Has CUET Become More Challenging Over Time?

Overview: This article examines whether the CUET has become more difficult in 2025 compared to 2024, 2023 and 2022, analyzing key data and exploring potential reasons behind any changes in difficulty and what it means for 2026 exam aspirants.

Competitive exams like CUET tend to evolve with each passing year. As with any competitive exam, students are keen to know if it has become more challenging over time.

This article answers the question Has CUET Become More Challenging Over Time with a detailed comparison between CUET 2025 and CUET 2024, using data to assess changes in difficulty and understand the factors contributing to these shifts. 

The article also has the learnings for CUET 2026 exam aspirants based on previous year trends. 

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Has CUET Become More Challenging Over Time? 

Based on the CUET 2025 result statistics, there is an 87% drop in students achieving a perfect score than 2024, indicating a potential shift in difficulty levels. 

Take a look at the previous year's CUET results in the PDF below. You will notice that the number of students with full scores has significantly dropped from 22,912 students scoring 100%ile in 2024 to only 2,847 in 2025.

Download CUET 2025 Result Statistics

Vs

Download CUET 2024 Result Statistics

Is CUET 2026 going to be tough?

If you ask has CUET become more challenging over time? The answer is YES. The difficulty level of CUET has increased over the years due to changes in the CUET exam pattern and syllabus. Here's how: 

1- Increased Competition

• As CUET becomes more popular, the number of candidates is expected to surge in 2026, increasing competition and possibly making it more challenging to secure top scores. 

2- Increased Difficulty & Unpredictable Question Types

• CUET 2025 featured indirect MCQs based on NCERT's summary notes, highlights, etc, especially in Economics, Business Studies, History, etc., making it harder to achieve full marks.
• Instead of direct factual questions, the NTA focused more on analytical and application-based MCQs.

3- Normalization of Scores Across Multiple Shifts

• CUET 2025 was conducted in multiple shifts with different papers for the same subject. The difficulty level varied across shifts, so NTA will apply the normalization process.
• Even if a student scores full marks in an easier shift, their percentile might be lower after normalization.
• This process significantly reduces the number of students hitting the 100 percentile mark. This can apply to 2026 exam cycle as well. 

4- Time Limit + High number of Questions

• In CUET exam 2025, students had to answer 50 out of 50 questions in 1 hour, unlike any internal choice offered in 2024. The same pattern is expected to followed in 2026 also.
• This demands faster speed + accuracy. In 2025, many students reported that they either couldn’t complete the paper or made silly mistakes while rushing, making it almost impossible to score perfectly.

5- Only NCERT Isn’t Enough Anymore

• Yes, CUET is “based on NCERT,” but in 2024 and 2025, papers included questions that required deeper understanding, contextual interpretation, and cross-chapter links.
• Students relying solely on the reading of the NCERTs for 2026 exam won't be able to answer some questions that require more conceptual clarity, if not prepared well.

How to Tackle the Difficulty Level in the CUET 2026 Exam? 

The answer to the question, has CUET become more challenging over time? is YES. The analysis suggests that while some subjects in CUET 2025 have shown increased difficulty compared to 2024, it indicates that relying solely on NCERTs for CUET 2026 preparation is insufficient. Here's what you can do to perform better in the exam: 

• Go beyond memorizing NCERT lines. Understand the "why" behind every topic, especially for tricky subjects like Economics, History, and Science.
• Solve assertion-reason, case-based, and application-focused questions frequently, not just direct MCQs.
• Balance boards + CUET using a well-balanced & time-based plan that gives space to mocks, revision, and speed practice.
• Attempt topic-wise tests before full-length CUET mock tests. 
• Analyze your mock test mistakes in detail. Don't just see your score. Understand why you made errors and how to avoid them in the future.
• Use previous year CUET papers to identify repeated question types and important chapters.

UNLOCK subject-wise PYPs for CUET Preparation

Key Takeaways

The article answers the question, "Has CUET Become More Challenging Over Time? Remember:

• Variability in Difficulty: CUET presents a mixed picture, with some subjects becoming more challenging while others appear to have become easier. 
• Focus on Cut-Offs: Success in CUET depends on meeting the specific CUET cut-off scores  for your chosen course and university rather than simply passing individual subjects. 
• Subject-Specific Changes: Some subjects, like GAT, Economics, Accountancy etc., showed an increase in syllabus, indicating potential shifts in difficulty or better preparation. 
• Increased Competition: The growing popularity of CUET has also contributed to increased competition, making it tougher to secure top ranks. 
• Importance of Preparation: Understanding changes in exam patterns and adapting your study strategy is key to performing well in CUET.