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The Common University Entrance Test (CUET UG) will be held in three shifts a day this year instead of two, and plans for its merger with essential entrance exams like JEE and NEET will be notified at least two years in advance, as per the UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar.

Kumar said the UGC and the National Testing Agency (NTA) are prepared to guarantee that the second edition of CUET-UG is glitch-free.

He said regarding the experience of students last year, I do believe that at a few centres, there were glitches, and this year we are taking care of all problems connected to those kinds of experiences that the students went through. We will ensure that this time the students focus only on examinations and not on any potential glitches and how we are doing that.

He said we are doing that by recognizing the centres well in advance and examining the available infrastructure, including bandwidth, the computers, and technical personnel at the centres so that the second edition is glitch-free.

The second edition of the CUET UG, a gateway for UG admissions in central universities across the country, is planned from May 21 to 31.

M Jagadesh Kumar said extra computers and extra centres had been set as plan B so, if there are any glitches, the candidates can be shifted there, and the examination for a particular shift will not be canceled.

Kumar also reported that in a deviation from the usual pattern, the exam would be held in three shifts this year.

Asked about the suggestion to merge CUET with the JEE and NEET, he said, It is definitely doable. The details are being worked out, but whenever the merger occurs, there will be an announcement at least two years in advance so the students can prepare accordingly.

"National Education Policy 2020 has clearly said the load should be reduced on a student by holding a single national-level entrance examination. We floated the idea to mentally ready students that NEP has suggested such a thing, and there is a possibility in the coming years. We are working internally on how to take this ahead. Several stakeholders, including the Health Ministry, are being consulted.

In March last year, UGC announced that UG admissions would be held in all central universities through a common entrance test and not based on class XII marks.

News Source: The Hindu