CUET-UG 4th Phase: Students seek clarity on retest

On the second day of the fourth phase of the CUET, students were a nervous bunch due to last-minute centre changes, distant centres, and unclear alternatives for retests. On Thursday, the first shift exam will be taken. On Wednesday, the exam was cancelled at 13 centres due to technical issues affecting more than 8,600 students.

“My chosen city was listed as the exam centre city on my notification slip. But when I received my admit card, it listed a location that was 150 kilometres distant and had an 8.30 am entry deadline. I’ve been attempting to contact the NTA, but so far, no luck “CUET candidate Neha Singhal remarked. Anjali Mishra, a separate candidate, stated: “My admit card indicated a different centre yesterday afternoon, and it indicates a different centre today. I was not informed whether my testing location was changed at the last minute, and I am unsure if a retest option would be available “.

The students who failed the test on Wednesday will get another chance to take it on August 25, according to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The single entrance for undergraduate admission to all central universities is the CUET. 3.6 lakh individuals are eligible to participate in the fourth phase, which is slated to take place from August 17 to August 20. To accommodate their choice of city as the centre, the exam for an extra 11,000 candidates, who were to appear in the fourth phase from August 17–20, has been postponed to August 30.

All phases of the CUET-UG were supposed to end on August 20 according to the original design. The exam will be completed in its entirety on August 28 according to a later announcement made by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is in charge of administering it. The exam has been divided into six phases and the schedule has since been further delayed. Problems with the CUET’s second phase forced the agency to cancel the exam at several centres. The exam was cancelled at a number of centres as a result of indications and complaints of “sabotage,” according to UGC Chief Jagadesh Kumar. Rain and landslides caused the second and third parts of the exam to be cancelled at centres in Kerala and Itanagar as well.