44.7% of CUET-UG over on day one

NEW DELHI: The first day of Common University Entrance Test-Undergraduate ( CUET-UG ) 2024, conducted across the country barring Delhi, on Wednesday meant completion of 44.7% of the test. For the first time pen-paper mode has been used in the CUET and exams for subjects – chemistry , biology, English and general studies were conducted in four shifts, which is equivalent to conducting tests for 25.9 lakh candidates. The exams were postponed in Delhi due to “unavoidable circumstances,” according to the National Testing Agency ( NTA ) and have been rescheduled for May 29, 2024. The rest of the exams for May 16, 17 and 18 will continue as scheduled with the rest of the country and candidates in Delhi are being asked to download their new admit cards as there could be changes in centres.

English has the largest number of candidates with 8.6 lakh, followed by general studies (7.2 lakh), chemistry (6.4 lakh) and biology (3.6 lakh). According to NTA attendance recorded for the first day of exam has been around 75%, with chemistry recording 78%.

Some candidates when they reached their Faridabad, Haryana centre found a notification stating that their exam had been postponed. According to NTA officials, these are the aspirants which have opted Delhi as the first choice and therefore “to ensure that all candidates get their city of their first choice, their exam has been postponed to May 29. For the rest of the candidates whose first choice has been Faridabad continued with their exam.”

According to Subodh Kumar Singh, director general, NTA, this is the first time that an exam for four papers for so many candidates in four shifts in a single day has been conducted in the country.

“NTA tried to slot the candidates in a way that they are not inconvenienced with different centres. For those candidates who appeared for the four subjects or for two or more subjects in back-to-back shifts are allotted the same centre as well as the same sitting arrangement, so they need not shift between exams,” said Kumar.

The NTA had last month announced that the third edition of the CUET-UG will be completed in seven days and in a single shift for each subject.

For 15 subjects, the tests will be in pen-paper mode and for the other 48 subjects, the exam will be held in computer-based mode.

This year, over 13.4 lakh candidates have registered for the common entrance test for admission to undergraduate courses in 261 central, state, deemed and private universities.

In the first edition of the exam in 2022, the test was plagued by technical glitches.