NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the final answer keys for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG, paving the way for the announcement of results for the delayed undergraduate admission exam. The provisional answer keys were initially released on July 7, with a subsequent retest conducted on July 19 for over 1,000 candidates whose grievances were validated by the agency.
According to a senior official of the NTA, "The final answer key has been released and the result will be declared soon." The delay in CUET-UG results coincides with controversies surrounding competitive exams such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET, amidst allegations of irregularities. Originally slated for release on June 30, the CUET results were postponed as the NTA addressed allegations of paper leaks affecting NEET-UG, UGC-NET, and CSIR-UGC-NET.
The CUET-UG exam, conducted nationwide in a hybrid mode for the first time, faced logistical challenges leading to its cancellation in Delhi the night before the scheduled exam, later rescheduled in the national capital.
The NTA had previously announced that the third edition of CUET-UG would be completed within seven days, with scores not subject to normalization due to all exams being conducted in a single shift. The exam included 15 subjects in pen-paper mode and 48 subjects in CBT mode, attracting over 13.4 lakh candidates vying for admission to undergraduate courses across 261 central, state, deemed, and private universities this year. In its inaugural 2022 edition, CUET-UG encountered technical glitches and score normalization due to multi-shift exams for certain subjects.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's recent dismissal of petitions seeking the cancellation and re-test of NEET-UG 2024 was seen as a vindication for the NDA government and the NTA, countering accusations of widespread malpractices, including question paper leaks, fraud, and impersonation during the May 5 exam.