CUET, India's second-biggest college entrance examination, begins today
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET), a single admissions test for all central universities, began today at 500 centers across India and 10 centers abroad. In the first round, approximately eight lakh candidates will compete. The mega entrance exam will be held in two shifts: 9 am to 12:15 pm in the morning and 3 pm to 6:45 pm in the evening.
Why does this story matter?
The CUET will be held in two phases, the first in July (15, 16, 19, and 20) and the second in August (4-8 and 10). Candidates who have physics, chemistry, or biology were assigned to Phase 2 following the July 17 NEET exam. With 14.9 lakh registrations, it is the country's second-largest entrance exam after NEET-UG, which witnesses nearly 18 lakh registrations every year.
Here's all about the CUET exam
It will be a computer-based multiple-choice exam with three sections: Section I (IA and IB) for assessing language proficiency; Section II for testing core topic knowledge; and Section III for evaluating general knowledge. Approximately 8.10 million candidates will take the exam in the first slot, while 6.80 million will appear in the second. These candidates have applied to 90 universities for 54,555 subject combinations.
Students earlier raised concerns regarding CUET
Prior to the exam, several students expressed concerns about the CUET regarding delays in admit cards and not being offered their preferred center. Earlier, aspirants called for the postponement of major exams, particularly the NEET-UG and CUET, with over 10,000 individuals writing to the NTA to express their dissatisfaction with the schedule requiring them to sit for multiple exams in a short period.
The state of Tamil Nadu is against CUET
The Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pull back the CUET. He asserts that the exam will marginalize diversified school education and subvert development-focused extended education.
UGC made CUET mandatory for all central universities in March
However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) in March made it mandatory for all 45 central universities, which can fix their minimum eligibility criteria, to admit students to undergraduate courses through the National Testing Agency (NTA) administered CUET rather than the Class 12 marks. According to UGC chief M. Jagadesh Kumar, it will alleviate the stress of impossibly high college cut-offs, which sometimes reach 100%.
A few states and private universities are also following CUET
UGC chief Jagadesh Kumar has also earlier clarified that the new system will not disadvantage students from state boards, nor will it promote the coaching culture. As of now, 44 central universities, 12 state universities, 11 deemed universities, and 19 private universities have submitted their applications to participate in the inaugural edition of CUET-UG for admissions for the academic session 2022-23.
