CUET 2027 changes: single-day exams, shorter duration for 15 lakh aspirants

In short

Around 15 lakh students are expected to appear for CUET 2027, which will feature administrative and structural reforms.
CUET 2027 candidates will take all their chosen tests in a single day, reducing the need for multiple test centre visits.
The exam duration may be shortened to 40-45 minutes per subject, with the total number of questions potentially decreasing to 35-40.
The maximum number of subjects a student can choose might be reduced from five to four.
CUET PG 2027 might not be mandatory for courses where applications are fewer than available seats, affecting over 30 subjects.

The Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), and National Testing Agency (NTA) are finalising a roadmap for significant administrative and structural changes to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2027. These reforms aim to reduce test fatigue, cut outstation travel expenses, save time for candidates, and simplify university eligibility criteria.

Around 15 lakh students are expected to appear for CUET 2027. The proposed changes address previous concerns where candidates visited test centres two to three times across a 12 to 15-day window, leading to anxiety, inconvenience, and additional costs, particularly for outstation and rural students.

Streamlined Exam Structure and Duration

For CUET 2027, while the examination will still be conducted over several days, each student will take all their chosen tests in a single day. This marks a shift from previous years where candidates often had to make multiple visits to test centres. The NTA’s director general, Subodh Kumar Singh, noted that CUET-UG 2024 was completed in seven days and 16 shifts, with all subjects in single shifts to avoid score normalisation and ensure uniform difficulty levels.

The duration of each CUET exam may be reduced from 60 minutes to 40-45 minutes. Concurrently, the total number of questions per subject may decrease to 35-40, down from the earlier 50 questions. This reduction in exam duration and questions is intended to help agencies conduct exams more swiftly, though it will require students to manage their time and accuracy carefully.

Changes in Subject Choices and University Admission Criteria

The number of subjects a student can choose for the CUET exam might be reduced from five to four. Currently, CUET offers 37 subjects, comprising 13 languages, 23 domain subjects, and one general aptitude test. This potential reduction has implications for the total exam time a student would spend in a single day.

The UGC might instruct CUET 2027 participating universities to adjust their admission requirements if the total subject cap is set at four. Currently, CUET participating universities lack uniform admission criteria, with Delhi University having strict subject combination rules, while many state universities in Uttar Pradesh have made the general aptitude test mandatory. As part of the reforms, every university may be required to formally recognise and accept the general aptitude test.

Scenario	Subjects	Total Exam Hours	Total Exam Minutes
Current/Previous (example)	5	3 hours and 20 minutes	200 minutes
Proposed	4	2 hours and 40 minutes	160 minutes

CUET PG Exam Reforms

The CUET PG exam 2027 may not be mandatory for postgraduate admissions in courses where the number of candidate applications is lower than the available seat capacity. This proposed reform means that if a course has 500 seats and the National Testing Agency (NTA) receives fewer than 500 applications for that specific subject, the examination will be cancelled. In such instances, direct merit-based admissions will be used instead.

This change is expected to be favorable for students, as over 30 CUET PG subjects currently fall into the low-application category. The Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), and NTA are currently finalizing this operational roadmap, and an official notification regarding these reforms for CUET 2027 is anticipated soon.