The CUET Political Science syllabus 2026 has been released by the NTA. Candidates preparing for the CUET Political Science can directly download the syllabus from this blog and review the pattern, recommended books, and preparation methods.
The CUET Political Science syllabus covers contemporary world politics and Indian politics since Independence. Note that there have been no changes in the CUET Political Science syllabus this year. National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct CUET Political Science between May 11 and May 31, 2026. The exact subject-wise schedule will be announced soon on the CUET official website.
Based on the previous years’ analysis of the question paper, important topics that you should cover from the CUET Political Science syllabus are Recent Developments in Indian Politics, Globalization & Environment, Natural Resources and Challenges to the Congress System.
CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 Overview
The CUET Political Science syllabus and pattern are tabulated in brief below. The exam will be held in CBT mode, and the question paper will be in MCQ format.
| Particulars | Details |
| CUET Exam conducting body | National Testing Agency |
| Mode of the examination | Computer-Based Test Mode |
| Type of questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Total number of questions | 50 questions |
| Duration of exam | 60 minutes |
| CUET Political Science total marks | 250 |
| Negative marking | Yes |
| Marking scheme | +5 for each correct answer-1 for each incorrect answer |
| High-weightage topics | Recent Developments in Indian Politics, Globalization & Environment and Natural Resources |
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CUET Political Science Exam Pattern 2026
The exam pattern for CUET Political Science, as released by the NTA, is mentioned below:
- The total marks for CUET Political Science are 250 for 50 questions.
- The Political Science question paper will be in MCQ format, with each question worth 5 marks and a negative marking of -1.
- The duration of the exam is 60 minutes without any sectional time limit.
CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 (Section-Wise Topics)
The CUET Political Science syllabus consists of the following topics and sub-topics.
Section A: Contemporary World Politics
- Era of One-Party Dominance: First three general elections, the nature of Congress dominance at the National level, uneven dominance at the state level, and the coalitional nature of Congress. Major opposition parties.
- Nation – Building and Its Problems: Nehru’s approach to nation-building: Legacy of partition: challenge of ‘refugee’ resettlement, the Kashmir problem. Organisation and reorganisation of states; Political conflicts over language.
- Politics of Planned Development: Five-year plans, expansion of the state sector and the rise of new economic interests.
- India’s External Relations: Nehru’s foreign policy. Sino-Indian war of 1962, Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971. India’s nuclear programme and shifting alliance in world politics.
- Challenge to and Restoration of the Congress System: Political succession after Nehru. Non-Congressism and electoral upset of 1967, Congress split and reconstitution, Congress’ victory in 1971 elections, politics of ‘garibi hatao’.
- Crises of the Constitutional Order: Search for ‘committed’ bureaucracy and judiciary. Navnirman movement in Gujarat and the Bihar movement. Emergency: context, constitutional and extraconstitutional dimensions, resistance to emergency. The 1977 elections and the formation of the Janata Party. Rise of civil liberties organisations.
- Regional Aspiration and Conflicts: Rise of regional parties. Punjab crisis and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The Kashmir situation. Challenges and responses in the North East.
- Democratic Upsurge and Coalition Politics: Participatory upsurge in the 1990s. Rise of the JD and the BJP. Increasing role of regional parties and coalition politics. UF and NDA governments. Elections 2004-2019 and the UPA government, with the addition of the NDA government.
- Recent Issues and Challenges: Challenge of and responses to globalization: new economic policy and its opposition. Rise of OBCs in North Indian politics. Dalit politics in the electoral and non-electoral arena. Challenge of communalism: Ayodhya issue.
Section B: Politics in India Since Independence
- Disintegration of the ‘Second World’ and the Collapse of Bipolarity: New entities in world politics: Russia, Balkan states, Central Asian states, Introduction of democratic politics and capitalism in postcommunist regimes. India’s relations with Russia and other post-communist countries.
- Alternative Centers of Economic and Political Power: Rise of China as an economic power in postMao era, creation and expansion of the European Union, ASEAN. India’s changing relations with China, Japan and South Korea.
- South Asia in the Post-Cold War Era: Democratization and its reversals in Pakistan and Nepal. Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Impact of economic globalization on the region. Conflicts and efforts for peace in South Asia. India’s relations with its neighbours.
- International Organizations in a Unipolar World: Restructuring and the Future of the UN. India’s position in the restructured UN. Rise of new international actors: new international economic organisations, NGOs. How democratic and accountable are the new institutions of global governance?
- Security in the Contemporary World: Traditional concerns of security and politics of disarmament. Non-traditional aspects of human security: global poverty, health and education. Issues of human rights and migration.
- Environment and Natural Resources in Global Politics: Environmental movement and evolution of global environmental norms. Conflicts over traditional and common property resources. Right of indigenous people. India’s stand in global environmental debates.
- Globalisation and its critics: Economic, cultural and political manifestations. Debates on the nature of the consequences of globalisation. Anti-globalisation movements. India is both an arena of globalisation and a site of resistance to it.
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 PDF Download
Aspirants can download the CUET Political Science syllabus PDF from the link given below.
Important Topics in CUET Political Science 2026
An analysis of the CUET Political Science past years’ question papers provides an insight into high-weightage topics. Along with the important topics, CUET aspirants must cover all the topics included in the syllabus to get a good score in CUET 2026.
| CUET Political Science Important Chapters | Expected Number of Questions |
| Recent Developments in Indian Politics | 8-9 questions |
| Globalisation & Environment and Natural Resources | 6-7 questions |
| Challenges to the Congress System | 5 questions |
| Contemporary South Asia | 3-4 questions |
| Alternative Centres of Power | 2-3 questions |
| The End of Bipolarity | 2-3 questions |
| Security in the Contemporary World | 2-3 questions |
| International Organizations | 2-3 questions |
Find the latest CUET subject-wise syllabus below:
Best Books for CUET Political Science Preparation
Students can follow the following CUET Political Science books. For these, students must refer to the NCERTs for foundational learning in each topic.
- NCERTs.
- NTA CUET (UG) Political Science with 20 Solved Practice Papers by VK Global Publications Pvt Ltd
- Go To Guide for CUET (UG) Political Science with 10 Practice Sets by Disha Experts
- NTA CUET (UG) 10 Mock Test Papers for Political Science by Oswaal Editorial Board
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CUET Political Science Previous Year Question Papers
Go through the CUET Political Science past years’ question papers PDF provided below. Practice questions and understand the weightage of each topic, the difficulty level and the marking scheme.
| CUET Political Science Question Paper | Download PDF |
| CUET Political Science Question Paper 2025 | Check Here |
| CUET Political Science Question Paper 2024 | Check Here |
| CUET Political Science Question Paper 2023 | Check Here |
| CUET Political Science Question Paper 2022 | Check Here |
Preparation Tips for CUET Political Science 2026
Here are a few tips you may include in your CUET Political Science preparation strategy:
- Check the syllabus and pattern of CUET Political Science.
- Now, review the strategies of the toppers and the books they referred to during their preparation. Get hold of CUET Political Science books and clear your basic concepts.
- We recommend that students take notes and revise them regularly to retain key information.
- Practice PYQs and take CUET mock tests weekly or regularly to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
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CUET UG Subject List 2026: Syllabus and Question Paper
With these, NTA also offers 1 general aptitude test. Students can choose up to 5 subjects, including a general aptitude test and a language subject, irrespective of the subjects they studied in class 12. You can check the CUET question papers and syllabus in the following table.
| CUET Domain Subjects | Subject-wise CUET Syllabus | Question Paper |
| History | CUET History Syllabus | Check Here |
| Political Science | CUET Political Science Syllabus | Check Here |
| Geography | CUET Geography Syllabus | Check Here |
| Psychology | CUET Psychology Syllabus | Check Here |
| Home Science | CUET Home Science Syllabus | Check Here |
| Mass Media/Mass Communication | CUET Mass Media/Mass Communication Syllabus | Check Here |
| Sociology | CUET Sociology Syllabus | Check Here |
| Sanskrit | CUET Sanskrit Syllabus | Check Here |
| Physical Education | CUET Physical Education Syllabus | Check Here |
| Knowledge Tradition- Practices in India | CUET Knowledge Tradition- Practices in India Syllabus | Check Here |
| Performing Arts | CUET Performing Arts Syllabus | Check Here |
| Environmental Science | CUET Environmental Science Syllabus | Check Here |
| Computer Science | CUET Computer Science Syllabus | Check Here |
| Economics | CUET Economics Syllabus | Check Here |
| Mathematics | CUET Mathematics Syllabus | Check Here |
| Accountancy | CUET Accountancy Syllabus | Check Here |
| Agriculture | CUET Agriculture Syllabus | Check Here |
| Anthropology | CUET Anthropology Syllabus | Check Here |
| Biology | CUET Biology Syllabus | Check Here |
| Business Studies | CUET Business Studies Syllabus | Check Here |
| Chemistry | CUET Chemistry Syllabus | Check Here |
| Physics | CUET Physics Syllabus | Check Here |
| General Aptitude Test | CUET General Aptitude Test Syllabus | Check Here |
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FAQs on CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026
CUET Political Science syllabus includes Politics in India Since Independence and Contemporary World Politics. These topics are further subdivided into chapters covering topics such as Nation, Politics of Planned Development, South Asia in the Post-Cold War Era, International Organisation, and more.
Yes, CUET UG offers Political Science as a subject in the undergraduate course at participating colleges/universities.
To prepare for CUET Political Science, go through the syllabus and pattern provided by the conducting authority. Analyse question papers of the previous years to understand their structure, question types and difficulty level of each section. Mark important areas, make notes and take at least 8 to 10 mock tests before the actual exam.
As per the exam analysis, CUET Political Science is usually easy to moderate. However, students need to cover every topic in the syllabus to achieve a score of 95+ in the actual exam.
You can refer to the NCERTs, Go To Guide for CUET (UG) Political Science with 10 Practice Sets by Disha Experts and NTA CUET (UG) Political Science with 20 Solved Practice Papers by VK Global for CUET Political Science preparation.
750+ is considered a very good score in CUET UG Political Science. In fact, to get into universities like DU, JNU or BHU, you should aim at scoring 780+ in CUET UG 2026.
According to the CUET UG exam pattern, the total marks for the Political Science subject are 250. Each question carries +5 marks, and on every wrong attempt, -1 is deducted.
High-weightage topics in CUET Political Science are Recent Developments in Indian Politics, Globalisation & Environment, Natural Resources and Challenges to Congress.
Getting into tier 1 universities with 500 marks in CUET Political Science is tough. However, you may be admitted to affiliated colleges of DU and BHU with such a score.