CUET UG 2022 Day 1 Updates: NTA releases important notice for July 19 exam

As heavy rains lashed several parts of Maharashtra, its trickling effect was seen on the attendance of candidates who had registered to appear for the first ever Common University Entrance Test, as a large number failed to turn up for the exams. Read the full report by Alifiya Khan

Although the day had a rocky start for candidates as some were hassled with the last-minute changes of the exam centre, students found the test to be easy and NCERT-based. Students and experts rated the exam to be easy and mostly not lengthy. The majority of the students felt the questions were straightforward and adhered to the NCERT syllabus. Students and experts have ranked English (language section) to be the easiest out of all sections and subjects. 

Section III concentrated mostly on current affairs including economics, politics, legal knowledge, personalities, science, sports, books and authors. Read the full report by Deeksha Teri

In day 1 of the examination today most of the students appeared for English, General test, Maths, Legal Studies, Geography. Aspirants appearing for maths and legal studies found the paper difficult compared to other subjects. Read full report here

“For some of the students, too many papers have been scheduled in one day. They feel this puts them at a disadvantage as compared to those who are appearing for their examinations in the same subjects several days apart. The exam dates and times should be earmarked in such a way that it does not put unnecessary pressure on the  students, and rather helps them prepare for their examinations in a peaceful and relaxed manner,” said Anshu Mittal, the principal of MRG School, Rohini. Read full report here

The phase 1 of Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET) 2022 exam in Chandigarh was held at Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Phase 2 Mohali on Friday.
 
Many aspirants from different states travelled to appear for the CUET exam. On 13 July candidates were informed about their exam centres which made them more dubious about their paper. Students complained about the technical glitches they faced during the exam. 

In slot 1 examination, today most of the students appeared for English, General test, Maths, Legal Studies, Geography. Aspirants appearing for maths and legal studies found the paper difficult compared to other subjects. 

Akanksha, from Chandigarh, has appeared for the exam; Physical Education, and General Test. She says, “In Physical Education almost all the questions were out of NCERT, there were paragraph based questions that were challenging to complete. Technical problems arose suddenly and distracted my mind".  

At the same location, in the evening shift, she had another exam of History, Geography, and English.

Pal Zes from Ladakh appeared for the exam in 3 subjects; Information Practice, English, Geography. The IP test was the most difficult of the three; the questions required a lot of time. Apart from that, I faced some technical glitches. The system was shut down once, and got hanged several additional times.
 
Sayiam Soni, from Jammu came all the way to give the test in General Studies, Political Science, English, and Sociology. "I did all of my own test preparation using YouTube videos and NCERT books. 
No doubt the exam was quite easy as expected, only the system got blacked out, which wasted my 30 minutes", he said.  
 
“Maths exam was difficult, and lengthy, I did not get time to preview the answers, '' says Sonam Angma, a candidate from Ladakh. She added further, the English exam included grammar, paragraphs, and vocabulary related questions that were easy to solve. 
(Reported by Harkanwar Kaur)

Yes, there will be negative marking for incorrect answers. Every incorrect answer will result in deduction of one mark, but no points are deducted for leaving a question unanswered. 

The CUET-UG is a computer-based test and will be held on multiple dates between July 15 and August 20. As a result, there will be different sets of question papers on different days for every subject. Naturally, there may be variations in the difficulty level of question papers on the same subject.

Moreover, in the case of CUET-UG, there are apprehensions that candidates taking the test in the initial set of dates may not perform as well as those who will appear for the test in August (and hence will have more time to prepare). The normalisation formula will address these concerns by ensuring that candidates are neither benefitted nor disadvantaged due to such factors. Sourav Roy Barman explains the process.

In the case of two students with the same CUET score choosing the same college and course as first preference, their class 12 Board marks will act as a tiebreaker for allotment of seat, vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh told PTI on Thursday. Read full report here

CBSE has decided to introduce a security PIN for Digilocker accounts for CBSE Class 10 and 12 students to access their digital academic documents including marksheets, certificates, and migration certificates. Read full report here

While technical glitches and last-minute change if exam centres confused and frustrated aspirants, easy questions have lightened up their mood. Take a look at some pictures from CUET exam centres as students head to slot 2 exam.

The phase 1 of CUET examination in Karnataka was held in two centres in Bengaluru- Rajarajeswari College of Engineering, Mysore Road  and Nagarjuna College of Engineering and Techonology, Devanahalli. According to the data provided by Gowri Nataraja CUET coordinator for Bengaluru,  185 students registered for slot 1 examination, whereas only 89 were present. 

Many students complained of the admission card reaching them 2 days before  the examination , which increased their uncertainty about the examination centre. 

However, many students who appeared for slot 1 examination papers like General test, Economics, English, legal studies, mathematics among others, found general test and legal studies difficult while the rest manageable. Some of the questions asked in general test related to Hindu kingdoms, logical reasoning, family tree among others. In English, questions were related to anonyms and synonyms, poetic devices, grammar among others. 

Kul Gaurav, who appeared for English, Legal studies and general test, said, " I felt legal studies a bit difficult because it was not my domain. However, I prepared for this subject referring to legal service related videos on YouTube. The other subjects were quite easy," said Gaurav who wants to pursue medical and is preparing for NEET as well. 

Astha Verma, who appeared for English Mathematics, General test and computer science believes that more time should have been given for preparation. Moreover she also complained that the examination centre was very far. "The examination dates and the admit cards were all scheduled and processed haphazardly, leaving me very uncertain. I almost traveled 27km (from Hebbal) to write the examination. Most of the questions were NCERT based and I felt the questions were easy," said Verma who wants to pursue computer science engineering. 

A NTA official on condition of anonymity said that long distant examination centres would have caused many students to drop out of the examination in the last moment. 

Adyanshika Rai, a PU student from Bengaluru complained of technical glitches hampering her CUET examination. She is appeared for two papers - Eonomics, General test and English which was sloted for morning and  Mathematics which was sloted for afternoon, on the same day.

But she faced technical glitches  that caused a delay in completing her examination. "I was supposed to finish the first slot exam by 12:15 pm , but I finished 30 mins late. The system started hanging and the screen blacked out. The technical glitches affected all my three papers and I lost 20 minutes in total due to this. There were a couple of other candidates as well who flagged flagged technical problems in the system," said Rai who wants to pursue economics in Banaras Hindu University.

A NTA official said, "We are allowing a buffer time of 15 minutes after the deadline of the reporting time, ensuring that  students don't miss out on their examination. Students look a little stressed out, considering that CUET is for the first time and it an important milestone in their academic life."

(Reprted by Sanath Prasad)

Candidates were seen queuing up for second slot oh Day 1 exam at Rajarajeswari College of Engineering in Bengaluru. (Express photo by Sanath Prasad)

"Questions based on basic Maths, Simplifications and basic calculations were asked in section III. General Knowledge based questions were mostly on current affairs including economics, politics, legal knowledge, personalities, science, sports, books and authors. Nearly 25 questions were based on current affairs and remaining on numerical ability and reasoning including visual reasoning, which is closer to the mock test given by the NTA," says Amitendra Kumar -Product Head CUET and Under Graduate Programmes at Career Launcher.

“We got a confirmation mail only on Wednesday (July 12) that our university is allotted as tje center for CUET. This remains the centre for July 16, 19 and 20 as well. First we had declined conducting the exam. This was till yesterday night. This was because there were no servers, jammers given to us till around 1 am in the night, “ Lalit Adhikari, Registrar of Rai University told The Indian Express.
(Reported by Rashi Mishra)

"The general reactions have been positive, with students commenting that the CUET paper was easy and not lengthy. The question paper followed a generic format with English and Maths papers being uncomplicated and fairly easy to solve. What must be credited as it was the first CUET paper, the questions were straightforward, requiring plain and simple answers. There were no loaded or indirect questions, which probably could have confused students. The questions did not require a lengthy response, but short and crisp answers, which also relaxed and saved time for students," Pallavi Upadhyaya, Principal, DPS RNE said on CUET Slot 1 paper.

The morning session of CUET has gone off well across the country. The afternoon session of CUET will start at 3.00 pm.

— Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) July 15, 2022

A last-minute change of exam centre led to many candidates missing the debut edition of the CUET. Of the many who could not appear for the exam was 18-year-old Anchal. Standing outside the examination centre at the North Campus, she said her exam centre was earlier in Dwarka but when she reached there, she was not allowed entry. (Via PTI)

Students all ready to appear for the CUET Slot 2 exam at Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Phase 2 Mohali on Friday

“There is not any study material available for our subjects like it’s is for science and commerce. We are appearing for History, Geography, Political Sciemce and Hindi. At first, we were not sure whether the university we were interested in is included in this scheme of exam, but it is not. We are giving it just for experience,” said Lakshita Barot and Heta Gadvi, both aspiring to get admissions in MS University Vadodara

Students appearing for the second slot of CUET examination at Rajarajeshwari College of Engineering. Ahead of entering the examination hall, authorities are frisking the students to ensure there are no malpractices. In fact, boys are asked to remove their belts and watches while girls are asked to remove chain and rings.

Nikhil ghule, a resident of Aurangabad has come to Pune only to give the Sociology paper today. He has four other papers, all in his home city. "I don't know why they alloted me only one paper in this city, I traveled 6hrs one way in the heavy rains and I came in early because I was afraid of getting late. So I spent the morning in a mall nearby."

Students filling their entries for the 3:00 pm slot, Rai University, Ahmedabad.

Mrs. Anshu Mital, Principal, MRG School, Rohini

With it being the first-ever CUET exam, the examiners did not want students to panic or be filled with sweat-lined apprehensions in the exam halls. The CUET paper was simple to crack and did not have convoluted or tricky questions which might obfuscate students to make silly errors. The English paper was easy having the traditional passage-based questions and grammar analysis questions. The Math paper also did not invoke any fears and had basic questions which students must have revised for Board exams. The papers were easy to solve and did not extract any laborious efforts from students. They required a sharp presence of mind, common sense and general cognitive abilities.

Sangeeta Hajela, Principal, DPS IP

The CUET paper held in the first slot was majorly based on the NCERT syllabus . The paper was fairly balanced , keeping in mind the different difficulty levels of the students. Most questions  were quite direct testing the students mainly on the  content. The English paper had  some elementary comprehension-based questions and  vocabulary  questions which required clear understanding of the passage.

Saiyam Soni, from Jammu, appeared for General test, Political Science, English, Sociology. He said, "Some questions from general test were confusing, Rest all was NCERT-based, easy questions". Exam was quite easy than expected, he added. (Reported by Harkanwar Kaur)

Sania Nawani (17), a student of KV Pitampura. "I have all four of my exams today and I had a panic attack when I first saw my schedule. But after writing me first three papers, I feel in control. All questions were from ncert. The English paper had a lot of questions on idioms, simple ones such as " Apple of the eye". Students with a basic grasp of english will be able to manage easily."

Adyanshika Rai, a PU student from Bengaluru complained of technical glitches hampering her CUET examination. Rai who appeared for Economics,  General Test and English, faced technical glitches that caused a delay in completing her examination. "I was supposed to finish the exam by 12:15 pm , but I finished 30 mins late. The system started hanging and the screen blacked out. The technical glitches affected all my three papers and I lost 20 minutes in total due to this. I am also appearing for the second slot of examination that is scheduled at 3pm and I am really worried about the technical problems," said Rai who wants to pursue economics in Banaras Hindu University.

She also added that Economics paper was hard and English and General test was a tad easy. (Reported by Sanath Prasad)

Tayyaba siddiqui (18) student of a govt school in Seelampur. "The english paper was easy, it mostly tested grammar and vocabulary. There were questions on antonyms, synonyms. There were questions in which we were given 4 words and had to identify which word is different from the rest. "

Lalita Gujjar, from Panchkula, appeared for Legal studies, English, General test, and Geography. "I faced technical issues for around 30 minutes. Legal studies was a bit difficult and time-consuming, but rest of the exams were easy", she said

Students have started reporting for the second slot of CUET exam which is scheduled at 3:00 pm. "I have my reporting at 1:00 pm, but many are given the reporting times like 1:20 pm. This is just random," said Pawan Singh, a student appearing in tje second slot of CUET today.

Another student said, “I am appearing for Economics and Geography, my next slot is for July 19. I was to report at 1:20 pm.”

Mehak (17) said that she was comfortable with the exam and all questions came from NCERT. "I had Pol Science, English, Sociology and the General Test. I have another 2 papers this afternoon. I was very nervous about having 5 papers in one day but after giving the morning papers, I'm feeling comfortable it, " she said. She said that she had done self study and watched a few videos on YouTube to prepare. (Reported by Sukrita Baruah)

Aakarsh Pathak, a CBSE class 12th student from Bavdhan, Pune said, "The English paper was quite generic, in fact it was too easy while the general test was basically current affairs. The Mathematucs paper was the only mentionable one, it was from ncert syllabus. Though all the questions were easy but the distribution wasn't done properly of the questions to time ratio. It takes 2 minutes to solve a maths question and they gave us 45 mins for 50 questions while the English paper was so simple, I solved it in 15mins. They had questions on spellings like honourable and such really basic questions, even the CBSE term 1 exam was tougher than this one."

Reported by Alifiya Khan

At G H Raisoni Engineering and Management College in Pune, only 98 candidates turned up for the CUET out of the 159 registered in the first slot.

Candidates who appeared for the CUET UG 2022 exam in New Delhi's Pitampura faced powercuts for a few minutes. However, students add that these minor issues did not bring their morale down, and they are expecting good scores. ""I gave business studies, english and general test today. It was easy and within the syllabus. The general test included logical reasoning and current affairs. I went for tuition after the boards to prepare," Namrata Arora from Pitampura, Delhi, who's aiming for a course in Psychology at DU, said.

While une candidates only had one exam centre, and therefore did not have any last minute change of centre. However, water logging in parts of the city made it tad difficult for candidates to travel. Some students who are based in Mumbai also had to travel to Pune for exams.

"The paper was easy and everything was from the syllabus, however, the maths paper was lengthy," said Harshvardhan Singh (18), who travelled 60 kms from Gandhinagar to get to the exam centre.

“I hope they change the centre for the next exam of my son on July 19. If not we have to start at 5 in the morning to be at the centre prior in time. Transportation is definitely an issue here, one of my son’s friend could not make for the exam as he had no medium to come here,” said Sudhir Kumar (49) father of Siddhant Kumar (17), who is appearing for CUET in Ahmedabad at its Rai university center.

“There was no technical glitch. All computers were working fine. We prepared from NCERT. Being from Punjab state board did not create any problem. Paper was easy,” Prince, a student from Govt senior Sec school, Baddowal told The Indian Express.

'I am from PSEB but prepared for the test from NCERT within 21 days. It was easy,' Jashika, a student of Govt Senior secondary school, Rahon, said, adding that she is aiming for LLB from Banaras Hindu University. 

Kanishka Sharma, a student of DAV Pushpanjali Enclave, Delhi, who hopes to do a BA English (Hons) programme, said that there was brief 5 minutes or so when the power went and the server was down for a bit. "But it was back soon. I had English, Physical Education and Home Science today. I found the English paper to be a little difficult."

Soumya, who gave the test at a centre in Janakpuri, Delhi, said that it was easier than the mock tests she had attempted. The paper was based on the NCERT syllabus. English paper included passage-based questions, vocabulary, synonyms. There was basic Math and simplification questions. "There were other students in the room who had issues with their system hanging, but mine went well," she said.

Exam cancelled at two centres in Pathankot and Jalpaiguri because of weather and technical reasons. About 100 candidates affected. They will get chance to appear for the exam in August, says NTA official.

A Delhi University (DU) applicant’s performance in the Class 12 Board exams may, after all, prove to be useful for admission to undergraduate programmes this year. In the case of two students with the same CUET score choosing the same college and course as first preference, their class 12 Board marks will act as a tiebreaker for allotment of seat, vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh told PTI on Thursday.

“In case of a tie between two students, the scores of the best of three subjects will be compared. If the best three are also the same, then the best four will be compared and then the best five,” he said in his interview to the news agency.

“If by chance marks for the best five subjects are also the same, in that case, age will act as a tie breaker. The older applicant will get the seat,” he added. (Read More)

Akanksha, from Chandigarh, has appeared for the exam Physical Education, and General Test. Questions were out of NCERT. Technical difficulties were there. In slot 1, her system got off 3-4 times. She has another exam in the evening at the same place in the subjects History, Geography, and English.

The Common University Entrance Test for undergraduate programmes (or CUET-UG), which begins tomorrow, will offer a level playing field to all examinees, irrespective of the date on which a candidate takes the test, as the scores will be prepared based on a process called “normalisation”, director general of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Vineet Joshi, has said.

The Indian Express explains this process, which is used even in the case of JEE (Main) held by the NTA, which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education:

Q. What is the normalisation?

The CUET-UG is a computer-based test and will be held on multiple dates between July 15 and August 20. As a result, there will be different sets of question papers on different days for every subject. Naturally, there may be variations in the difficulty level of question papers on the same subject. (Read More)

Bhoomi Khanna (18) a student of Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya Laxmi Nagar was not able to appear for her 4 papers scheduled for Slot 1 because she only reached the DU centre at 9:35. "When I reached the NSUT centre, the guard told me that the center has been changed to DU. In the confusion and panic of the moment, my mother and I took an auto to DU's South campus. There we realised that we have to go to North campus and we took another auto here. After I reached I was told that it's too late and I can't enter. This is very wrong, the night before the exam a student studies and sleeps. They don't keep checking their email, or checking for changes in their admit card."

Lalita (17) only reached the DU centre at around 11 am after realising that she had reached the wrong centre in the morning. "I had three papers in the morning and those are gone but I have another three papers in the afternoon so I turned up here for those. I managed to get here by hitching a ride. Anyway there's so much pressure, so much burden and this on top of that." A student of government girls senior secondary school no. 3 kalkaji.

CUET will be the second biggest all India exam after the medical entrance test NEET with 14.9 lakh registrations. It has surpassed JEE-Mains’ average registration of nine lakh. NEET usually has an average of 18 lakh registrations.

Deepak Goyal. His daughter Shivani had initially been alloted NSUT Dwarka as her exam centre. They had not realized that her centre had been changed last minute to Delhi University. "We reached at 7:15 and realised that it's not the centre. We panicked and my daughter was convinced that we would never reach the centre on time. I was determined to make her reach and drove her all the way here on my scooter, I had to jump a few red lights. We reached by 8:20."

Requesting anonymity, one of the observers in Ludhiana appointed by NTA said: “The entire process is being videographed and cameras have been installed. Covid protocols being followed. There is capacity to accommodate 100 candidates in each session.”

In Ludhiana, the exam is being held at two centres: Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC) and Central Tool Room (CTR), Focal Point.

Candidates who could not appear for the exam today due to a last-minute centre change yesterday, will be given an opportunity to appear in the second phase in August. All affected candidates have been informed about this via phone and email, said a senior NTA official.