CUET Topper Tips: Stick to NCERT while preparing for the CUET entrance exam, says Chetna Rani who scored 800 in CUET and currently studying in Delhi University's Hindu College.
Born and brought up in Delhi, Chetna Rani, a CUET 2022 Topper, scored perfect marks to secure her dream course in one of the best Delhi University colleges, The Hindu College. She says "coaching isn't important for CUET because the exam is entirely based on NCERT which is already taught in the Class 12th CBSE board syllabus." Chetna started her CUET preparations after her board exams. She used to dedicate 7-8 hours regularly in the preparation for CUET 2022.
Also Read: NTA CUET UG 2026 exam
Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?
A. I started preparing after the board exams ended in April. I focused on the NCERT syllabus and tried formulating MCQ objective-type questions from that.
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Q. Tell us about your family and educational background?
A. I was born and brought up in Delhi but my native village is in Bihar. My mother is an insurance advisor and my father is a lawyer. I have an elder sibling. My alma mater is Presentation Convent Sr. Secondary School, Delhi. Currently, I am pursuing BA(Hons) in Political Science from Hindu College.
Commonly asked questions
The admission process for MCom at Delhi University up until 2021 was offered across two categories: Direct Admission and Through Entrance Test. Also, along with the entrance exam, interview rounds were also conducted for admission to Delhi University PG programmes.
There was no minimum age limit to take admission to the MSc programme offered by the university. However, DU PG admission 2022-23 was subject to a valid score in DUET as announced by the University. Starting 2023, the admission process of DU for its postgraduate courses, such as MA, MSc and MCom will be subject to the CUET-PG exam conducted by NTA.
After the results, qualified students will be required to appear for the seat allocation process conducted by the university for final seat allotment. While there is no information on direct admission on the official website of DU or its affiliated colleges students are advised to visit the admission office for more details on the same.
Candidates seeking admission to MCom at the University of Delhi are required to apply via CUET PG exam. Interested students can follow the steps given below to apply for CUET PG 2023.
- Visit the official website of CUET PG 2023 – cuet.nta.nic.in.
- Read the instructions and select the agreement checkbox followed by clicking on the tab ‘Click Here to Proceed’.
- Enter personal details such as name, parents’ name, date of birth, gender, nationality, identity type and number followed by present and permanent address.
- Choose a password and security question and enter the captcha.
- Once the application number and password is generated, log in with the credentials to complete the application process.
- Complete the CUET (PG) 2023 application form by adding the information around personal details, paper selection, exam cities, educational details and upload the photograph and signature.
- The photograph and signature should be in JPEG format. While the photograph size must be between 10 KB to 200 KB, the signature image size must be between 4 KB to 30 KB.
- The application fee has to be paid in online mode through credit/ debit card, net banking or UPI.
After registration, candidates must fill in the application form and pay the registration fee which is as follows:
| Category | Application Fee (in INR) (For upto three test papers) | Application Fee Outside India (in INR) (For upto three test papers) |
|---|---|---|
| General | 1,000 | 5,000 |
Gen-EWS/ OBC-NCL | 800 | |
SC / ST / Third Gender | 750 | |
| PwD | 700 |
For each additional paper, candidates will have to pay the following application fees.
| Category | Application Fee (in INR) | Application Fee Outside India (in INR) |
|---|---|---|
| General | 500 | 1,500 |
Gen-EWS/ OBC-NCL | 400 | |
SC / ST / Third Gender | 400 | |
| PwD | 40 |
DU admission is open. Admission in Delhi University is based on CUET-UG & CUET-PG scores. Below are the upcoming events for DU admission:
- University of Delhi (DU) has released the admission cutoff for 5-yr integrated BA LLB and BBA LLB courses through Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) scores.
- The CUET PG 2026 registration process for admission to PG courses is expected to begin in Jan 2026.
- DU CSAS-PG 2025 Spot Round 3 allocations have been released for admission to various PG courses based on the CUET-PG 2025 scores, and the last date for fee payment is Aug 20, 2025.
Candidates seeking admission to Jamia Millia Islamia for MBA can apply online on the official website. Admission to this course is offered based on the entrance exam conducted by the university, i.e. JMI Entrance Eest. Interested candidates must have a relevant bachelor’s degree with at least 50% aggregate in the subject concerned. Followed by application filling and before application submission, candidates are also required to pay the application fee which ranges from INR 550 to INR 700. A step-by-step process of application is mentioned below:
- Visit the official website and scroll down.
- On the Admission section in the left corner of the page, there are multiple links for course-wise application forms.
- Click on the desired courses' application link, fill out the application form and pay the application fee.
Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?
A. I studied for almost 7-8 hours, when CUET Exam 2023 got closer, a bit more. Self-study has always worked best for me. Coaching isn't important for CUET because the exam is entirely based on NCERT which is already taught in the Class 12th CBSE board syllabus.
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Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?
A. I formed possible questions from NCERT books and referred them to Oswal, Arihant, and other publications. These books boost your confidence when you practice the sample papers given in them but are not always accurate.
Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?
A. I feel the most confident about political science and the least about economics, which is why I didn't choose it as one of my domains even though I studied it in my 12th CBSE syllabus as a subject. Yes, NCERT books are sufficient for CUET.
Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?
A. My exam strategy was to mindfully choose the 40/50 questions to attempt, questions I felt confident about. I was careful about the time limit.
Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?
A. I applied to Ambedkar University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University. My dream was to get into Hindu College.
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. I attribute my CUET journey to my sister, she has always been my constant support and source of comfort and joy. Stick to NCERT. When you read a particular paragraph( in theoretical subjects), try to formulate your own set of MCQs that could possibly be asked from that paragraph. Assertion Reasonings can be tricky as opposed to straightforward questions, so try to get your hand on as many of those as you can.
Do not panic if you are unable to find sample papers, NTA releases the official sample papers sometime before exams. Do not trust the judgment and news shared by YouTubers. Only rely on official NTA notifications for official updates.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
No, CUET is not required to get admission into St. Wilfred's College of Arts, Commerce and Science. The college offers merit-based admission into UG and PG programmes.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, VELS School of Mass Communication does not accept CUET or any other entrance for that matter. All courses accept merit-based admissions. Which means, only your Class 10/ 12/ UG marks will be considered depending on the programme.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, CUET-UG counselling is yet to begin for academic year 2026. Results for this year's exam are scheduled to release by July. Counselling rounds will begin only after results have been declared. Candidates can track counselling dates from website of TISS, Mumbai for BSc admission.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, candidates cannot get admission into BA at Tata Institute of Social Sciences without appearing for CUET-UG. Candidates will be selected during CUET-UG counselling for which, appearing in its entrance exam is a mandatory requirement.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, CUET-UG is a mandatory entrance exam for admission into Tata Institute of Social Sciences BA course. No other entrance exams are accepted for admission into this course and candidates cannot apply directly.
CUET-UG registrations also affect admission schedule if TISS, Mumbai.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
With your score, you can apply in colleges like
· Central University of Jharkhand
· Amity University, Ranchi
· Jharkhand Rai University
· Sarala Birla University
These colleges offer hostel facilities.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
No, CUET is not compulsory to take admission in MIT School of Business and Computer Applications, MIT-ADT University. Admission is generally merit-based. The college also considers specific entrance exams scores such as BBA/BCA CET exam conducted by the university.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, you cannot get admission to the Indian Institute of Technology IIT Delhi with CUET scores. IIT Delhi admits students on the basis of national-level engineering entrance exams. The institute considers JEE Main, JEE advanced and UCEED for UG courses. Whereas, GATE/ IIT JAM/ CEED and others are con
G
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, it is possible to get in DU without CUET. However, this is not applicable for traditional regular UG courses. For most programmes, the university asks for CUET UG or CUET PG score. For courses, such as MBA and Law programmes, the university also considers other exams. Students can also join DU
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
SRM Institute of Science and Technology does offer scholarship based on CUET score. This scholarship is open for all UG courses of Faculty of Science and Technology and BBA. Below is the criteria:
| Percentile | Scholarship % |
|---|---|
| 95 percentile & above | 100% tuition fee waiver |
| 90 percentile to 94.99 percentile | 75% tuition fee waiver |
| 85 percentile to 89.99 percentile | 50% tuition fee waiver |
| 80 percentile to 84.99 percentile | 25% tuition fee waiver |
N
Guide-Level 15
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