CUET-UG 2025 delayed to May 13 amid chaos over missing city slips and exam schedule- Report

The CUET-UG 2025 exam will now begin on May 13, five days later than originally scheduled, amid growing concern among lakhs of students over missing city slips and timetable clarity, according to a report by The Times of India.

With just days to go, the National Testing Agency is yet to officially confirm the revised dates, deepening uncertainty around travel and planning for the country’s most subscribed undergraduate entrance test.

The Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduate Programmes (CUET-UG) 2025, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), has been pushed back from its original start date and will now commence from May 13, sources confirmed. The delay comes in the absence of official updates on exam city intimation slips and subject-wise schedules, which has caused confusion for 13.5 lakh registered candidates.

According to officials, the revised exam window will run from May 13 through the first week of June, though formal confirmation is awaited. The exam city slips, which will inform candidates about the cities where their centres are located, are likely to be released by Tuesday or Wednesday. These may also include individual subject-wise exam dates.

This year, CUET-UG has seen record participation, with 13.5 lakh candidates applying for admission into central, state, and private universities across the country.

In a significant format shift, CUET-UG 2025 will be conducted entirely in computer-based test (CBT) mode for all 37 subjects. Each paper will last 60 minutes and contain 50 multiple-choice questions.

The number of shifts per day will vary between two and three, depending on exam centre availability. English has emerged as the most opted-for subject, with over 10 lakh registrations, requiring at least 10 shifts to accommodate test-takers. The General Test has also seen over eight lakh registrations, further complicating the scheduling process.

Unlike in previous years, the NTA has not issued a fixed date sheet. Instead, exam-specific details will be delivered through the city intimation slips, making them a crucial resource for candidates.

With students and parents across India raising concerns over last-minute travel and accommodation plans, the NTA has advised candidates to frequently check the official CUET website for real-time updates and be prepared for a compact, tightly scheduled exam cycle starting May 13.