Anupama
Anupama Mehra
Assistant Manager – Content
Updated on May 1, 2023 16:36 IST
CUET UG Topper Pratham Gupta from Dadri is one of the students who scored 100 percentile in the CUET UG 2022. Shiksha.com spoke to Pratham about the preparation tips he followed, and the study materials he referred to, in order to ace the maiden CUET UG 2022 exams. "I prefer self-study because I never joined coaching classes," he said.
CUET UG Topper Pratham Gupta from Dadri is one of the students who scored 100 percentile in the CUET UG 2022. Shiksha.com spoke to Pratham about the preparation tips he followed, and the study materials he referred to, in order to ace the maiden CUET UG 2022 exams.
CUET UG 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Self-study Helped Pratham Gupta To Get Into Hindu College

CUET UG 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Self-study Helped Pratham Gupta To Get Into Hindu College

Pratham Gupta secured a perfect score of 800/800 in his maiden CUET UG 2022 Exams. Dishank in an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com elaborated on his study pattern, tips, and reference material and shared his advice to students who will be appearing for the CUET UG 2023 exam.

Q. Tell us about your family and educational background?
A.  I hail from a town called Dadri, my father is a businessman, dealing in computer hardware & software, while my mother is a school & tuition teacher. I did my schooling at DPS Vidyut Nagar, situated in the NTPC Dadri township.
 
Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?
A. Since there was a lot of confusion regarding the exam, I began preparing for CUET in earnest only after my term 2 board exams were done. But given the fact that the entrance exam was based on the class 12 NCERT syllabus, I ensured that whatever I prepared for my boards, I did thoroughly. As for the books, I primarily used NCERT textbooks only.  For practicing the kind of MCQs that get asked in CUET, I referred to Oswal & Arihant's help books.
 
Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?
A. It may come out as a surprise, but I didn't study a lot, max 4-5 hours. But I ensured that I studied regularly, every day without fail. Personally speaking, I prefer self-study, partly because I never joined coaching classes in my entire school life and in part because of my belief that self-study allows you to work according to your pace & tailor your schedule as per your comfort. But, again, this is just my experience, I've known people for whom coaching works better. So, it's completely up to an individual to decide.
 
Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?
A. A month before the exam, my key strategy was to go through the notes I had prepared for my boards & thoroughly re-read my NCERT textbooks. Once I was done with that, I started doing MCQs & based on how I performed in MCQ sets of different chapters, I jotted down topics that needed practice. For those topics, read the NCERT again. A week before the exam, I did nothing but focus on reading my NCERT textbooks as many times as possible.

Also Read: CUET 2022 Topper Tips: Know How Elimination Method Helped Prisha Khandelwal Get Into SRCC

Q. How many domain tests did you appear in the CUET exam?
A. I appeared for 3 domain tests, namely Political Science, History & Economics. 
 
Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?
A. I'd say political science is something I've always been super comfortable with, while history troubles me at times. Yes, yes, yes, NCERT books are more than sufficient for preparing for CUET. Along with that, you need some practice question sets & you're done.
 
Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?
A. I made sure I was fresh as a daisy on the day of the exam: I had a good sleep the night before, drank a lot of water during the day & didn't read much in the hours preceding the exam. I always get confused with chronological data, so just went through the lists I had made once. Ahh, I'd say none of the sections were that difficult, but if I had to mention, economics proved to be quite challenging because you had to apply logic while solving the questions in that section, simple conceptual knowledge won't do.
 
Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?
A. I didn't apply to many universities, since I was very sure of the one I wanted to get into. Delhi University & Ambedkar University were the only ones I applied to. Hindu College was my dream college & fortunately, I got into it.
 
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. It goes on without saying that I wouldn't have achieved what I did without the constant support of my parents, teachers & extended family. I share a very good rapport with my mother so she was the person I'd talk to when I got tired of studying & we'd discuss books, watch movies together & of course gossip (lol). But the contribution of others was just as important.
I know it might sound preachy (as it did to me when I was in your place) but remember that hard work always pays off. It can be incredibly difficult to not get tempted by Instagram reels & a new series on Netflix, but try to strike a balance between leisure & studies. Also, study for shorter durations but do it regularly, don't let the flow break.  Wishing you the best of luck, I firmly believe you'll give your best.
 
Read More:
Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Anupama Mehra
Assistant Manager – Content

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

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for Science Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

5 Jan '26 -

6 Apr '26

NEST 2026 Application Process

5 Jan '26 -

12 Apr '26

NEST 2026 Application Process

7 Mar '26 -

13 Mar '26

Provisional Answer Key

5 Mar '26 -

13 Apr '26

IISER Aptitude Test 2026 Regis...

Jul '25

ITM NEST 2025 Result Date

Jun '25

ITM NEST 2025 Exam date

Mar '26

OUAT Entrance Exam 2026 Form A...

Apr '26

OUAT Entrance Exam 2026 Form A...

Dec '24

TISSNET 2024 Mock Test

Jun '24

TISS Online Assessment 2024

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 3 days ago

The table below shows the top CUET accepting BCom colleges in Mumbai (All) with their tuition fees -

Top CollegesTuition Fee
Narsee Monjee College of Commerce & EconomicsINR 3.16 lakh
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj UniversityINR 90,000 - INR 1.25 lakh
Dr. Shantilal K Somaiya School of Commerce and Business StudiesINR 6 Lacs - INR 8 lakh
FinX InstituteINR 4.63 lakh

Source: Official site and may vary.

T

Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

No the CUET-UG 2026 registrations have been closed at this point for Universal SkillTech University BSc admission. CUET-UG 2026 registration were opened again near the end of February. However, this registration window has also been closed on 26th February 2026.

Candidates who failed to register befo

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

No, CUET-UG is not a mandatory entrance exam for every candidate who wishes to apply for the BSc course at Universal SkillTech University. Candidates can also appear for the MH-CET in order to qualify for BSc admissions at Universal SkillTech University. However, candidates must mandatorily appear f

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

No, the CUET-UG is not a compulsory entrance exam for Universal SkillTech University BBA admissions. Candidates who wish to apply for the BBA at Universal SkillTech University can also appear for the MH-CET.

However, all candidates are mandatorily required to apply for one of the aforementioned entra

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

International Institute of Professional Studies, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidhyalaya offers integrated 5-year MBA courses. The admission to the integrated MBA courses is given through CUET UG. The CUET UG 2026 exam dates are May 11- May 31.

S

Saumya Gairola

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

No the CUET-UG registrations have been closed for Universal SkillTech University BTech admissions in 2026. This year, the CUET-UG 2026 registration were opened again near the end of February. However, this registration window has also been closed on 26th February 2026.

Candidates who failed to regist

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

For the integrated MBA courses in IIPS DAVV, candidates need to take the CUET (UG) exam. The application fee for CUET (PG) upto 3 subjects is as follows:

  • General: INR 1000
  • OBC-NCL/EWS: INR 900
  • SC/ST/PwBD/Third Gender: INR 800

For the postgraduate MBA courses in IIPS DAVV, candidates have to pay the CUET

...Read more

S

Saumya Gairola

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

Hi.Candidates must align the CUET subjects with the subjects studied in class 12th. It is an important criteria for DU admissions.Thanks

99929102
Dr. Uma Sinha

Scholar-Level 17

Answered a week ago

CUET is not mandatory for BBA admission at ITS College of Professional Studies. Students can get admission based on merit and college-level selection process. However, having good academic marks improves chances. 

J

Jaya Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

No, Maharaja Agrasen International College does not accept CUET score for admission. The college offers merit-based admission in the UG and PG courses based on score in last qualifying exam.

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10