CUET PG 2026: NTA Clarifies Examination Procedures and Score Normalization
NTA's Clarification on CUET PG Examination
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has addressed concerns raised on social media regarding the scheduling of certain CUET PG 2026 subject exams on different dates and the lack of score normalization. The NTA confirmed that no normalization process was implemented for the CUET PG examination, and all candidates were assessed based on their actual marks.
As per the NTA, 565 candidates from 28 subjects were unable to sit for their exams on the planned dates in March 2026 due to law-and-order issues in Tura (Meghalaya) and security concerns at some overseas centers—situations beyond their control. The NTA aims to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged by circumstances for which they are not responsible. Therefore, a re-examination was organized for these 565 candidates on March 29 and 30, 2026, prioritizing their interests.
**No Special Considerations for Re-examination Candidates**
The NTA's policy for the CUET PG examination mandates that each candidate's absolute marks in every subject are reported. No normalization of scores occurs, whether in the main examination or the re-examination. Consequently, candidates who participated in the re-examination did not receive any special concessions; they were evaluated solely on their obtained marks, just like all other candidates.
Moreover, normalizing scores between these two groups lacks statistical relevance due to the significant difference in candidate numbers. For example, around 16,000 candidates took the English subject in the main examination, while only about 120 participated in the re-examination. In Political Science, approximately 26,000 candidates appeared for the main exam, with about 100 in the re-examination; in History, there were around 13,600 candidates, with fewer than 80 in the re-examination. The NTA stated that a group of 100 candidates cannot be statistically normalized against a larger pool of thousands.
**Consistent Difficulty Levels in Main Exam and Re-examination**
The re-examination utilized question papers that had been finalized by subject experts, who confirmed that the difficulty level of these papers was consistent with those used in the main examinations for the respective subjects. The NTA emphasized that the scoring for every CUET PG candidate was calculated uniformly—based on the absolute marks obtained. The rescheduling of the exam did not change the scoring methodology. The NTA is dedicated to conducting its examinations in a fair, transparent, and candidate-focused manner.
