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CUET PG is the common entrance test for postgraduate admission to central universities and a widening set of other institutions. Like its undergraduate counterpart it replaced institution-specific entrances with a single test, and like it, the candidate chooses which paper to sit.
Here that choice is expressed as a subject paper code, and it is even more consequential than at undergraduate level. Each code corresponds to a defined syllabus, universities map programmes to specific codes, and choosing a code that does not match your intended programme means sitting the wrong examination entirely.
CUET PG · checked 19 September 2026
The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.
Checked 19 September 2026
Registration 14 December 2025 – 23 January 2026 (extended); examination 6–27 March 2026 in 50 shifts across 157 test papers, 75 questions in 90…
NTA’s examination calendar of 16 September 2026 proposes CUET PG 2027 for 1–5, 8, 12–20 and 24–25 March 2027 with 30–31 March in reserve; the…
National Testing Agency (NTA)
Postgraduate programmes at central universities and other participating institutions
Overview
CUET PG provides a single entrance route to postgraduate programmes at central universities and a growing number of state, deemed and private institutions. Candidates register for one or more subject paper codes, sit the corresponding papers, and universities then use those scores in their own admission processes.
The papers are subject-specific and pitched at graduate level, testing the content of a bachelor’s degree in that discipline. Some codes cover a single subject narrowly; others are broader, covering a family of related disciplines. Which code a programme accepts is set by the university, and mapping that correctly is the first task of any CUET PG preparation.
The commonest and most costly CUET PG error is registering for a subject paper code that the target programme does not accept. Because codes are set by NTA and mapped to programmes by each university, this must be checked programme by programme in the university’s own admission information, not assumed from the subject name.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Subject paper | Objective, computer-based | A subject-specific paper at graduate level, corresponding to the code the candidate has registered for. Four marks for a correct answer, one deducted for a wrong one. Question counts and durations are set out in the information bulletin. |
| Result and score reporting | Score-based | Scores are published for each paper taken, with normalisation applied where papers run across multiple shifts. |
| University admission | Institution-conducted | Each participating university uses CUET PG scores in its own admission process, applying its own cutoffs, weightings and any additional criteria such as interviews for research-oriented programmes. |
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
An objective, computer-based subject paper at graduate level, corresponding to the subject paper code the candidate has registered for: in 2026, 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes for 300 marks, with four marks for a correct answer and one deducted for a wrong one, and normalisation applied where a code runs across several shifts. The list of codes — 157 test papers in 2026 — and the shift structure are revised between cycles, so confirm them in the CUET PG 2027 bulletin.
NTA’s examination calendar of 16 September 2026 proposes CUET PG 2027 for 1–5, 8, 12–20 and 24–25 March 2027, with 30 and 31 March held in reserve; the calendar is indicative and the information bulletin fixes the dates. The 2026 registration ran from 14 December 2025 to 23 January 2026 after an extension, so expect the CUET PG 2027 bulletin and application window on exams.nta.nic.in in December 2026. The 2026 fee was ₹1,400 for up to two test papers for general candidates, less for reserved categories, with a per-paper charge for additional papers.
On 24 April 2026, the same day NTA published the final answer keys for all 157 test papers, on the CUET PG result link at exams.nta.nic.in with the application number and date of birth. The examination had run from 6 to 27 March 2026 in 50 shifts; 4,11,366 candidates registered and 3,45,220 appeared (83.9 per cent). The scorecard carries the normalised score for each paper code taken, and the participating universities then admitted on it through their own portals and the CSAS PG rounds from May.
The syllabus is defined per subject paper code, and the 2026 syllabi on exams.nta.nic.in stand for CUET PG 2027 until the 2027 bulletin replaces them. Each is drawn from the graduate curriculum of its discipline — the content of a well-taught bachelor’s degree — and a few general codes cover a family of related subjects, so a candidate may meet questions outside their own specialisation. Download the PDF for your exact code rather than a similarly named one.
By checking, programme by programme, which code each of your target universities accepts for the programme you want — in that university’s own admission information rather than by inferring from the subject name. Codes are defined by NTA and mapped to programmes by each university, and the same programme name at two institutions may accept different codes. Registering for a code your target programme does not accept means sitting the wrong examination, and it cannot be corrected afterwards.
There is no single syllabus — NTA publishes one for each subject paper code, drawn from the graduate curriculum of that discipline. In practice the content is what a well-taught bachelor’s degree in the subject would have covered, which makes your own degree textbooks the natural primary source. Note that some codes are broad, covering a family of related subjects, so a candidate may face questions outside their own specialisation within the discipline.
Mainly in format. The content is graduate-level material you have already studied, but the questions are objective with close distractors, whereas most degree examinations test descriptively. A candidate who knows the subject well can still score poorly without deliberate objective-question practice, because the two formats reward different kinds of precision. The marking is also relatively forgiving at four marks against one, which rewards attempting on partial knowledge.
Yes, within the limits and scheduling constraints of the examination, since different codes are held on different days and shifts. This is worth considering where your target programmes across universities map to different codes, or where you are applying across two related disciplines. Confirm the current rules on multiple registrations and the scheduling in the information bulletin before planning around it.
Read the syllabus, attempt a free mock, then fix the section that costs you the most marks.
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