How Students Are Preparing for CUET UG 2026? Self-Study, Coaching, and Trends
Common University Entrance Test 2026 ( CUET )
Registration - 3 Jan '26 - 30 Jan '26
CUET UG 2026 exam will be held in May/June 2026. Candidates preparing for examination can know how aspirants are preparing for CUET UG 2026 exam? Check CUET preparation method opted by aspirants for the upcoming examination and other important tips by experts here.
CUET UG Preparation
Common University Entrance Test is one of the biggest national-level examinations conducted for admissions to UG courses in India. Every year, more than 13 lakh candidates apply for CUET UG examination. As lakh of students prepare for the exam, a key question asked is: How to prepare for CUET UG? self-study or coaching? To understand this, Shiksha conducted a poll regarding the CUET UG 2026 preparation strategy. As per the results, maximum candidates prefer the CUET self-study option to complete the syllabus. CUET UG 2026 exam will be scheduled in May/June 2026, in CBT mode. Candidates preparing for examination must begin their revision for final day.
No, CUET UG intimation slip will not mention the CUET exam centre details. On release of the CUET intimation slip candidates can know the state where the CUET exam for the candidate will be conducted. The complete details of CUET UG exam centre will be notified on release of CUET admit card. NTA will release the CUET UG 2025 hall ticket two to three days before the scheduled exam date.
Applicants must select CUET UG 2025 exam centre city from the dropdown, based on their permanent and contact address state/country. Candidates must not choose the state/country far from their permamnent address. Choose the CUET exam centre which is convenient to reach on time.
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Also Read:
CUET Syllabus 2026 for Commerce Students
CUET Syllabus 2026 for Science Students
CUET Syllabus 2026 for Arts Students
CUET UG Preparation Poll Result
Shiksha conducted a recent survey to know how students are preparing for CUET UG 2026. As per the survey, here are the poll results
CUET UG Preparation Poll
Check the poll results in the table below:
| Preparation Strategy |
Percentage |
|---|---|
| Self-Studying |
66% |
| Undecided |
14% |
| Taking Offline Coaching |
10% |
| Taking Online Coaching |
10% |
- CUET UG 2026 Preparation: Self-Study
- CUET UG 2026 Preparation: Offline and Online Coaching
- Tips for CUET UG Preparation in 2026
CUET UG 2026 Preparation: Self-Study
As per Shiksha poll, CUET UG 2026 preparation through self-study is the most opted method for preparation. Here’s why self-study is being opted by the maximum aspirants:
- Students avoid the high cost of coaching classes, especially in smaller towns or rural areas.
- Self-learning gives students the freedom to manage school and entrance exam preparation without any coaching schedules.
- Candidates can access number of free online resources to prepare for CUET UG. Candidates have access to free:
- CUET previous year question paper PDF
- Youtube channels
- Free CUET mock test by NTA
- NCERT E-books
- Platforms like SWAYAM offer study materials online
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CUET UG 2026 Preparation: Offline and Online Coaching
Though Self-study is the topmost preference among aspirants, candidates prefer taking offline or online coaching. It is a desirable option for candidates who have weak concepts and wish to pursue courses from top colleges. Taking offline or online coaching helps candidates with the following benefits
Advantages of CUET Offline Coaching
- Regular classroom atmosphere
- Mentorship and guidance
- Peer discussion and competition
Also Read: How to Score 250/250 in CUET General Test
Advantages of Online Coaching
Some of the advantages of CUET online coaching are:
- Candidates can learn from anywhere
- It is affordable
- Aspirants can have access to recorded lectures
Tips for CUET UG Preparation in 2026
Whether a candidate is self-studying or attending coaching, here are some CUET preparation tips:
- Be familiar with the CUET UG 2026 exam pattern & syllabus
- Practice CUET Previous Year Papers & Mock Tests
- Use NCERT Books for conceptual learning
- Create a Realistic, Daily Study Plan
- Avoid Last-Minute rote learning
- Stay Healthy & Take Breaks
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.
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.
Yes, 700 is a good score in CUET. This score can help candidates place in top colleges of Delhi University, banaras Hindu University and Allahabad University. 700 score is considered to a CUET good score creating a percentile of 95+.
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Shruti Garg is a graduate in English and Education with over 7 years of experience in content writing/editing and education journalism. At Shiksha.com, Shruti covers UG and PG entrance exams like MBA entrance exams,
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
No, CUET is not mandatory for Jindal School of Languages and Literature admissions. While the institute does accept CUET scores, students can alternatively submit other exam scores as well. The other accepted exams include JSAT / SAT / ACT / UGAT / LSAT-India.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, CUET scores are not compulsory for admissions into the BA course at Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability. The college accepts other online entrance tests/ national or international level entrance tests, such as JSAT/ SAT/ ACT. Thus, CUET is one of the accepted entrance tests for enrol
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
To prepare for CUET Mathematics exam effectively, students must ideally give two to three hours practice. Students must focus on previous year qiuestion papers and mock tests to prepare well for exam. Daily practice and consistency will help candidate score 250 marks in exam.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, NCERT is sufficient for conceptual clarity while preparing for CUET exam, but MCQ practice and CUET mock tests are important for scoring high. Students must not only focus on preparation books, they must solve CUET previous year question papers for Mathematics to know important topics or repeat
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
No, a valid CUET score is accepted for admissions to both BA (Hons) in Liberal Arts & Humanities and the BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics & Economics at JSLAH.
In the previous year admissions, CUET was only listed as an accepted exam for the BA (Hons) in Liberal Arts & Humanities admission.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, candidates who wish receive the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities BA (Hons) scholarships must provide a valid score in the JSAT. Those candidates who appeared for the CUET during BA (Hons) admissions can still appear for the JSAT after getting admitted into the Jindal School of Libera
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
For admission to Delhi University, candidate must have passed or appeared for class 12 examination. There are no minimum marks requirement in class 12 for DU admission through CUET UG. DU may use the class 12 marks or percentage for tie breaking criteria.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
Class 12 marks are important for fulfilling the admission criteria and tie breaking criteria (if any) during admissions. Admission to Central Universities are conducted through CUET scores, however, candidates must fulfil the minimum marks requirement for admissions.
D
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
The minimum marks for CUET class 12th is prescribed differently for accepting universities. CUET universities like DU and Allahabad University does not prescribe the minimum marks in class 12 for CUET UG. However, universities like Banaras Hindu University, BBAU has prescribed the minimum percentage
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
There are a total of 157 subjects in the CUET PG exam. The subjects are segregated into six streams. The table below shows the number of papers in each stream.
| Stream | Number of Subjects or Papers |
|---|---|
| Science | 30 |
| MTech | 12 |
| Language | 41 |
| Humanities | 26 |
| Common | 22 |
| Acharya | 26 |
The CUET PG exam pattern is the same for each paper. The language of the CUET PG question papers is English and Hindi. For the Language paper
P
Beginner-Level 5
CUET UG total marks is 250 Marks for each subject. Candidates can choose up to five CUET subjects. Each subject paper has 50 questions which will total to 250 marks for each subject. For every correct answer, candidate will get 5 marks. The CUET total marks will be uniform for all 37 subjects. The Total CUET subjects marks can vary depending on the number of subjects chosen by candidates.