CUET-UG: University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said that board examinations are unlikely to become irrelevant if the University Common Entrance Test (CUT) is taken for admission to undergraduate courses.
The drop in the number of students passing this year in CBSE Class 12 and scoring more than 90 per cent and 95 per cent has triggered a debate whether CUET has diverted attention from board exams and whether it will help the board in the long run. Will make exams irrelevant.
He said, “There has been no change in the basic qualification for admission to universities. It is the candidate must have passed 12th class examination from a recognized board.” He said, “Board examinations are an ‘achievement test’, while CUET-UG is a ‘selection test’. Therefore, there is no possibility of the 12th class board exams becoming irrelevant.
This year the CUET-UG exam will start from May 21. The UGC chairman clarified that the basic eligibility criteria is a major factor for admission to all universities at the national level and other examinations such as JEE (Engineering) and NEET (Medical).
He said, “The principles of university entrance examination demand a common examination. National Testing Agency (NTA) is working for high quality ‘General Aptitude Test’. Apart from this, it is conducting subject-based special common examinations in science, humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects.
He said, “These exams will test conceptual understanding and ability to apply knowledge and aim to eliminate the need for taking coaching for these exams.”
“Students are able to choose the subjects to take the exam and each university will be able to look at the student’s individual subject portfolio and admit them to their programs based on their individual interests and talents,” Kumar said.
When asked how CUET will help students to get admission in graduation as against board exam marks, Kumar said, “First students should score more than 95 per cent in 12th board exam to get admission in the university of their choice. Lived under stress to bring. But with the introduction of CUET, the stress of scoring high marks in the board exams has reduced. Apart from this, due to the difference in the nature of questions and the method of giving marks, there is a lot of difference in the marks given by different boards. These things will now be standardized under CUET.
The UGC had announced in March last year that a common entrance test would be conducted for undergraduate admission in all central universities and admission would not be granted on the basis of class 12 marks.
The CUET-UG exam was first conducted in July last year, however, there were some technical glitches due to which NTA had to cancel the exam at many exam centres.
Around 14 lakh applications have been received for CUET-UG this year, which is 41 per cent more than last year’s first edition. CUET-UG is the second largest exam in the country in terms of number of applicants.
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