CUET-PG is a national-level entrance exam by NTA for admission to postgraduate programs, including MBA.
Notification Release: December 2025 (tentative)
Registration Opens: December 2025
Last Date to Apply: January 2026
Application Correction Window: January 2026 (after registration closes)
Admit Card Release: February 2026
CUET-PG Exam Dates: March 2026 (multiple shifts across several days)
Answer Key Release: March 2026
Answer Key Challenge Window: March 2026
Result Declaration: April 2026
The CUET-PG exam is a 2-hour (120-minute) computer-based test conducted across multiple shifts and test centers in India. It is designed to assess candidates’ subject knowledge, reasoning ability, and language proficiency for admission to postgraduate programs across Central, State, and participating universities. The test is divided into two parts:
Part A (General Section): This section evaluates basic aptitude and reasoning skills. It typically includes 25 questions covering English comprehension, general awareness, mathematical ability, and logical reasoning. The focus is on testing analytical thinking, reading ability, and problem-solving skills relevant to higher studies.
Part B (Domain-Specific Section): This section tests in-depth knowledge of the subject chosen by the candidate. It usually contains 75 questions from the selected discipline (such as Commerce, Economics, Computer Science, Political Science, English, etc.), aligned with undergraduate-level knowledge.
Question Types and Marking Scheme
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): All questions are objective type with four answer options, of which only one is correct.
Marking Scheme:
+4 marks are awarded for every correct answer.
-1 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer.
0 marks for unattempted questions.
Total Marks: The exam carries a total of 400 marks (100 questions × 4 marks each).
The exam is conducted in multiple sessions over several days to accommodate the large number of aspirants, and NTA ensures fairness by using statistical methods like equating and normalization to address any variations in difficulty across shifts.
Before registering for CUET-PG 2026, it’s important to clearly understand who is eligible to apply. Here’s a breakdown:
You must hold a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university or institute.
Minimum Marks Required (varies by university):
General / OBC / EWS: At least 50% aggregate marks in graduation.
SC / ST / PwD: At least 45% aggregate marks in graduation.
Candidates applying for technical or professional PG courses (like MCA, MBA, or M.Sc.) must have studied relevant subjects at the undergraduate level as per the university’s requirement.
Your percentage calculation will strictly follow your university’s rules. If CGPA or grades are awarded, the official conversion formula will be used. If no formula exists, CGPA will be converted as (CGPA obtained ÷ maximum CGPA) × 100.
Students in the final year of their Bachelor’s program or awaiting results are also eligible.
A certificate from the college/university must confirm that the student has completed or will complete all degree requirements by the deadline set by the admitting university (generally by September 30, 2026).
Failure to submit the final marksheet and degree certificate by the deadline will result in cancellation of admission.
Candidates with equivalent qualifications (such as CA, CS, ICWA, or other professional degrees recognized by the UGC/AIU) are also eligible for certain PG programs, subject to specific university rules.
Age Limit: There is no upper age limit for CUET-PG. Any candidate who meets the educational requirements can apply.
Work Experience: Not required. Both fresh graduates and working professionals are equally eligible.
Course-Specific Criteria: Some universities may impose additional subject requirements (e.g., Mathematics at UG level for MCA, or Commerce for M.Com). Candidates must carefully check the eligibility criteria of the individual program/university they are applying for.
CUET-PG consists of two mandatory sections:
Part A - General Section (25 questions)
Part B - Domain-Specific Subject (75 questions)
The exam duration is 2 hours (120 minutes) for all candidates.
Unlike CAT, there is no sectional time limit. Candidates can freely switch between questions in both parts as long as they complete within the total time.
This flexibility means you must plan your attempt strategy carefully, balancing speed in the General Section with accuracy in the Domain Section.
An on-screen calculator is not provided in CUET-PG.
Candidates must rely on mental calculations or rough sheets for Quantitative Aptitude questions in Part A and any numerical problems in Domain subjects (e.g., commerce, economics, or science).
Preparation Tip: Practice without calculators to build calculation speed and accuracy before the exam.
Candidates can freely move between questions throughout the paper (no fixed section lock).
Key navigation tools include:
Save & Next - Save your answer and move forward.
Clear Response - Remove your chosen answer.
Mark for Review & Next - Flag a question to revisit later.
Even if a question is marked for review and left unanswered, it will not be counted unless submitted with a response.
Raw Score: Calculated directly from answers.
+4 marks for each correct answer
-1 mark for each incorrect answer
0 marks for unattempted questions
Scaled Score & Normalization: Since CUET-PG is conducted across multiple sessions (January-May window), NTA applies a normalization process to adjust scores across different shifts with varying difficulty levels.
Percentile Score: Final results are published in percentile format, representing the percentage of candidates scoring equal to or below you. Universities use this percentile for admissions.
The total number of questions is fixed at 100 (25 General + 75 Domain), but question composition within the Domain Section can vary depending on the subject chosen.
For example, Economics may have more statistical and mathematical questions, while English Literature emphasizes comprehension and analysis.
Instead of memorizing subject-wise weightage, focus on strengthening undergraduate-level fundamentals across all key topics.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) does not release a rigid, centralized syllabus for CUET-PG, but the exam continues to follow a structured pattern consisting of a General Section (Part A) and a Domain-Specific Section (Part B). Success in CUET-PG requires a strong grasp of fundamentals, clear subject knowledge, and practice with MCQ-based assessments.
This section is compulsory for all candidates and primarily tests reasoning ability, comprehension, and general awareness.
English Comprehension & Verbal Ability
Includes reading comprehension passages, sentence completion, grammar usage, vocabulary, synonyms/antonyms, idioms & phrases, and error spotting. The goal is to evaluate language proficiency and understanding of written English.
Preparation Tip: Develop a daily reading habit (newspapers, journals, and editorials) and revise grammar basics to improve speed and accuracy.
General Awareness
Covers current affairs (national & international), static GK, major government schemes, awards, sports, history, geography, polity, and culture.
Preparation Tip: Make a monthly current affairs journal and revise static GK topics systematically.
Mathematical Ability
Focuses on basic quantitative aptitude topics such as percentages, profit & loss, ratio & proportion, averages, time & work, speed & distance, number systems, simple & compound interest, and basic algebra.
Preparation Tip: Prioritize mental calculation and practice short-cut methods to save time.
Logical Reasoning
Includes puzzles, seating arrangements, series, coding-decoding, syllogisms, blood relations, analogies, and data sufficiency.
Preparation Tip: Practice timed reasoning sets regularly to build accuracy under pressure.
This section assesses knowledge in the subject chosen by the candidate and varies according to the PG program applied for.
Commerce & Management: Business environment, accounting, HR, marketing, economics, financial management, organizational behavior.
Economics: Microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, Indian economy, development economics, international trade.
Computer Science/IT: Programming languages, data structures, databases, operating systems, networking, software engineering.
English Literature: Literary history, criticism, poetry, drama, prose, linguistic theories.
Political Science/International Relations: Political theory, comparative politics, Indian polity, public administration, international relations.
Other Domains (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Sociology, etc.): Undergraduate-level content as per the subject.
Preparation Tip: Focus on undergraduate syllabus revision, past-year CUET-PG papers, and practice MCQs to improve familiarity with exam style.
Size & Structure: Expect 100 questions in total (25 from General + 75 from Domain-Specific), to be completed in 120 minutes.
General Section Weightage: About 25% of the paper, testing reasoning, aptitude, and awareness.
Domain Focus: The remaining 75% is dedicated to the candidate’s chosen subject, so domain preparation is the key differentiator.
Difficulty Level: Moderate, equivalent to graduation-level knowledge, with a balance of conceptual and application-based MCQs.
