National Recruitment Agency Common Eligibility Test - Graduates

NRA CET for graduates is the graduate-level Common Eligibility Test planned by the National Recruitment Agency (NRA), a multi-agency body set up by the Government of India. The idea is simple: one computer-based Tier-I screening test, whose score can then be used for graduate-level recruitment by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).

This page separates what the Government has officially confirmed from what is still unannounced as of 29 October 2026. It also explains how the CET is meant to work and how to prepare sensibly while the official details are awaited. You will not find invented dates or vacancy numbers here.

Table of Contents

NRA CET for Graduates

What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

Many pages online present NRA CET details as settled facts. They are not. The two lists below keep them apart so you know what you can rely on.

Officially confirmed

• Creation of the NRA: The Union Cabinet approved the NRA on 19 August 2020 to conduct the Common Eligibility Test.

• Three levels: Separate CETs are planned for graduate, higher secondary and matriculate candidates.

• Posts covered: Group B and Group C non-technical posts that are currently recruited through SSC, RRBs and IBPS.

• Score rules: Each score is valid for three years from the result date, and the best valid score is considered.

• Attempts and age: There is no cap on attempts, but the upper age limit applies, with relaxations for reserved categories under existing government policy.

• Centres: At least one test centre in every district, with a special focus on the 117 Aspirational Districts.

Not confirmed or not published

• Exam schedule: No official notification or exam date for the graduate-level CET was found in the official sources we could check. Earlier target years, such as 2021 and early 2022, were announced and then passed.

• Pattern and syllabus: The number of questions, marks, duration, sections, negative marking and topic list have not been officially published.

• Fee, languages and age limit figures: The official announcements say only that the test will be offered in multiple languages. Fee amounts and the exact upper age limit are not stated.

• Cut-off: No CET has been reported as conducted, so no cut-off exists.

• Which agencies will accept scores: SSC, RRBs and IBPS were named in the Cabinet decision. Whether each agency has formally adopted the CET score for specific exams has not been confirmed by us from an official source.

The most recent reliable press report we could verify, from July 2024, said the NRA had not yet conducted any exam. We did not find an official announcement since then that changes this. Before you act on any date, check the NRA's own announcements and the official websites of SSC, RRBs and IBPS.

How the Graduate-Level CET Is Meant to Work

The problem it tries to solve

Today a graduate applying for central government and bank jobs may sit several separate Tier-I style exams in a year, each with its own form, fee and syllabus. The CET is meant to replace those repeated first-stage tests with one common test and one registration. The Government has described benefits such as a single fee, a common curriculum, a standard question bank and faster score generation.

Where it sits in the recruitment process

The CET is only a screening step. It does not give anyone a job. After clearing it, a candidate uses the score to apply to SSC, RRBs, IBPS or other participating agencies, which then run their own later-stage tests, interviews or document checks. Each agency still sets its own post-wise qualification, age and selection rules.

Score rules in plain words

If you take the test more than once, your best valid score is used. A score expires three years after the result date. So a good score gives you more than one recruitment cycle to use it, but only if the agency you apply to accepts it for that exam.

Graduate-Level Exams Linked to the CET

The Cabinet decision names the three recruiting agencies, not a list of exams. The table below shows the graduate-level exams these agencies already run, which are the likeliest places for a CET score to matter. It is a planning aid, not an official list of exams that will accept the score.

If the CET is adopted, the agency would announce how the score is used. Until then, each of these exams continues to follow its own notification.

Timeline: From Announcement to Today

The table lists dated events. Items marked official come from Government of India releases; the last row comes from a press report and is not an official statement.

Treat any schedule you see on social media or coaching pages as unofficial until the NRA publishes it. For the Cabinet decision itself, read the Press Information Bureau release: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1646946

Eligibility: What We Know

The graduate-level CET is meant for candidates with a graduation-level qualification. The Government has not published the exact degree rules, the age limit figures or the cut-off date for counting age. The only confirmed rules are the unlimited attempts within the upper age limit and the relaxations for SC, ST, OBC and other categories under existing policy.

Until the NRA notifies the details, the safest guide is the current notification of the graduate-level exam you plan to apply for through SSC, RRBs or IBPS, because those agencies set post-wise conditions.

Exam Pattern and Syllabus: What We Know

The official announcements describe a computer-based, objective-type Tier-I test. They do not give the sections, question count, marks, time or negative marking, and they do not publish a topic-wise syllabus.

Existing Tier-I exams for the same agencies usually test four areas: quantitative aptitude, reasoning, English and general awareness. That makes them a sensible reference for practice, but not a guarantee of the final CET format.

Selection Process

The CET is the first of two broad stages. The flow, as officially described, is:

1. Register for the CET: A common registration is planned, with centre choice based on availability.

2. Appear in the computer-based test: The score is generated and stays valid for three years.

3. Apply to a recruiting agency: Use the score to apply to SSC, RRBs, IBPS or other participating bodies for their later tests.

4. Clear the agency's own stages: These may include further tests, skill or document verification, depending on the post.

The exact weight of the CET score in final merit has not been announced. Do not assume it is zero or full until the agency says so.

How to Prepare for the NRA CET Graduate Level

Waiting for a notification is the most common mistake. The skills a Tier-I screening test rewards, such as speed in arithmetic, accuracy in reasoning and reading comprehension, take months to build and do not change much when a notification arrives.

A stage-wise plan

• Months 1 and 2, build the base: Revise arithmetic, number series, basic algebra and geometry, grammar rules and core reasoning topics. Read one English newspaper editorial every day.

• Months 3 and 4, add speed: Move to topic-wise tests with a timer. Start a short daily general awareness routine and keep monthly current affairs notes.

• Month 5 onwards, test under pressure: Take full-length mocks in a Tier-I style format, twice a week, with a same-day analysis of every wrong or skipped question.

Practising while details are awaited

Because the CET is meant to feed the same agencies, practice papers in the style of their current Tier-I exams are the closest available substitute. For timed practice, you can attempt online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to decide where to spend your next week. Pair them with previous year papers of SSC, RRB and IBPS Tier-I exams to understand the real difficulty level. Our NRA CET graduates mock test guide explains a weekly routine in detail.

Resources that help

• Short notes: Keep formula sheets and an error log.

• Guided courses: Useful if you need structure. See how to choose in our NRA CET graduates courses guide.

• Related exam pages: Preparing for SSC CGL, IBPS PO or RRB NTPC covers most of the same ground.

Cut-Off and Score Targets

There is no NRA CET cut-off, because no graduate-level CET has been reported as held. Be careful with websites that show a state-wise or category-wise "cut-off" for it. Those figures are guesses, not official data.

A practical alternative is to benchmark against the Tier-I cut-offs of the exams the CET is meant to replace, and to track your own mock scores. Aim for a clear margin above those benchmarks instead of a bare pass, and log every Testkart mock score so your trend is visible. The NRA CET graduates cut-off page explains the method.

Official Sources and Avoiding Fake Information

Only the Government of India and the NRA can announce the CET schedule. Be careful with domains that look similar to official ones and with messages that ask for payment to "register" for the CET. As of the date of this page, no registration for a graduate-level CET has been opened in the official sources checked.

• Cabinet decision: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1646946

• Factsheet on the NRA: https://www.pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=148567

• Before you apply anywhere: Read the notification on the official website of the recruiting agency and the NRA, not a summary.