CUET 2023 kicks off: 76% attendance on day 1, few centres report delays

A 17-year-old student from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Janakpuri, who was waiting to give his test under slot 3 outside IIMT Greater Noida, said: “My exam was supposed to start at 3.30 pm but a notice was put up saying slot two was delayed due to a technical issue and entry of those in slot 3 will be done at 7 pm.” He said the slot 2 exam was supposed to have ended at 3 pm.

Similar issues were faced by candidates at Indraprastha Public School, Rohini Sector 22, where students claimed the slot 3 exam which was supposed to end at 6.30 pm ended at 8 pm.

Asked how the situation was being handled and what the technical glitches were, UGC chairman Professor M Jagadesh Kumar said: “At 2% of the centres (approximately 12 of 450 today), the exam started later than scheduled but was successfully completed. This was due to a couple of reasons such as power fluctuations students needing to follow staggered entry. Students were informed in the admit cards to enter in a staggered manner. But in a few centres, since they came late, there was crowding and subsequent delay in the start of the exam. We request students to come staggered to avoid this kind of situation. We have now taken administrative measures to prevent such situations in the future. In many cities, we have also taken help from the traffic police to minimise traffic jams around the centres.”

Some students also expressed inconvenience over being allotted faraway centres. “I chose a centre in Gurgaon as I come from Bhiwadi, but I was allotted one in Noida and had to travel four hours to get here. I have to stay at a hotel tonight as I have an exam tomorrow as well,” said Yash Sharma (20), a Delhi University aspirant. He scored 94.6% in Class XII and aims to pursue engineering.

Others said they have been taking extra coaching to prepare for CUET. “I have been going to a coaching institute post school every day to study for English, general tests and my other science subjects. We spent a lot of money on coaching, hoping for good results,” said a 17-year-old from Mount Carmel School, R K Puram.

The exam is scheduled from May 21 to June 5. The UGC chairman said “today’s attendance was 76%, a significant jump from around 62% last year”.

“For the second phase (May 25-28), we are working to provide admit cards by May 22 late night or May 23. We will announce city information slips for the third phase (May 29 – June 2) on May 23,” he added.