Common Eligibility Test (CET) for RRB Railways, SSC & IBPS

 Common Eligibility Test (CET) for RRB Railways, SSC & IBPS Banking Exams 2021: National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will conduct Govt Exams for Non-Technical Posts

Common Eligibility Test (CET) for RRB Railways, SSC & IBPS Banking Exams 2021 by National Recruitment Agency (NRA): The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has given its approval for creation of National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for the recruitment of central government jobs for Non-Technical Posts.

Common Eligibility Test (CET) for RRB Railways, SSC & IBPS Banking Exams 2021 by National Recruitment Agency (NRA):

 As per the recent Press Release, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for creation of National Recruitment Agency (NRA), to bring a transformation reform in the recruitment process for central government jobs. PM shared the news through his twitter handle stating that “The #NationalRecruitmentAgency will prove to be a boon for crores of youngsters. Through the Common Eligibility Test, it will eliminate multiple tests and save precious time as well as resources. This will also be a big boost to transparency.”

Common Eligibility Test (CET) conducted by National Recruitment Agency (NRA) - Recruitment Reform:

Till now various government bodies like Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) or Cell (RRC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the major government exams at Pan India level. National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will perform the same role of conducting government exams for Central Govt Jobs across the different states, cities and districts of India. A multi-agency body called the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) to screen/shortlist candidates for the Group B and C (non-technical) posts. NRA will have representatives of Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Finance/Department of Financial Services, the SSC, RRB & IBPS. It is envisioned that the NRA would be a specialist body bringing the state-of-the-art technology and best practices to the field of Central Government recruitment. 

CET to be conducted for three levels: 

Graduate, Higher Secondary (12th Pass) and 10th Pass for those Non-Technical Posts to which recruitment is presently carried out by SSC, RRBs & IBPS.

CET by NRA is a recruitment Reform - a major boon for the Youth & Economically Weak Candidates:

At present, candidates have to appear for multiple government examinations conducted by multiple agencies at different points of time for similar posts. This places an enormous burden of time and cost on young people. Candidates have to pay fee to multiple recruiting agencies and also have to travel long distances for appearing in various exams. These multiple recruitment examinations are a burden on the candidates, as also on the respective recruitment agencies, involving avoidable/repetitive expenditure, law and order/security related issues and venue related problems. On an average, 2.5 crore to 3 crore candidates appear in each of these examinations. A common eligibility Test would enable these candidates to appear once and apply to any or all of these recruitment agencies for the higher level of examination. This would indeed be a boon to all the candidates.

 

Access to Examination Centres:

Examination Centres in every District of the country would greatly enhance access to the candidates located in far-flung areas. Special focus on creating examination infrastructure in the 117 Aspirational Districts would go a long way in affording access to candidates at a place nearer to where they reside. The benefits in terms of cost, effort, safety and much more would be immense. The proposal will not only ease access to rural candidates, it will also motivate the rural candidates residing in the far-flung areas to take the examination and thereby, enhance their representation in Central Government jobs. Taking job opportunities closer to the people is a radical step that would greatly enhance ease of living for the youth.

 

Women candidates to benefit greatly:

Women candidates especially from rural areas face constraints in appearing in multiple examinations as they have to arrange for transportation and places to stay in places that are far away. They sometimes have to find suitable persons to accompany them to these Centres that are located far away. The location of test centres in every District would greatly benefit candidates from rural areas in general and women candidates in particular.

Bonanza for Candidates from Rural Areas:

Given the financial and other constraints, the candidates from rural background have to make a choice as to which examination they want to appear in. Under the NRA, the candidates by appearing in one examination will get an opportunity to compete for many posts. NRA will conduct the first-level /Tier I Examination which is the stepping stone for many other selections.

CET Score to be valid for three years, no bar on attempts:

The CET score of the candidate shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of declaration of the result. The best of the valid scores shall be deemed to be the current score of the candidate. There shall be no restriction on the number of attempts to be taken by a candidate to appear in the CET subject to the upper age limit. Relaxation in the upper age limit shall be given to candidates of SC/ST/OBC and other categories as per the extant policy of the Government. This would go a long way in mitigating the hardship of candidates who spend a considerable amount of time, money and effort preparing and giving these examinations every year.

Standardised Testing:

NRA shall conduct a separate CET each for the three levels of graduate, higher secondary (12th pass) and the matriculate (10th pass) candidates for those non-technical posts to which recruitment is presently carried out by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Based on the screening done at the CET score level, final selection for recruitment shall be made through separate specialised Tiers (II, III etc) of examination which shall be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies. The curriculum for this test would be common as would be the standard. This would greatly ease the burden of candidates who are at present required to prepare for each of the examinations separately as per different curriculum.

Scheduling Tests and choosing Centres:

Candidates would have the facility of registering on a common portal and give a choice of Centres. Based on availability, they would be allotted Centres. The ultimate aim is to reach a stage wherein candidates can schedule their own tests at Centres of their choice.

    The primary aim for the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) is to conduct an online Common Eligibility Test (CET) for the recruitment of Central Government Job Posts across the different states, cities, and districts of India.