Opposing Views: How Two Class 12 Students from Separate Boards See CUET

Video Editor: Rajbir Singh

Ever since the Common University Entrance Test has been declared mandatory, students and educators have been divided on how beneficial it would be. For students, however, the views depend largely on which state they are from and which board they belong to.

The UGC Chairperson had said that CUET would "mirror the Class XII syllabus," adding that students would have to prepare from the NCERT books. However, while CBSE students follow NCERT books, other boards have their own texts. CUET will have three parts, and will only consist of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).

Mansi Sancheti, from Modern Public School, a CBSE school in Delhi, says that it comes as a huge relief for students as this would spare them the stress of sky-high cut-offs. Mansi wants to pursue BBA or BMS from Delhi University and is currently studying in the Humanities stream.

Meanwhile, Urja V, from CHM College (junior college) in Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra, which comes under the Maharashtra board, says that the CUET has both pros and cons. Foremost among the cons is the fact that they have never seen NCERT books before and will have to prepare from scratch.

She wants to pursue Psychology and will apply to a few colleges across the country, even though her preference is Mumbai University. Is the Syllabus Similar to Their Class 12 Syllabus?

Is the Syllabus Similar to Their Class 12 Syllabus?

While both students say that they would have to prepare for the test on short notice, Urja says that her syllabus is very different from what the NCERT books follow.

"It (the syllabus) is actually quite complex. I've seen the books on the subjects that I am going to opt for, and they are somewhat similar. They are 35 percent similar, but the pattern is completely different. So, it is going to be new because the state board has never prepared us for the NCERT syllabus."

Urja V, a Maharashtra Board student

Mansi said that around 75 percent of the CUET syllabus is covered by the CBSE syllabus, while Urja said that around 35 percent of the syllabus matches hers.

Will the Preparation Be Same?

Mansi says that she will have to prepare for the remaining subjects besides the domain knowledge subjects. These include logical reasoning and general knowledge.

She says that she has been practising a few logical reasoning questions every day, and is reading newspapers to stay updated with current affairs.

Meanwhile, a few students, particularly from state boards, have reached out to coaching classes. Urja said that when they reached out to classes, students were told that it would take some time for state board students to prepare.

"The people who run the coaching classes say that it will take some time for the state board students to get ready for these exams. They are unfamiliar with the syllabus."

Urja V, a Maharashtra board student

Preparations on Short Notice

Urja's board exams are going on and she will have three months to prepare for the common entrance test. However, CBSE students, whose boards will end in mid-June, will have less time to prepare.

Mansi said, "As a COVID batch, we have been through a lot of things in the last two years. There were a lot of challenges that we had to face. The CBSE changed the whole curriculum for our batch, everything was different for us. Class 12 was not as easy as it seemed to everyone outside."

"Central universities should have been quicker in having their say. Suddenly, a lot of things are going on. Class 12 is going on, and the curriculum has changed, so we are preparing for it differently. And then we have CUET."

Mansi Sancheti, Class 12 CBSE Student

Urja says that they usually do not score marks as high as CBSE and ICSE students and hence, the common examination would level the ground in some ways.

Mansi, on the other hand, said that they would no longer crumble under the pressure of sky-rocketing cut-offs.

"It will reduce a lot of stress that students have throughout the year. I remember that when I was in 9th or 10th standard, there were huge cut-offs, like 100 percent. We would wonder how we would manage with such high cut-offs. But now, it has reduced pressure to a great extent."

Mansi Sancheti, Class 12 CBSE student