Overview: The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and the Delhi University Joint Admission Test (DU JAT) are two of the most important entrance exams for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in India. Both exams are conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and they both test students on their aptitude, logical reasoning, and language skills. However, there are some key differences between the two exams. Read this article to understand these differences better.

Since the announcement of NTA CUET, a lot of students have been curious about the fate of DU JAT, and whether it's going to happen or not.

So let's understand these newly introduced changes to the Delhi University joint entrance test

How is it different from CUET? The difference between CUET vs DU JAT. 

What are the different colleges admitting candidates based on DU JAT and CUET scores and more?

Download Free Study Material for CUET Exam 2025 by SuperGrads

What is the Difference Between CUET vs DU JAT 2025? 

Well, the first important part is to understand the examinations.

Let's review the basic difference between the Delhi University Common Entrance Test (DU JAT) and the Common University Common Entrance Test (CUET) and/ Delhi University Common Entrance Test (DU CET).

What is DU JAT?

It is a university-level examination conducted by Delhi University for admission of eligible candidates to selected professional programs offered by colleges affiliated with Delhi University.

The programs offered through DU JAT are Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), Bachelor of Business Administration (Financial Investment Analysis) (BBA (FIA), and B.A. (Honours) Business Economics (BBE). 

What is CUET?

Currently, a large proportion of Common universities admit students based on their class 12 results.

The merit system raises concerns because different boards use different scoring systems. As a result, the admissions process is uneven in terms of opportunity and demographics.

To address this, a number of universities have come forward to jointly administer the Common Universities Entrance Test (NTA CUET).

The examination's specific guidelines have yet to be determined or made public.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will administer a computer-based common entrance examination that will be required for admission to all Common universities.

The exam will be conducted in the academic session of 2025.

Check out the important details about CUET vs DU JAT: 

Basis	DU JAT	CUET
Exam Type	University Level	National Level
Exam Status	It's an existing exam.	It's an existing exam.
Objective	Conducted to offer admissions to some specific undergraduate programs in colleges affiliated with Delhi University.	It will be conducted to offer admission to various undergraduate programs across various Common universities across India.
Courses	BMS, BBA (FIA), and BBE	Universities taking part include DU, AMU, JMI, BHU, JNU, and more.

What is the Difference Between the Exam Pattern of CUET vs DU JAT?

The exam patterns of CUET vs. DU JAT are nearly similar, with the basic difference being the number of sections asked in the exam.

DU JAT is completely an aptitude-based exam, whereas in CUET, apart from aptitude, students will also be assessed on subject-specific knowledge.

To understand the exam pattern for DU JAT and CUET, read through the post below. Let's check exam pattern for CUET vs DU JAT. 

Exam Pattern: DUJAT 

DU JAT Exam Pattern consists of specifics such as maximum marks, subjects, marking scheme, and duration of the examination.  

To understand the difference between CUET 2025 vs DU JAT we first need to understand the exam pattern. There will be four sections in the examination, namely: Quantitative Ability, General English, Business and General Awareness, and Reasoning and Analytical Ability.

• There will be a total of 100 multiple-choice questions to be solved in a duration of 120 minutes. 
• Four marks will be awarded for each correct response, and one mark will be deducted for each incorrect response.

Sections	Number of Questions	Total Marks	Time Duration
Quantitative Ability	25	100	2 Hours
Reasoning and Analytical Ability	25	100
General English	25	100
Business and General Awareness	25	100
Total Questions	100	400

• To be eligible for DU JAT, you should have pursued mathematics in the qualifying examinations (class 10th and 12th).

Exam Pattern: CUET 2025

Taking into account the CUET examination, it is anticipated that the CUET will be somewhat similar to the exam pattern and marking scheme mentioned below:-

• There will be 3 sections, namely: 
• Section IA & IB: Language to be tested through Reading Comprehension (based on different types of passages–Factual, Literary, and Narrative [Literary Aptitude & Vocabulary]
• Section II: As per the NCERT model syllabus as applicable to Class XII only
• Section III: General Knowledge, Current Affairs, General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability, Quantitative Reasoning (Simple application of basic mathematical concepts arithmetic/algebra geometry/mensuration/stat taught till Grade 8), Logical and Analytical Reasoning
• There will total 63 subjects. 
• The exam is conducted in 13 languages. 
• The exam is conducted in hybrid mode.
• 5 marks will be awarded for each correct response, and -1 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.

The pattern followed previously is enlisted below.

In the new CUET Exam Pattern, the number of questions shall vary.

Mode of the exam	Online
Medium of the exam	English
Type of Questions	Objective/ MCQ type
Sections or Parts	Part A: Languages
	Part B: Domain Knowledge
	Part C: General Test
Number of Questions*	Part A: 50 MCQs (40 questions to be attempted)
	Part B: 50 MCQs (40 questions to be attempted)
	Part C: 60 MCQs (50 questions to be attempted)
Duration	3 hours
Marking scheme	Correct Answer: +5 Mark
	Incorrect Answer: -1 Mark

Difference Between CUET vs DU JAT 2025 Highlights

Basis	DU JAT	CUET
Exam Duration	120 minutes (2 hours)	45 minutes & 60 minutes
No. of Parts	One part of four sections, namely Quantitative Ability, General English, Business and General Awareness, and Reasoning & Analytical Ability.	Part-I will consist of aptitude questions, part II will be domain-specific, and part III will consist of a general test.
Number-of Questions	100 (25 questions in each section)	3 sections: 40-40-50
Mode of Exam	Online (CBT)Hybrod	Hybrid
Marking Scheme	+5 for every correct response -1 for every incorrect response	+5 (five) for every correct response -1 for every incorrect response

As per information till now, it is not mandatory to have mathematics in the qualifying examination to appear for CUET, but modalities are yet to be announced for this clause for some specific courses.

What is the difference in the selection process of CUET vs DU JAT 2025?

DU JAT Selection Process

Candidates who have taken the DU JAT exam are eligible to participate in the DU JAT selection process. Check DU JAT Counselling

• Furthermore, applicants who choose a program/college during online registration will have their information processed centrally for all counselling rounds/allotment procedures.
• ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, the DU JAT selection procedure is divided into two sections: qualifying for the exam and DU JAT results. 
• The percentage obtained by the candidates in the qualifying exam will be used to calculate the rank.
• The rank will then be determined by taking the simple average of the percentages scored in four subjects on the qualifying examination: mathematics, English, and any two of the specified courses. 
• The final selection of candidates will be made based on the parameters and weightages listed below:

Parameters	Weightage
DU JAT exam	65 percent
Class XII Board Exam	35 percent

CUET Admission Process 2025 (New)

• Admission to various courses at Delhi University will be done through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). As per an official announcement issued by DU, the adoption of CUET for admission of students will make the selection process even in terms of opportunity and demography. Read in detail: How To Get Admission In Common Universities Through CUET?
• Candidates will be required to take an aptitude test (CUET) administered by NTA as a part of the selection process, which will assess the candidate's aptitude, logical reasoning skills, and subject proficiency.
• These 3 sections are divided into languages, general tests, and domain-specific subjects.
• To advance to the next round, candidates must acquire a minimum qualifying score determined by the CUET cut-off.
• Candidates who pass this exam will be eligible for the counselling process and have to apply for admission at the official website of Delhi University.
• Candidates will then be required to appear for the CUET/DU counselling. A candidate's college and seat allotment will be based on the merit list prepared using CUET 2025 scores and the other criteria (to be notified) by DU. Selections will be tentatively based solely on CUET, but the conducting authorities have yet to release the final modalities.
• Candidates will then have to complete the admission formalities of the respective campus that has been allocated to them.

CUET vs DU JAT 2025 Selection Process

The selection process is slightly different as well. Let's check the selection process for CUET vs DU JAT: 

Basis	DU JAT	CUET
No. of stages in the admission process	Aptitude Test and Counselling	Aptitude Test and Counselling
Components to calculate merit list	65% weightage is given to DU JAT 35% weightage is given to Class 12th Marks	CUET Score
Counselling	Delhi University Counselling	Common University Counselling

Check: CUET Online Coaching 2025

Similarities in CUET 2025 & DU JAT 

• Both are computer-based examinations (CBT) to be conducted online at the exam center.
• The question paper will consist of multiple-choice (MCQ) questions in both examinations.
• Candidates will be required to take an aptitude test administered by NTA as a part of the selection process, assessing the candidate's aptitude, logical reasoning skills, and language proficiency in both examinations.
• Both universities involve courses from Delhi University, which has created a dilemma on whether DU JAT will be conducted or not.
• Last but not least, both exams offer admission to the finest colleges in their respective courses.

Top Colleges
DU JAT		CUET
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies	Gargi College (women)	Miranda House	Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR)
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College	Keshav Mahavidyalaya	Hindu College	St. Stephen’s College
Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women	Ramanujan College	Hans Raj College	Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College	Shivaji College	Gargi College	Sri Venkateswara College
Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce	Maharaja Agrasen College	Kirori Mal College (KMC)	Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ASRD)
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College	Aryabhatta College	Daulat Ram College	Acharya Narendra Dev College
Ram Lal Anand College	Keshav Mahavidyalaya	AMU	Dyal Singh College
College of Vocational Studies	B.R. Ambedkar College	BHU	Jamia Millia Islamia

Read through NTA CUET Mock Tests 2025

What Will be the Fate of DUJAT? 

Delhi University released the final decision; CUET exams will happen in 2025 for the following reasons:

• Exams for students interested in professional courses like management and business economics would be through a different examination and stream-specific courses through a different one.
• The National Education Policy (NEP) also mentions a CUET for stream-specific or non-professional courses like arts, science, commerce, vocational studies, and languages.
• Thirdly, the system or infrastructure required to conduct DUJAT is already in place, and it would be very difficult for Delhi University to merge both of these exams. 

Conclusion

Both CUET and DU JAT are important entrance exams for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in India. The best exam for you will depend on your individual circumstances and goals. If you are interested in attending Delhi University, then DU JAT is the only option. However, CUET may be a better choice if you are open to attending other universities. CUET is also a good option if you want to take a computer-based exam. Ultimately, the best way to decide which exam is right for you is to consider your options carefully and to take practice tests for both exams. All the best!