CUET PG Vs IIT JAM: Which is Better for Master’s Degree
Preparing for a Master’s degree? Confused between IIT JAM and CUET PG, which exam should I prepare for? MSc course aspirants can read out this Shiksha article to get all the significant information and comparison between the CUET PG and IIT JAM exams in order to get the proper direction for their preparation.
CUET PG Vs IIT JAM Comparison; An Overview
With the emerging interest in MSc courses, every year, lakhs of BSc degree holders appear for IIT JAM and CUET PG exams. Both examinations are becoming popular because of the participating universities for which the exams are held. Many IITs and NITs provide MSc courses in seven different subject areas. Likewise, many central universities, like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, AMU, and many other state universities, provide MSc degrees in plentiful subjects. Since both exams are going to be held in a gap of around 15-20 days, it becomes very crucial for candidates to decide which exam they want to appear for.
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CUET PG is an entrance exam that is common for admission to various postgraduate programs at the central universities and other participating colleges. It is a single exam for admission to many different subjects like arts, commerce, science and humanities.
Both DU and BHU are among the top universities in India. However, to allow students to make a choice easily, we have mentioned the ranking and BSc course fee details for both universities in the following table:
BSc offering Universities | NIRF Ranking '23 | Fee* |
|---|---|---|
BHU | 05 | INR 600 - INR 35,460 |
DU | 11 | INR 540 - INR 2.4 lakh |
As per the given statistics, BHU looks like a better choice for students. However, students can make a choice by considering the mentioned or more factors.
*The fee mentioned here is taken from external sources. Hence, the actual amount may vary. It also includes course fee at the affiliated colleges.
Both the universities are popular for their programmes. However, BHU has an edge as it has got a good ranking under Management category by NIRF. For candidates reference, the NIRF ranking and MBA fees for both the universities is presented in the following table:
MBA Universities | NIRF Ranking '23 | MBA Fees* |
|---|---|---|
BHU | 56 | INR 10,230 - INR 1 lakh |
- | INR 12 lakh |
*The above-mentioned fees are taken from an unofficial source. Hence, are indicative. Moreover, the fee range might include course fees at university-affiliated colleges as well.
Also Read: IIT JAM Answer Key Analysis Live: Check Subject Wise Answer Key, Exam Analysis, Result Date
IIT JAM Question Paper Analysis & Expected Cut off for All Subjects
IIT JAM is a subject specific exam. It is for admission to many different PG programs in science and technology at various IITs, NITs and other participating institutes. The science and technology subjects can be physics, chemistry, mathematics, biotechnology, Geology, etc.
Explore more Science exams with upcoming dates
13 Jan '26 - 14 Feb '26
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17 Feb '26
20 Feb '26
11 Apr '26
13 Feb '26 - 26 Feb '26
In this Shiksha article, candidates will get a detailed comparison between IIT JAM and CUET PG on many factors like exam difficulty level, pattern, syllabus, list of MSc courses, and many other aspects.
- CUET PG Vs IIT JAM
- CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Pattern Comparison
- CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Subjects Comparison
- CUET PG Vs IIT JAM: Know the Exam Difficulty Level
- How to Prepare for CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Together?
CUET PG Vs IIT JAM
The following table presents a detailed comparative analysis between IIT JAM and CUET PG exams:
| Specifications |
CUET PG | IIT JAM |
|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Common University Entrance Test (For Postgraduate Courses) |
Joint Admission Test for MSc |
| Conducting authority |
National Testing Agency |
IIT Madras for the academic session 2026 |
| Courses for admission |
MSc, MTech, MA, M.Com, MBA, MCA |
MSc, Intergrated MSc, PhD |
| Number of test takers |
+8 lakhs |
5 lakh |
| Frequency of the exam |
Once a year |
Once a year |
| Exam Date |
Between March 11 to March 28, 2026. |
February 2, 2026 |
| Number of days |
18 days (3 shifts each day) |
Conducted in 1 day- 2 shifts |
| Duration of test |
105 Minutes or 1 hour 45 minutes |
3 hours
|
| Mode of exam |
Computer-based |
Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Total marks |
300 marks | 100 marks |
| Marking scheme |
+4 for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer
|
+1, +2 marks for each correct response depending upon the section. 1/3, 2/3 marks will be deducted for each incorrect response, depending upon the section. No marks for unattempted questions |
| Subjects/sections |
|
|
| Total number of questions |
75 |
60 |
| Official website |
https://pgcuet.samarth.ac.in/ |
https://jam.iitm.ac.in/ |
CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Pattern Comparison
This section will cover a detailed analysis of the CUET PG and IIT JAM 2026 Exam patterns.
CUET PG 2026 Exam Pattern (Changed)
The following table brings the structure of the CUET PG 2026 question paper.
CUET MBA syllabus and CAT syllabus are both designed to assess aptitude for management studies.
Key Difference:
CUET PG MBA: This exam covers a wider range of topics, including general knowledge, current affairs etc.
CAT: It is designed to assess a student problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and ability to handle complex data.
For the General AI quota, the IIT Madras CSE cutoff 2025 stood at 171 in the first round. Till the last round, the cutoff remained the same, indicating all seats got filled after the first round of the JEE Advanced cutoff. For IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay, the CSE cutoff ranks were closed at 126 and 66, respectively, for the same category. So, considering the cutoff ranks, the IIT Madras cutoff for CSE was comparatively less competitive for admission among the Engineering aspirants as compared to that of IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay.
IIT JAM is for PG scientific and engineering courses in IITs and other premier institutons while CUET PG is a wider platform for admissions to postgraduate programs across private, state and central universities.
| Part |
Sections/Subjects |
Number of Questions |
|---|---|---|
| A |
Domain knowledge |
75 |
Candidates must note that the Section A, i.e., Language Comprehension & General Ability Test which had 25 questions, has been removed. So, candidates will have 75 questions from Domain Knowledge.
IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern (Changed)
IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern states that each test paper is of three hours duration. In the exam, candidates need to attempt 60 questions which were of 100 marks weightage. These 60 questions are divided into three sections – A, B, and C. All these sections are compulsory and candidates need to attempt questions from all the sections. The medium of instruction for JAM test papers is English.
The detailed IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 is mentioned in the table below:
| Section | Type of Questions | No of Question |
|---|---|---|
| A | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Each question has four choices with one correct answer. |
30 |
| B | Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) Each question has four choices with one or more correct answers. |
10 |
| C | Numerical Answer Type (NAT) The answer for each question is a signed real number that needs to be entered using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor. No choices will be shown for these questions. |
20 |
| Total | 60 | |
CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Subjects Comparison
In this section, candidates will get the details about the list of subjects for which the both the exams are being conducted annually.
CUET PG 2026 MSc Courses List
Candidates can check the below table for all the CUET PG 2026 MSc Subject Courses for which the examination will be concluded. The MSc subject course code is also mentioned, which will be helpful for the aspirants while downloading the previous year question paper and choosing the subject course while filling out the CUET PG application form.
| QP Code | Subjects |
|---|---|
| SCQP01 | Communication; Genetics & Plant Breeding; Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Plant Physiology; Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry,Agriculture Technology (Informatics), |
| SCQP02 | Agro-forestry |
| SCQP03 | Microbiology/Applied Microbiology |
| SCQP04 | Architecture and Planning,Sustainable Architecture,Architecture and Design,Urban & Regional Planning |
| SCQP05 | Biochemistry,Anatomy,Pharmacology,Bio Science |
| SCQP06 | Bioinformatics,Food Science and Nutrition,Bio Science - Bioinformatics, |
| SCQP07 | Botany, Bio Sciences |
| SCQP08 | Biochemistry,Anatomy,Pharmacology,Bio Science |
| SCQP09 | Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Application, Big Data Analytics, Cyber, Security, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, etc. |
| SCQP10 | Criminology |
| SCQP11 | Environmental Sciences/Studies,Ecology etc |
| SCQP12 | Food Science and Technology, Nutrition,Food Processing and Management,Food Safety and Quality Control etc. |
| SCQP13 | Forensic Science |
| SCQP14 | Geology , Earth Sciences,Applied Geology |
| SCQP15 | Geophysics |
| SCQP16 | Horticulture,Forestry & Biodiversity,Seed Science & Technology,Plant Breeding,Agronomy,Genetics,Fruit Science, Floriculture, Vegetable Science etc |
| SCQP17 | Life Science-Molecular Biology,Biotechnology,Microbiology,Biochemistry,Botany,Bioinformatics,Molecular Medicine,Zoology,Biomedical Engineering & Science,Virology and Immunology, Optometry,Bio-Physics,Genetics,Health Science, |
| SCQP18 | Material Science |
| SCQP19 | Mathematics, Applied Mathematics,Electronics |
| SCQP20 | Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Physics etc |
| SCQP21 | MPT |
| SCQP22 | Nanoscience/Integrative Biosciences |
| SCQP23 | Pharmacy-Pharmacology,Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Science, Pharmaceutical Analysis etc. |
| SCQP24 | Physics, Computational and Integrative Sciences, Electronics, Applied Physics, Applied Physics + Electronics Engineering |
| SCQP25 | Plant Biotechnology |
| SCQP26 | Soil Science - Soil & Water Conservation |
| SCQP27 | Statistics , Applied Mathematics, Statistics & Computing, Data Science and Applied Statistics etc |
| SCQP28 | Zoology, Sericulture, Human Genetics |
| SCQP29 | Atmospheric Science |
| SCQP30 | Animal Science (Poultry) |
IIT JAM 2026 MSc Courses Subject List
Here are list of MSc courses for which IIT JAM 2026 exam was held on February 2, 2026:
| Subject Code | Subject |
|---|---|
| BT | Biotechnology |
| MA | Mathematics |
| MS | Mathematical Statistics |
| CY |
Chemistry |
| PH | Physics |
| EN | Economics |
| GG | Geology |
CUET PG Vs IIT JAM: Know the Exam Difficulty Level
| Features | CUET PG | IIT JAM |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Focus | Focused on General aptitude and Domain Knowledge | Specialized in Domain Subject Knowledge |
| Syllabus Depth | Less in depth | More in depth |
| Exam Format | Less challenging | More challenging |
| Competition Level | Competitive | Highly competitive |
How to Prepare for CUET PG and IIT JAM Exam Together?
- There are various topics that are covered in both CUET PG and IIT JAM exams, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
- There are a number of study materials available for both the exams. You can use these common study materials to prepare simultaneously for the exam.
- Take practice tests for both CUET PG and IIT JAM exams. This will help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and to track your progress over time.
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Both, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) offer Master of Computer Application (MCA) programme at postgradute laevel. The duration of MCA is two years for a full time programme.
Delhi University is more famous for its undergraduate programmes, while JNU is better known for its postgraduate courses. However, the median salary package offered to MCA programme students at Delhi University is slightly higher than that at JNU. In the 2023 postgraduate placements at JNU, the median package reached INR 9.5 lakh, while the median package for Delhi University MCA students was INR 16 lakh.