CUET UG 2024: The National Testing Agency (NTA) late last night postponed the CUET UG exams for those students who have opted for centres in Delhi. While the exam conducting body informed the reason for deferment is ‘unavailability of invigilators’, the students Students and parents - affected by this announcement - are angry over the "last minute changes". Indianexpress.com talks to some of the concerned candidates and parents. A student from Bihar, Md Moaz Ashraf, who has been staying alone in Delhi says he is stressed that the exams are postponed. This was his first entrance test for an undergraduate programme. Speaking to indianexpress.com, he said that had his CUET UG test scheduled to be held today would have been held, he could have focussed on the remaining tests. He has opted for English, general test, political science and history in CUET UG 2024. He appeared for the Class 12 exams from Jamia Millia Islamia Senior Secondary School. "I downloaded my admit card on the first day NTA released the CUET UG admit cards. My exam centre was Deshbandhu College, Delhi University. I was sure that my exam would be held today, May 15. However, after NTA asking the candidates to download the CUET hall tickets again on May 14 evening, I tried to download it to only find that the new admit card did not mention any exam centre and my exam was postponed." The admit card downloaded on May 14 informed that the new centre for the May 29 exam will be intimated by 7 pm today (May 15), Md Moaz Ashraf added. Another student from Delhi, Isha Thakur who registered for the CUET UG said: "In the admit card, my examination centre was not showing. It was reflected that on May 13 at around 8 pm, you can check the centre, however even on May 14, the examination centre was not showing." A student from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Isha said that she re-checked, and it directed her to check the admit card on May 14 at 8 pm. "The website was not loading, I had been trying since evening and it created chaos and upped the tension at home. I prepared everything. I am thinking positively that I have more time to prepare for English and general tests. I believe we have to make NTA accountable because of delays that can postpone the counselling and admission schedule of the colleges," said Thakur who opted for Humanities in Class 12. Isha who scored 91.6 per cent in the higher secondary class said, "Even at night, the exam centre was not showing, and my parents were very tensed. I asked my friends who said that their centres were showing but mine did not. " A student from Delhi's DAV Public School, Poorvi Mishra had four papers today — English, General Test, Biology, and Chemistry — all cancelled. "While I was lucky that on May 13, my exam centre was showing, but other friends of mine had to face chaos. Those issues made me feel all the more tense that there could be some last-minute changes in the examination hall. Almost since the evening, I was trying to open the NTA website but it was just buffering." said Mishra who scored 90 per cent in her Class 12 CBSE examination. "I was constantly praying that my CUET UG exam centre should not be changed especially after 9 pm because all the print-out shops would have been closed by that time thereby creating more issues," said Poorvi. A student sharing a post on X (former Twitter) said: “Today's #cuet exam is rescheduled. Even the admit cards were released just a day before. All communication lines are busy/hung up. So much mismanagement. Chairman NTA must be held accountable, how can such responsibilities be shirked??” NTA however will be conducting CUET UG 2024 for all the remaining centres across India and abroad including those in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad for chemistry -306, biology - 304, English - 101 and general test - 501. The May 15 exams for the candidates appearing in centres across Delhi will now be held on May 29. The revised CUET UG admit cards will be issued for candidates appearing in center across Delhi, the NTA said in an official notice issued last night. Another post on X said: “#CUET such a mess! Delhi going to polls was known 2 months ago, and how is it that the body is unaware of it! Poor children who have to suffer all the changes, and that too at last minute! Dharmendra Pradhan utter confusion everywhere, courtesy #nep Hope you are aware!!” Meanwhile, candidates have been complaining since last evening saying that they are unable to download CUET admit card 2024 from the official website – exams.nta.ac.in In a late night reply, the NTA asked candidates to carry the already downloaded admit card to the exam centre. Some parents of CUET UG 2024 aspirants have also alleged that there have been last minute changes in the exam centre and they are informed in the eleventh hour. The NTA claims that the reason behind this postponement is manpower issues caused due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "CUET UG is held at a large scale and we had selected several exam centres and invigilators are deployed for this process. However, we were facing issues in getting appropriate amount of invigilators in Delhi exam centres for the May 15 exam due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. So, NTA has decided to conduct the May 15 exam after elections, i.e. May 29," an NTA official told indianexpress.com. This year's, CUET UG is in hybrid mode with 15 subjects in pen and paper mode and 48 subjects in computer based-mode. Over 13.4 lakh candidates registered for the common entrance test for admission to undergraduate courses in 261 central, state, deemed, and private universities, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said.
