NRA CET FAQs for SSC/Bank/Railway: All Your Questions Answer About Common Eligibility Test

By Parnab Mallick|Updated : August 24th, 2020

CET for Bank/SSC/Railway Exams: To streamline the recruitment process in India Union Cabinet has set up a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) which will be responsible for conducting a single-window preliminary exam for various exam categories. NRA will conduct a common test to recruit eligible candidates for the various domain like Bank/SSC/Railway. This process will come into force from next year and will recruit only clerical and non-gazetted staff. In this post, we are sharing frequently asked questions on NRA CET exam process.

Also Read:

Eligibility Criteria & Exam Pattern of NRA CET

Will NRA CET scores undergo Normalisation or not?

How will different agencies recruit through NRA CET

Why NRA CET has been introduced in India?

NRA CET Benefits & Advantages for Bank, SSC and Railway Exams

NRA CET Score now valid for State Government Exams and Private Sector recruitment

The main focus of setting up the NRA is to eliminate the multiple tests and to save precious resources and time as well. Commenting on the decision, our Honorable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi said: " The NRA will prove to be a boon for a crore of youngsters." 

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To set up a National Recruitment Agency, Government has sanctioned 1,517.57 crores and over 1000 centres in each district will be set up so that students especially female candidates do not have to travel long distances. This will save time and energy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the National Recruitment Agency, Common Eligibility Test

Q.1 What is NRA?

A. NRA full form is National Recruitment Agency, which will hold CET as a preliminary exam to recruit qualifying candidates for group B and C posts. This agency will be registered under societies registration act and will work for the various exam domain-like IBPS for Bank, SSC for CHSL/CGL and RRB for Railway and other miscellaneous posts.

Q.2 What is CET?

A. CET full form is Common Eligibility Test, which will be conducted online and will screen candidates for the preliminary exam of IBPS, SSC and Railways Exams all together. Candidates who will qualify the test will become eligible for the next round of selection process.

Q.3 Who will work as a member of NRA, National Recruitment Agency?

A. The agency will comprise representatives from the ministry of finance and Ministry of IBPS, SSC and Railways.

Q.4 How will CET benefit candidates?

A. There are many benefits of CET to the candidates

  1. This will save time, application fees, and travel expenses of the candidates.
  2. The exam will be conducted twice in a year.
  3. Scorecard obtained through CET will be valid for three years.
  4. Through single exams, students will have a chance to appear for SSC, Bank and railway categories depending upon the marks secured by them.

Q.5 Who will be eligible to apply through CET recruitment?

A. Students clearing the following positions/education degree can apply through CET for various Non-gazetted and clerical posts

  1. Graduates
  2. Higher Secondary (12 Standard)
  3. Matriculate (10th Standard)

Read more about CET Eligibility Criteria 

Q.6 How many screening tests (CET) will be conducted in a year?

A. CET will be conducted twice a year.

Q.7 Where and how many centres will be there for CET?

A. There will be more than 1000 exam centres particularly in each district of the nation. The government will focus more on developing 117 Aspirational districts. Exam centres will also be located in rural areas to help save the time of the candidates.

Q.8 Is there any limit to take the CET exam?

A. There will be no restriction on the number of attempts. Aspirants can take the test numerous time or till they qualify it. But there will be upper age limit restriction on the candidates.

Q.9 What will be the medium of the test?

A. The exam will be conducted in various languages so that candidates from across the nation can sit for the exam.

Q.10 What exam categories will be covered under CET process?

A. Exam categories like Bank, SSC and Railways for all clerical and non-gazetted posts will be covered under CET recruitment?

Q. 11 What is the eligibility criteria for CET?

A. There will be upper age limit restriction for the candidates although relaxation to categories like SC, ST, OBC will be given.

Q.12 What will be the exam pattern and syllabus for CET?

A. This time standard exam pattern and syllabus will be followed for the preliminary stage for all candidates of Bank/SSC/Railways, This will reduce the burden on them.

Also Read: 

Q.13 Will candidates be allowed to choose the exam centres?

A. Yes, Candidates can choose the exam centres while applying for CET.

Q. 14 What will be the validity of CET scorecard?

A. The scorecard of CET will be valid for 3 years from the date of result declaration. The best score of the candidates will be considered as the best and current score of the candidates.

Q. 15 What is the process after CET result is declared?

A. After the declaration of common eligibility test, the list of qualifying candidates under each category like SSC, Bank and Railway will be forwarded to the respective agencies to conduct the next level of the examination.

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Q. 16 Will CET affects a number of vacancies in Bank/SSC/Railways?

A. No, there will be no impact of CET on the number of vacancies. Every year many employees retire from their post and the vacant position are required to be filled every year.

Q.17 Can a final year student apply for CET?

A. Yes, the minimum qualification required for CET is matriculated.

Q.18 Will the NRA conduct the CET exam to cover SSC Mains also?

A. After the candidate has qualified the common eligibility test which is the preliminary eligibility examination for non-gazetted govt jobs. It is to be noted here that NRA is the responsible screen for basic aptitude and the actual selection would be based on the recruitment criteria set up by the respective recruitment agencies like RRB, SSC and IBPS.

Q.19 What are the pros and cons of implementation of NRA CET Exam?

A. The NRA is about to replace 20 recruitment agencies and centralise the process through setting up three main entities to conduct exams for three levels which include Class 10 pass, Class 12 pass and Graduate. NRA CET implementation is a good step but candidates must understand the pros and cons to make an informed decision in their process of preparation. Here is the list of pros and cons of NRA CET: 

Pros: 

  • Candidates can now sit for only one screening test and prepare well for their respective Mains exam
  • Candidates need to fill and pay for only one form which will be applicable for all examinations (IBPS/ SSC/ RRB). This will reduce the financial burden on the students to pay for the application fee for different examinations. 
  • Centralisation of the recruitment process will enable the government to save up to Rs 600 crores
  • Implementation of NRA CET will bring more transparency to the recruiting process as there will a single examination conducting authority 
  • At present many common aspirants who sit both for SSC exams and Banking exams. Enactment of NRA CET will substantially decrease the overlapping aspirants

Cons:

  • Since the exam will be conducted once or twice a year, therefore, a candidate gets limited chances of selection if he/ she does not qualify or perform well in that one chance
  • The competition will increase as earlier aspirants were board specific (SSC/ IBPS/ RRB). But, now all aspirants have accumulated to one NRA CET exam 
  • As the competition will increase, therefore, there could be chances of tough syllabus or higher cut off for Mains exam
  • The combined vacancy will reduce the differentiation of individual departmental vacancy. Candidates on selection will be allotted departments as per the merit and number of candidates applying for it

Q. 20 What is the syllabus of NRA conducted CET Exam?

A. The syllabus is not out yet but the exam will see the balance of what is asked in SSC and Banking exams. For instance, reasoning puzzles that are asked in banking exams are likely to pave its way in the CET exam. Therefore, it will be a mixture of what is asked in SSC and banking exams. 

Q. 21 Will there be different CET Exams for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduate level candidates?


A. Yes, there will be different CET exams for Class 10, higher secondary and graduate-level candidates due to their different levels of eligibility. 

Q. 22 If I fail in CET, will I have to wait for another year to appear for the same?

A. The CET will be conducted twice a year in an online mode. In case, you fail the CET, you will have an opportunity to appear in the next CET which will be conducted sometime around that year. 

Q. 23 How will NRA CET affect my chances of selection for the government exam?

A. If you are anxious about the changes you ought to discover, then you should not get overwhelmed by them. The syllabus for CET will be the same as for any preliminary exam and it will be a balanced combination of both SSC and banking prelims. 

Q. 24 Can I reappear in the next CET if my score is less?

A. There isn’t any need to re-appear in CET if you have qualified it in the first attempt. The CET score will be valid for 3 years which means you will be eligible for all the recruitment exams conducted during those years provided you meet the age limit set by them.

Q. 25 I am an SSC aspirant. I have never prepared for banking exams, will I be able to clear the CET in the first attempt?

A. The answer to this question is a big ‘Yes.’ If you are a banking aspirant or SSC aspirant, it is going to work both ways. CET is a preliminary examination which will be conducted by NRA and it will comprise questions asked in preliminary examinations of both the examinations. 

Q. 26 Will NRA CET to replace SSC CGL Exam?

A. NRA will conduct the CET twice a year. This revolutionary step has been taken to speed up the process of conduction of examinations and dismantle the process of appearing for various examinations over and over again. This will not replace SSC CGL but after giving the CET you will be able to directly appear for the different exams posted by different recruiting agencies like SSC, RRB and IBPS.

Q. 27 Will there be more competition in the CET Exam?

A. CET is a common preliminary eligibility test for various exams like SSC, Railways and IBPS and it will be conducted twice a year. The competition depends on many factors like the level of examination set up by the screening agencies like SSC, RRB and IBPS and other factors like the number of vacancies and the cut-offs. 

Q. 28 What is the difficulty level of the NRA CET Exam?

A. According to the latest notification, there is no mention of the syllabus for NRA CET Exam. Therefore, without the correct knowledge of the syllabus, it will be too early to judge the difficulty level of the exam. Candidates must note that since the exam is now centralised, therefore, many aspirants will be taking the exam which will either increase the difficulty level or cut off of the exam. Moreover, candidates can expect the exam pattern to be an amalgamation of Banking and SSC exam and prepare accordingly.

Q. 29 What will be exam centres for NRA CET Exam?

A. The exam centre list will be announced before the exam date of CET exam. Nevertheless, the NRA has made sure that every district should have at least one exam centre. Based on the candidate preference and availability, he/ she will be allotted the exam centre. 

Q. 30 Which all subjects does NRA CET Exam include?

A. The official notification regarding subjects for NRA CET Exam has not been released. However, candidates can expect the following subjects: Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, General Knowledge, General Awareness, and English.  

Q. 31 Will SSC and IBPS board merge to form CET?

A. No, NRA CET is a different conceptualized board which is responsible for the screening test (Preliminary or Tier 1) for RRB, SSC and IBPS exam. 

Q. 32 Does the NRA CET exam will also cover SSC CHSL, SSC MTS and Group D Exams?

A. Yes, NRA CET exam would cover recruitment exams which include Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Clerk & PO, and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) CHSL, CGL, Stenographer, Group C & D, JHT, etc. 

Q. 33 Will SSC, IBPS and RRB stop working after implementation of NRA CET?

A. No, NRA CET will only cover the Preliminary or Tier 1 examination. Candidates need to give their respective RRB, SSC and IBPS Mains exams to qualify for the government job. 

Q. 34 How will NRA CET impact SSC CGL 2020 Exam?

A. As per the latest notification, NRA CET Exam would conduct the preliminary examination for SSC board. There is not a huge impact other than the Tier 1 exam. 

Q. 35 What is the exam pattern of NRA CET?

A. According to the latest notification, there is no update on the exam pattern of NRA CET. Candidates can expect the exam pattern to be a blend of Banking and SSC exam and prepare appropriately.

Q. 36 Is NRA CET beneficial for SSC aspirants?

A. Yes, NRA CET will centralise the Preliminary examination of SSC as this will speed up the process of conducting the exam. SSC board will accept the preliminary score of 3 years. Candidates with good preliminary exam score can then focus completely on SSC Mains provided they qualify the cut off for that year. The execution of NRA CET will also bring transparency in the process and increase the trust in the system.  

Q. 37 Will NRA CET Exam also cover Technical Exams?

A. As per the latest notification, there is no mention whether NRA CET will cover technical exams such as SSC JE. It is only mentioned that it will only cover recruitment exams for RRB, IBPS (Clerk, PO) and SSC.  

Q. 38 How many languages will NRA CET Exam be conducted?

A. NRA CET Exam will be conducted in 12 different languages. 

Q. 39 Do I have to appear in separate CETs for RRB, SSC, IBPS Exams?

A. Yes, there will be a common preliminary eligibility test for the exams with the same level. For instance, exams requiring graduation to meet its selection criteria will have the same test. To take an example, SSC CGL, RRB NTPC, IBPS Clerk and IBPS PO will have the same CET.

This was all about the frequently asked questions on NRA CET. Hope we have cleared all your doubts regarding CET process. In case you still have any query, feel free to ask us below in the comment section.

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