CUET PG 2026 scores based on absolute marks, no normalization applied: NTA

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has clarified that no normalization process was used in the evaluation of CUET (PG) 2026, responding to concerns raised on social media over examinations conducted on multiple dates for certain subjects.

The agency said a limited number of candidates were allowed to take rescheduled examinations after being unable to appear on their original dates because of circumstances beyond their control. However, it emphasized that all candidates were assessed under the same scoring framework.

According to NTA, 565 candidates across 28 subjects could not take the examination as scheduled in March 2026 due to a law-and-order disturbance in Tura, Meghalaya, and security-related issues at some overseas examination centers.

To ensure that affected candidates were not disadvantaged, the agency rescheduled their examinations for March 29 and 30, 2026.

NTA described the decision as a measure taken in the interest of candidates and said it was intended to preserve fairness in the admission process.

Addressing questions about score calculation, the agency reiterated that CUET (PG) uses an absolute marks system and does not rely on normalization.

“There was therefore nothing the rescheduled candidates were exempted from,” the agency stated, adding that all candidates were evaluated on the same scoring basis.

Explaining why normalization was not applied, NTA said the large difference in the number of candidates between the main examination and the rescheduled tests made statistical comparison unreliable.

The agency cited examples showing that nearly 16,000 candidates appeared for the English paper in the main examination, compared with around 120 in the rescheduled test.

In Political Science, approximately 26,000 candidates took the main examination versus about 100 in the rescheduled group, while History had roughly 13,600 candidates in the main session and fewer than 80 in the rescheduled examination.

Given these disparities, NTA said applying normalization would not have been statistically valid.

The agency also clarified that the rescheduled examinations used pre-approved question paper sets prepared by subject experts.

According to NTA, the experts confirmed that the difficulty level of the rescheduled papers was comparable to that of the original examinations.

Reaffirming its position, the agency said CUET (PG) 2026 scores were calculated uniformly on the basis of absolute marks for all candidates and that the rescheduling exercise did not result in any change to the evaluation methodology.

NTA added that it remains committed to conducting examinations in a fair, transparent, and candidate-centric manner.