CUET Exam Pattern: The NTA prescribes a set of structure and pattern that all the CUET question papers across 3 sections must follow. However, the CUET UG exam pattern has been a constant subject of change over the years. On Dec. 10 (Tuesday), 2024, UGC announced yet another set of significant changes in the CUET 2025 exam pattern. Students must be thoroughly aware of the revised CUET exam pattern and put their best foot forward for CUET preparation.
CUET 2025 exam pattern highlight:
Follow this article till the end to get a brief insight into the revised CUET exampattern for 2025 and the UET marking scheme. The detailed awareness will enable students to prepare effectively for CUET 2025 and score the maximum marks.
There are some significant changes in the CUET 2025 exam pattern. In collaboration with NTA, UGC announced the brief changes on the evening of December 10, 2024. The official notification from NTA with brief details will be out soon.
According to the latest CUET exam pattern, the following are the brief changes students will find in the CUET 2025 question paper and its pattern.
Significant changes in the CUET exam pattern:
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CUET UG Exam Pattern Comparison |
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Parameter |
CUET 2024 (Previous Edition) |
CUET 2025 (Upcoming Latest Edition) |
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Mode of the Exam |
Hybrid Mode (Both online & offline) |
Online (CBT) mode only |
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Exam Duration |
60 minutes for selected (only 7) subjects, 45 minutes for all other subjects |
60 minutes for all 37 subjects combining 3 sections |
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Paper Pattern |
10 optional questions in all papers across 3 sections |
All the questions in the papers across sections will be compulsory |
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Subject Selection |
Students can choose only those subjects which they have studied in class 12 |
In CUET 2025, students can choose any subject, regardless of whether they have studied it in class 12 or not |
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Number of Subjects |
Three sections combined had 63 subjects |
The number of subjects has been reduced to 37 |
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Subject Capping |
One could choose a maximum of 6 subjects |
Students can select a maximum of 5 subjects |
NTA conducts the CUET for UG admissions to all the participating universities across India. 280+ universities (including 44+ central universities - DU, JNU, Hyderabad University, Allahabad University… and many more) will be a part of the CUET (UG) 2025. A brief highlight of the CUET exam pattern and the CUET marking scheme for 2025 has been provided below.
Highlights of the CUET 2025 Exam pattern and CUET marking scheme:
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Particulars |
Details |
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Mode of Exam |
Online (CBT mode) only |
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Number of Sections |
3 Sections [Language (section IA & IB), Domain-Specific subjects (section II), and General Aptitude Test (section III)] |
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Exam Slots |
The details are yet to be announced |
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Marking Scheme |
+5 - for the correct answer -1 for the wrong answer 0 for unattempted question |
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Number of Questions |
The section-wise number of questions for each paper is yet to be declared by the NTA |
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Exam Language |
The exam will be conducted in 13 languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, English, Hindi and Urdu) |
Concerned candidates must take note of the following:
The CUET exam pattern is detailed information regarding the number and types of questions asked in the exam, paper-wise exam duration, CUET marking scheme, etc. There have been a few significant changes in the CUET 2025 exam pattern. Students must understand the latest CUET exam pattern to align their CUET preparation accordingly.
The detailed CUET exam pattern has been discussed in the table below.
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Sections |
Subjects/ Tests |
No. of Questions |
To be Marked |
Duration |
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Section IA |
13 Languages |
TBA |
All questions are compulsory |
60 minutes for each language |
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Section IB |
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Section II |
23 Domain subjects |
TBA |
All questions are compulsory |
60 minutes for each subject |
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Section III |
General Test |
TBA |
All questions are compulsory |
60 minutes |
CUET 2025 Exam Pattern: Highlights
In CUET 2024, there were 63 subjects in total, combining all three sections (Section I: 33, Section II: 29, & Section III: 1). However, in CUET 2025, there will be only 37 subjects in total. 20 languages have been dropped, and from Section II (Domain subjects), 6 subjects have been dropped. UGC has clarified the 6 subjects from section II, which will be dropped, and 13 languages from section III which will continue to be in CUET UG 2025.
The list of dropped domain subjects from Section II are as follows:
Note: Admission to these programs will be based entirely on the General Aptitude Test (GAT) performance.
Significant omission has been made in section I (languages) of CUET UG. Down from 33 languages, CUET 2025 will have only 13 languages. All the foreign languages have been dropped. The final list of languages, which will be tested in CUET 2025, is as follows.
Note: Admission to all the dropped laguage courses will be based entirely on students General Aptitude Test (GAT) performance in CUET 2025.
The CUET exam pattern also includes detailed guidelines regarding the CUET marking scheme. It contains details for mark distribution per correct, incorrect, and unattempted questions in the CUET paper. According to the latest information, there will be no change in the CUET marking scheme for the upcoming exam in 2025. The following is the brief CUET marking scheme for 2025.
Detailed CUET 2025 marking scheme:
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Type |
Marks |
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Right answer |
+5 |
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Wrong answer |
-1 |
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Unattempted question |
0 (No negative marking) |
Note:-
The CUET 2025 exam pattern allows students to attempt the test in 13 languages. English & Hindi are two languages that the candidates can choose from any state of India. The other 11 regional languages are available mostly in the states where the population mainly speaks it. A detailed list of the CUET exam pattern - medium of the exam (language option) is provided below.
CUET exam pattern - Medium of questions:
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Sl. No. |
Language |
Exam centers |
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1 |
English |
All Examination Centres |
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2 |
English and Hindi |
All Examination Centres |
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3 |
English and Assamese |
Examination Centres in Assam |
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4 |
English and Bengali |
Examination Centres in West Bengal, Tripura, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
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5 |
English and Gujarati |
Examination Centres in Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
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6 |
English and Kannada |
Examination Centres in Karnataka |
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7 |
English and Malayalam |
Examination Centres in Kerala and Lakshadweep |
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8 |
English and Marathi |
Examination Centres in Maharashtra |
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9 |
English and Odia |
Examination centres in Odisha |
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10 |
English and Punjabi |
Examination Centres in Punjab, Chandigarh, and Delhi/New Delhi (including Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Meerut, Noida/Greater Noida) |
|
11 |
English and Tamil |
Examination Centres in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
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12 |
English and Telugu |
Examination Centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
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13 |
English and Urdu |
All Examination Centres in India |
Candidates are requested to pay attention to this list. The language option for the question papers should be opted correctly while filling out the application form, as students might not get a chance to change it at a later stage. Please note that the English version will be considered final for any discrepancies in the question paper in any language.
To ramp up CUET 2025 preparation, candidates should thoroughly check the CUET syllabus and grasp the CUET exam pattern. We have already thoroughly covered the CUET 2025 exam pattern. Below is a brief overview of the CUET 2025 syllabus for all three sections.
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Syllabus |
Language (section IA & IB) - Language is to be tested through reading comprehension (based on different types of passages), grammar, literary aptitude, vocabulary, etc. |
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Domain Subject (section II) - Complete NCERT Class 12 Syllabus for respective subjects. |
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General Test (section III) - General Knowledge, Current Affairs, General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability, Quantitative Reasoning (Simple application of basic mathematical concepts arithmetic/algebra geometry/mensuration/stat), Logical and Analytical Reasoning, etc. |
Check the detailed CUET syllabus for all the subjects across three sections; click the tab below.
This briefly overviews the CUET exam pattern 2025 and the CUET Marking Scheme. Students must ramp up their preparation with a comprehensive coaching program. This would enable them to score maximum marks in the test and secure admission to their dream colleges.
There are a few significant changes in the CUET 2025 exam pattern. Those have been discussed in the article above.
A student can choose a maximum of 6 subjects in the CUET. They must check the eligibility criteria for their desired course and target universities before choosing subjects in the CUET form.
The details regarding the exam slots and timings are yet to be announced by the NTA.
The CUET (UG) question paper is divided into 3 broad sections. Namely:
A student can choose a maximum of 4 domain subjects for the CUET (UG) 2025 exam according to the latest CUET exam pattern.
