Crash courses to test series: CUET prep on offer at coaching centres

The University Grants Commission has declared that undergraduate admissions in all central universities will be conducted through the CUET, and class XII marks can be used by universities as eligibility criteria at most. CUET 2022 is a computer-based test with three sections, likely to be conducted in July. The first section tests a candidate’s language skills; the second offers 27 domain subjects (or papers) of which a candidate can take tests in up to six subjects; the last is a General Aptitude Test. The exam will be based on NCERT class XII syllabus.

Major players in the coaching industry are focusing their CUET “crash courses” on sections I and III. BYJU’s Exam Prep is offering an online crash course for CUET (UG) 2022 in English and Aptitude from April 12 to June 30 for Rs 14,400. Careerlauncher has a CUET aptitude package online from April for Rs  25,000 and a package for subject domains to be started after board exams for Rs 30,000 with promised live interactive classes, practice questions, mock tests, physical study material, topic tests, and access to a “current affairs compendium”.

While these major players have started CUET coaching with the expansion of the scope of the exam this time, AaptPrep is one of the institutes which has been providing coaching for earlier versions of the CUET as well.

According to Ish Tyagi, national business head at the organisation, the expansion in the scope of the examination has led to an increase in enrolment for coaching from 1,200-1,300 for the 2021 examination to 7,000 so far for the 2022 examination. They have also started 12 new centres in Delhi-NCR, expecting an increase in interest from the region. In fact, they have gone a step ahead and introduced a two-year coaching programme in which class XI students can be enrolled to prepare for CUET 2024.

“We have also started batches for 2024 since many parents are very concerned because class XI and XII marks are less important now. We have just started free counselling for these batches now. We are teaching in all 27 domain subjects and are encouraging students to apply for and prepare for domain subjects and the general aptitude tests to increase options in multiple universities,” said Tyagi. Promising more than 400 hours of sessions, they have listed their 2024 in-classroom package for Rs 99,950 and their online package for Rs 79,950.

With all universities, except Delhi University and JNU, yet to release their eligibility criteria even while registration for the exam has opened, most students are confused about which subjects to register for to be eligible for programmes of their choice. In a webinar conducted by Careerlaucher about the exam, the most common questions by aspirants were on which subjects do they need to write the examination for various programmes.

Keshav Aggarwal, president, Educators Society, an umbrella organisation of over 300 coaching institutes across Delhi, said the late notification of the exam and lack of clarity among aspirants have provided coaching institutes with an opportunity. “Sample papers have not been released yet, most applicants are not sure about what they need to apply for, they are unsure of what the level of the examination will be. There’s a mass opportunity for coaching centres and they’ll take it,” he said.

His own coaching institute, Exemplar Point, has around 100 students enrolled for the 2022 examination and it has started a year-long programme for the 2023 examination. “What we’re doing is that if a student is coming for mathematics classes, we are saying that we will also prepare them for CUET for the next year in the subject simultaneously with classes for the aptitude section on weekends. With the lack of relevance of board exams, students won’t join otherwise,” he said.