CUET UG 2023 Paper Analysis, Reactions of Aspirants, Expert Opinion

New Delhi, 01 October 2022 – The National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting the CUET UG 2022 exam in two slots – slot 1 (9 AM to 12:15 PM) and slot 2 (3 PM to 6:45 PM). 

As per Buddy4Study’s CUET exam expert Dhruv Goel, “{The} overall CUET UG paper isn’t tough and questions come from NCERT syllabus only. But students might find the maths section a little lengthy as 45 minutes for solving 50 questions are not enough and some questions take more time than usual.”

From facing problems in reaching examination centres to the difficulty of the paper, this article will detail what candidates had to say about the CUET UG exam. 

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – Students Speak

CUET UG 2022 Slot 1 Analysis

• In Slot 1 papers, several students consider the paper structure to be odd, as it is the first time the exam is being conducted. 
• The overall difficulty level of the CUET question paper is easy to moderate.
• Many students have noted that the paper is a little harder than the CBSE board exam but exponentially easier than the JEE Main 2022 exam. 
• As the paper is being conducted in the CBT mode, candidates have to choose the section they want to work on in advance.  
• The general test is considered easy by many candidates. However, they further stated that one needs to be well-acquainted with current affairs to ace the general test.
• Domain-specific questions are easy to moderate based on the subjects that students chose. 
• CUET aspirants who prepared using mock tests noted that the actual paper is easier than the mock test papers provided by NTA. However, the difficulty of the papers varies as per the subjects chosen. 
• All in all, candidates stated that if one has prepared from the NCERT textbooks well, then the entire paper will not be that difficult. Some students who studied well using the NCERT textbooks considered the paper a “cakewalk”.

CUET UG 2022 Slot 2 Analysis

• In Slot 2, several students faced minor issues with their systems and had to wait for the system to respond to resume the examination. Fortunately, there were no long delays and students were able to complete their papers on time.
• Just like Slot 1 papers, students found the paper to be easy to moderate in Slot 2 as well.
• Students have noted that the papers are based on NCERT textbooks and nothing was from outside the Class 12 syllabus. 
• In some papers, there were questions from topics that have been deleted from the syllabus. The issue was seen in only a few papers as of now, so students are not yet gravely concerned.
• CUET aspirants also noted that while attempting the exam, students could select the particular section that they wanted to start with first. However, they had to complete that section before moving to another one.
• Also, candidates could not move to another section before the given time for a section was complete – even if they have completed all the questions in that section. This was a crutch for most students as they had to wait for the time to be completed.
• This also means that they could not complete one section quickly and use the remaining time for another section. Each section has a fixed time, which needed to be adhered to.

Some Important Points to Note

• The CUET exam is being strictly conducted as a computer-based test (CBT) at proper centres around the country.
• These centres are appointed by NTA well in advance.
• Correct answers are awarded 5 marks.
• Unanswered questions will be given 0 marks.
• There is a negative marking of 1 mark in the CUET paper. 
• If more than one option is found to be correct, then 5 marks will be awarded to those who have marked any of the correct options.
• If all options are correct, full marks will be awarded to those who have attempted the question.
• If none of the options are correct or the question is incorrect, then all candidates who have attempted the question will be awarded 5 marks.
• Although the paper is objective type, there are several input-based questions in the paper, where candidates had to type-in their responses. 
• The duration of the paper is 195 minutes, in which 45 minutes each are given to Sections IA, IB, and II. The last section – Section III – is of a duration of 60 minutes.

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – English Paper Analysis

The overall difficulty level of the CUET UG English paper – as per candidates – was EASY TO MODERATE. The topics with the highest weightage were Reading Comprehension (RC), Synonyms & Antonyms, and Idioms and Phrases.

Therefore, students are advised to focus more on the sections listed above. 

Topics	No. of Questions
Reading Comprehension	15-18
Synonyms-Antonyms	5-6
Idioms Phrases	3-4
One Word Substitution	3
Spelling Questions	2
Literary Device	2-3
Rearrangement of Sentences	4-5
Fill Ups	1
Analogy	2-3

• The focus remained mostly on vocabulary and grammar with around 70% of questions from these areas.
• Several questions based on synonyms, antonyms, spelling errors, fill-in-the-blanks, and para-jumbles were designed to evaluate vocabulary and grammar.
• The questions based on passages were direct and factual and were designed to test the student’s comprehension.

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – Mathematics Paper Analysis

The Mathematics paper was MODERATE TO DIFFICULT. However, students have noted that the Maths paper was considered supremely easier than the JEE Main paper level. Students further noted that NCERT Mathematics notebook is sufficient to ace the exam. 

One issue that students faced in the subject was a lack of time. Therefore, students are advised to manage their time well. This can be done by practising with mock test papers as much as possible. 

Topics	No. of Questions
Missing Numbers	3-4
Geometry	2-3
Trigonometric Identities	1
Time/Speed/Distance	2-3
Analogy	No information available

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – General Test Analysis

The general test (GT) was considered EASY by candidates. The most important part of the GT was current affairs. The aspirants further stated that one needs to be well-acquainted with ‘who’s who’ questions and the latest general knowledge questions to ace the general test.

Some aspirants have also advised other candidates to not over-prepare for the exam and only focus on NCERT books and mock tests.  

• Questions in General Awareness were from current affairs and static general knowledge. These covered wide range of areas.
• Questions were also from topics like science, economics, geography, politics, and more.
• Numerical-ability-based questions were from algebra and arithmetic.
• Reasoning had a mix of questions, including visual reasoning.

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – Students Face Issues With Exam Centres

There were several students who faced issues with CUET exam centres. They noted that their centres were changed at the last minute, and hence, they were unable to appear for the examination.

Here’s what some candidates had to say about that:

Day 1 of #CUET, outside a centre at DU’s North Campus.
Many parents and guardians of students say that their centres were changed last minute.
Rashid, brother of Sabia, says they got a call about the centre change at 7:30 yesterday @TheQuint @QuintHindi pic.twitter.com/BTe7Q86fXW

— Ashna Butani (@ButaniAshna) July 15, 2022

NTA has already done injustice with#NEETUG22 & #JEEMains2022 aspirants.

Now even, #CUET Examination centre of many students changed in last minutes.Angry parents said this is complete mismanagement.

This is totally wrong, playing with students future. Justice should be given pic.twitter.com/fCKQVFX337

— Himanshu Borah (@UrHimanshuBorah) July 15, 2022

Note: As per a recent update, candidates who could not appear for the exam today due to a last-minute centre change will be given an opportunity to appear in the second phase in August. These candidates have to visit the same exam centres as mentioned on their CUET admit cards.   

CUET UG 2022 Paper Analysis – Expert Opinion

Speaking on the CUET 2022 exam, expert Dhruv Goel advises students to focus completely on Class 12 syllabus with a special emphasis on NCERT textbooks. He also advises students to not take unnecessary stress while preparing.

He further states that students need to manage their time effectively. For that, the mock test papers prescribed by NTA are a must. 

Speaking on the actual logistics of the exam, he said, “My advice for students: Don’t spend too much time on certain questions and attempt those questions that can be solved in a minute and give second priority to lengthy questions.”

CUET UG 2022 – Paper Pattern 

CUET UG 2022 Exam Pattern
Section	Subject	No. of MCQs	Time Duration
Section IA	13 Languages	50	45 Minutes
Section IB	19 Languages	50	45 Minutes
Section II	27 Domain-Specific Subjects	50	45 Minutes
Section III	General Test	75	60 minutes

Note:

• The exam was conducted in two slots – Slot 1 (195 minutes or 3:15 hours) and Slot 2 (225 minutes or 3:45 hours) – in 500 cities across India and 10 cities outside of India.
• CUET UG 2022 was held in computer-based mode at proper centres appointed by the NTA.
• The paper was MCQ-based and divided into four sections each – as described in the table above. 

FAQs

Was the CUET UG 2022 exam tough?

The CUET UG exam on was considered easy to moderate by candidates. However, domain-specific subjects were considered moderate to hard.

Was the CUET UG paper based on mock tests?

Students have noted that the actual paper was easier than the CUET mock test papers provided by the NTA.

How should I prepare for the CUET UG exam?

Our CUET UG expert has noted that the best strategy is to prepare using NCERT textbooks. He has also advised the students to not over-prepare for the exam.