CUET General Test 2026 (CUET GAT): Complete Topic-Wise Preparation Guide

Q: How much time is allotted for CUET General Test?

The time allotted for the CUET GAT exam will be one full hour or sixty minutes.

Q: Is taking the CUET General Test compulsory?

Though CUET GAT is not compulsory, but is advised to take the CUET General Test, as some universities like DU, JNU etc require it to pursue UG courses compulsorily. You can opt-out, but it is advisable to take the test to be eligible for maximum universities.

Q: Is CUET General Test MCQ-based?

Yes, the CUET General Test will consist of questions of the objective-type questions that are multiple choice type ones.(MCQs).

Q: Is NCERT enough for CUET GAT preparation?

Though NCERT covers all the important aspects of QA in general test, for logical reasoning and current affairs, you must use magazines, newspapers and reference books from Arihant and Disha publications for better preparation. CUET's relevant aptitude, general knowledge, reasoning, quantitative, and problem-solving problems are found in the NCERT and reference textbooks.

Q: How many questions are there in CUET General Aptitude Test?

The General Test will have a total of 50 questions and you must attempt 50 questions. This means, all the questions are compulsory and there's no internal choice.

Q: What are some tips for preparing for the CUET General Test 2026?

Some tips for preparing for the CUET General Test 2026 are: Start preparing early, make a study plan and stick to it, revise your notes regularly, practice answering questions from the previous year's papers, take mock tests to assess your progress, get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet and stay calm and focused on the day of the exam.

Q: What are some good resources for preparing for the CUET General Test 2026?

Some good resources for preparing for the CUET General Aptitude Test 2026 are previous year papers, sample papers, YT videos and online channels like Supergrads CUET etc.

Q: Is English included in the General Aptitude Test CUET?

While there's a separate Language Test in CUET, the General Test may also include basic comprehension or verbal reasoning, which indirectly assesses your English skills.

Q: What topics are covered under the CUET General Aptitude Test?

The test usually covers: <ul><li>General Knowledge &amp; Current Affairs </li><li>Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude </li><li>Logical and Analytical Reasoning </li><li>General Mental Ability</li></ul>

Q: What is the paper pattern of the CUET General Aptitude Test?

As per the latest CUET guidelines, the CUET General Aptitude Test: <ul><li>Contains 60 questions (of which 50 need to be attempted)</li><li> Has a duration of 60 minutes </li><li>Is based on Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) </li><li>Awards +5 marks for every correct answer and deducts -1 mark for every incorrect one</li></ul>

Author : Paakhi Jain

July 7, 2025

Overview: Discover what the CUET General Test 2026 (CUET GAT) is and unlock expert tips on preparation strategies to score 250/250 in the highest scoring section in the exam.

It is crucial to know what is General Aptitude Test in CUET before starting your preparation as it is the one of the highest-weightage section in CUET.

As many as 280+ central institutions, private, state, and deemed-to-be universities, such as Delhi University, JNU, BHU, Galgotias University, etc., have confirmed their participation, while numerous additional universities are ensuring their place.

This article will give you insights into CUET General Aptitude Test 2026 ( previously CUET General Test) detailed syllabus and topic-wise preparation tips.

What is CUET General Test (Now GAT) 2026?

The General Aptitude Test is the 3rd section of the CUET exam that examines your general knowledge, reasoning and quantitative aptitude. The details of the CUET General Test (CUET GAT) section are mentioned below:

Criteria	Details
Mode	Online
Medium	English/Language Chosen in Section I
Duration	60 minutes
Type of Questions	Objective
Number of Questions (to be attempted)	50 questions
CUET Total Marks	250
Marking Scheme	Correct Answer: +5
	Incorrect Answer: -1
	Unattempted Answer: 0

You may download the CUET General Test syllabus which provides in-depth information on each topic and its corresponding sub-topics.
You must review the entire curriculum before sitting the examination to ensure you are well-versed in all the topics.
In addition, you should practice answering questions from the latest study materials, such as CUET mock tests, previous year question papers, etc, until you are confident in your answers.

CUET General Test Syllabus 2026: Important Topics

After knowing what the CUET GAT is, go through the table below. The following table overviews some of the significant topics covered on the General Test of CUET 2026.

Topics Covered	CUET GAT Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude	Time-Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Mensuration, Ratio and Percentage Conversion, Trigonometry, Average, Compound interest, Simple Interest, Mode and Median, Time and Speed, Percentage
Logical Reasoning	Direction Analogy, Blood Relation, Number Series, Cube & Dice, Calendar, Verbal Analogy, General Mental Ability, Reciting Chronological order, Coding and Decoding
General Knowledge	Politics, Sports, History, Current Affairs, President, Rivers, Capitals, Padma Shri Award, State Capitals, Currency, GDP

Is General Test compulsory for CUET?

No, the General Test in CUET is not compulsory overall. However, top-ranked universities that accept CUET results, like DU, JNU, BHU, and others, have it as a mandatory subject requirement to pursue selected UG courses.
This is why it is advisable to know everything about the CUET UG General Test in detail and prepare for it to be eligible for most universities.

How to prepare for the CUET General Test 2026: Topic-By-Topic

Here are some easy steps to effectively you can prepare for each section of the exam:

Quantitative Reasoning Preparation Tips for CUET Exam General Test

Exercising your quantitative reasoning skills is the most effective way to improve your score on that exam portion.
Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. You must complete 40–50 questions from this part each day to enhance your reasoning abilities.
Practice more important percentage questions for CUET General Test through the latest study materials to enhance your answering speed.
You will be able to track your mistakes and revise them, and you will better grasp difficult topics.
You must thoroughly understand this subtopic since most significant questions come from the cubes and squares in the numbers section.
Reviewing the equations and formulae to succeed in the quantitative reasoning phase is necessary.
You must be familiar with the fundamental BODMAS, multiplication tables, percentage formulae, and simplification formulas to answer the problems based on these concepts.
Analyse your mistakes while solving the tasks, discover your strengths and weaknesses, and focus on improving those areas to better understand the ideas.

CUET General Test Paper Preparation 2026 for Logical and Analytical Thinking

You must practice answering CUET logical and analytical questions from the sections on classification, verbal reasoning, analogy, logical Venn diagrams, mathematical operations, sitting arrangements, letter and symbol series, alphabet tests, time and ranking sequence tests, and numbers, and insert the missing character section.
Find the answers to 40 to 50 puzzle problems, then analyse the problem regions.
You should work the puzzles in newspapers and websites to strengthen your logical and analytical abilities.
Learn how to become an expert in your areas of weakness by checking the correct answers for each error. Inequalities and syllogisms are likely to be covered in the logical and analytical section under the CUET general test. Thus, it is important to familiarise yourself with these concepts while learning about the CUET GAT & preparing for it.
For proper logical and analytical skills preparation, you should work through the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 problems.
Participate in the practice exams and become familiar with the types of logical and analytical questions that could be on the real examination.
Before taking the test, ensure you've reviewed the essential ideas.
Examine the question paper from the previous year's Class 10 exam to familiarise yourself with the issues that could come up in the logical and analytical parts of the exam.

How to Prepare Yourself for Your Numerical Ability

The most efficient strategy for preparing for the CUET is to create a study schedule and adhere to it as best as possible. To keep up with the preparation for your numerical ability, you must set aside a specific amount of time daily to work through the problems in this part.
To cover the numerical ability for the general test of CUET 2026, you must practice the common questions on the examination.
These questions will come from the non-verbal series, analogies, analytical reasoning, mirror and water images, statement and argument, coding and decoding, direction test, judgment and reasoning, blood relations, statement and conclusion, analogies, and classification topics.
You should use the principles of numerical ability in real-world or day-to-day settings to improve your level of preparedness.
To improve your preparation for the numerical ability segment for the CUET General Test, you must work through practice problems and examples given in the NCERT books.

Tips to prepare CUET General Test Current Affairs 2026

The general test of CUET is extensive and difficult to understand. To succeed in CUET GAT's Current Affairs and earn excellent marks, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the CUET general test syllabus, which also includes Current Affairs.

Current affairs are the recent happenings within the world, be it sports, movies, education, travel, etc.
You must remain up-to-date on current events by watching the news daily from reliable sources. This will ensure that they are aware of what is occurring worldwide.
Go through various questions from the Manormana Yearbook and Supergrads Daily Current Affairs PDFS for practice.
Stick to The Hindu, Indian Express, or any news summary app to stay current on all recent happenings within 6 months before the test date.
Since CUET General Test's Current Affairs section has clear answers, participate in several weekly or daily quiz competitions to ensure regular revision.

CUET General Knowledge Preparation Tips

Try magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan and GK Today to revise static GK (History, Polity, Geography).
Spend 15–20 minutes daily revising old topics to retain facts better.
After finishing each topic, solve CUET previous year question papers to understand your preparation status better.
Watch one-shot videos for GK on YouTube channels like Supergrads.
Make short notes for quick revision for key events, dates, awards, government schemes, and personalities.

Key Takeaways

While learning about the CUET General Test, you now know that scoring 250/250 on the test is challenging, since the success rate is very low. Although you may find this test overwhelming, putting effort into studying and practising can guarantee good results.

The first step in preparing for the General Test for CUET exam is thoroughly studying the syllabus and becoming familiar with the CUET exam pattern.
Study for the general test through updated study materials with more practice questions.
Solve 10-15 CUET general test sample papers and PYP monthly to improve your speed and accuracy.
Attempt mock tests in a timed setting to boost your confidence and speed.
Boost your exam preparation with Supergrads CUET Coaching. Get expert guidance to be well-prepared and score high on the test.

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