CUET Topper Tips: Know How Self-Study Helped Ishita Gambhir To Get Admission To SRCC
Common University Entrance Test 2026 ( CUET )
CUET UG 2026 Exam
11 May '26 - 31 May '26
CUET Topper Tips: Coaching is very subjective. I usually followed a combination of both, with major dependence on self-study. According to me, coaching can be joined for concept clarity, however, self-study is important for practice and regularity, Ishita Gambhir said.
CUET UG Topper 2023 Ishita Gambhir believes that the choice is always between self-study and coaching. "Coaching is very subjective. I usually followed a combination of both, with major dependence on self-study. According to me, coaching can be joined for concept clarity, however, self-study is important for practice and regularity," she said. Ishita started her CUET preparations after her board exams. She used to dedicate 8-9 hours regularly in preparation for CUET 2022.
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Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?
A. I started my CUET preparations right after the CBSE board exams ended. Since the syllabus for CUET 2023 was more or less similar to the CBSE curriculum, I prepared the term 2 syllabi simultaneously for both, boards and CUET and decided to focus on the rest of the CUET syllabus only after the boards. I followed NCERT books along with CBSE recommended books i.e., TS Grewal for Accounts and Sandeep Garg for Economics. I preferred Arihant and Oswaal's books for MCQs.
Commonly asked questions
The difficulty level of the CUET exam varies between moderate and tough. Since the CUET UG exam is held for multiple subjects and slots, the difficulty level of the exam varies from subject to subject. Sometimes, the difficulty level may also vary for different slots. While for the well-prepared candidates, the difficulty level will be low, for the underprepared students, the level of difficulty will be on the higher side.
From the year 2021 onwards, CUET is conducted in computer-based mode. Till 2020, the exam was conducted in paper-pencil based (PBT) mode. The exam will continue to be conducted in the computer-based mode or online mode. As per the CUET exam pattern, the exam was conducted in two to three slots, depending on the number of applications received in a subject. There were three sections on Language, Domain Subject and General Test (optional). The number of questions and marks will vary from paper to paper.
More than 200 CUET participating universities, including central, state, government, private, and deemed institutes offer admission to various undergraduate and integrated courses through Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG). Each CUET college offers the courses across Science, Humanities, Commerce, Management, Law, Engineering, and other streams. Students planning to get admission through CUET exam have to check the courses offered by their target university on their official website, NTA official website, or at Shiksha page.
To prepare well for the CUET UG and board examinations, candidates must:
- Start their preparations for CUET UG along with class 12th board examination. This will help students to cover the maximum syllabus for CUET.
- Candidates must make sure to be familiar with the CUET exam pattern and syllabus for the subjects they are planning to opt for.
- Candidates must know weak and strong topics by solving CUET mock tests or previous year question papers.
- Students must make sure to download the CUET question papers and analyse difficulty level of the exam
- Aspirants must select the best books for CUET UG preparation.
Q. Tell us about your family and educational background?
A. I am Ishita Gambhir and I completed my schooling at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, New Delhi.
Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?
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A. Most of my time, around 8-9 hours a day was invested in self-study. The choice between self-study and coaching is very subjective. I usually followed a combination of both, with major dependence on self-study. According to me, coaching can be joined for concept clarity, however, self-study is important for practice and regularity.
Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?
A. As the syllabus for CUET was more or less similar to the CBSE boards and I had just appeared for term 2 boards, my major focus was on revising the term 1 concepts and the additional topics, which weren't a part of the CBSE syllabus. After revising all the concepts, I practiced mocks and kept on revising the difficult topics again and again.
Commonly asked questions
On analysing the CUET UG cut off for the academic year 2025-26, scoring above 700 marks can be considered a good score in CUET UG. Candidates scoring above 700 may fall in the category of 95+ percentile. Candidates can get admission to top central universities like University of Delhi, Banaras Hindu University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and other universities in the desired course. Given below is the range that is considered good for admission:
- Very Good Score: 700 and above
- Good Score: 650 and above
Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?
A. I considered Accounts to be my strongest subject and Maths to be my weakest. NCERT books are sufficient for conceptual learning, however, I will prefer going through one or two more books for practice.
Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?
A. I applied to Delhi University and IPU. My dream college was SRCC.
Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?
A. I had all of my exams on the same day, 3 in the morning slot and 2 in the evening slot. So, my strategy was to first attempt those subjects about which I was more confident so that I'm able to retain my confidence and calm for the other subjects. Though all of the exams were of moderate level, with an equivalent combination of easy and hard level questions in all the exams, according to me, Maths was the toughest, especially the first section and English was the easiest.
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 successful CUET journey to my Parents and Teachers, who were always there to support and guide me. I would suggest that CUET aspirants follow NCERT as the prime resource of preparation, especially for theory subjects. I'd suggest choosing the subjects wisely, maintaining their calm during the entire process and being receptive to whatever changes are taking place. Also, the right and timely decision of choosing which questions have to be attempted is important. I'll suggest keeping aside the thought of results on the day of examination and being relaxed so as to have a cent per cent presence of mind!
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 20 hours ago
Many top-tier universities offer M.Sc. programs in AI, Data Science, and Computer Science without requiring the CUET exam. Instead, these institutions rely on direct merit (graduation marks), their own university-specific entrance tests, or national-level exams like GATE/JAM.
T
Beginner-Level 1
Answered Yesterday
Yes, Diploma students can apply for B.Tech lateral entry in CSE through LEET or university-specific admission processes after completing a recognised diploma. Eligibility may differ by university, so checking subject requirements and minimum marks is important. At Lovely Professional University, lat
S
Beginner-Level 1
Answered Yesterday
Yes, Arts or Humanities students are eligible for admission through CUET scores. Common University Entrance Test is open for candidates from all streams. Candidates can secure admission to top colleges and courses.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
For Science students, aiming admission to top CUET accepting college must score between 750 and 800 marks out of 1000 marks. Securing minimum of 90 percentile is considered a good score for admission to top tier courses like B.Sc, B.Sc (Hons.). Candidates must also ensure to meet the subject criteri
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes, candidates can get admission to Delhi University with 300 marks in CUET. But in such a case, the course options will be limited. Candidates belonging to reserved criteria will have chances of getting admission to less preferred courses and colleges.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
No, NTA has not yet released the CUET response sheet 2026. It is expected that response sheet download will be available tentatively in June 2026. The direct link to download the answer key and response sheet will be updated soon after release.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Candidates will be able to download the CUET response sheet 2026 from the official website. It is expected that NTA will release the CUET UG 2026 response sheet and answer key sheet soon. To download the response sheet, candidates must enter their application number and password.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
For commerce students, aiming admission to top CUET accepting college must score between 750 and 800marks out of 1000 marks. Securing minimum of 90 percentile is considered a good score for admission to top tier courses like B.Com, B.Com (Hons.). Candidates must also ensure to meet the subject crite
D
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes, candidates can get admission with 570 marks in Delhi University. The marks vary depending upon the choice of course, criteria and college. For admission to north campus colleges of DU, candidates must secure a minimum of 750 marks. 570 score in CUET makes candidate eligible for courses like BA,
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes it does, you get an upper hand against other candidates but apply on time or even before time to avoid high competition.
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Beginner-Level 1
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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