CUET PG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a fully Computer-Based Test (CBT), and the exam pattern has stayed consistent through the 2025 and 2026 cycles — a pattern the 2027 exam is expected to follow closely, though the final confirmation will only come with the official CUET PG 2027 Information Bulletin, typically released in December.
Each CUET PG paper consists of 75 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), to be completed within 90 minutes. This is a change from the older format, which used to include a separate 25-question "Section A" for general aptitude. That section has been removed since the 2025 cycle, meaning the entire paper is now focused purely on domain-specific knowledge tied to the subject or programme you're applying for. If you're targeting an M.Sc. in Physics, for instance, every question on your paper will test Physics concepts — there's no general-knowledge buffer to fall back on, so subject depth matters more than ever.
Marking scheme: Each correct answer earns 4 marks, and each incorrect answer deducts 1 mark. Questions left unattempted carry no penalty — a detail worth internalising, since it changes exam-day strategy. With negative marking in play, guessing randomly on questions you're unsure about can hurt your score more than it helps, so most candidates are advised to attempt only what they're reasonably confident about in a first pass, then return to borderline questions if time allows. The maximum possible score per paper is 300 marks.
Medium of the exam varies by subject category. Papers for M.Tech and other Higher Sciences programmes are conducted in English only. Papers for Humanities, Sciences, and Common subjects are typically offered bilingually, in English and Hindi. Language-specific papers (like Hindi, Sanskrit, or Urdu) are conducted in the respective language itself, testing comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and translation skills.
Syllabus structure is tied directly to your chosen question paper code — CUET PG doesn't have one universal syllabus the way some general-aptitude exams do. Instead, each subject code (for example, Economics, Computer Science, or Physics) has its own detailed syllabus published in the official bulletin, generally aligned with standard undergraduate-level coverage of that subject. This is why selecting the correct paper code before you start preparing matters so much — studying the wrong syllabus wastes preparation time that's hard to recover once the exam calendar tightens.
A practical tip for 2027 aspirants: since the exam pattern has now stayed stable for two consecutive cycles (2025 and 2026), it's reasonable to prepare using the current 90-minute, 75-question, +4/–1 format as your baseline — while still planning to do a final cross-check against the syllabus PDF once NTA releases it, in case any subject-specific tweaks are introduced.
Related reading: Before diving into syllabus prep, make sure you actually qualify to sit for the paper you're targeting — check our CUET PG Eligibility Criteria 2027 guide first, since eligibility and paper-code selection are closely linked.