'Remarkable Incompetence': Technical Glitch Delays CUET UG 2026 At Some Centres, NTA Shares Revised Timing; AAP Reacts

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency announced on Saturday that it has revised the start time for the CUET (UG) 2026 examination at select test centers where technical issues delayed the beginning of the paper and assured that affected candidates would be given full compensatory time.

The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is a national-level, standardized examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It serves as the gateway for students seeking admission to a wide array of undergraduate and postgraduate programs offered by hundreds of central, state, and private universities across India.

In an 'X' post, the NTA said that the disruption was caused by a technical glitch at the end of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has since been resolved.

“TCS has reported that a technical glitch at their end delayed the commencement of CUET (UG) 2026 at some centres on 30.05.2026. The issue has since been resolved, and the exam is being conducted with full compensatory time so that no candidate is disadvantaged,” the NTA said in a post on X, sharing the revised timings.

Afternoon session timing (revised)

As per the revised schedule for the afternoon session, reporting and entry of candidates will begin from 2:30 pm, while the examination will commence at 4:00 pm instead of the originally scheduled 3:00 pm. 

The NTA further stated that candidates appearing in the morning session are being provided the full duration of the examination and will be allowed to leave only after completing their allotted test time.

• Reporting/entry: from 2:30 PM

• Examination begins: 4:00 PM (instead of 3:00 PM)

What happened on May 24

Earlier, on May 24, the NTA postponed the Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET-UG) 2026 examinations scheduled for May 28 in view of the revised date of the Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) holiday announced by the government.

In a post on X, the NTA informed candidates that both shifts of the examination scheduled for May 28 would now be conducted on revised dates, which will be announced later.

"Important update for CUET (UG) 2026 candidates. The examinations scheduled for 28 May 2026 (both shifts) stand postponed -- in view of the change in the date of the Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) holiday as per the Government of India notification. Revised exam dates for affected candidates will be announced shortly," the agency said in a post on X.

AAP Blasts BJP

Delhi's Leader of the Opposition, Atishi, has sharply criticized the Union Education Minister following the technical issues that delayed today's CUET (UG) 2026 examination. 

Taking to social media, she condemned the recurring disruptions in national-level exams, noting, "First NEET, then CBSE, now CUET." 

She highlighted the frustration of lakhs of students who were left waiting for hours at centers across the country, labeling the situation as "remarkable incompetence.

Rahul Gandhi reacts

Rahul Gandhi has launched a scathing critique of the central government, targeting the repeated failures in conducting major national exams.

 Highlighting the recent disruptions in NEET, CBSE, SSC, and now CUET, he stated that not a single one of these four examinations has been held with integrity, impacting over one crore students.