEE).
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Apex University considers CUET scores for admission in UG and PG courses. However, only 50% seats are filled via CUET. Aspirants can also appear for AUCET conducted by the university for admission in other 50% seats.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, Tezpur University has notified the activation of the samarth application portal for its admissions. Candidates can fill the application form till July 20.
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
No, CUET is not compulsory for admission at SGT University. Aspirants can also get admission based on their qualifying exam scores. For BTech, candidates with JEE Main scores are also offered admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 days ago
No, SGT University does considers CUET-UG scores for admission in BA LLB (Hons) course. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also get admission based on their qualifying exam scores. Candidates do have to pass the PI round conducted by the university for admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
No, CUET is not required for admission in BBA at J. C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA. Admission is offered based on merit of the qualifying examination, wherein the percentage shall be calculated on the basis of the
consolidated marks of the best five subjects.
R
Contributor-Level 10