National Testing Agency Revises CUET UG Examination Schedule Following Widespread Technical Glitches

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday revised the examination schedule for the ongoing Common University Entrance Test-Undergraduate (CUET-UG) 2026. The urgent decision came after a major technical glitch severely disrupted the commencement of the high-stakes national entrance test across several evaluation centers in the morning.  

In an official public statement released on social media platform X, the testing agency attributed the infrastructure breakdown directly to its service vendor. "M/s TCS has reported that a technical glitch at their end delayed the commencement of CUET (UG) 2026 at some centres on May 30, 2026," the NTA clarified.

While assuring students that technicians had successfully resolved the underlying server issues, the agency adjusted the afternoon shift timings to absorb the logjam.  Under the revised timetable, the entry and reporting window for the afternoon session was pushed to 2:30 PM, with the actual examination commencing at 4:00 PM instead of the originally planned 3:00 PM slot. The NTA emphasized that candidates trapped in the morning delays were awarded full compensatory time, ensuring they were permitted to leave only after executing their complete duration.  

The unforeseen tech glitch sparked massive criticism online as parents and candidates flagged waiting for three to four hours inside centers amidst intense summer heatwaves. The disruption has also invited sharp political heat for the Central government, with opposition leaders drawing links to recent system vulnerabilities exposed in national-level examinations like NEET and CBSE marking protocols.

Expressing regret for the sudden administrative inconvenience, the NTA has activated its official helpline (+91-11-40759000) and dedicated email support to systematically assist affected candidates experiencing scheduling discrepancies.