General Aptitude Test
Each of those rules names General Aptitude Test outright — no combination of the other papers reaches them. That is the whole case for spending one of five slots on it.
The paper at a glance
The General Aptitude Test carries the code 501. The syllabus described here is the one published for 2026-27.
It is the shortest syllabus NTA publishes for CUET (UG). After the cover page there is one page, one introductory sentence and five bullet points. The cover calls the paper "General Test"; the bulletin's subject list calls it the General Aptitude Test. They are the same paper under code 501.
How the syllabus is organised
The document lists five topic areas — General Knowledge and Current Affairs; General Mental Ability and Numerical Ability; Reasoning; Logical and Analytical Reasoning; General Science and Environment Literacy. There are no units, no sub-topics under four of the five headings, and no indication of how the five areas share the paper.
The syllabus is a list of topics only. It does not print question counts, marks, negative marking or timing. Read it alongside the exam pattern.
The five topic areas
The only place the document goes below the heading level is the third area, where a parenthesis spells out the kind of mathematics meant.
| Area | What the document says under it |
|---|---|
| General Knowledge, Current Affairs | Heading only; no sub-topics listed |
| General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability | Heading only; no sub-topics listed |
| Reasoning | Simple application of basic mathematical concepts: quantitative arithmetic / algebra, geometry / mensuration / statistics |
| Logical and Analytical Reasoning | Heading only; no sub-topics listed |
| General Science and Environment Literacy | Heading only; no sub-topics listed |
Two of the headings overlap: "Reasoning" and "Logical and Analytical Reasoning" are separate bullets, but the first is defined by its parenthesis as mathematical application, so in practice the split is between quantitative reasoning and verbal or logical reasoning.
What this syllabus does not tell you
Almost everything. From this document you cannot learn:
- how many questions come from each of the five areas, or the marks, negative marking and duration — those are on the exam pattern;
- what "General Knowledge" and "Current Affairs" cover, or how recent "current" means;
- the level of the mathematics beyond the words "simple application of basic mathematical concepts", or which school class it corresponds to;
- what "Environment Literacy" includes;
- which books to use; the syllabus names no textbook;
- how much weight a university gives this paper once you qualify — the programmes that accept it are listed below, but the marks or ranking rule each one applies sits in its own admission bulletin.
Because the syllabus is so thin, the NTA information bulletin and the exam pattern carry more of the useful detail for this paper than the syllabus does. Go to them for attempt rules and question numbers rather than to this list.
Where this paper can take you
Programmes whose rule can use General Aptitude Test, from the 203 universities whose documents we have read. 2,922 of them cannot be reached any other way.
- Galgotias UniversityB.Com (Hons. with Research) · B.Com (Hons. with Research) Applied Finance and Analytics · B.Com (Hons. with Research) Financial Markets · and 215 more218218 only way in
- Kalinga UniversityBachelor of Animation & Visual Effects · Bachelor of Arts · Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law (Integrated) · and 97 more100100 only way in
- Lovely Professional UniversityB Sc (IT) [2+2 with international credit transfer option] · B. Arch. · B.A. (Fine Arts) · and 89 more92always one route
- Sharda University NoidaB.A. - Economics · B.A. - English · B.A. - Film, Television & OTT Production · and 70 more7369 only way in
- University of JammuB.A. in Arabic · B.A. in Business Management · B.A. in Dogri · and 61 more6454 only way in
- Amity University (Noida Campus)B.A. (Spanish) (Honours/Honours with Research) · Bachelor of Arts (Acting) · Bachelor of Arts (Acting) (Honours/Honours with Research) · and 60 more6363 only way in
- Amity University, Greater NoidaApplied Psychology (Honours) · Applied Psychology (Honours/Honours with Research) · Artifical Intelligence · and 58 more6161 only way in
- University of KashmirBachelor with Major in Anthropology · Bachelor with Major in Arabic Literature · Bachelor with Major in Education · and 55 more5819 only way in
- IIS (Deemed to be University), JaipurBachelor of Arts (Honours, Research) — Eight Semesters / Four Years (Economics) · Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Research) — Eight Semesters / Four Years (English Literature) · Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Research) — Eight Semesters / Four Years (Geography) · and 54 more5757 only way in
- CT University (Ludhiana)B.Tech. after Diploma(Engg) Lateral Entry: Computer Science Engineering · B.Tech. after Diploma(Engg) Lateral Entry: Mechanical Engineering/ Civil Engineering · B.A., LL.B. (Five Years Integrated Course)* · and 51 more542 only way in
- Swami Vivekanand Subharti University(B.Com) With Specialisation · Advance Diploma in Jewellery Designing · Applied Arts · and 51 more5454 only way in
- Dayalbagh Educational InstituteB.A. (Hons.) in Arts in Drawing & Painting · B.A. (Hons.) in Arts in English Studies · B.A. (Hons.) in Arts in Hindi · and 48 more5150 only way in
Questions
- Which programmes require General Aptitude Test?
- 2922 programmes at 191 universities name General Aptitude Test outright in their CUET requirement. No combination of the other papers reaches them, so a candidate who does not sit General Aptitude Test cannot apply to any of them.
- Which universities accept General Aptitude Test?
- 3378 programmes across 203 universities can use General Aptitude Test in their CUET requirement, counted from the admission documents we have read line by line. That figure includes the programmes that merely allow the paper as one option alongside others.
- What is the CUET subject code for General Aptitude Test?
- General Aptitude Test carries NTA subject code 501. It is a general paper in the CUET (UG) subject list.
- Which papers are most often taken with General Aptitude Test?
- Counting the programme rules that accept General Aptitude Test, the papers those same rules accept most often are English, Mathematics / Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Hindi. This is a count of rules, not of what candidates choose.
- Are past answer keys available for General Aptitude Test?
- NTA has published a final answer key covering General Aptitude Test for 2026, 2025, 2024, 2024. Each link opens NTA's own PDF at the page where this paper starts. NTA does not publish the question paper itself.