DNA Explainer: Common entrance test for central varsities, reasons and criticism

In a big move by the Central government, from the academic session 2022-23 a common entrance test is likely to be implemented across central universities in India for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Currently, the pattern is predominantly screening based on Class 12 marks.

The common university entrance test (CUCET) will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to all undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The University Grants Commission (UGC) on November 26 wrote to the vice-chancellors of the 45 central universities about the Common Entrance Test.

UGC constituted a seven-member committee last year to recommend modalities for the common university entrance test (CUCET) that held several rounds of discussion and submitted its findings in December, media reports suggested. The computerized CUCET exam will be conducted in 13 languages namely English, Hindi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

Why common entrance test for central varsities

National Education Policy 2020 facilitates a single entrance exam for admissions to universities across the country.

The NEP 2020 envisages that a common entrance will test the conceptual understanding and ability to apply knowledge.

It will aim to eliminate the need for taking coaching for the common entrance exams.

This will enable universities to use these common entrance exams rather than them devising their own entrance exams.

The common university entrance exams will reduce the burden on the entire education system in the country.

It will offer a high-quality common aptitude test like SAT examination and specialised common subject exams at least twice every year.

The test will cover sciences, humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects, and is likely to be held at least twice every year.

The test does not have under its ambit engineering and medical courses that are offered by some of these central universities.

The CUCET might also be called Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET) in its proposed new avatar.

Why move is being criticised by some?

Some believe that the existing Board-exam-based screening is leading to unrealistic cut-offs, but felt a common entrance will not be an improvement.

They argue that children come from different socio-economic backgrounds and to expect them to sit together and tackle a centrally-set paper will not be fair.

Some experts on the subject believe that eventually, it will boil down to mastering the techniques to crack it which coaching institutes offer.

Professors of some of the top universities believe that the proposal to have a common entrance test is an affront to the autonomy of universities. 

The new exam pattern

The common university entrance test (CUCET) will have two components - an aptitude test and a subject-specific test.

The aptitude part will consist of questions on reading comprehension, verbal ability, logical and analytical reasoning and general awareness.

The second part will be subject-specific. That means based on questions related to the stream in which the candidate wants to take admission.