NTA Announces CUET UG Retest Dates Amid Grievances And Answer Key Challenges

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that a retest for CUET UG candidates will take place from July 15 to 19 if valid grievances concerning the exam’s conduct are identified. This decision was made public on Sunday.

Furthermore, the NTA has published the answer key for the undergraduate entrance exam, although the release of results will be delayed. Candidates have until 6 pm on July 9 to challenge the answer key, according to a senior NTA official.

In an official notice, the NTA stated, “The NTA is also addressing public grievances received regarding the Exam conducted for CUET (UG) – 2024 and received up to 30 June 2024. If the grievance is genuine, the NTA is committed to redoing the Exam for these Candidates at selected Centres any day between 15 and 19 July 2024.” Candidates will receive their admit cards, and the exam will be conducted in CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode only.

Although NTA officials did not comment on specific grievances received, candidates have reported issues such as time loss at certain exam centres and technical difficulties.

This year, over 13.4 lakh candidates registered for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to undergraduate programmes across 261 central, state, deemed, and private universities.

“The challenges raised by candidates will be reviewed by a panel of subject experts. The result will be announced based on the revised final answer key,” the official added.

The delay in CUET-UG results comes amidst ongoing controversies over alleged irregularities in competitive exams like NEET and NET. The CUET-UG exam was conducted in a hybrid mode nationwide for the first time this year. However, the exam scheduled in Delhi was cancelled the night before due to logistical issues and later rescheduled in the national capital.

Earlier, the NTA had announced that the third edition of CUET-UG would be completed within seven days, with no score normalization as all exams were conducted in a single shift.

Tests for 15 subjects were conducted in pen-and-paper mode, while exams for the remaining 48 subjects were computer-based.

During its inaugural edition in 2022, the CUET faced significant technical challenges. Due to subject exams being conducted over multiple shifts, score normalization was necessary during result processing. Amid allegations of irregularities in NEET and NET exams, Subodh Singh, Director General of NTA, was replaced by the Centre last week.

To ensure transparent, smooth, and fair exam conduct, a high-level panel chaired by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan has been established.

The NEET exam is currently under scrutiny for various irregularities, including an alleged paper leak, while UGC NET was cancelled after concerns were raised about the exam’s integrity. Both matters are currently under investigation by the CBI.