From 2025, the Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET-UG) 2025 will have sweeping changes in its format and conduct.

These changes were announced by Prof Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC), in an exclusive interview with PTI today, December 10.

"The exam will be conducted only in CBT mode from 2025 unlike hybrid mode last year. We have also reduced the number of subjects from 63 to 37 and admissions for the dropped subjects will be conducted based on scores of the General Aptitude Test (GAT),” Prof Kumar told PTI.

He added that candidates appearing for the exam would have the freedom to choose any subject in the exam, irrespective of the subjects they studied in their Class XII. This is to allow students to transcend academic and disciplinary boundaries in higher education, he explained.

Moreover, the maximum number of subjects aspirants can appear for in the exam will be cut short to five instead of six.

Talking more about the changes in the exam's format, Prof Kumar said that the optional section of the paper would be done away with, and the exam would have a standardised time limit of 60 minutes.

These changes are based on the recommendations suggested by the expert panel instated by the Union Government to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency, which is responsible for conducting several exams in India, including CUET, and suggest improvements.