Every CUET season produces the same argument: is it better to attempt 50 questions with 70% accuracy or 40 questions with 85% accuracy? The arithmetic gives a clear answer, and it is not the one most students expect.

The marking rule is +5 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one. An unattempted question scores zero. Once you put those three numbers together, attempt count stops being a goal and becomes a by-product of accuracy.

The arithmetic in one line

Score = (correct × 5) − (wrong × 1).

The 50-at-70% candidate gets 35 correct and 15 wrong: 175 − 15 = 160.
The 40-at-85% candidate gets 34 correct and 6 wrong: 170 − 6 = 164.

The second candidate answered ten fewer questions and scored more. Accuracy is not a personality trait; it is a scoring lever.

Accuracy bands

Use your last three papers to estimate your accuracy in each section. Then apply a simple band:

  • Above 80% — you can afford to attempt more. Look for questions you skipped too quickly.
  • 65–80% — the productive zone. Improve accuracy before pushing attempts.
  • Below 65% — attempts are outrunning knowledge. Reduce blind guesses and review the causes.

The band is section-specific. It is normal to be at 85% in one subject and 60% in another. The weaker section needs drills, not more guesses.

When a guess is worth it

A blind guess among four options has an expected value of about +0.2 marks: one chance of +5 against three chances of −1. That is barely positive, and the variance is high.

The picture changes when you can eliminate options:

  • Eliminate one option: expected value is about +1.5.
  • Eliminate two options: expected value is about +2.8.

So the rule is not "never guess". It is "guess only when you have eliminated something". If you cannot rule out a single option, a flagged skip is usually the better decision.

How to raise attempts without losing accuracy

Do not start by guessing more. Start by finding the questions you skipped despite knowing the answer.

After a paper, count the skipped questions you could have solved with another thirty seconds. That number is your free attempt pool. Most students have five to ten of them.

Then improve recognition speed:

  • Drill definitions and formulas until recall is instant.
  • Practise scanning a question for the tested concept before reading every option.
  • Use the first pass to collect easy marks instead of verifying them repeatedly.

A target for the next paper

Pick one section and set two numbers: a minimum accuracy and a minimum attempt count. For example, "at least 80% accuracy and at least 30 attempts". If accuracy falls below the floor, stop increasing attempts and review.

Track both numbers in the error log. A rising attempt count with falling accuracy is a warning, not progress.

The marking scheme guide has the full rules, and the domain paper guide explains how the marking changes section strategy. The paper library is where you test the numbers under a real clock.