Know the important topics included in CUET Political Science syllabus to focus and the weightage of each topic based on the previous year's CUET question paper.
CUET Political Science syllabus 2026 was released by NTA in PDF format at cuet.nta.nic.in. The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is a UG entrance exam for admission to the top universities in India. The CUET Political Science syllabus covers a wide range of important topics, including Politics in India, the Rise of Social Movements, and Contemporary World Politics. The CUET syllabus for Political Science includes the names of the units and the various important topics covered under each unit.
To prepare well for CUET exam and improve their chances of admission, candidates must focus on the important topics and those with high weightage. Additionally, analysing past papers to find out most repeated questions is also beneficial in understanding important topics. Read the article below to know the important topics to focus and the weightage of each topic of the Political Science syllabus based on the previous year CUET question paper.
- CUET Political Science Chapter Wise Weightage
- CUET Political Science Syllabus
- Best Books for CUET Political Science
- CUET 2026 Political Science Preparation Tips
CUET Political Science Chapter Wise Weightage
Based on the previous years’ CUET analysis, candidates can know the CUET Political Science important topics and the expected number of questions of each topic:
| Topics |
Expected Number of Questions |
|
|---|---|---|
| The End of Bipolarity:
|
4-5 | |
| Contemporary Centres of Power:
|
3-4 | |
| Contemporary South Asia:
|
3-4 | |
| International Organisations:
|
4-5 | |
| Security in the Contemporary World:
|
2-3 | |
| Environment and Natural Resources:
|
3-4 | |
| Globalization:
|
3-4 | |
| Challenges of Nation-Building:
|
4-5 | |
| Era of One-Party Dominance:
|
3-4 | |
| Politics of Planned Development:
|
2-3 | |
| India’s External Relations:
|
4-5 | |
| Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System:
|
3-4 | |
| Crisis of the Democratic Order:
|
4-5 | |
| Regional Aspirations:
|
3-4 | |
| Recent Developments in Indian Politics:
|
4-5 | |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Practicing with CUET UG (Common University Entrance Test) question papers from previous years offers following benefits:
Helps in knowing format, structure, and types of questions.
Student can know repeated question types.
Help students know weak and strong sections
Helps in developing important skills.
Regularly solving CUET question papers improves problem-solving skills and speed.
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)
Yes, NTA has released the CUET response sheet 2026. The direct link to download the answer key and response sheet is available at official website.
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.
CUET Political Science Syllabus
The table below presents the unit-wise topics under CUET Political Science syllabus:
| CUET Political Science Units |
CUET Political Science Syllabus Topics |
CUET Political Science Syllabus Subtopics |
|---|---|---|
| Politics in India Since Independence |
Era of One-Party Dominance |
- First three general elections - Nature of Congress dominance at the national level, uneven dominance at the state level - Coalitional nature of Congress - Major opposition parties |
| Nation-Building and Its Problems |
- Nehru’s approach to nation-building, - Legacy of partition, the challenge of ‘refugee’ resettlement, the Kashmir problem - Organization and reorganisation of states - Political conflicts over language. |
|
| Politics of Planned Development |
- Five-year plans - Expansion of the state sector - Rise of new economic interests |
|
| India’s External Relations |
- Nehru’s foreign policy - Sino-Indian War of 1962 - Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971 - India’s nuclear programme - Shifting alliances in world politics |
|
| Challenge to and Restoration of Congress System |
- Political succession after Nehru - Non-Congressism and Electoral Upset of 1967 - Congress split and reconstitution - Congress’s victory in 1971 - Politics of ‘garibi hatao’ |
|
| Crisis of the Constitutional Order |
- Search for ‘committed’ bureaucracy and judiciary. - Navnirman Movement in Gujarat and Bihar Movement - Emergency: Context, Constitutional and extra-constitutional dimensions - Resistance to Emergency - 1977 elections and formation of the Janata Party - Rise of civil liberties organisations |
|
| Regional Aspirations and Conflicts |
- Rise of regional parties - Punjab crisis and anti-sikh riots of 1984 - The Kashmir situation - Challenges and responses in the North East |
|
| Democratic Upsurge and Coalition Politics |
- Participatory upsurge in the 1990s - Rise of the JD and the BJP - Increasing role of regional parties and coalition politics - UF and NDA governments - Elections 2004-2019 - UPA government with addition of NDA government |
|
| Recent Issues and Challenges |
- Challenge of and responses to globalisation - New economic policy and its opposition - Rise of OBCs in North Indian politics - Dalit politics in the electoral and non-electoral arena - Challenge of communalism - Ayodhya issue |
|
| Contemporary World Politics |
Disintegration of the ‘Second World’ and the Collapse of Bipolarity |
- New entities in world politics: Russia, Balkan states, and, Central Asian states - Introduction of democratic politics and capitalism in post-communist regimes - India’s relations with Russia and other post-communist countries. |
| Alternative Centres of Economic and Political Power |
- Rise of China as an economic power in the post-Mao era - Creation and expansion of European Union, ASEAN. - India’s changing relations with China, Japan and South Korea |
|
| South Asia in the Post-Cold War Era |
- Democratisation and its reversals in Pakistan and Nepal - Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka - Impact of economic globalisation on the region - Conflicts and efforts for peace in South Asia - India’s relations with its neighbours. |
|
| International Organisations in a Unipolar World |
- Restructuring and the future of the UN - India’s position in the restructured UN - Rise of new international actors - New international economic organisations, NGOs. - How democratic and accountable are the new institutions of global governance? |
|
| Security in the Contemporary World |
- Traditional concerns of security and politics of disarmament - Non-traditional or human security: global poverty, health, and education. - Issues of human rights and migration. |
|
| Environment and Natural Resources in Global Politics |
- Environment movement and evolution of global environmental norms - Conflicts over traditional and common property resources - Rights of indigenous people - India’s stand-in global environmental debates |
|
| Globalisation and Its Critics |
- Economic, cultural and political manifestations. - Debates on the nature of consequences of globalisation - Anti-globalization movements - India as an arena of globalisation and struggles against it. |
Also Read: CUET Syllabus for Humanities/Arts students
Best Books for CUET Political Science
Below are some recommended books, students must consider while preparing for CUET pol science exam.
- CUET Political Science by Team Drishti
- NTA CUET (UG) Political Science with 20 Solved Practice Papers by VK Global Publications Pvt Ltd
- Go To Guide for CUET (UG) Political Science with 10 Practice Sets by Disha Experts
- NTA CUET (UG) 10 Mock Test Papers for Political Science by Oswaal Editorial Board
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.
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:
- Go to- CUET Question Paper
- Select CUET subject to download the question paper for
- Click on the tab download
- Create the login details for new registrations
- Link to download the CUET question paper will be sent on the registered email ID
- Click on the link provided and save the PDF.
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.
CUET UG Language section will include 50 questions. Candidates must attempt all questions. There will be no optional questions.
The language section will check candidate's reading comprehension based on different types of passages. This section will also include questions from grammar. To prepare for the CUET UG language section, candidates must solve previous year question papers and mock tests to become familiar with the type of questions asked in the exam.
Explore colleges based on CUET
CUET 2026 Political Science Preparation Tips
Candidates can check a few CUET preparation tips for Political Science below:
- To perform well in the CUET Political Science exam, the students need to go through the best books for the domain subject. They should refer to the recommended CUET preparation books.
- Solving CUET PYQs and taking CUET mock tests can also help candidates become familiar with the CUET exam pattern and difficulty level.
- Students should prepare notes during the course of their CUET preparation to keep track of the important topics.
- Candidates should manage time to complete the CUET syllabus for Political Science by making a proper study plan.
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Physics | 15 |
Chemistry | 15 |
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