Normalisation of scores for CUET-UG, NET to be done away with: UGC chief

The CUET-UG will be conducted from May 15 to 24 this time.

Normalisation of scores for the Common University Entrance Test-UG and the National Eligibility Test is being done away with from this year, according to UGC Chief Jagadesh Kumar. "No normalisation of scores will be required this year since both exams will be conducted in a single shift for a subject," Kumar told PTI.

Normalisation is a process for revising the score of a student in a way that it becomes comparable with the score of another. This becomes necessary when an examination in the same subject is held in multiple sessions, each with a different paper. Students have been raising concerns about the normalisation of scores "unfairly" impacting their performance in the exam. "Earlier, we had to conduct the test for the same paper for two or three days in our endeavour to provide the first-choice centre to the students as much as possible. But this year, by adopting the OMR mode, a large number of centres will be available at schools and colleges, enabling us to conduct the test across the country on the same day. If the test is conducted on multiple days for the same paper, normalisation is required and it is a scientific method," the UGC chairman said.

The CUET-UG will be conducted from May 15 to 24 this time. In a shift from the earlier pattern of conducting the crucial exam for admission to undergraduate courses in a Computer Based Test (CBT) mode, CUET-UG for 15 subjects will be conducted in pen and paper mode while for 48 subjects in online mode. Similarly, the UGC-NET, which was earlier conducted in CBT mode, will be held in pen and paper mode on June 16.

UGC-NET is an exam to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for the "award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as assistant professor", "appointment as assistant professor and admission to PhD" and "admission to PhD only" in Indian universities and colleges.