The Government of India had proposed a common eligibility test or CET as the preliminary examination for several central and state government jobs. Accordingly, the National Testing Agency or NTA will organise the first common entrance test in late 2022 as NRA CET 2022.
NRA CET is a screening/preliminary test administered to select individuals for different Group-B and C jobs. Candidates can take only one entrance test, CET, to be eligible for numerous government jobs, including bank, SSC, and railways.
The NRA is expected to administer the prelims/tier-I online test for three government recruiting organisations: RRB, IBPS, and SSC.
Examinations Included in NRA CET
The complete list of examinations to be included in NRA CET 2022 is as follows:
| Current Recruitment Agency | Examinations Included in NRA CET |
| Staff Selection Commission (SSC) | SSC CGL SSC CHSL SSC GD SSC CPO SSC Stenographer SSC JHT SSC MTS SSC Selection Post Exam |
| Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) | RRB Group-D RRB NTPC |
| Indian Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) | IBPS PO IBPS Clerk |
| State government examinations | Various state governments, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, have announced that they will use the NRA CET marks for the preliminary level of state government examinations. |
SSC or Staff Selection Commission
Every year, SCC holds tests for applicants at all levels, presenting them with chances to serve the government. SSC selects lakhs of applicants each year at the class tenth, twelfth, and graduate levels. According to the official notification from the Union Cabinet, the NRA CET will be implemented in 2022 for choosing applicants in tier 1. The CET results will be acceptable for the shortlisting of tier 2 tests. A single CET would now merge all tier 1 exams for SSC recruitments, and the tier 2 exam eligibility assessment will be entirely based on CET results.
RRB or Railway Recruitment Board
NRA CET will also be held for non-technical Group B and Group C positions in the Railways sector. Applicants who succeed in the NRA CET will be qualified for the tier 2 and tier 3 exams for Group B and Group C positions in the railways. The NRA CET will take the place of the RRB NTPC and RRB Group D exams.
IBPS or Institute of Banking Personnel Selection
Every year, IBPS is among the main agencies that conduct several bank tests, with lakhs of aspirants participating. With the advent of NRA CET, aspirants would no longer have to sit for several prelim tests for various banking positions. CET scores will be considered valid for IBPS bank prelim examinations.
NRA CET Eligibility
- For non-technical posts, the agency will hold separate tests for individuals at the 10th, 12th, and graduate levels. NRA CET eligibility will be based on the candidate’s level of examination.
- The test will have an upper age limit. However, the age restriction will vary depending on the role for which the individual is applying. For example, the upper age restriction would be relaxed for applicants belonging to reserved communities.
- There is no restriction to the number of times one can take the test, subject to the statutory maximum age limit.
Furthermore, any employment agency can easily use the CET score to find appropriate candidates. This would save such organisations money and effort invested in recruiting. The test will be conducted twice a year, and the score card will be valid for three years.
The NRA CET notification will be made available after the announcement of the examination. The advertisement will include all test-related information, such as significant dates, criteria, the selection procedure, the paper type, and the curriculum. Besides English and Hindi, the NRA CET test will also be administered in 12 different languages. Therefore, NRA CET will save the candidates from taking several prelims tests for multiple examinations, thus saving their time, money, and efforts.