CUET Exam Pattern 2025 for UG [Marks Distribution, Negative Marks]

Overview: Plan your preparation backwards for the CUET exam by choosing the course and college you wish to study and then understanding the CUET exam pattern 2025. Why are we saying so? Read further to find the answer to this.

CUET Exam Pattern 2025 will give you insights into the sections, subjects, duration, number of questions and exam marking scheme. 

• You can choose a maximum of 6 subjects from a total of 63 subject papers across the 3 sections.
• Depending on the number of registrations and subject choices, the examination will be conducted in hybrid mode over multiple days in 3-4 shifts.

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NOTE: The information curated in the article for is based on the previous year's data since the CUET 2025 notification is yet to be released. 

Latest CUET Exam Pattern 2025 Highlights

Did you know that NTA has introduced new changes to the exam pattern for the CUET entrance exam? 

This exam is divided into 3 sections: Language Paper (1A and 1B), Domain Paper, and General Test. The table below will provide helpful information about how NTA will design the CUET exam pattern for the 2025 question paper.

Criteria	Language Test	Domain Test	General Test
Mode	Online/Offline	Online/Offline	Offline
Medium	Language Chosen	English/Language Chosen in Section I	English/Language Chosen in Section I
Duration	45 minutes	45/60 minutes	60 minutes
Type of Questions	Objective	Objective	Objective
Number of Questions (to be attempted)	40 questions out of 50	40 questions out of 50	50 questions out of 60
CUET Exam Total Marks	200	200	250
Marking Scheme	Correct Answer: +5	Correct Answer: +5	Correct Answer: +5
	Incorrect Answer: -1	Incorrect Answer: -1	Incorrect Answer: -1
	Unattempted Answer: 0	Unattempted Answer: 0	Unattempted Answer: 0

Note: Except in domain subjects, i.e., Accountancy, Economics, Physics, Computer Science / Informatics Practices, Chemistry, and Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, the test duration will be 60 minutes according to the CUET exam pattern.

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To score well in the exam, go through the section-wise CUET exam analysis along with the CUET exam pattern to set your target scores is equally important. 

• Language Paper (1A and 1B): You will be asked questions based on 13 Indian languages in Section 1A and 20 Languages in Section 1B (a mixed bag of regional Indian languages and foreign languages). 
• Domain Paper: NTA will test your knowledge of the subjects studied in Class XI and Class XII in the Domain-specific Test. There are 29 such subjects included in this section. Pick and choose from the list as per your stream. 
• General Test: The General Test is a replica of the most heard aptitude test but with a simpler level than the ones you have seen or heard in IPMAT, NPAT, or JEE Main B.Arch.

Why choose college & course before knowing the CUET Exam Pattern 2025? 

The exam pattern for each university varies in terms of the subject requirements mapped for each UG program offered through CUET. This is why: 

• When choosing the languages, domain test, or general test, you are mandated to refer to the requirements of your intended university.
• Your chosen test papers must match the requirements of your desired university from the CUET universities list 2025. 

4 Details That You Must Know About CUET Exam Pattern 2025

CUET 2025 will be conducted in 3-4 slots per day. NTA will disclose details related to the slots later. 

The test will be pen & paper and computer-based based on the number of applications received. But the tweak is that you don’t have to appear for all languages or all domain tests to qualify for admission to your desired college.

1. You can take a maximum of 6 subjects/ exams. 
2. What combinations can you create to finalise your 6 exams? You can probably write 1 language paper, 3-4 domain papers and 1 general test, OR  2 language tests, 3 domain tests and 1 general test.
3. Considering students' diversity (in streams and boards), NTA has decided to provide choices in all question papers as per the CUET paper pattern.
4. However, the total number of questions to be attempted by any candidate remains the same.

CUET Exam Pattern 2025 Guidelines

If you are willing to appear for CUET UG, you must check the important guidelines about the examination.

• The medium of the exam will be in English, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. 
• You can select the language while filling out the CUET application form. You can choose a maximum of 2 languages from Section IA & 1B together and 6 subjects overall. 
• You can apply to many Universities depending on their eligibility conditions. 

Note: NTA is yet to announce the CUET exam pattern including exam slots, marks, and duration for the academic year 2025.

Download Stream-wise CUET PYPs with Solutions HERE

CUET Exam Pattern 2025: Mode of Examination

The CUET UG 2025 exam will be held in hybrid mode. For different subjects, it will be held in pen-and-paper and CBT mode. The official website also describes the CUET UG exam pattern & syllabus in Hindi. 

• This exam will be conducted on multiple days depending on the date allocated to you in your CUET Admit Card. 
• The exam will be offline (pen & paper mode) for subjects with applications above 1.5 lakhs.
• The exam will be online (Computer-based) for subjects with applications below 1.5 lakhs.
• All the subjects will have a single shift, and the normalization process will not be applied.

Mode of Exam	Expected Subject Papers
Pen and Paper Mode	Chemistry, English, Biology, General Test, Mathematics, Economics, Physics, Accountancy, Political Science, Business Studies, and Hindi
Computer-Based Mode	Arabic, Chinese, French, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Telugu, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Sindhi, Tibetan, Agriculture, Fine Arts, Nepali, Russian, Santhali, Sanskrit language, Psychology, Fashion Studies, Computer Science/ Informatic Practices, Sanskrit, Entrepreneurship, Legal Studies, Assamese, Gujarati, Malayalam, Home Science, Teaching Aptitude, Anthropology, Tamil, Urdu, Bodo, German, Manipuri, KTPI, Spanish, Environmental Studies, Mass Media, Dogri, Persian, Performing Arts, Bengali, Marathi, Japanese, Italian, Engineering Graphics, Tourism, Sociology, History,

CUET Exam Pattern for Language Test (Sections 1A and 1B)

The language test assesses your proficiency/ skills in the language you opted for, and the question paper will be available to you in the medium you opted for. 

From the CUET exam pattern, there are 13 languages in Section 1A and 20 languages in Section 1B to choose from.

• Your proficiency will be tested through Reading Comprehension based on different types of passages–Factual, Literary and Narrative, [Literary Aptitude and Vocabulary] MCQ Based Questions. 
• The Question Paper of the Language Test will not be bi-lingual. 
• For whichever language paper you choose, you have to attempt 40 questions in each of the 50 questions given in the paper.
• The duration of each language paper is expected to be 45 minutes, meaning if you choose to appear for 2 language papers, then the maximum duration of the exam shall be 90 minutes. 

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CUET Exam Pattern 2025 for Domain Test (Section II)

There are 29 domain subjects to choose from; however, you can appear for 3-4 domain subjects in the exam. The CUET syllabus for each subject is different. 

The number of domain subjects varies depending on your choice of language test. These subjects will have questions based on the CUET UG exam pattern and syllabus given by NTA in MCQ format. 

• To choose your domain subjects, you must be well aware of the course and university to which you are applying.
• In total, 40 Questions are to be attempted out of 50.
• The exam duration for domain subjects would be 45 minutes. However, for subjects such as accountancy, Economics, Physics, Computer Science / Informatics Practices, Chemistry, and Mathematics /Applied Mathematics, the test will last 60 minutes.

CUET Exam Pattern 2025 for General Test (Section III)

CUET General Test is an optional exam depending on the university and course requirements that you choose. 

Questions based on General Knowledge, Current Affairs, General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability, Quantitative Reasoning (Simple application of basic mathematical concepts arithmetic/algebra geometry/mensuration /statistics taught till Grade 8), and Logical and Analytical Reasoning are asked in this section.

• According to the CUET exam pattern, 50 of the 60 displayed questions must be answered for this section.
• The total duration to attempt the questions in this section will be 60 minutes.
• The questions will be in MCQ format in the language chosen in Section I.
• The total mark that you can score in this section is 250.

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For how many marks is CUET conducted?

To clarify, the total marks for this exam will vary depending on the number of language papers & domain subjects given. So, it will be different for every student. However, if you opt for all 6 subjects, including the general test, CUET total marks for 6 subjects would be 1250. 

Assuming you appear for all 6 tests, here’s the CUET exam pattern and structure. 

The CUET total marks will be calculated as follows: 

Section	Questions to be Attempted	Marks for Correct Answer	Total Marks
Language Paper (33 Indian languages)	40 out of 50	5	200
Domain Subjects	40 out of 50	5	200
General Test	50 out of 60	5	250

CUET 2025 Marking Scheme

The CUET Exam Pattern follows a dedicated marking scheme as released by the NTA. The CUET Marking Scheme is as follows:

For multiple choice questions, choose one option corresponding to the correct or most appropriate answer.

However, if any problem or discrepancy is found after the process of challenges of the key verification, it shall be addressed in the following manner: 

• Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Five marks (+5).
• Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1).
• Unanswered/Marked for Review will be given no mark (0).
• If more than one option is found to be correct, then Five marks (+5) will be awarded to only those who have marked any of the correct options.
• If all options are correct, then Five marks (+5) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.
• If none of the options is found correct, a question is found to be wrong, or a question is dropped, all candidates who have attempted the dropped question will be given five marks(+5).

Know best CUET DU subject combinations 2025 HERE!

CUET Exam Pattern for Morning Shift

The morning shift starts at 9 am on exam day. The conclusion time for the exam will depend on the subjects you choose and will be mentioned on the admit card.

• You can appear for a language test in the morning shift, which will last 45 minutes.
• As mentioned on the hall ticket, a maximum of 2 CUET domain subjects can be taken in the morning slot. 
• The general test is generally part of the first-day shift and will last 60 minutes.

CUET Exam Pattern for Afternoon Shift

• In this slot, you will appear in either 1 language or 2 languages (as per your choice). This slot shall include your chosen Section 1A or 1B language paper.
• The second exam in this slot is the domain-specific test. 

Key Takeaways

No matter the course or the university, the shortcut to success in the CUET exam is thoroughly preparing your domain subjects during the boards to reduce the burden of preparing for CUET. Understanding the CUET exam pattern is important for effective preparation.

• The exam will be conducted in hybrid mode. The mode for each subject will depend on the number of applications received. 
• The medium of the exam will be 13 languages. 
• You can only choose up to 6 subjects across all 3 sections. It is recommended that you include the English language and General tests. 
• To recall and revise all topics and solve questions, attempt the CUET Mock Test Series to analyse your scores regularly.