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.
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 to account for variations in difficulty between different sessions of CUET exam. The normalization process does not reduce marks for students. Instead, it aims to adjust scores in a way that maintains the validity of exam. CUET Normalization might involve scaling scores, adjusting grade, or applying statistical 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 13 hours ago
Yes, the Aligarh Muslim University will conduct counselling for admission to UG programmes such as B.Sc. (Hons), B.A. (Hons), and B.Voc (Hons) through CUET. Based on the CUET score, candidates can get admission to AMU.
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, it is important for students to align the CUET UG subjects with the subjects studied in class 12th. Top central universities like Delhi University, does not accept CUET subject scores which have not been studied by student in class 12th. While selecting CUET subjects candidates must make sure t
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
To puruse B.A (Hons.) History from DU, candidates must appear for CUET UG 2026 exam and register for exam online. While filling the CUET online form, candidates must select below CUET Arts subjects:
Combination I: Any one Language from List A + Any three subjects from Domain Subjects
OR
Combination II
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
For admission to B.Sc. (Hons.) in Botany, candidates must select below CUET UG 2026 subjects:
Combination I: Any one Language from List A + Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics + Any two subjects from List B
OR
Combination II: Any two Languages from List A + Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics + Any one subj
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
Science students willing to pursue B.Sc. (Hons.) Computer Science must select the below CUET subjects:
Combination I: Any one Language + Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics + Any two subjects from Domain Subjects
OR
Combination II: Any two Languages + Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics + Any one subject fro
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
To take admission to B.Sc Hons. in Chemistry, candidates must select the below CUET Science subjects while filling the CUET application form 2026:
Combination I: Chemistry + Biology/ Biological Studies/ Biotechnology/ Biochemistry + Physics
OR
Combination II: Chemistry + Biology/Biological Studies/ Bio
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
No, National Testing Agency has not yet announced the CUET UG 2026 exam date. As per NTA official notification, CUET 2026 exam will be held in May. It is expected that CUET registration 2026 will commence in last week of February 2026 at cuet.nta.nic.in. Candidates seeking admission to UG courses th
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 5 days ago
Christ University CUET exam will be conducted in multiple sessions. Session 1 result was released on December 18, 2025. Session 2 result will be released on April 14, 2026. Students can check Christ University CUET result online.
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 5 days ago
Jamia Millia Islamia CUET Cutoff 2025 has been published for all rounds and categories in the AI and HS quota for admission to various UG courses, like BA (Hons), BSc, BTech, etc. According to the last round closing score, the hardest and the easiest course for admission for the General AI category
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Contributor-Level 10
NTA prescribes the CUET UG marking scheme. Check below to know the CUET UG marking scheme 2026: