The National Testing Agency (NTA) is now set to conduct the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate programmes from May 13 onwards, a few days later than the previously announced tentative date of May 8. Sources said that the examination was postponed since the NTA was not yet prepared to conduct CUET-UG. CUET UG 2025 city slip released The NTA has informed the University Grants Commission (UGC) of its inability to conduct the examination as per the previously announced schedule, according to sources. A formal announcement on fresh exam dates is expected after a meeting between the NTA and the UGC on Tuesday. UGC is the parent body for the examination, and NTA conducts the exam on its behalf. It is learned that the delay in preparation for CUET, much of it caused by the focus on conducting the NEET-UG entrance test held last Sunday, is responsible for NTA seeking more time from UGC to conduct CUET. The delay in announcing the exam schedule has caused confusion among lakhs of aspirants, as they continue to wait for exam city slips and clear communication from the NTA regarding the detailed timetable. The NTA’s notices in March on the registration and application for CUET-UG said that the exam would tentatively be held from May 8 to June 1. While CUET-UG was conducted in hybrid mode last year – both pen-and-paper and computer-based – it is being conducted only as a computer-based test this year, as was the case in 2023, and in 2022. The computer-based test is being conducted with support from TCS, sources said. Asked whether the preparation for NEET-UG on Sunday may have resulted in CUET-UG being postponed, sources in the Ministry of Education said that the test centres for the two exams are different since NEET-UG is a pen-and-paper test. There is unlikely to be much overlap in the test centres for the two exams, a source said, adding that officials in the NTA were simultaneously preparing for CUET-UG along with NEET, considering that it was already scheduled to begin just a few days after NEET. The exam is conducted for 37 subjects, each with a duration of 60 minutes and consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. The number of shifts per day will vary depending on the availability of exam centers, with two to three shifts expected daily. Last year, it was conducted for around 13.48 lakh candidates. Unlike previous years, the NTA has not issued a formal date sheet this time. Instead, the agency is expected to share exam details directly through the city intimation slips. These slips will inform candidates of the city where their exam centers are located and may also include subject-wise exam dates. Students and parents across the country have been expressing concern over the delay in communication, especially with travel and accommodation arrangements pending. The CUET-UG 2025 will be conducted in 13 Indian languages: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Candidates must strictly follow the instructions given in the information bulletin available on the official website. There is no age limit for candidates planning to appear for CUET-UG 2025. However, candidates are required to fulfill the age criteria (if any) of the university or institution they wish to apply to.
