Parliamentary Panel Says CUET's MCQ Format Not Fit for Disciplines Centred on Independent Thinking
18 June 2026 | The Wire
A parliamentary standing committee has raised questions over the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), arguing that its multiple-choice questions format is not an adequate measure for social science-related fields and may hinder institutions such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) from ensuring socio-economic and regional diversity in admissions. In a report submitted to Rajya Sabha chairman on Tuesday (June 16), the committee on education, women, children, youth and sports said the format was “ill-suited for humanities and social sciences disciplines which are definitionally centred on independent, subjective thinking,” reported Times of India.
The current document is a follow-up on the recommendations made by the committee in its 364th report on demands for grants, 2025-26, which dealt with the Department of High Education. The committee, headed by Congress MP Digvijay Singh, noted that the test was implemented in the 2022-23 academic year with an aim to reduce pressure on students and universities alike and to place candidates graduating from different boards on an equal footing. However, the MCQ-based format posed concerns in this regard. The panel called for a review of both the quality of the CUET question papers and the design of the exam in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020…