Checked 25 September 2026. From the University of Kashmir Admission Policy 2026, Notification No. 14 of 2026, the 2026 date sheets and answer keys, and the 2025 question papers. The 2026 paper duration was not published.
The Kashmir University Entrance Test (KUET) is the University of Kashmir's own entrance for its postgraduate seats, run by the Directorate of Admissions & Competitive Examinations (DACE). It is a pen-and-paper OMR test with one MCQ paper per subject (Social Work and Mass Communication add a second paper, and 1-year candidates answer 80 questions), held at the Main Campus in Srinagar according to the 2025 and 2026 date sheets. The 2026 cycle added something new — a separate 1-year Masters for four-year graduates, with a longer paper — and this guide sets out both patterns from the university's own documents.
Where other pages get this wrong
The University of Kashmir fills its PG seats through its own KUET, not CUET-PG.
Commonly published instead: "Kashmir University accepts CUET PG for M.A./M.Sc. admission."
Notification No. 14 of 2026 says selection "for general and self-finance seats is based on positive score obtained in Kashmir University Entrance Test (KUET)". The national tests the university names are CMAT (MBA), GAT-B (M.Sc. Biotechnology), GATE (M.Tech) and GPAT (M.Pharm). CUET-PG is used by the separate Central University of Kashmir.
University of Kashmir Admission Policy 2026.
The pattern
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Mode | Pen and paper — OMR answer sheet with a question booklet; blue or black ball-point; venue printed on the 2025 and 2026 date sheets: Main Campus, University of Kashmir |
| 2-year Masters | 60 multiple-choice questions, 60 marks |
| 1-year Masters (new in 2026) | The common 60-question paper plus a separate 20-question paper — 80 in all |
| Applied for both in a subject | Sit only the 80-question paper; the score is converted pro rata out of 60 for the 2-year list (revised date sheet, 27-07-2026, p.2) |
| Marking | 0.25 deducted per wrong answer; unanswered zero; a question with more than one circle darkened "shall be considered wrong", so it also loses 0.25; no correction fluid |
| Qualifying rule | A candidate "shall be considered for selection if he/she has obtained positive score" |
| Duration | Not stated for 2026; the 2025 papers print "Total Questions: 60 … Time Allowed: 70 Minutes" |
| Syllabus | Per subject, based on the major courses of the 3- and 4-year UG programme; separate 2-year and 1-year syllabi "as per NEP-2020" |
| Calculators | Prohibited |
Admission Policy 2026 (pattern and instructions); revised date sheet 2026; 2025 question papers.
Work out your KUET points (standard 60- or 80-question papers)
Admission Policy 2026: one mark per question, 0.25 deducted per wrong answer, unanswered zero, more than one circle darkened counts as wrong; only a positive score is considered for selection. A candidate who applied for both the 1-year and 2-year programme in a subject sits the 80-question paper, and the score is converted pro rata to 60 for the 2-year list.
Checking the 1-year paper. The Admission Policy describes a common paper of 60 MCQs plus a separate 20-MCQ paper for 1-year candidates, and the revised date sheet of 27 July says a candidate who applied for both sits the 80-question paper, "converting the marks obtained out of 80 to a pro-rata score out of 60" for the 2-year list. We compared the two 2026 Zoology answer keys (EntDownloads 4171 and 4173, both for the test of 7 August): the 1-year key has 80 answers, and its first 60 match the 2-year key question for question. So the extra 20 questions are what separate 1-year candidates, and a candidate who applied for both is ranked on the 2-year list by scaling the 80-point score down to 60 — which is why the 2026 2-year Zoology merit list (EntDownloads 4194) contains values such as 35.06 that no 60-question paper marked in quarter-marks could produce.
Papers that are different
| Programme | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Social Work | Paper I: 60 MCQs (60 marks); Paper II: 4 descriptive questions (60 marks); both on one day, 2½ hours; Paper II marked for 4 × intake by Paper I merit; selection on the combined score |
| Mass Communication & Journalism | Paper I: 60 MCQs (60 marks); Paper II: 5 descriptive questions (40 marks), 2 hours; Paper II marked for 5 × intake; combined score |
| Tourism & Travel Management (MTTM) | 120 MCQs (120 marks); the 2025 paper printed 130 minutes; in 2026 the merit list added Group Discussion points (maximum not published) |
| Nanotechnology | Section A Chemistry, 32 questions (compulsory) + one of Biology or Physics, 28 questions |
| M.Com. | Three sections by specialisation (Accounting & Taxation, Finance, Management); attempt one |
| M.P.Ed. | Only candidates who pass the physical efficiency test may sit |
Admission Policy 2026; 2025 Social Work and MTTM paper covers; MTTM merit list with GD points (31-8-2026).
How the 2026 tests ran
The policy planned the PG tests for 15–26 July 2026. The tentative date sheet of 13 July moved them to 21 July–2 August; on 26 July some tests were postponed; and the revised sheet of 27 July ran them from 21 July to 7 August 2026, in three sessions a day (9:30, 11:30 and 2:30) at the Main Campus. Answer keys were posted soon after each test, with complaints by e-mail only (admissions@kashmiruniversity.ac.in) within a working day. Scores came on 11 August, shown only in each candidate's dashboard.
KUET-2026 Final Centre Notice No. 1: examinee slots per paper. A candidate who applied for several programmes is counted in each, so these are not head counts.
Programmes with no test, and the "non-" tests
Not every programme was examined in 2026. The policy says an entrance test "may not be conducted … where intake capacity is equal to or more than the number of eligible applicants", and the revised date sheet lists the programmes admitted on qualifying-exam merit instead: 2-year Electronics, Statistics, Linguistics and Home Science (Extension & Communication); 2-year and 1-year Persian and Hindi; the M.Tech programmes; MBA (Craft Management & Entrepreneurship); and several 1-year programmes including MTTM, Kashmiri, Public Administration, Mass Communication and Gender Studies. Whether a programme is examined can change from year to year with the number of applicants.
| Programme | First route | If seats remain |
|---|---|---|
| MBA, MBA-FM, MBA-CME | CMAT score | KUET "non-CMAT" test (MBA/MBA-CME tested in 2026) |
| M.Tech (CSE, ECE, Electronics, Design, Power Systems & Control) | GATE score | KUET "non-GATE" test (in 2026 admitted on qualifying merit) |
| M.Pharm | GPAT score | KUET "non-GPAT" test (27 Jul 2026) |
| M.Sc. Biotechnology | GAT-B score | KUET "non-GAT-B" test (11 Aug 2026) |
Admission Policy 2026; Final Centre Notice No. 1; entrance-test notice of 05-08-2026.
Syllabus and previous papers
Each subject has a published entrance syllabus — the university's syllabus pages listed 60 files for the 2-year programmes and 42 for the 1-year ones when we counted on 25 September 2026, both "as per NEP-2020 W.E.F. 2026". The 1-year syllabi are longer: English and Zoology, for example, run to 12 units for the 2-year paper and 16 for the 1-year. The university posts previous papers too, but only from 2025 so far — 55 listed. Since the 60 common questions are shared between the two papers, the 2025 papers remain the best practice material for both.
The positive-score rule in practice. Because wrong answers cost a quarter of a mark and only a positive score counts, a candidate who guesses wildly can score below zero and be dropped. No 2026 merit list we read contained a zero or negative score. With four options, a blind guess is worth a little on average (+0.0625), but that average hides the risk: on a handful of blind guesses the chance of losing marks is high, and the university publishes no attempt strategy. Answering only what you can narrow down is the safer route to a positive total.
Practise it, don't just read it
Practise as the paper is marked: 60 questions, a quarter-mark off per wrong answer, and a blank left wherever you cannot reason your way to the answer. Score a quiz the KUET way (right minus a quarter of wrong) and you will see how far a guessing habit drags a total down.
The ProSyllabus KUET library has topic quizzes for English, Commerce, Economics, History and Botany — the first one is free.
What is the KUET exam pattern?
A pen-and-paper OMR test: 60 MCQs for 60 marks for 2-year Masters, and 80 (60 common + 20) for the 1-year Masters, with 0.25 deducted per wrong answer.
Is there negative marking in KUET?
Yes. 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer, and a question with more than one circle darkened is treated as wrong, so it loses 0.25 too.
What is the qualifying mark in KUET?
A positive score — anything above zero. A candidate with exactly zero or a negative score is not considered for selection.
How long is the KUET paper?
The 2026 duration was not published. The 2025 papers printed 60 questions in 70 minutes.
Does University of Kashmir use CUET PG?
No. Its PG seats are filled through KUET; the Central University of Kashmir, a different university, uses CUET-PG.
What is the 1-year Masters paper in KUET?
New in 2026: the common 60 questions plus 20 more, 80 in all, for 4-year graduates applying for 1-year Masters.
I applied for both 1-year and 2-year Masters. Which paper do I sit?
Only the 80-question paper; your score is converted pro rata out of 60 for the 2-year list.
Where is the KUET exam held?
At the Main Campus, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, in 2025 and 2026.
Are KUET previous papers available?
Yes, the 2025 papers are on the university website; 2026 papers had not been posted.
Is the Social Work entrance different?
Yes: a 60-question Paper I and a descriptive Paper II, with selection on the combined score.
Is the KUET 1-year paper harder?
It is longer: the same 60 common questions plus 20 more from the 1-year syllabus, which has more units.
Is there a KUET test for MBA?
MBA seats go first to CMAT candidates; in 2026 KUET held a "non-CMAT" test for the seats left.
Why was there no KUET test for some subjects in 2026?
Where eligible applicants did not exceed the seats, the university admitted on qualifying-exam merit — for example Statistics, Persian and Hindi in 2026.
How are KUET answer-key complaints made?
By e-mail to admissions@kashmiruniversity.ac.in, within a working day of the key; phone and feedback-forum complaints are not entertained.
Sources
- official — University of Kashmir — Admission Policy, Session-2026
- official — Admission Notification No. 14 of 2026 — 2-year & 1-year Masters and 3-year LL.B. (KUET-2026)
- official — KUET-2026 tentative date sheet, PG (13-07-2026)
- official — Kashmir University Entrance Test update (26-07-2026)
- official — KUET-2026 revised date sheet, PG (27-07-2026)
- official — KUET-2025 final date sheet, PG/LL.B./Engineering
- official — KUET-2026 Final Centre Notice No. 1 (examinees per programme)
- official — Entrance test notice — M.Sc. Biotechnology (non-GAT-B) and B.Tech (05-08-2026)
- official — University of Kashmir — answer keys
- official — KUET-2026 answer key — 1-Year Masters in Zoology (test 07-08-2026)
- official — KUET-2026 answer key — 2-Year Masters in Zoology (test 07-08-2026)
- official — KUET-2026 general merit list — 2-Year Zoology (EntDownloads 4194)
- official — KUET-2026 entrance test score notification (11-08-2026)
- official — University of Kashmir — PG entrance syllabi (2-year)
- official — University of Kashmir — PG entrance syllabi (1-year)
- official — KUET entrance syllabus — English, 2-year Masters
- official — KUET entrance syllabus — English, 1-year Masters
- official — KUET entrance syllabus — Zoology, 2-year Masters
- official — KUET entrance syllabus — Zoology, 1-year Masters
- official — University of Kashmir — previous entrance papers (2025)
- official — KUET-2025 question paper — Zoology (60 questions, 70 minutes)
- official — KUET-2025 question paper — MTTM (120 questions, 130 minutes)
- official — MTTM 2026 general merit list with Group Discussion points (31-8-2026)
- reported — Shiksha — Central University of Kashmir PG admission 2026 via CUET (reported)
- reported — EducationDunia — Kashmir University admission (reported; see corrections)
- reported — Careers360 — Kashmir University admission 2025 (reported; see corrections)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
