It is the time for Common Universities Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET UG). Yes, the second largest entrance test for undergraduate admission in all central universities will begin on Friday, July 15, at test centres in over 510 cities in India and abroad. With 14.9 lakh registration, CUET UG stands as the second biggest entrance exam, surpassing JEE Mains' average registration of nine lakh, as stated in a report by PTI.
While the National Testing Agency (NTA) is having a final check on the logistics, the aspirants are an anxious lot, preparing for the exam that will transform the way undergraduate admissions are conducted in the country, especially at popular central universities, like Delhi University, where Class XII scores was a deciding factor.
Giving more details on this, the University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman, Jagadesh Kumar, said, "The CUET (UG) 2022 has been scheduled for approximately 14,90,000 candidates, with around 8.1 lakh candidates in the first slot and 6.80 lakh candidates in the second. These candidates have applied for 54,555 unique combinations of subjects across 90 universities."
"Given such a large number of subjects, a unique date sheet for every individual candidate has been created. Accordingly, advance intimation slips for examination city to all candidates with the date and city of the exam has been issued followed by admit cards," he added.
The exam is scheduled to be held in two phases, namely Phase 1 in July and Phase 2 in August. As NEET UG is being held on July 17, candidates who opted for Physics, Chemistry or Biology have been assigned to Phase 2. Talking about the exam, the UGC Chairman said, "The exam will be conducted from July 15 to August 20 at exam centres located in over 500 cities across India and 10 cities abroad.
Although the candidates have been anxious about delays in receiving the admit cards, the UGC Chairman informed, "Some candidates have requested a change of centre. Such requests are being considered by the NTA and the candidates need not feel anxious about it." The Chairman also confirmed it will be the percentile format like the NTA (National Testing Agency) score, "The score will indicate the position of a candidate vis-a-vis other candidates who took the test. It is an indicator of the relative position of the candidate."
Further, the UGC Chairman clarified that this exam will not stand as a disadvantage to the State Board students and will not give any push to the coaching culture. To recollect, in March 2022, the Chairman said that Class XII marks will not be considered for admission to 45 central universities, as the CUET scores will be taken into account during the eligibility criteria.
A total of 44 central universities, 12 state universities, 11 deemed universities and 19 private universities have applied to participate in the first edition of CUET for UG admissions in the 2022-23 academic session. Also, on July 13, Wednesday, the UGC asked universities to fix their deadline for admission to undergraduate courses after the CBSE declares its Class XII exam results.
