CUET UG 2026 Disrupted: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday said a technical glitch reported by its exam partner, TCS, delayed the commencement of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET UG) 2026 at some examination centres across the country. In a notice, later issued by the agency it clarified that the issue has now been resolved and that all affected candidates will be provided full compensatory time to ensure that no student is disadvantaged.
Under the revised schedule, candidates appearing for the afternoon session were asked to report from 2:30 pm, while the examination was rescheduled to begin at 4 pm instead of the originally scheduled 3 pm.
Today’s disruption comes at a time when the NTA is already facing scrutiny over last year’s NEET-UG paper leak controversy, complaints regarding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) process, and now delays in CUET UG examinations triggered by technical issues.
#CUET exam is being held in Delhi today. The exam was scheduled to begin at 9 am, but it’s already 11:30 am and hasn’t started yet.
After the #NEET and #CBSE goof-up, another feat by HR ministry!
A parent standing outside the exam centre shared this video. pic.twitter.com/hjA5Xiwjuf— Yogesh Sharma🇮🇳 (@yogeshangrish) May 30, 2026
Even as the agency issued assurances, frustration was visible outside several examination centres, where parents and candidates waited for hours amid uncertainty.
Videos circulating on social media showed large crowds gathered outside centre gates seeking updates on when the examination would begin. Several parents questioned why the technical issues were not identified before the exam day, while others complained that students had travelled long distances to reach their allotted centres and were left waiting in the heat with little information from officials.
Another video from an exam centre showed hundreds of students and guardians standing behind barricades as delays stretched beyond two hours. The person recording the video claimed the examination was scheduled to begin at 9 am but had not commenced even by 11:30 am.
The disruption quickly triggered political reactions, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launching a sharp attack on the Centre over what he described as a series of failures in the conduct of major examinations. In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four exams. One crore children. Not a single one conducted with honesty.”
NEET। CBSE। SSC। और आज CUET।
चार परीक्षाएँ। एक करोड़ बच्चे। एक भी ईमानदारी से नहीं हो पाई।
दावे “विश्वगुरु” के, मगर देश में एक परीक्षा नहीं करवा सकते – मोदी जी ने पूरी शिक्षा व्यवस्था तबाह कर दी है।
जिस पीढ़ी का भविष्य आप बर्बाद कर रहे हैं – वही पीढ़ी आपका हिसाब करेगी।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 30, 2026
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AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also questioned the handling of the examination, citing reports of delays at centres in Delhi, Noida, Ambala, Varanasi, Bengaluru and Kanpur. He raised concerns about whether candidates receiving question papers at significantly different times could amount to a serious breach of examination integrity.
Former Delhi education minister Atishi similarly criticised the development, linking it to recent controversies surrounding national-level examinations. “First NEET, then CBSE, now CUET,” she wrote on social media, calling the latest incident an example of “remarkable incompetence” after lakhs of students were reportedly left waiting for hours due to a technical issue.