Students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in Delhi University and other varsities through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) are on tenterhooks as they are yet to receive details of when and where to take the exam that is set to begin on July 15.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that the test will be conducted between July 15 and August 10, but the candidates have no information regarding the examination centres and dates as admit cards are yet to be released.
Apoorv Gupta, a student who has registered to take the test, said: “I have been visiting the NTA website every day for some information on when the test will be conducted but no update has been given so far. Even the CBSE results have not been announced. I want to secure admission to Delhi University but as of now I don't have a clue on where I stand.”
Coaching classes
He added that since it’s the first time CUET is being conducted, many students have joined coaching classes and practised a few mock tests available online but little is known about what to expect.
Akshat Sharma, another student who has registered for CUET, said, “I have already given the JEE [Joint Entrance Examination] so I have no issues giving another entrance test. In fact, I feel it will be good for all of us. I have not taken any specific coaching for CUET.”
Students from arts and commerce streams, however, say they are confused about what to study as CUET is being conducted for the first time and they have no papers from previous years to understand the kind of questions likely to be asked.
Sanya, a commerce student said, “Like the previous batches, we too should have secured admission without CUET scores. This new examination has demanded more time and preparation and I am worried the exercise might complicate the process of getting into colleges.”
Many students said the test will bring more transparency. Yashit Wadhera, who is confident of scoring high in CUET, said: “It’s good that DU changed the admission process because now everyone will be judged on a single marking system.”
Centre location concern
Students are apprehensive about the location of the test centres and whether their exam date and time will clash based on the subjects they have chosen. Vaibhavi, who lives in Delhi but is currently at her grandparents’ home in Dehradun, said: “The locations of test centres that the NTA allots are often on the outskirts of Delhi and are hard to find. Providing such details early will help ease out anxiety regarding the examination that we anyway know very little about.”
The University Grants Commission in March this year made it mandatory for all 45 Central universities to admit students to undergraduate programmes from 2022-23 based on scores obtained in CUET. The computer-based test, it said, would be based on the National Council of Educational Research and Training NCERT syllabus for Class XII. The marks obtained in the Class XII board examination can be used as a minimum qualifying score, depending on the policies of different universities.
As of June 22, the NTA said, 9,50,804 candidates have registered for admission to 86 universities, of which 43 are Central varsities, 13 are State, 12 Deemed and 18 private universities. The tests are to be conducted at centres located in 554 cities across India and 13 cities outside the country.
