The government has set up an exam conducting authority called the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for conducting Common Entrance Test (CET) to recruit eligible candidates for the non-gazetted posts in the SSC, RRB, and Banking. Aspirants willing to join the government sectors must know about Exams Included in NRA CET, eligibility criteria, selection process, etc. To help candidates, we have provided complete information about NRA CET 2020-21 in this post.

NRA CET 2020-21

To offer an efficient, uniform, and transparent way of the exam, the government decided to conduct a combined entrance exam. NRA CET will be held for three different levels, i.e., graduate, higher secondary, and matriculate.

Check NRA CET Exam Details in Hindi

• Based on the preliminary examination performance, candidates will be shortlisted for further selection process conducted by respective organizations like SSC, RRB, or Banking.
• The NRA CET Exam will be conducted twice a year, and the scores are valid for three years.
• Through this recruitment, candidates will be filled into various Group B and C posts. 
• Candidates must note that there is no restriction on the number of CET attempts by each candidate unless they fulfill the eligibility criteria completely. 
• In this post, candidates will get details like filling the application form, syllabus, exam pattern, NRA CET Syllabus, and more.

NRA CET Notiffication Highlights 2020-21

Exam Name	NRA CET (National Recruitment Agency Common Eligibility Test)
Conducting Body	NRA (National Recruitment Agency)
Exam Level	National
Exam Mode	Online only
Frequency of Exam Duration	Twice a year
Score Validity	3 years
Exam Purpose	Selection of candidates for various Group-B and -C non-technical posts
Exam Helpdesk No.	to be updated
Official Website	to be updated

NRA CET Exam Date 2021

Let us look at the table below to know all the important events related to the National Recruitment Agency CET Exam 2020. 

Events	CET Exam Date 2021
NRA CET Notification Release	June 2021
Online Application Start	June 2021
Online Application End	July 2021
Pre-exam Training	August 2021
CET Pre Exam Admit Card Release	August Last Week 2021
CET Pre Exam Date	September 2021
CET Pre Exam Result	October 2021

NRA CET for 10th Pass

There are many government exams conducted for candidates who have educational qualification of 10th Standard. The common entrance exam is a great opportunity for candidates willing to get a government job after matriculation.

• The minimum age should be 18 years, and the maximum age is 23 years for candiadtes who are applying for the CET exam under the level 3 category.
• There will be no fixed limit to apply for the NRA CET for 10th Pass candidates. However, there will be an upper age limit that candidates must meet to appear for the exam.
• As the exam will be conducted twice a year, students have two chances in a year to take up the exam. 

NRA CET for 12th Pass

Candidates willing to apply for the 10+12 level of exams must fulfill the qualification based on the level for which they will appear in CET. The basic educational requirement is a 12th pass from a recognized & affiliated school.

• Aspirants can apply for numerous posts available under NRA CET for 12th Pass and reach their desired goals.
• The test will be conducted in 12 different languages.
• This score will be accepted by various government and private sectors.
• Candidates must note that the age limit varies for each exam the candidate wishes to take up after completing their class 12th.

NRA CET for Graduates

A graduate is one of the highest educational qualification levels for which there are numerous openings across the country. In RRB, Banking, and SSC, there are a majority of posts which are for graduate passed out. 

• Candidates who have completed their graduation can apply for the exam under the Level 1 category.
• SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, RRB NTPC, SBI PO, SBI Clerk, IBPS PO are some of the posts under NRA CET for Graduates.
• This will be an online mode of the exam with 0.25 negative marking. Students can appear for exams from various test centers located in districts as well. 
• Candidates willing to apply for the common eligibility test must go through the concerned exam conducting body's eligibility criteria before filling the application form.

Exams Included under NRA CET 

All the preliminary examinations of Group B and C will be combined into a single common eligibility test (CET). The National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will conduct the preliminary exam of Group B and Group C posts conducted by the three government agencies:

• Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
• Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), and
• Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).

All the examinations conducted by these three agencies will now appear for the NRA CET Exam 2020 for the preliminary exam. 

CET Exams	Important CET Exam
CET SSC	SSC CGL, SSC CPO, SSC CHSL, SSC Steno Group C, D, SSC GD Constable, SSC JHT, SSC MTS
CET RRB	RRB NTPC, etc
CET Banking	IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS SO, RBI Grade B, RBI Assistant, NABARD Grade A, SBI PO, SBI Clerk; Other Banking exams like Nainital Bank, J&K Bank, Dena Bank, IDBI Bank, LIC AAO, LIC Assistants, NIACL AO, NICL AAO, GIC Re Assistant Managers

NRA CET for SSC Exams

• For SSC aspirants, NRA Common Eligibility Test will be a great advantage. Many students wish to apply for more than one SSC Exam.
• But, due to the clashing of dates, students tend to apply only for one. Now, students can apply for how many exams they wish to. 
• Based on their CET scores, candidates can further apply for their dream SSC exam. 

Exams	Selection Process
SSC CGL	CBT 1, CBT 2, Descriptive, CPT
SSC CHSL	CBT, Descriptive, Typing
SSC JE	Prelims, Mains, Interview
SSC CPO	Prelims, PSE/PET, Mains, Document Verification
SSC GD Constable	Descriptive, PST/PET, Medical test
SSC MTS	Prelims, Mains
SSC Stenographer	CBT, Skill Test
SSC JHT	Prelims, Mains

NRA CET for RRB Exams

• Candidates preparing for Group B and C in Railways need not worry about the exam dates, as NRA will be conducting the first stage of the exam.
• Based on the CET score, candidates can appear for a higher level of the selection process, which is Mains or Tier 2 & 3. 

Exams	Selection Process
RRB NTPC	Prelims, Mains, Personal Interview
RRB JE	Prelims, Mains, Document Verification, Medical Test
RRB Group D	CBT, PET/PST, Document Verification, Medical Test
RRB ALP	CBT 1, CBT 2, Interview

NRA CET for IBPS/Banking Exams

• The Common Eligibility Test will conduct a single exam for Group B and C Non-Gazetted mainly for IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS SO.
• The first stage of the selection process will be done through NRA for all three recruitment levels, i.e., 10th, 12th & Graduates. 
• Through this NRA, candidates can easily move on to the next stage after clearing this exam.

Exams	Selection Process
IBPS PO	Prelims, Mains, Personal Interview
IBPS Clerk	Prelims, Mains, Personal Interview
IBPS SO	Prelims, Mains, Personal Interview
IBPS RRB PO & Clerk	Prelims, Mains, Personal Interview

Benefits of introducing NRA CET

There are different Advantages and Disadvantages of NRA CET, as explained below:

• The main reason for launching NRA CET is to reduce the burden of SSC, RRB, and IBPS from conducting a separate preliminary exam, which is a tough task.
• It will work as a single-window for conducting prelims exam and shortlisting candidates from the bulk.
• The list of shortlisted candidates will then be passed on to the SSC, IBPS, or RRB for conducting Mains Exam.
• As per the records, more than 2.5 crore candidates appear for the Prelims exam, out of which most of them are for SSC.
• Hence, to shortlist the qualifying candidates through a Common Eligibility Test before sending them for the mains exam is the ideal reason behind NRA.
• The National Recruitment Agency will conduct the tier-1 examination for these three agencies online, i.e., SSC, Railways, and Banking. 
• Separate CETs will be conducted for non-technical posts based on the educational qualification- the Graduate, the Higher Secondary (12t11 pass), and the Matriculate (10th pass) 
• The agency will conduct exams in 12 languages, and it will be expanded to include more regional languages. 
• This score will be valid for three years from the date of declaration of the result.
• Apart from SSC, RRB, or Banking, this score can be used for various private exams and PSU recruitment. 

NRA CET Eligibility Criteria

The NRA CET Eligibility Criteria will be the same as per the exam post requirements. There will be three levels of the exam, i.e., 

• Undergraduate Exam
• 12th Level Exam
• 10th Level Exam

Nationality

• To apply for the NRA Common Eligibility Test, the candidate can be a citizen of India,
• the candidate can be a citizen of Nepal/Bhutan,
• If a candidate is a Tibetan refugee settled in India before January 01, 1962, it will also be counted as eligible for the exam.
• Any candidate who has migrated from any country but permanently residing in India is also eligible.

Age Limit

• The age limit varies for each exam the candidate wishes to take up.
• As said above, the eligibility criteria are the same as the respective exam boards. 
• There is no change in the age limit of the exam. The age relaxation for different categories will remain the same. 

Educational Qualification

As the NRA examines all three levels, the qualification for each level is as explained below:

• 10th Pass Category: The candidates who will apply for the CET administered by NRA for 10th Pass level exams will have different educational qualification criteria. The basic educational requirement is the 10th pass from a recognized school.
• 12th Pass Category: Candidates to apply for 10+12 level of exams must fulfill the qualification based on the level for which they will appear in CET. The basic educational requirement is a 12th pass from a recognized & affiliated school.
• Graduates Category: The Graduate level CET exam's educational qualification will have completely different criteria and must have a graduation degree from a recognized college or university.

Reservation for EWS and PwD

• As the authorities do not yet release the official notification, but it is expected that there would be a 10% reservation for PwD and EWS candidates. 

NRA CET Recruitment Process 2020

There are six stages involved in the National Recruitment Agency CET Exam that are explained below:

Step 1: Fill the NRA CET Application Form

• Candidates will have to fill the NRA CET application form in online mode on the agency's official website.
• The application fee is expected to be nominal and in line with other SSC/RRB/IBPS recruitment exams.
• Candidates will be given an option to choose the scheduling the test and selecting the test center of their choice at this stage of the recruitment process.

Step 2: Download Admit Card for Common eligibility test 2021

• On the exam's official website,  the National Recruitment Agency will release the admit cards.
• Candidates must ensure mandatorily to carry the admit card to the exam center without fail.

Step 3: Appear for Common Eligibility Test 2020

• Candidates must appear for the CET 2020 Exam in online mode in the respective exam centers.
• The question paper will contain MCQs containing four answer choices with one correct option.

Step 4: Declaring of NRA Common Eligibility Test Result 2020

• As per the schedule, the NRA CET Exam results will be released by the exam conducting authority.
• The result is likely to be declared in the form of the merit list. The NRA  CET score of a candidate will be valid for three years.

Step 5: Shortlisting for Next Stage of Recruitment Exams

• Based on the scores, candidates will be shortlisted for the respective tiers in SSC, RRB, or Banking.
• The recruitment boards will conduct further stages.

NRA CET Exam Centers 2020

Exam Center is vital for conducting any examination. Hence, for CET also, the NRA has decided to have many exam centers. Candidates belonging to remote locations can appear in this exam very smoothly without hassle. There will be at least one or more than one center in a district, depending on the students appearing for the exam. Candidates need not travel long distances to attempt the exam. This will reduce the expenses of poor candidates regarding examination fees, traveling charges, lodging, and other expenses.

NRA CET Exam Pattern 2020

• There would be sectional timing in the preliminary exam conducted by the NRA. The exam will include four sections: Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, General Awareness, and Reasoning. 
• The CET exam for hiring candidates will be based on an online exam for 200 marks. 
• There is a negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer.
• The exam duration will be 60 minutes, and for a person with deformity, it will be 80 minutes.

Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks
General Intelligence and Reasoning	25	50
General Awareness	25	50
Quantitative Aptitude	25	50
English Comprehension	25	50
Total	100	200

NRA CET Syllabus 2020

The syllabus is similar to SSC, Banking, and RRB exams, but the CET will examine various subjects. Following the NRA CET Preparation Tips provided by experts will help candidates know how to plan their preparation better. The authority has currently segregated the exam into four sections, namely: Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, and English Language.

Reasoning Ability	Quantitative Aptitude	English Language	General Awareness
Logical Reasoning	Simplification	Reading Comprehension	General Knowledge
Alphanumeric Series	Profit & Loss	Cloze Test	Current Affairs
Ranking/Direction/ Alphabet Test	Mixtures &Alligations	Para jumbles	General Science
Data Sufficiency	Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices	Multiple Meaning / Error Spotting	History
Coded Inequalities	Work & Time	Fill in the blanks	Geography
Seating-Arrangement	Time & Distance	Miscellaneous	Political Science
Puzzle	Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere	Paragraph Completion	Dates and Events

NRA CET Preparation Tips 2020-21

Candidates preparing for the CET exam can follow the simple tips and techniques provided below by our experts.

• Before starting the preparation, go through the complete exam pattern and syllabus in and out.
• Then, prepare a proper preparation strategy that covers all the topics as per the latest syllabus.
• Start with easy topics and later move to tricky topics. This will help increase your confidence levels.
• Candidates are advised to follow daily Current Affairs to stay updated about all the happenings around the world. This will help score good marks in the GK section.
• Try to learn at least 15-20 new words and use them in your daily life.
• Allot at least 2-3 hours to learn Quantitative Aptitude as it is considered the most challenging section of the paper.
• Prepare your own notes that include all the important formulas and concepts, as this will help during your revision.
• Solve previous year question papers to know the paper's difficulty level and type of questions asked in the exam.
• Take up SSC, IBPS, and RRB NTPC Mock Tests regularly to increase your speed, time management skills, and problem-solving skills.
• Reading the newspaper regularly will help improve your grammar & vocabulary.

Best Books for NRA CET 2020-21

As per the experts, referring to the best books will help candidates enhance their preparation for the upcoming exams. To help candidates, we have assembled some of the best books to prepare the common eligibility test 2020-21 in the table below.

Book Name	Author
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning Revised Edition	R.S. Aggarwal
Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations	R.S. Aggarwal
Objective General English by S P Bakshi	Arihant
Elementary and Advanced Mathematics	Kiran Prakashan
Manorama yearbook	Manorama
Lucent’s General Knowledge (English and Hindi)	Lucent’s
Fast track objective arithmetic	Rajesh Varma
How to crack test of Reasoning	Jaikishan

NRA CET 2021 Scores will be Used By

The NRA Common Eligibility Test scores play an important role in the candidate's careers. Aspirants willing to get a job in the government sector need to have these scores. According to Jitendra Singh's statement in the press conference, the CET score will be used by the state and central government and the public sector undertaking (PSUs) and private organizations to weeding out the non-serious candidates. Apart from SSC, RRB, and IBPS, the CET score will be accepted by

• State Recruiting Agencies,
• Various Union Territories Agencies,
• Public Sector Undertakings, and
• Private Companies (with some agreements)

CET Scores to be Used by PSUs and Private Companies

• Many organizations will accept the NRA Common Eligibility Test Score to offer career opportunities. This score has great value in the market.
• Based on certain cut off marks, the companies will accept these scores. 
• Thus, the NRA CET Exam is designed so that it will have a great impact on any student's life. 

CET Scores to be Accepted for State Jobs

• The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri. Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced in recent reports about accepting the CET score for State jobs.
• Madhya Pradesh is the first state to accept the scores by MP State Recruiting Agencies to offer MP Government Jobs.
• The C.M also said that CET's decision would save time and money and help agencies select the desired candidates from the same standard.