
Preparing for CUET Psychology 2026 requires a clear understanding of both the syllabus structure and the topics that yield the highest scores. According to past trends and expected patterns, Sakunth Kumar a CUET expert tells that chapters like Variations in Psychological Attributes, Self and Personality, and Psychological Disorders have consistently carried a larger number of questions and are considered high-yield for scoring well in the exam. Additionally, Therapeutic Approaches and Attitude & Social Influence sections are also significant contributors to the overall score due to their conceptual importance.
When asked to Sakunth Kumar regarding what nature of questions are usually asked in CUET 2026 exam , he tells that the nature of questions in CUET Psychology is objective and application-oriented. Moreover, he adds that The exam tests both conceptual clarity and real-life application of psychological principles. Besides straightforward recall questions, CUET often includes assertion-reasoning items and case-based scenarios where students must apply theoretical knowledge to practical or situational examples. When it comes to the analysis of difficulty level, Rachita Sethi, alumni of TISS Hyderabad and an expert in Behavioural Analysis having more than 4 years of experience told us that the CUET Psychology paper generally ranges from easy to moderate, with most questions grounded in basic NCERT concepts and direct applications of textbook theories. However, some sections—especially those involving cognitive processes, assertion-reasoning, and in-depth understanding of psychological methods and therapies—can be moderately difficult for many aspirants.
Syllabus For Psychology 2026
Candidates can download the syllabus from the below table.
CUET Psychology Syllabus 2026 - Download PDF |
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Read More: How to become a Psychologist?
Important Topics For CUET Psychology 2026
Here is the list of CUET Psychology important topics 2026.
Unit | Topics |
|---|---|
Variations in Psychological Attributes | How people differ with respect to their various psychological attributes, Individual differences in human functioning, Assessment of psychological attributes, Individual differences in intelligence, Theories of intelligence, Creativity, and Emotional intelligence. |
Self and Personality | Self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-regulation, Concept of personality, Major approaches, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Behavioural, Self-report measures, behavioural analysis, and projective measures. |
Meeting Life Challenges | Nature of stress, how responses to stress depend on an individual, Nature, types, and sources of stress, Effects on psychological functioning and health, Promoting positive health and well-being. |
Psychological Disorders | Major psychological disorders, Concepts of abnormality and psychological disorders, Classification of disorders, Major psychological disorders, Anxiety, Mood, Schizophrenic, and Developmental. |
Therapeutic Approaches | Goals, techniques, effects of different approaches to treating psychological disorders, Nature and process of therapy, Therapeutic relationship, Types of therapies, Humanistic, Cognitive, Yoga, Meditation, Rehabilitation of mentally ill. |
Attitude and Social Cognition | Cultural influences on attributional tendencies, conditions influencing pro-social behaviour, social behaviour, Impression formation, Social cognition, Nature and components of attitudes, Attitude formation and change, Behaviour in the presence of others, Prejudice and Strategies for handling prejudice. |
Social Influence and Group Processes | Dynamics of social influence on conformity, obedience, different conflict resolution strategies, Conformity, Obedience, Compliance, Nature and formation of groups, Types of groups, Social identity, Inter-group conflicts, and Conflict resolution strategies. |
Psychology and Life | Social issues, Human-environment relationship, Environmental effects on human behaviour, Noise, pollution, crowding, natural disasters, Psychology and social concerns, Aggression, Violence, Peace, and Poverty. |
Developing Psychological Skills | Psychological, and interpersonal skills for personal-social development, Effective psychological skills, Observational skills, Interviewing skills, Testing skills, empathy, positive regard, and Communication skills. |
Read More: Psychology : Eligibility, Skills, Colleges and Future Prospects
Expected Topic and Question Weightage for CUET 2026 Psychology - What to Expect?
After a careful observation and speaking to Sakunth Kumar, the expected weightage of topics for CUET 2026 exam for Psychology is mentioned below. You can have a detailed understanding of what may come in the exam this year.
Topic Breakdown
| Topic / Unit | Approx. Questions | Estimated Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological Disorders | 5–6 | High |
| Therapeutic Approaches | 5–6 | High |
| Meeting Life Challenges (Stress & Coping) | 5 | Moderate-High |
| Self and Personality | 2–3 | Moderate |
| Variations in Psychological Attributes | 1–2 | Low-Moderate |
| Attitude and Social Cognition | 1–2 | Moderate |
| Social Influence & Group Processes | 1–2 | Moderate |
| Psychology and Life | 1–2 | Low-Moderate |
| Developing Psychological Skills | 1–2 | Low-Moderate |
Expected High-Impact Topics for CUET Psychology 2026
Psychological Disorders
Classification, symptoms, causes of anxiety, mood, dissociative, schizophrenic, developmental, and substance-related disorders.
Items may test correct identification of disorders from symptoms — a common trend.
Therapeutic Approaches
Types of therapy: Psychodynamic, Behavioural, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biomedical.
Questions often involve matching therapy to scenario or features of therapy types.
Meeting Life Challenges (Stress & Coping)
Sources of stress, effects, and coping strategies.
Expect scenario-based questions linking stress reactions to real situations.
Self and Personality
Personality theories (Type/Trait, Psychodynamic, Behavioural, Humanistic).
Definitions and differences among approaches are frequently tested.
Attitude & Social Cognition + Social Influence
Impression formation, attribution, conformity, obedience.
- These areas produce analytical and assertion-reason questions.
Nature of Questions Expected in CUET Psychology 2026
Based on how the paper has evolved over 2022–2025 and how trends are shaping up for 2026, you can expect the following styles of questions:
Direct NCERT Recall
Straightforward fact-based MCQs (definitions, features, classification).
Usually easier and scoring if NCERT is thoroughly revised.
Assertion-Reason / Match the Pair
A statement followed by a reason — you must judge both.
Common in areas like attitude, intelligence theories, social behaviour.
Scenario / Case-Based Questions
Short situations described, asking you to apply theory (e.g., identify therapy type from a case, stress response from context).
Increasingly frequent — especially in Therapeutic Approaches, Disorders, and Stress units.
Applied Concept Questions : These aren’t direct recall — they mix real-life situations with concepts (e.g., group behaviour in social settings, coping style choice).
Past Year Question Trends of CUET Psychology
Here is a detailed trend analysis of past CUET UG Psychology questions from 2022 through 2025, summarising how the types of questions, topic focus, and difficulty patterns have evolved over the years. When spoken to Rachita Sethi, she have explained how CUET psychology paper have evolved right from 2022 its starting year.
CUET Psychology 2022
Pattern & Question Types
The inaugural 2022 Psychology paper tested mostly fundamental MCQs based directly on NCERT Class 12 Psychology concepts.
A small number of statement-based questions appeared, which required matching a description to a concept or theory.
There were minimal scenario/case-based items — most questions were straightforward recall or basic understanding.
Topic Focus
Core topics like Variations in Psychological Attributes, Self & Personality, and Psychological Disorders featured strongly, reflecting the NCERT syllabus.
Questions were predominantly direct and theory time focused rather than heavily application-based.
Difficulty Level : Generally easy to moderate: students found many questions to be direct textbook-based.
CUET Psychology 2023
Pattern & Question Types
2023 saw a rise in scenario-based questions and case studies compared to 2022.
More statement-based items were included (around 5 or so), asking students to analyse assertions or match psychologists to theories.
This shift indicated that the exam was moving beyond pure recall toward application and analytical reasoning within psychological contexts.
Topic Focus
Themes like Therapeutic Approaches, Attitude & Social Cognition, alongside core topics from 2022 continued to be prominent.
Scenario-style questions often focused on real-life psychological processes or behaviours.
Difficulty Level : Slightly moderate — more questions required interpretation and analysis rather than direct answers.
CUET Psychology 2024
Pattern & Question Types
Case-study based and application-oriented questions increased further versus pure theory.
Some matching and reasoning questions appeared more frequently, reflecting a trend toward critical thinking assessments.
Topic Focus
Core units from earlier years remained important (Disorders, Personality, etc.).
Scenario questions emphasised therapeutic interventions, social influence, stress and coping mechanisms — linking real psychological situations with concepts.
Difficulty Level : Many students described the paper as medium to moderate, with more of an emphasis on application rather than simple NCERT recall.
CUET Psychology 2025
Pattern & Question Types
The 2025 paper continued the trend of integrating case-based questions and application-style MCQs.
Direct theory-based questions were still present but balanced with analytical items that required connecting concepts to scenarios.
Topic Focus
According to recent weightage patterns (which draw from past papers), the following have been consistently important:
Psychological Disorders and Therapeutic Approaches (typically 5–6 questions each)
Self and Personality, Variations in Psychological Attributes, Attitude & Social Cognition, and Social Influence topics continue to have notable representation.
This shows repetition of core NCERT areas alongside applied psychology themes.
Difficulty Level : Comparable to 2023–2024 — generally moderate, balanced between conceptual recall and applied reasoning.
Year-wise Topic-wise Question Distribution
You can check the topic wise distribution of questions from the below section.
Year of Exam - 2022
| Topic / Unit | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|
| Variations in Psychological Attributes | 6–7 |
| Self and Personality | 5–6 |
| Psychological Disorders | 5 |
| Therapeutic Approaches | 4 |
| Attitude and Social Cognition | 4 |
| Social Influence & Group Processes | 3 |
| Stress, Health & Coping | 2–3 |
| Psychology & Life (Applied areas) | 2 |
Year of Exam - 2023
| Topic / Unit | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|
| Variations in Psychological Attributes | 6 |
| Self and Personality | 5 |
| Psychological Disorders | 6 |
| Therapeutic Approaches | 5 |
| Attitude and Social Cognition | 5 |
| Social Influence & Group Processes | 4 |
| Stress, Health & Coping | 3 |
| Psychology & Life | 2 |
Year of Exam - 2024
| Topic / Unit | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|
| Psychological Disorders | 7 |
| Therapeutic Approaches | 6 |
| Self and Personality | 5 |
| Variations in Psychological Attributes | 5 |
| Attitude and Social Cognition | 5 |
| Social Influence & Group Processes | 4 |
| Stress, Health & Coping | 3 |
| Psychology & Life | 2 |
Year of Exam - 2025
| Topic / Unit | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|
| Psychological Disorders | 7–8 |
| Therapeutic Approaches | 6–7 |
| Self and Personality | 5 |
| Variations in Psychological Attributes | 5 |
| Attitude and Social Cognition | 5 |
| Social Influence & Group Processes | 4 |
| Stress, Health & Coping | 3 |
| Psychology & Life | 2 |
If you want to know more about CUET Psychology 2026 exam, stay tuned with CollegeDekho !















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