Explained | Common entrance test for central varsities

In a move aimed to relieve the stress of Class 12 students, all central universities will have to admit students to undergraduate courses from 2022-23 via a Common University Entrance Test (CUET), and not the Class 12 marks.

The new policy may help ease the burden on Class 12 students expected to score exceptional marks to meet high college cut-off requirements.

Also Read | Common entrance test in April for UG students, Class 12 marks won’t count

Here are key things about the CUET:

What is the CUET?

The CUET is a common entrance test for Class 12 students that are looking to get their Bachelor’s Degree from central universities. Until last year, Class 12 marks were required for admission into colleges. The CUET will be conducted by the National Testing Agency for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes from the academic year 2022-23.

When will the CUET be conducted?

The exact date for registration and the main exam has not been announced yet. However, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said that the CUET will take place in the first week of July 2022. The online application process will start in the first week of April 2022.

What will be the syllabus and exam pattern?

The syllabus of the CUET will mirror the Class 12 model syllabus of the NCERT.

The test will have Section 1A, Section 1B, general test and domain-specific subjects. Section 1A, which will be compulsory, will be in 13 languages for candidates to choose from. The options are English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Section 1B is optional and for students who want to opt for a language apart from the ones that are a part of Section 1A. Some of the languages on offer are French, Arabic, German, etc

Also Read | UGC's announcement on CUET syllabus elicits mixed reactions from experts

Will it affect the existing reservation policy in universities?

The reservation policy of the universities will not be impacted due to the CUET.

Universities can enroll candidates for the general seats as well as for the reserved seats on the basis of CUET scores. It will not impact the existing admission and reservation policy that is in accordance with the Ordinances of the varsity.

The UGC chairman said that if a university has a certain percentage of seats reserved for local students, it will be able to retain that. "But these students will also have to take admission through CUET,” he added.

Are CUET scores compulsory for all the universities in the country?

It is only compulsory if the student wants to get admission to a government university. However, state, private and deemed universities can also use CUET scores for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions if they want.

The Delhi University and some other universities have already announced that they will only admit students to undergraduate courses on the basis of CUET.

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