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The CUET UG 2026 exam analysis for May 18 provides a complete review of each shift. NTA is conducting the CUET UG 2026 exam on May 18 in two shifts, covering subjects such as Hindi, Mathematics, and General Aptitude Test. Candidates can review the detailed exam analysis for both Shift 1 and Shift 2, including the overall and section-wise difficulty levels of the exam.
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The May 18 CUET UG exam analysis also highlights important topics, subject-wise paper reviews, and more. The exam analysis along with the feedback from the students who appeared for the CUET UG exam will be updated in this article. Refer to the tables below for further details on the CUET exam analysis for the May 18 exam.
Harappan Civilization: ~5 questions on culture, sites, urban planning, and artifacts
Buddhist History: 2 questions on teachings and expansion
Buddhist & Sanskrit Texts: 2-3 questions on important texts and literature
Mughal Empire: Questions on administrative systems and notable rulers
Zamindari System: Focus on its significance during Mughal and colonial periods
Comprehension Passages: Two passages—Non-Cooperation Movement and 17th-century Indian history
Bhakti Movement: 2 questions on key saints, philosophies, and social impact
Miscellaneous: Brief factual questions on historical figures like Marichi and Mahasamtha
Reproduction & Fertilization: Fruit formation without fertilization; fertilization rate calculations
Genetics: 2-3 questions on Mendelian inheritance and gene disorders
Genetic Disorders: 2 questions on human genetic diseases and inheritance patterns
Species-Area Curve: Biodiversity and species-area relationship
Cuckoo's Parasitism: Situational question on brood parasitism
Human Reproduction: Sperm pathway and menstrual hormonal sequence (FSH, LH, Estrogen, Progesterone)
Enzyme Functions: Various enzymes including DNA ligase
Contraceptive Methods: IUCDs and female contraceptives
Match the Columns: 5 questions on enzymes, hormones, organs, diseases, ecological terms
Comprehension Passages: Two passages—biodiversity conservation and diseases/medicines
Cartoon-based Questions: 5 questions worth 25 marks
Attempt Rate: Most students answered all 50 questions; 2-3 were tricky
Question Sources: Mostly from NCERT boxes, maps, and related material
Passage-based Questions: 4 passages with 4 questions each (more than usual)
Difficulty: Easy passages but higher quantity
Sentence Rearrangement: 6-8 questions
Vocabulary Focus: Heavy emphasis on vocabulary preparation
Phrasal Verbs: Asked in "Match the following" format
Syllabus Coverage: Questions from syllabus with different wording/language patterns
Difficulty: Some tricky and confusing questions
Computerised Accounting: 3 questions included
QA Section: Tough and time-consuming with formula-based questions (e.g., Mensuration)
General Knowledge: Questions on books & authors, vitamins & proteins, and awards
Overall Difficulty: Moderate to tough
Overall Difficulty
Easy to Moderate overall
Lengthy in nature but not conceptually very tough
More manageable compared to May 14 Shift 1
Time was a mild concern due to passage length and vocabulary density
Reading Comprehension
Two passages appeared in the paper
Both were direct and answerable with careful reading
Topics:
One passage on Cricket history
One passage on an emotional narrative (grandmother & granddaughter)
Questions were fact-based rather than heavily inference-based
Passages were lengthy but mostly straightforward
Vocabulary
Vocabulary level was slightly higher than previous years
Around 4 to 5 vocabulary-based questions appeared
Format included direct questions and Match the Following
Words specifically tested:
Innocuous
Aplomb
Transient
Opulent
Obtrusive
Umbrage
Stoic
Vindictive
Asperse
1 to 2 Synonym questions
2 Antonym questions
Rewarded students who built vocabulary beyond basic word lists
One Word Substitution
1 question appeared
Topic tested: A group or number of ships
Phrasal Verbs
Multiple phrasal verbs appeared
Format included Match the Following
Specific phrasal verbs tested:
Tear Him Apart
Turn Him Down
Catch On
Idioms & Phrases
2 idioms directly tested:
Child's Play
Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Pink Slip and Chip on One's Shoulder also reported by some students
Grammar
Considered the most unpredictable section of the paper
Areas covered:
Active-Passive Voice (Voice Change)
Reported Speech (Narration rules)
Subject-Verb Agreement — singular verb usage tested
Error Detection — 1 to 2 questions
Sentence Rearrangement / Para Jumbles — 3 to 4 questions, reported as easy
Spelling Correction — 2 questions
Prepositions — 1 to 2 questions
Poetic Devices
1 question on Personification
Example tested: "Wind Whispered"
Student Feedback
Vocabulary was higher than expected but manageable
RC passages were long but direct — careful readers scored well
Grammar section was scoring for well-prepared students
Para jumbles and rearrangement were easy
Phrasal verbs and idioms appeared more frequently than expected
Mock test practice was considered essential for time management
Good Attempts
38 to 42 questions considered a strong performance
Overall Difficulty
Easy to Moderate overall
One of the most NCERT-friendly papers of the shift
IED chronology questions were slightly tricky
Microeconomics and Macroeconomics were straightforward and direct
Indian Economic Development (IED)
Dominated by chronology and order-based questions
Tested years, institutions, and events directly from NCERT textbook lines
Key topics tested:
FCI (Food Corporation of India)
UNCED — chronological order question
NABARD — establishment year directly asked
Confusion reported among students who hadn't memorised specific years
Macroeconomics
Strong NCERT focus with direct conceptual questions
Key topics covered:
Balance of Payments (BOP) — carried heavy weightage, NCERT line-based
CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) — banking concept tested
National Income — definitions and concepts
BOP was the most prominent topic of this section
Microeconomics
Balanced and manageable
Key topics covered:
Elasticity of Demand — price-demand relationship and calculations
Profit Maximization — long-run equilibrium concept
Market Equilibrium — demand-supply intersection
Numerical Questions
Easy and formula-based
Primarily from Elasticity calculations
No unexpectedly complex numericals reported
Match the Following
Appeared in Economics similar to English
Tested institutional knowledge and chronological sequences
Student Feedback
Paper was directly lifted from NCERT — line-by-line reading paid off
Chronology questions were the trickiest part
BOP had surprisingly heavy coverage
Numericals were straightforward and quick to solve
PYQs (Previous Year Questions) proved highly useful for revision
Students strongly recommended line-by-line NCERT reading for Economics
Good Attempts
42 to 46 questions considered a strong performance
Overall Difficulty
Moderate to Difficult — the toughest paper of the shift
Formula-driven and calculation-heavy throughout
Not conceptually impossible, but very time-consuming
Time management was the single biggest challenge
Probability
One of the highest-weightage topics
Questions from:
Conditional Probability
Bayes Theorem — direct formula application
Mostly straightforward for students who had practised formulas
Matrices & Determinants
Carried good weightage
Questions based on:
Properties of Matrices
Determinant concepts
Properties-based rather than purely calculation-based
Relations & Functions
Conceptual questions appeared
Topics tested:
Reflexive, Symmetric, and Transitive relations
Function properties
Integration
Among the most time-consuming topics in the paper
Lengthy numericals with multi-step calculations
Required strong formula command and practice
3D Geometry
Notable weightage
Key concept tested: Shortest Distance between lines
Required formula application and spatial understanding
Vectors
Questions on:
Magnitude of vectors
Angle between vectors
Vector sum concepts
Linear Programming Problem (LPP)
Limited questions appeared
Not a major focus area in this shift
Student Feedback
Paper was heavily calculation-based — speed was crucial
Integration questions consumed the most time
Probability had direct and formula-friendly questions
Matrices were scoring for well-prepared students
PYQs helped significantly in recognising question patterns
Students who skipped lengthy questions and returned later managed time better
Good Attempts
30 to 36 questions considered a strong performance
Overall Difficulty
Moderate overall — the most manageable paper of the shift
Heavily formula-based with direct conceptual questions
Less difficult compared to Mathematics
Rewarded students who had thoroughly revised formulas
Current Electricity
Formula-based numericals appeared
Key concept: Wheatstone Bridge — circuit formula tested
Direct application questions, no major surprises
Modern Physics
Direct theory-based questions
Considered a scoring section
Shortest Wavelength (Spectral Series) was specifically tested
Focus on uses and applications of EM waves
Conceptual rather than numerical
Units & Dimensions
Noticeable weightage in this shift
Unit conversion questions appeared
Straightforward for students who had revised SI units
Electrostatics
Questions on Potential Energy of a system of charges
Conceptual and formula-application based
Magnetism
Lorentz Force — direction-based concept tested
Required understanding of vector directions
Optics
Limited questions appeared
Conceptual in nature
Student Feedback
Formula memorisation was the most important preparation strategy
Questions were direct — no unnecessary twists
Units & Dimensions had more weightage than expected
Modern Physics was an easy scoring area
Time pressure was moderate — less stressful than Mathematics
Students with strong formula sheets and revision notes had a clear advantage
Good Attempts
38 to 44 questions considered a strong performance
On Question asked by student community
Hi,
You can check the CUET Tamil previous year question paper with answer key by clicking on the link below.
Hi,
The total marks of CUET UG for each subject is 250 marks. You can check the CUET OBC cut off marks of previous year by clicking on the link below.
Hi,
You can prepare for the CUET exam by going through the study material given below.
Patna Women's College offers admissions for UG programmes based on the marks obtained in CUET exam .
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