CUET PG vs State-Level PG Entrance Exams: Which One Should You Choose?
Central University Entrance Test Postgraduate 2027 ( CUET-PG )
CUET PG 2027 Exam Dates (Tentative)
1 Mar '27 - 25 Mar '27
If you are planning to appear for the CUET PG 2026 must also consider and compare other entrance exams, or state level PG entrance exams to decide which one to appear for. This article brings you the factors to decide between CUET PG and state level PG entrance exams.
CUET PG Vs State Level PG Entrance Exam: Which One to Choose?
CUET PG is a national-level PG entrance exam conducted for admission to multiple disciplines across universities in India. Every year, around 4 lakh candidates appear for the entrance exam. Some of the most preferred streams for admission include Science, Humanities and Languages or Linguistics. On the other hand, the number of applicants for Engineering and Management is comparatively lower.
If you are planning to appear for the CUET PG 2026, you must also be considering and comparing other entrance exams, or state level PG entrance exams, to decide which one to appear for. In this article of Shksha, we provide you with the details of both CUET PG as well as the state level entrance exams, and which one you should choose.
- CUET PG Exam Overview
- CUET PG Exam Pattern
- CUET PG Participating Universities
- List of Top State Level PG Entrance Exams
- Factors to Decide Between CUET PG and State Level PG Entrance Exams
CUET PG Exam Overview
CUET PG is one of the top postgraduate entrance exams in India. The table below brings the overview or the highlights of the exam.
The CUET PG 2026 is one of the most important exams for students who want to do post-graduation from central, state, and private universities. The exam serves as the gateway for admission to postgraduate courses in multiple streams, such as Science, Humanities, Engineering, Management, Law, to name a few, at Central, State, Private and Deemed Universities. Over four lakh candidates are expected to appear for the CUET PG 2026 exam. Launched in the year 2022, CUET PG has emerged as one of the popular postgraduate entrance exams in India. CUET PG 2026 scores will be accepted by prominent institutes like the University of Delhi, TISS, JNU, BHU, etc., for their master's degree course admissions.
The exam will be conducted for admission to multiple postgraduate courses, such as MSc, MA, MCom, MBA, MTech, LLM, etc. The subjects or papers of CUET PG are segregated into Science, Humanities, MTech, Language, Acharya and Common. The papers or subjects of MBA, MCom, Law, etc. are included under the 'Common' subject.
Here is why you can opt for CUET PG 2026:
1. Easy Admission Process (One exam, many Universities): Before CUET PG, if a student wanted to study postgraduate education, they used to have to appear for the entrance examination for each university. Each with their own syllabus, pattern and application process, etc., but with CUET PG, you can apply to many universities and courses, with one single uniform test. This has helped greatly in saving students about 90 per cent of time, money and effort.
2. Fair and Standardised Evaluation: Here are some of the factors of evaluation, which are followed by NTA.
• Standard evaluation
• Normalisation technique applied since it is conducted for multiple days and slots
• Less reliance on Board score - CUET PG keeps the focus off the board exam percentages, and provides subject-based knowledge and aptitude, bringing parity to students from different educational backgrounds (CBSE, ICSE, state boards).
3. Transparent and Efficient:
NTA Conducting the Process: The National Testing Agency is an Autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education that conducted CUET PG, leading to efficient, transparent and internationally standardised testing.
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name |
Common University Entrance Test (Postgraduate) |
| Conducting Body |
National Testing Agency |
| Exam Level |
Postgraduate |
| Exam Frequency |
Once a year |
| Exam Mode |
Online or CBT |
| Total No. of Test Takers |
Around 4 lakh |
| Courses Offered Through CUET PG |
Masters Degree- MA, MSc, MCom, MTech, MCA, MFA Professional Degree- LLB, LLM, BEd, MEd, MBA |
| Exam Fees |
INR 1,200 (General) INR 1200 (OBC-NCL, EWS) INR 1100 (SC, ST and Transgender) INR 1000 (PwD) INR 7,000 (International centres) |
| Exam Duration |
90 Minutes |
| Total Marks |
300 Marks |
| Total Number of Questions |
75 Questions |
| Marking Scheme |
+4 for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer |
| Language of Exam |
English, Hindi and Sanskrit (Acharya papers) |
| Exam Centre Cities |
302 cities in India and 24 cities abroad |
| Accepting Colleges |
190+ institutions |
| Official Website |
exams.nta.nic.in/CUET-PG/ |
| Contact Details |
011-40759000 011-69227700 |
Commonly asked questions
• A Central Control Room was opened to monitor and facilitate the smooth conduct of the Examination on the ground. 02 National Coordinators, 19 Regional Coordinators, 303 City Coordinators, 1083 Observers, and 162 Deputy Observers were deployed.
• Live CCTV Surveillance was planned in all examination centres to curb malpractices in the examination. The NTA also made arrangements for live viewing of remote locations of all examination centres from the Control Room located in the NTA premises of New Delhi. Recording of CCTV Systems was also done.
• The examination centres were also monitored using AI-based Video Analytics and Virtual Observers.
• In order to stop cheating using mobile networks, Jammers were installed in all the Centres.
The CUET PG exam is conducted once a year. The exam is conducted mainly in March. The exact dates of the exam are announced by the National Testing Agency a month before the exam.
Know more about -
NTA which is known as National Testing Agency is the examination conducting body of CUET PG examination. The Role of NTA is confined to registration of candidates, conduct of the test, hosting of answer key, inviting challenges, finalising Answer Keys, preparing and declaring result and hosting Score Card. Merit list will be prepared by participating Universities/ organisations. Universities may conduct their individual counselling on the basis of the score card of CUET (PG) provided by NTA.
The CUET PG intimation slip is the precursor to the admit card. In this document candidates will only be intimated about city where their CUET PG exam centre has been allotted. The objective of this document is to help candidates prepare in advance regarding the exam day travel or commute.
CUET PG Exam Pattern
The CUET PG exam is conducted in a computer-based mode for a duration of 90 minutes. There are 75 objective type questions with four answer options. Test-takers have to choose and mark only one answer option.
The CUET PG exam pattern is given in the table below.
| Sections/Subjects |
Number of Questions |
Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Domain knowledge Question from CUET PG syllabus 2026 |
75 |
300 |
The marking scheme of the CUET PG exam is explained below.
| Specifics |
Marks Awarded |
|---|---|
| Each question carry |
Four marks |
| Total number of questions- 75 |
300- Total/ Maximum Marks |
| For correct response |
4 marks awarded |
| For incorrect response |
1 mark will be deducted |
| Unanswered/un-attempted answers |
0 marks awarded |
The CUET PG 2026 exam will be conducted in a maximum of three shifts per day, which will be conducted in morning (9 AM to 10.30 AM), afternoon (12.30 PM to 2 PM) and evening (4 PM to 5.30 PM) shifts.
CUET PG Participating Universities
Last year, CUET PG scores were accepted by 191 universities in total, including Central, State Government, Government, and Private or Deemed Universities. The category-wise number of universities is as follows:
| CUET PG Participating University Type |
Number of Participating Institutes |
|---|---|
| Central Universities |
41 |
| State Government Universities |
41 |
| Government Institutes |
15 |
| Others (Private and Deemed Universities) |
94 |
As can be seen in the above table, Private and Deemed Universities accepting CUET PG scores is the highest, followed by Central and State Government Universities, followed by the Government Institutes.
Also Read: CUET PG 2026: Over 200 Universities Expected to Participate; More State Institutions Likely to Join
Commonly asked questions
CUET PG Passing Marks are the scores or marks to be obtained to qualify for admission to the universities. If the candidate wants to know whether they have passed the CUET PG exam or not, they are required to check the cutoff marks released by the participating universities and colleges. After the declaration of the CUET PG result, all participating universities will release the course-wise passing marks or CUET PG cutoff, which will be used for shortlisting candidates for the counselling process.
The CUET PG exam is conducted in computer-based test mode. You can use a mouse and a keyboard to select answers on the computer screen.
Know more about -
CUET PG exam is conducted once a year. The exam was held in March. The CUET PG result 2026 was released on May 23. The participating universities started the Counselling soon.
NTA doesn't release cutoff marks for each speciality for CUET PG exam. Cutoff depends upon difficulty level, number of students etc. Students do need to try to score maximum marks out of 300 to increase their chances of admission.
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List of Top State Level PG Entrance Exams
Here we bring the list of top state level PG entrance exams along with the courses for admission.
| Exam |
State |
Courses for Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra |
MBA/MMS |
|
| Gujarat PGCET |
Gujarat |
MTech, MPlan, MPharma |
| Andhra Pradesh |
MTech, ME, MPharma |
|
| Telangana |
MBA, MCA |
|
| Telangana |
MTech |
|
| Karnataka |
MBA, MCA, MTech, M.Arch |
|
| Karnataka |
MBA, MCA |
|
| Kerala |
MBA |
Explore more Science exams with upcoming dates
11 Sep '26 - 12 Oct '26
31 Oct '26
Factors to Decide Between CUET PG and State Level PG Entrance Exams
While there is no restriction in terms of taking PG entrance exams in India, you may consider the following factors while choosing between CUET PG and state level entrance exams.
Courses aiming for admission: The first and primary factor lies in the fact which course you are aiming for. The list of state level entrance exams mentioned above are mainly for Management, Engineering and Computer Applications. Hence, if you are aiming for admissions to Humanities, Commerce, or other professional courses, then CUET PG is the best choice.
Number of colleges and seats: The total number of participating institutes and seats offered through CUET PG exam is much higher than that of the state level PG entrance exams. However, if you are aiming for admission to a particular institute and course, then you should prioritise on the state level PG entrance exam.
Exam difficulty level: The difficulty level of CUET PG ranges from moderate to tough. Moreover, the difficulty level of state level PG entrance exams is generally tough. Hence, you are advised to appear for the exam based on your preparation level.
Participating institutes: The number of universities or institutes accepting the scores of CUET PG scores is much higher than the state level PG entrance exams. Moreover, the CUET PG participating institutes also include Central Universities, which is an opportunity which you must not miss, if you are planning to take admission to your preferred course at a Central or State University, or a Government Institute, then CUET PG is a better choice. But, on the other hand, if you are planning to take admission to a particular institute that accepts the scores of one of the state level PG entrance exams, then you should appear for the state level entrance exam.
Competition level: Every year, around four lakh candidates appear for the CUET PG exam. However, this is a cumulative number for all courses. You are advised to check the number of candidates for a particular course you are opting for. If the competition level for the course you are opting for is lower in CUET PG, then it will be a better choice to opt for this exam rather than the state level entrance exams for PG courses.
The final decision lies with you on whether you should choose CUET PG or a state level PG entrance exam. But the fact why you should prefer CUET PG exam is that is it a national level entrance exam, with multiple courses and participating institutes across India. Hence, if you plan to take a state level PG entrance exam, then you should also plan to take CUET PG to maximize your admission chances.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
No, CUET is not required for admission in MA programme of IIHS (Institution Deemed to be) University. Applicants are given admission based on their performance in entrance exam, essay and personal interview.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
After the challenge submission process is over, NTA will set up a panel of subject experts who will examine each and every challenge or objection and come up with the final answer keys. The CUET PG result will also be computed based on this.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The payment of the processing fee for the CUET PG answer key challenge will have to be made through Debit card/Credit Card/Net Banking/Paytm/UPI. No challenge will be accepted without receipt of the processing fee. The Answer Key challenges will not be accepted through any other medium, i.e., fax, e
Y
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Registration fee for CUET PG varies for each category. For General students, the registration fee is INR 1400, while for OBC, the fee is 1200. SC/ST category students have to pay INR 1100 as the application fee. This fee is for choosing a maximum of two test papers. In case the CUET PG 2027 form fee
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The CUET PG application form confirmation page will be generated after the registration fee payment has been made successfully. In case the confirmation page is not generated, candidates have to check with their payment gateway for any technical error.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
After the CUET PG 2027 result is declared, the Participating Universities will separately release their merit list or shortlisted candidates' list who are selected to participate in the counselling process for that college. Candidates will then have to register and pay the requiste or asked registra
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
CUET PG 2027 counselling process will be conducted by the participating universities separately. The majority of the CUET PG 2027 exam participating universities will be conducting their counselling process online. Candidates have to visit the official websites of participating universities to get i
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, the CUET-PG counselling and admission process for Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya has already started and advanced rounds, including spot/offline counselling, are currently underway. The university is conducting special offline and spot counselling sessions for remaining vacant seats till late Au
G
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
The National Testing Agency is expected to release the provisional answer key for CUET PG 2027 exam by the second week of April 2027.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
NTA has not yet announced the exam dates for CUET PG 2027. However, the exams are expected to be conducted in March-April 2027, in CBT mode.
N
Contributor-Level 6
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