NEW DELHI: After the NEET-UG and CBSE chaos, on Saturday, Cuet-UG 2026, the gateway to undergraduate admissions in universities across the country, was thrown into disarray after a glitch delayed exams by several hours at centres across the country, forcing National Testing Agency (NTA) to revise schedules, grant compensatory time and announce a re-exam for 3,700-odd candidates who left exam centres without taking the test.The disruption hit the morning shift of the three-hour computer-based exam, with candidates at several centres reporting that despite completing entry formalities and being seated well before the scheduled 9am start, the test did not begin till 11.30am. Students remained inside while relatives outside were left without any clarity on the delay.At some centres, the exam reportedly began four hours behind schedule. Notices about the delay were pasted outside centres after parents protested. NTA tech partner TCS said the glitch was fixed and students were given more time.Around 15.7 lakh candidates were expected to appear for the test nationally. There are 306 Cuet centres in India and 15 outside. While it is not clear how many were affected, reports of disruptions came in from Delhi, Jodhpur, Noida and several other places in UP.The delay cascaded onto the afternoon shift as candidates from the morning session exited much later than planned. NTA revised the afternoon schedule, directing candidates to report from 2.30pm and announcing that exams would begin at 4pm instead of the scheduled 3pm. Candidates are officially required to report to the Cuet exam centre at least 2 hours before the commencement of their scheduled shift, after which entry is stopped.In a statement, NTA said its technology partner, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), had reported a technical glitch that delayed commencement of Cuet-UG at some centres. It said the issue had been resolved and that candidates were being given full compensatory time. “Morning-session candidates are being given the full duration of the paper and may exit only after completing it,” NTA said, apologising for the inconvenience caused.TCS, which operationalises the computer-based examination for NTA, said a brief technical issue had caused a delay of around two hours in the morning shift. The company said the problem was promptly identified and resolved and maintained there was no impact on the sanctity of the examination.“Most candidates (about 95%) were able to complete their exam once it resumed. We understand that 3,765 candidates who were present and had completed biometric registration chose to leave before the exam could restart. For these candidates, NTA will hold a rescheduled exam as a one-time measure. The new date and details will be announced separately,” it said.The glitch affected centres across cities. Some candidates reported exams being cancelled, while others said students left centres amid confusion before the issue was resolved.
