A proposal for conducting ‘Common Eligibility Test (CET)’ for recruitment to all non-gazetted posts in Central government and public sector banks was announced in March 2020.

With the Union cabinet giving its approval for the CET, the Central Government is all set to implement the Common Eligibility Test (CET) to fill vacancies / positions in Public Sector Banks, Railways, SSC, and other State & Central government bodies. Since the exam dates for 2020 have already been announced, the new system will be implemented from 2021 onwards.  While the details of the test areas in the proposed CET have not yet been shared, they are not likely to be very different from the areas that such exams currently have – English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, General Knowledge and Awareness etc..

• The CET will be conducted in multiple languages.
• The CET will replace the first level tests (Prelim / Tier I) conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). 
• Based on the score obtained in the CET, the screening of candidates will be done at Prelim level and final selection for recruitment shall be made through Tier II, Tier III etc. of examination which will be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies. 

A National Recruitment Agency will be formed and under the new NRA system, candidates will apply through a common registration portal, paying a single entrance fee. They will prepare from a common curriculum. Examination centres will be set up in each district, with at least one centre in each of the districts.

Scores will be generated quickly, delivered online and be valid for a three-year period from the date of declaration of CET result. There is no bar on number of attempts as long as they are within the eligible age limit, with their best score being considered. The CET score will also be made available to the individual recruiting agencies like Railways, SSC, IBPS and other State/Central Government bodies. Ultimately, the aim is to allow examination by appointment at the convenience of candidates. For now, however, the examination will be held once a year.”

So, what does this mean for you, the potential job seeker? Well, once the system is in place, it means that you can heave a big sigh of relief, and not just because you will be saving on exam fees. Instead of having your attention, focus and preparation spread across different exams, you can put all your effort into one, knowing that a good performance here can help you apply for a variety of jobs over a three year period. You have the time to firm up the basics, identify areas of strength (so that you can boost them) and areas of weakness (so that you can improve in them). You have the time to take a fair number of practice tests, so that you can sharpen your approaches and time-management.