The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued an important clarification regarding score calculation for the Common University Entrance Test Postgraduate (CUET PG) 2026. The clarification comes after several questions surfaced on social media about certain CUET PG 2026 subjects being conducted on multiple dates and whether score normalisation was applied to candidates who appeared in the rescheduled examination.
NTA has made it clear that no score normalisation has been applied in CUET PG 2026, either for the main examination or for the rescheduled tests.
CUET PG 2026 Rescheduled Exams Conducted for Affected Candidates
According to NTA, a total of 565 candidates across 28 subjects could not appear for their originally scheduled examinations in March 2026. The disruption occurred due to a law-and-order situation in Tura, Meghalaya, and security concerns at certain overseas examination centres.
To ensure that candidates were not disadvantaged because of circumstances beyond their control, NTA conducted a special rescheduled examination on March 29 and March 30, 2026. The agency described the decision as a welfare measure aimed at protecting students' interests.
NTA emphasized that the rescheduled examination was arranged only for the affected candidates and did not alter the evaluation process followed for all CUET PG 2026 applicants.
No Score Normalisation in CUET PG 2026
Addressing concerns about score calculation, NTA stated that CUET PG 2026 follows an absolute marks system. Every candidate's score is calculated based on the marks obtained in the examination, and no normalisation process is used.
The agency clarified that candidates who appeared in the rescheduled examination were evaluated in exactly the same way as those who took the test on the original dates. Therefore, there was no exemption or special treatment given to any group of candidates.
NTA has seen queries on social media about some CUET (PG) 2026 subjects being held on more than one date, and about normalization not being applied.
— National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) June 13, 2026
In order to avoid speculation, the following is being clarified.
In March 2026, due to the law-and-order disruption at Tura…
NTA also explained that applying normalisation between the two groups would not be statistically meaningful because of the large difference in candidate numbers. For example, around 16,000 candidates appeared for English in the main examination, compared to about 120 candidates in the rescheduled test. Similar differences were observed in subjects such as Political Science and History.
NTA Reaffirms Fair and Transparent Examination Process
NTA further stated that the rescheduled examinations used question papers that had been prepared and approved earlier by subject experts. These experts certified that the difficulty level of the papers was equivalent to those used in the main examination. NTA said that every CUET PG 2026 candidate has been assessed on the same absolute-marks basis. This ensures equal treatment for all applicants.
