CUET Topper Tips: Following NCERT by heart is the key to score full marks, says Jigeesha Bhargavi
Common University Entrance Test 2026 ( CUET )
Exam On - To be notified
Bhargavi scored 99.2% in Class 12th, shares her preparation journey, and tips to crack the CUET-UG exam. Bhargavi who studied Humanities in Class 12th scored 800/800 in CUET 2022. Read further to know what books she referred to, her routine that helped her to excel in the entrance exam.
CUET Topper Tips: Following NCERT by heart is the key to score full marks, says Jigeesha Bhargavi
Jigeesha Bhargavi who is currently pursuing BA Political Science (Hons.) from Hindu College is amongst the first batch of students who appeared for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2022. While speaking with Shiksha.com, Bhargavi scored 99.2% in Class 12th, shares her journey, and tips to crack the CUET exam. Bhargavi who studied Humanities in Class 12th scored 800/800 in CUET 2022. Read further to know what books she referred to, her routine that helped her to excel in the entrance exam.
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Q. Please tell us about your family and educational background.
A. I have studied Humanities from CBSE board. My subjects were History, Political Science, Economics, English, and Sociology. Both of my parents are Sanskrit teachers and we are a family of three.
Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?
A. I started preparing specifically for CUET only one month before the exams. However, the syllabus for board exams and CUET are roughly the same, so my preparation for boards made me quite ready, already for the CUET. I studied Only NCERT books for the domain-specific subjects. For the General Test paper, I bought an Arihant Publication book and for the language paper, I studied wholly from YouTube.
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Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?
A. I found a cornucopia of free exam materials available online through YouTube videos, thus never opted for any coaching. There was no routine as such. I set certain achievable and flexible targets for every day and religiously completed them. Self-study is better when you have to prepare for an exam in a short span.
Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?
A. As I had gone over NCERT a zillion times because of pre-boards, tests, and board exams, the only revision was left to be done for domain-specific tests. I gave a thorough study to the chapters of NCERT which were deleted in the Class 12 syllabus and thus everything was almost covered. And as mentioned earlier, YouTube videos were a great help for language.
Q. How many domain tests did you appear in the CUET exam?
A. Three domain-specific papers, namely, Political Science, History, Sociology
Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?
A. My weakest was probably History because there were a lot of deleted chapters in history NCERT books were the start and end of preparations for me and they have to fetch me full marks, so yes NCERT is more than enough.
Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?
A. On exam day my strategy was to stay highly alert while attempting the paper, as a single wrong click had the power to dilute all my hard work to ashes. I went over the paper 2 times. Once while attempting and then while revising. The toughest section was a general test, perhaps because I was not thoroughly prepared for it, except that all were easy.
Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?
A. I applied to Delhi University and Banaras Hindu University. My dream college is the one I am currently studying in, ie, Hindu College, University of Delhi.
Q. To whom do you attribute your successful CUET topper journey? What would you suggest to future CUET aspirants in terms of preparation, attitude etc?
A. There is no one person per se who deserves gratitude for my success. There are my school teachers especially, Manisha and Pushpa Ma'am, who taught me and made me fall in love with the subjects that studying did not feel like a chore. There is my mother who is the wind beneath my wings. Also, the YouTube teachers teach brilliantly and give so much material free of cost , I cannot imagine sitting for my language exam without those videos.
To the aspirants, I would suggest that following NCERT by heart is the key to cracking the CUET Exam. Don't be so anxious, CUET is much more simpler than your imagination. Review a wide range of English vocabulary and sentence structures, including idioms. Many students think they won't be able to pass the English exam since they haven't read any novels, but this is untrue. Second, focus on your board test because you'll be fully prepared for the CUET once you finish your Class 12 exam. The syllabus should then be reviewed.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 10 hours ago
SRM University Sonepat provides scholarships based on CUET scores of the candidates. Check below the criteria for the scholarship:
| CUET-Percentile (Best 5 Subjects) | Scholarship |
|---|---|
| 95 & above | 100% |
| 90- 94.99 | 75% |
| 85- 89.99 | 50% |
| 80- 84.99 | 25% |
| 70 - 79.99 | 10% |
Note: Only for first 500 students on FCFS basis.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 11 hours ago
SRM Sonepat accepts CUET-UG scores for admission to BCom (Hons). Aspirants can also appear for SRMHCAT for admission to this programme. Candidates must also meet the eligibility criteria i.e. Class 12 to apply for BCom (Hons).
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered Yesterday
Yes, CUET is needed for Manipal Jaipur. The below is the Manipal University Jaipur admission criteria other than CUET:
- UG courses: Merit, Manipal Entrance Test (MET) 2026, SAT score, JEE Main, CLAT, LSAT India, AILET, MHCET Law, etc.
- PG courses: Merit, GATE, MUJ written entrance test, CAT, MAT, XAT,
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes, candidates can join BSc courses at Amity University Gurugram without appearing for CUET-UG first. Amity University conducts its own entrance exam called AMCAT to admit students into BSc courses.
However, many BSc courses are also open for direct admissions which look at Class 12 board exam resul
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes, BBA students can get scholarships at Amity University Gurugram based on CUET-UG scores. To apply for this scholarship, students must secure a minimum aggregate of 85% in the exam.
Higher aggregates will result in a higher amounts of scholarship offered to the BBA student.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, CUET-UG registrations have been closed for Amity University Gurugram BBA admissions in 2026. The last date to register for CUET-UG was scheduled on February 28, 2026. Candidates who failed to apply for CUET-UG can still try to apply through their Class 12 board exam results.
Candidates who appli
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, candidates can join BTech courses of Sarala Birla University without appearing for CUET-UG. Other than CUET-UG, Sarala Birla Ranchi also accepts the scores of JEE Mains for BTech admissions.
Candidates can also apply directly after clearing their Class 12 board exams for BTech at Sarala Birla Un
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
No, candidates are not required to pay fee for CUET form correction unless there is addition of CUET UG subjects. The CUET fee may vary if the candidate increases the number of subjects selected.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
CUET UG 2027 form correction window will open tentatively in first week of February 2027. Candidates will be able to edit or modify the details in the application form in case of any error. NTA usually provides the CUET correction window for 2-3 days. Candidates must ensure to edit the details withi
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
CUET UG registration fee might change every year based on the decisions by National Testing Agency. Often it remain similar to previous year fee. The CUET UG registration fee varies based on categiry of candidate, number of subjects selected and whether exam centre is inside or outside India.
M
Contributor-Level 6
She has over 10 years of experience in the education and publishing sectors. She specialises in exam coverage and content creation. At Shiksha, she writes, analyses, and presents information for students preparing f
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