How to prepare for CUET English Paper 2026? Guide to Maximize your CUET Score
Common University Entrance Test 2026 ( CUET )
Registration - 3 Jan '26 - 30 Jan '26
Candidates preparing for the CUET UG English exam 2026 must know the syllabus for CUET English in detail. Read this article to get the preparation strategy to score well in the entrance test. Also, find out the list of books you can prepare for the CUET English 2026 exam.
CUET English Exam Preparation Tips
Preparation Strategy for CUET English Exam: Candidates taking English as a language from Section 1 of the Common University Entrance Test must prepare well to score competitive marks in the exam. According to the CUET UG statistics, English is the most opted subject by students. The CUET English exam is expected to have a moderate difficulty level. The English question paper includes a total of 50 questions from reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and verbal ability. Candidates get 60 minutes to complete their exam in CBT mode. The National Testing Agency is expected to schedule CUET 2026 in May/June 2026. The exact CUET 2026 exam dates will be announced by NTA on the official website. Check out this article to get some preparation tips for the CUET English paper. Also, find out the CUET 2026 Syllabus for English on this page.
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- CUET English Exam Pattern 2026
- CUET English Syllabus 2026
- Preparation Tips for CUET English 2026
- Recommended Books for CUET 2026 English Exam
CUET English Exam Pattern 2026
The National Testing Agency lays down the CUET UG exam pattern for all subjects and sections. Check out the table below for the CUET English Exam Pattern:
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| CUET Exam Conducting Body |
National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Examination Mode |
Computer-Based Mode |
| Medium of Exam |
13 languages - English, Hindi, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam |
| Maximum Marks |
250 per subject |
| Number of questions |
50 questions (all compulsory) |
| Exam Duration |
60 minutes |
| Type of questions |
Multiple Choice Questions |
| Marking Scheme |
+5 for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer |
| CUET English Mapping for Courses |
Bachelor of Arts - English (Honours) |
Must Read: Stream-wise Best UG courses options through CUET: Engineering, Science, Commerce, Arts
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.
- If three CUET subjects chosen: 750 total marks
- If four CUET subjects chosen: 1000 total marks
- If five CUET subjects chosen: 1250 total marks
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.
CUET English Syllabus 2026
According to the exam pattern, no optional questions will be given in the test paper, and candidates must attempt all the questions. With no choice in the questions, candidates must study more thoroughly to ensure they can answer as many questions as possible within 60 minutes. To prepare well for the exam, start by understanding the CUET 2026 English Syllabus given below:
- Reading Comprehension: There will be three types of passages (maximum 300-350 words):
- Factual
- Narrative
- Literary
- Verbal Ability
- Rearranging the parts
- Choosing the correct word
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Vocabulary
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Preparation Tips for CUET English 2026
Preparing for the CUET English exam requires a well-structured approach that covers all aspects of the syllabus, from reading comprehension to grammar and vocabulary. Candidates planning to take the Common University Entrance Test for English must ensure to follow the preparation strategies given below:
1. The first step of preparing for the CUET English exam is to understand its syllabus and exam pattern. According to the official syllabus released by the National Testing Agency, the CUET English paper includes questions from reading comprehension, English vocabulary (such as synonyms, antonyms), grammar (such as tenses, subject-verb agreement), and verbal ability.
2. Practice as many RCs as you can. With good practice, you can learn how to grasp information while reading a paragraph and can easily find answers. Start with simple and short RCs. Once you master them, practice complex reading comprehension, in case the difficulty level for these questions increases.
3. Everyone must know the basics of grammar topics. However, do not overestimate yourself and go through the basic rules and aspects of the grammar topics such as verbs, active-passive voice, conjunctions, prepositions, etc.
5. Improve your vocabulary. According to the previous year's student reaction and exam analysis, vocabulary-based questions are the most difficult ones for them. The CUET English paper sometimes includes foreign vocabulary words. Do not cram, but try to understand how to derive the meaning of a word using the root words.
6. Practice from CUET previous years’ papers to improve your speed in the exam. While solving past papers, give yourself 60 minutes and see whether or not you are able to complete the exam on time.
Check Out:
Recommended Books for CUET 2026 English Exam
To perform well in the English test, candidates must practice CUET mock tests. Here is a list of some recommended books for students to prepare for the CUET English Section.
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
- High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin
- English Language Comprehension Skills by Arihant Experts
- CUET 2025 English Guide by Oswaal Books
- Reading Comprehension for Competitive Exams by Disha Experts
- Idioms, Phrases, and Proverbs with Usage by Oxford
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 marking a percentile of 95+.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, there is a scholarship for BSc students at IILM University Greater Noida based on the CUET percentile.
If you score 95 percentile or more, you get a 40% scholarship.
In case your percentile is between 90 to 94.99, you get a 30% scholarship.
For the 80 to 89.99 percentile, a 20% scholarship is of
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Bro domain subject ke sath laungage bhi compulsory ho skti hai vese kuch university me
v
Beginner-Level 2
Answered 4 days ago
Christ University Entrance Test details are as under.
1. The duration of the Entrance Test will be for 120 minutes.
2. Total no. Of questions will be 120 of one marks each.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 5 days ago
For CUET for B.Sc. Forensic Science, focus on Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB) or Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM), depending on the university's specific requirement (some prefer Biology, others Math). Top colleges include National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Amity University
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 6 days ago
Since you're from the commerce stream (12th std) and want to pursue BA Psychology, most Indian universities do NOT require Psychology as a compulsory domain subject in CUET.
How it generally works (CUET-UG):
For BA Psychology, universities usually ask for:
Language paper (English or any one language) ✅
C
Beginner-Level 1
Answered a week ago
Approximately 200 universities across India accept the CUET PG scores. The exam scores will be used to grant admission to the postgraduate or master's degree courses across multiple streams. After the result is declared, these universities will conduct their admission process separately. There is no
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Ashoka University accepts CUET scores for UG admission. However, it is not mandatory. Aspirants have to pass Ashoka Aptitude Assessment and on-the-spot-essay round for admission to UG courses. Selected aspirants have to further pass other selection rounds for final admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
The best strategy to score well in RUHS CUET Nursing exam is given below:
Understand concepts clearly
Practice MCQs daily
Revise regularly
Solve previous year papers
Time management during the exam is also very important.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Students should prepare mainly from NCERT textbooks of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Applicants are advised to solve NCERT books of 11th and 12th standard also. Solving RUHS CUET Nursing previous year question papers and mock tests also helps a lot.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The difficulty of RUHS CUET Nursing question paper level is usually moderate. Most questions come from the Class 11 and 12 syllabus, especially from NCERT books. With regular practice, it can be managed easily.
N
Beginner-Level 5
CUET UG English syllabus imcludes: