The Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG is scheduled to take place between May 15 and May 31, 2024, as previously announced. There will be no alterations to this schedule despite the Lok Sabha election timetable. The official date sheet will be unveiled subsequent to the completion of the registration phase. Earlier this month, the University Grants Commission (UGC) head had hinted at potential adjustments to the exam schedule based on the Lok Sabha polls’ timing, according to Jagadesh Kumar, chairman, UGC.
The Election Commission has recently declared that the polling for all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will occur over seven phases, commencing with 102 seats in the initial phase on April 19, with vote counting slated for June 4.
“The National Testing Agency (NTA) will administer CUET-UG between May 15 and May 31, 2024, as previously announced. Two of these dates, May 20th and May 25th, overlap with election dates,” Kumar informed PTI. “After the application deadline on March 26, 2024, the total number of CUET-UG registrants and their geographic spread will be known,” he stated.
“Taking into account this data and the election schedule, NTA will publish the CUET-UG date sheet. However, there won’t be any changes to the dates,” he added.
Prospective candidates have until March 26 to complete their CUET-UG applications. Introduced in 2022, this standardised test simplifies admission processes for central, state, deemed, and private universities nationwide.
In a departure from tradition, the NTA has proposed a hybrid examination format for CUET-UG 2024, incorporating both Computer Based Testing and pen-and-paper methods for various subjects. Officials have indicated that subjects with significant registration numbers will utilise a pen-and-paper format employing optical mark recognition (OMR), while others will remain computer-based. In the previous cycle, CUET-UG saw approximately 14.9 lakh registrations, underscoring its significance in the higher education domain.
(With inputs from PTI)