CUET UG 2023: Application Form (Extended), Exam Date (May 21-31), Pattern, Syllabus, Question Paper

CUET UG 2023 application form submission process is underway and the last date is March 30 from March 12. The application correction window will be open from April 1 to April 3. NTA released the CUET UG 2023 application form on February 10. Extending the CUET UG 2023 application deadline, NTA has mentioned that owing to the increase in the number of participating institutes, the authorities are providing opportunity to candidates to select more options to candidates in terms of selecting universities and courses. Advance intimation to exam city will be released on April 30 and the CUET UG 2023 admit card will be released in the second week of May. The CUET 2023 exam will be conducted in a window of 10 days, from May 21 to May 31, in three slots. The reserved dates of the exam are scheduled from June 1 to June 7.

As per the information shared by UGC Chairman M Jagaesh Kumar, over 11 lakh applications have been received for CUET UG 2023 so far. The CUET UG 2023 application fee for each category has increased. The exam pattern has also undergone changes in terms of the total number of questions as well as the number of questions to be attempted. The total number of participating universities has also increased from last year. As of now, 26 new universities will accept CUET 2023 scores for the UG admission of 2023-24. 

Also Read: CUET UG Admissions 2023: CUET Registration Process to End Today, Know How to Apply

CUET Vs JEE Vs NEET

What is CUET?

Central University Entrance Test (CUET) is an all-India level entrance exam conducted by NTA for admission in UG courses offered in all the participating institutions. Till 2021, the full name of the exam was Central Universities Common Entrance Test or CUCET, which has been changed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The exam is conducted once a year in over 500 cities in India and abroad. The exam is conducted in a computer-based mode for two hours. Originally CUCET was conducted by UGC in paper-pencil-based mode. Last year onwards, NTA is conducting the test in a computer-based mode. 

Latest Updates:

March 20, 2023: CUET 2023: Check List of Universities Exempted from Common University Entrance Test

March 16, 2023: CUET 2023: Over 11 Lakh Candidates Registered So Far, Informs UGC Chief

March 11, 2023: CUET UG 2023 Application Process Extended Till March 30

March 6, 2023: CUET UG 2023: NTA Adds 10 New Help Centres 

CUET 2023 Highlights

The following table brings the important features or highlights of the exam.

CUET 2023 Exam Slots and Timing

The following table brings the CUET 2022 exam timings for both slots.

NTA has stated that for some of the CUET UG 2023 test papers with a high number of applications, the number of slots will be three. The timings for the third slot will be announced as and when they are announced by the exam authorities. 

CUET 2023 Application Process

The CUET UG 2023 application form has been released online by NTA on the official website of the exam on February 10. Candidates have to fill CUET application form in online mode on the official website of the exam. The first step is to register by entering the basic details such as name, address and contact details. This will generate login credentials. After logging in with the registration credentials, candidates will have to fill up the CUET 2023 application form with their personal and academic details, programme and exam city preference and upload documents. After the form is filled, candidates will have to pay the CUET application fee online via debit/credit card, Net Banking, Paytm and UPI. The below table brings the CUET UG 2023 application fee based on last year’s amount.

Also Read: CUET 2023 Registration Begins, Check Mistakes to Avoid While Filling Application Form

CUET 2023 UG and PG Fee Structure: Category-wise Application Fee and Outside Centres Fee

NTA will also provide the opportunity to make corrections in the application form of CUET UG 2023 after the conclusion of the process. Candidates are allowed to make changes in the fields of their or their parents/guardians' names, date of birth, gender, category, PWBD and choice of universities.

CUET 2023 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria set by NTA in order to apply and appear for CUET 2023. The eligibility parameters are as follows:

• Students will need to have passed Class 12 from a recognised board in Science or a relevant stream to be admitted to bachelor’s degree programmes in the Central Universities.

• Students in Class 12 who are yet to appear for the Board exam are also eligible to apply.

• There is no age limit for appearing in the CUET UG 2023 exam. 

Also Read: CUET UG Eligibility Criteria 2023: University-Wise Degree Requirement & Qualification

CUET 2022 Admission Process

The admission process for the CUET exam is quite simple, the same has been discussed below - 

CUET 2023 Test Centres

CUET UG 2023 exam centres will be located in around 400 cities across India and 24 cities abroad. Last year, there were 489 CUET test centres located in 259 cities across India and nine cities abroad. However, the total number of exam cities in India has been reduced this year, but the cities outside India have increased exponentially. The exam centre allotment details will be announced through the admit card of CUET. Prior to that, an advance intimation slip will be released mentioning the exam centre's city and state. Candidates will have to enter two of their preferred CUET exam centre cities while filling up the CUET application form. Till last year, candidates could select four exam cities. NTA will try to assign their CUET 2023 centre in their preferred exam city.

CUET 2023 Syllabus

The CUET 2023 syllabus has been released by the NTA along with the official notification. The syllabus of CUET is the same level as that of the NCERT Class 12 syllabus. The common subjects across the different courses of the CUET syllabus are English, General Aptitude, Numerical Aptitude/Data Interpretation, Analytical Skills, Reasoning and General Knowledge. NTA has released a subject-wise syllabus which students must refer to while preparing for the exam.

CUET 2023 Exam Pattern

CUET 2023 exam pattern has been released by National Testing Agency (NTA), the exam conducting body along with the notification and information brochure. The CUET exam pattern has undergone changes in terms of the total number of questions and the number of questions to be attempted. The pattern varies from Slot I and Slot II. CUET UG 2023 will be conducted in a computer-based mode (CBT) for a duration of 3 hours. The exam will have Section 1A, Section 1B, General Test and domain-specific subjects. Section 1A, which is compulsory, will be in 13 languages and candidates will be given the option to choose the language of their choice. Section 1B is optional and for students who want to opt for another language apart from the ones that are a part of Section 1A. Some of the languages on offer are French, Arabic, German, etc. Each question will carry five marks and there will be one mark negative marking for each wrong answer. 

Also Read: CUET 2023: NTA Changes Number of Questions in This Section, Check Details

CUET 2023 Preparation Tips

CUET is an all-India entrance exam that is highly competitive and candidates appearing for the exam need to have a strategy and aim in order to score well and qualify. Aspirants can go through the following prep strategy methods while preparing for CUET. First and foremost, candidates should go through the exam pattern and structure of the test. After that, students should get hold of some of the best books for CUET preparation. After gaining conceptual clarity on each section and subject, students should segregate their areas of strengths and weaknesses they should work towards improving their weaknesses by finding out the root cause and taking help from their mentors or students. After completing the syllabus, they should take regular mock tests and analyse their performance. Solving previous years’ question papers will also expose them to the topics and question types to expect in the actual exam. Last but not the least, staying confident is the key to success in CUET.

CUET 2023 Mock Test

The mock test is an important feature of preparing for CUET 2023. NTA will release the official CUET UG 2023 mock test in an online mode. The practice questions will also be made available for all subjects and languages. The online CUET 2023 mock test will be on the official exam website wherein students can get an understanding of the navigation system. By taking the official CUET mock test 2023, aspirants will be able to practise the usage of a virtual keyboard and calculator, moving from question to question and among sections. To improve their preparation, students should take the mock tests released by coaching institutes or experts which will give them questions from actual sections of the expected difficulty level. Along with taking the mock test, it is equally important to analyse it. After a thorough analysis, it is important to implement the pointers of analysis within one’s preparation to succeed in the exam.

CUET 2023 Admit Card

The CUET 2023 admit card will be released in the second week of May. Based on last year’s trend, the admit card or hall ticket of CUET 2023 will be released a week before the day of the exam. CUET UG admit card is a mandatory document that has to be carried to the exam centre. The CUET admit card 2023 has to be downloaded by logging in with the registration credentials. The direct link to download the CUET hall ticket or admit card will be provided on this page as and when it is announced.

CUET 2023 Analysis and Student Reactions

The CUET 2023 analysis and student reactions will be provided once the exam commences, after each slot or phase. It is expected that the difficulty level and the pattern will be similar to that of last year. As per the last year’s CUET UG analysis, the difficulty level of the test was easy to moderate with a few tough sections. The difficulty level of the exam also varied according to the domain subjects. The level of questions was similar and at times easier than that of the Board exams. Those who appeared for the Humanities subject found the questions to be lengthy and time-consuming. On the other hand, some candidates, who had appeared for Mathematics shared that it was difficult to manage time. The Language Test and General Test sections were of easy to moderate levels. Students are advised to check the last year's CUET UG student reactions below.

CUET UG 2022 Phase 2 Student Reactions

CUET 2023 Question Paper

The CUET UG question papers carry 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Since CUET is conducted in a computer-based mode, candidates will not be given the CUET question papers on the day of the exam. However, NTA will release the question papers online on its official website along with the answer keys. Candidates will also be able to download their response sheets. Downloading the previous year’s CUET UG question paper and solving those in a proctored manner will help students prepare for the exam.

CUET 2023 Answer Keys

NTA will release the provisional CUET 2023 answer keys within a month of conducting the exam. Answer keys refer to the correct answer option or choices. With the help of the answer keys, candidates can calculate their estimated scores prior to the declaration of the result. They will also be given the option to submit challenges or objections online by paying a fee of INR 200 per question. The expert panel will further assess each of the objections and prepare the final CUET UG 2023 answer keys, which will be released along with the result.

CUET 2023 Result

The CUET UG 2023 result is expected to be declared after a month of conducting the exam in the form of scorecards. Test-takers will have to log on to the official website with their credentials and download the CUET UG result 2023 cum scorecard.  The CUET result carries information such as candidates’ personal details, section-wise and overall scores and percentiles and cutoffs.

CUET 2023 Cutoff

The CUET 2023 cutoff will be released separately by participating institutes. The cutoff refers to the minimum marks one has to secure in order to qualify for the exam. While NTA will release the qualifying cutoff, participating institutes will release separate cutoffs for each programme offered by them. The CUET cutoff marks were decided based on the factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, the number of test-takers, and seats, among others.

CUET 2023 Counselling

The CUET 2023 counselling will be conducted by the participating institutes separately. Each institute will release its merit list based on qualifying candidates after the declaration of the result. Interested candidates will have to register and then participate in the counselling process, which is likely to be held online. In general, there are three rounds of counselling and the number of rounds may vary depending on the seat vacancy. After the seat allotment result is declared, candidates will have to accept the admission offer by reporting to the institutes and getting their documents verified. There are a few programmes, where instead of counselling, interview rounds will be conducted. NTA will intimate the admission process for those programmes separately in the information brochure of CUET 2023.

Colleges Accepting CUET 2023 Scores

The CUET UG 2023 participating universities are classified into different categories. The following table brings the types of universities accepting CUET UG 2022 scores along with the number of universities in each category.

Note: The number of universities in each category is dynamic and would change as per universities opting for the CUET UG 2023 scores.

Read More:

CUET UG 2023 Application Form & Exam Date (Out); Eligibility Criteria and Exam Pattern