Until last year, every central university in the country followed different admission criteria and procedures for students. This would lead to a state of confusion for students who would find themselves buried under the rubble of countless entrance tests and processes. To simplify this chaos, the Government of India has introduced the Central Universities Entrance Test. The CUET, which has successfully replaced its earlier versions, the CUCET and NTA, is now held for undergraduate admissions across every central and state-level university in India.  

The Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET) is primarily a computer-based test that gauges the candidate’s capacity to solve problems, evaluate data and think critically. This requisite is pertinent for students who aim to gain admission into the 45 prestigious central universities of the country. These universities treat CUET scores as an important factor for admission decisions.  

Let’s explore the benefits of the CUET:

Making the admissions process more equitable

The CUET makes the admissions process more equitable by giving students equal opportunities to showcase their academic prowess. Until now, college decisions used to be made on the sole basis of 12th grade scores. As a direct result of this system of admissions, many students would fail to get into their dream universities. The CUET makes the process more holistic, giving every student an equal chance to get into their dream university.  

Focus on critical thinking

The system of evaluation before the introduction of the CUET limited the syllabus to the subjects offered in high school curriculums. Not every student can perform well across subjects, most students fare well on subjects they like. Students with an inclination towards a certain subject would be penalised for not performing well across a variety of different topics. The CUET features a combination of aptitude and subject ability tests, allowing students to select any subject considering their learnings from high school and their main areas of interest. Simultaneously, this could also prove to be a pedagogical triumph by effectively removing the practice of rote learning among students.

Switch to an objective system of grading

Shifting to the CUET also allows for a transition from subjective analysis of students' performance to a more objective one. In contrast to the board exams, the CUET is an objective-type test, which eliminates the possibility of variance in the way students’ responses are graded. The different sections of the CUET score would also provide students with a better understanding of their academic strengths and inclinations.

Do away with cut-off lists

One of the primary reasons behind the implementation of the CUET was to phase out some of the universities’ potentially unhealthy and cut throat cut-off procedures. Students will no longer have to withstand the torment of endless cut-off lists, as admission will be based on a combination of the CUET and grade 12 scores. Now, they can simply concentrate on the subject of your expertise without straining their minds over the admission process.

Make the admissions process more efficient

This new mode of evaluation will be implemented across all central universities. This implies that there will be one entrance exam conducted for a plethora of universities. This will reduce the pressure on both students and the administrative bodies of these institutions by doing away with the overabundance of university-specific entrance tests.  

The CUET is a revolutionary measure which aims to democratise the undergraduate admission process for students by empowering them to focus on their preferred subject and ultimately gain admission to the college or university of their dreams.