The CUET Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme, Explained

Before you study a single chapter, understand the machine you are feeding answers into. The NTA designs CUET UG as a sectional, time-boxed test, and small structural details decide big marks.

Section structure

Each subject paper has around 50 questions of which you attempt 40 (the General Test has 60, attempt 50). Every section runs for 60 minutes, and you choose your subjects during the application.

Marking: +5, −1, 0

A correct answer earns +5, a wrong answer loses −1, and an unattempted question is 0. The penalty is small relative to the reward, but over a 200-question paper it compounds. The break-even guess accuracy is roughly one-in-six, so eliminate before you guess.

Why optional questions matter

Because you attempt 40 of ~50, you can skip the two or three nastiest questions per section with zero penalty. Train yourself to recognise and abandon time-sinks quickly.

Normalisation

CUET runs in multiple shifts, so raw scores are normalised into percentiles. Focus on accuracy and consistency rather than chasing a specific raw number. Read more on our score normalisation guide.