NRA to Conduct Online Test for Non-Gazetted Posts Recruitment

New Delhi, 13 July 2022: On 12 July 2022, the Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh stated that the online test for recruitment to non-gazetted posts in the central government is likely to be conducted by this year-end (2022). For this, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of the ‘National Recruitment Agency (NRA)’ to conduct the Common Eligibility Test for recruitment to non-gazetted government posts, including groups B and C (non-technical) posts. 

Candidates who qualify in the prelims exam will be able to apply to any of the recruitment agencies for higher-level examinations. On average, 2.5 crore to 3 crore candidates appear in each of these examinations. 

Note: 

• This statement was made when Singh was delivering the valedictory address at the two-day regional conference on governance in Bengaluru organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Karnataka government.
• The theme of the conference was ‘bringing citizens, entrepreneurs, and government closer for good governance’.

NRA CET for Non-Gazetted Posts Recruitment – Overview

Level	Central government
Posts	Group B and C non-gazetted posts
Test date	End of 2022
Aims	To achieve ‘ease of living’ for the common man and a level playing field for the aspirational youth. To provide ease of recruitment to the job aspirants, with at least one exam center in each district of the country. To help women, divyang, and those candidates who find it financially unaffordable to appear for multiple tests by traveling to multiple centers.
Exams to be replaced	Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
Syllabus	Different for each CET level CET Class 10 passed CET Class 12 passed CET for graduates
Official Website	nracetnic.in

NRA CET for Non-gazetted Posts Recruitment – Details

• The online test for non-gazetted posts recruitment will be conducted in 12 languages.
• The online test will also include all the 22 languages mentioned in the 8th schedule of the constitution. This will be in line with overcoming the complaints of language bias from some southern states. 
• The online test will replace the 1st level tests that are conducted by the three agencies namely the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) for the recruitment to Group B and C non-gazetted posts.
• The National Recruitment Agency (NRA) under the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) is gearing up to conduct a computer-based online Common Eligibility Test (CET) for recruitment to non-gazetted posts.
• The aim of holding this online test is to achieve ‘ease of living’ for the common man and a level playing field for the aspirational youth.
• It also aims at providing ease of recruitment to the job aspirants, with at least one exam center in each district of the country.
• Through this online exam, there will also be a huge benefit to women and divyang candidates and for those who find it financially unaffordable to appear for multiple tests by traveling to multiple centers.

NRA CET 2022 – Objectives and Pattern

• The National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will initially aim at replacing the preliminary exams of 3 agencies namely the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). 
• Through NRA CET, aspirants will have to prepare for a single preliminary examination for all the exams conducted by these three agencies, namely SSC CGL, CHSL, IBPS Clerk, RRB NTPC, etc. 
• A standardized question paper with multiple questions of similar difficulty levels will be set on a central server. 
• The scores of the candidates will be generated quickly in this process, delivered online, and will be valid for a 3-year period. 
• The exam will be held twice a year.
• The exact details regarding the posts to be notified under NRA CET exam are yet to be declared.

NRA CET 2022 – Guidelines

• A standard curriculum will be followed for the CET along with a standard degree of difficulty level.
• The exam will be conducted in multiple Indian languages.
• NRA is expected to conduct a separate CET each for the three levels of graduate, higher secondary (Class 12 passed), and the matriculate (Class 10 passed).
• CET score will act as a preliminary score and the final selection will be made through separate Tier 2/Tier 3 examinations to be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies.
• CET score will be valid for 3 years and the best score during the 3 years will be considered.
• There will be no restriction on the number of attempts by the candidate.
• Candidates can schedule tests and choose the exam center of their choice
• NRA CET scores can be shared with the central govt, state govt, UTs, PSUs, and private sector.

For more information related to NRA CET, please click here. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the full form of NRA?

The full form of NRA is National Recruitment Agency.

What is NRA CET?

National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will conduct the Common Eligibility Test (CET) for the recruitment of Group B and C government posts in SSC, Banking, and Railways.

What are the exams covered by NRA CET?

The exams covered by NRA CET will include Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS RRB, Clerk, PO & SO), Railway Recruitment Board (NTPC, Group D), and Staff Selection Commission (SSC CHSL, CGL, Stenographer, JHT, etc).

In how many languages will the NRA CET exam be conducted?

The NRA CET will be conducted in 12 languages as of now.