NRA CET Graduates Exam Pattern: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

The NRA CET graduates exam pattern has been described only in outline. The Government has said the Common Eligibility Test (CET) will be a computer-based, objective-type Tier-I screening test with a separate paper for graduate-level candidates. It has not published the number of questions, marks, duration, sections or negative marking in the official sources we could check as of 29 October 2026.

This page separates the confirmed design from the gaps, shows the patterns of the Tier-I exams the CET is meant to serve, and explains how to practise without assuming anything the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) has not announced.

Table of Contents

NRA CET Graduates Exam Pattern at a Glance

Key Points to Know

• The pattern is not final: Any site showing a full "NRA CET pattern" with marks and timing is estimating, usually by copying an existing exam.

• The CET is a screening step: It is Tier-I only. Later stages belong to the recruiting agency.

• Multiple attempts are allowed: There is no limit on attempts within the upper age limit, so one weak attempt does not end your chances.

• Plan for flexibility: Prepare in a way that works for a 60 to 90 minute paper with four sections, but be ready to adjust once the NRA notifies the real pattern.

Confirmed Design of the Test

What the Government has stated

The Cabinet decision of 19 August 2020 describes the CET as a computer-based online test conducted by the NRA as a Tier-I screening exam. It covers non-technical Group B and Group C posts currently recruited through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Candidates register on a common portal and choose a centre, and a score is generated for each attempt.

What it has not stated

There is no official statement on the sectional structure, the weight of each section, whether sections are timed separately, or whether there is a sectional cut-off. These are the details that most affect your strategy, so avoid treating any unofficial figure as settled.

The official sources to read directly are the Press Information Bureau release on the Cabinet decision, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1646946, and the factsheet, https://www.pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=148567

Reference Patterns of Existing Tier-I Exams

The table below shows the preliminary-stage patterns of three exams the CET is meant to serve, as they stood in recent cycles. It is a reference for practice, not the CET pattern. Each agency can change its own pattern, so confirm the current version on the agency's official website.

These three papers differ in sections, timing and penalty. That is exactly why the final CET pattern matters, and why you should build general skills first and format-specific skills later.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

No official marking scheme has been announced for the CET. Existing Tier-I exams use negative marking, with penalties ranging from one-fourth to half a mark for a wrong answer, while unattempted questions carry no penalty. It is reasonable to assume the CET may also penalise wrong answers, but this is an assumption.

What a penalty does to your score

The example below uses a hypothetical paper where each question carries one mark, you attempt 80 questions, and 64 are correct and 16 are wrong. It is illustrative, not an official calculation.

How to practise under an unknown penalty

• Attempt only what you can justify: Guess only when you can remove at least two options.

• Track accuracy as well as attempts: A paper with 70 attempts at 90 percent accuracy usually beats 90 attempts at 65 percent under negative marking.

• Switch practice formats: Alternate between a half-mark and a quarter-mark penalty in your own scoring so you are not tied to one rule.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Build all four skills: Quantitative aptitude, reasoning, English and general awareness appear in almost all graduate-level Tier-I papers, so none can be skipped safely.

• Speed matters more than depth: At roughly 36 to 54 seconds per question in the reference exams, you need quick methods, not long derivations.

• Accuracy protects your score: If negative marking applies, a wrong guess costs more than a skipped question.

• Do not specialise too early: You do not yet know which section will carry the most weight, so keep your strongest and weakest sections both moving.

• Keep scores reusable: With a three-year validity and the best score counting, you can improve across attempts, which makes steady mock practice more valuable than one big push.

Section-Wise Preparation Under an Unknown Pattern

Each section tests a different skill, so each needs a different habit. The table turns the four common areas into a practice routine that holds up whatever the final marks split turns out to be.

Language, Mode and Centres

The official announcements say the CET will be offered in multiple languages and that centres will be set up in every district, with attention to the 117 Aspirational Districts. The exact list of languages and the centre network have not been published. Candidates choose a centre when they register, and allotment depends on availability.

Whatever the language list is, practise in the medium you will use in the exam. If you plan to attempt in Hindi or a regional language, take some mocks in that language so you are used to the terms and the reading speed.

Shifts and Score Comparison

The NRA has not said how many shifts or days the CET will run, or how scores from different shifts will be compared. Existing computer-based exams that run in several shifts use a method to compare scores across shifts, but the CET method is unknown. Do not hope for an easy shift. Practise being consistent across papers of varying difficulty, because that is the only thing in your control.

How the CET Score Is Used

The CET score does not decide a job on its own. Candidates use it to apply to SSC, RRBs, IBPS or other participating agencies, which then run their later stages. How much the CET score counts in final merit has not been announced. In practice this means two things: aim for a high score so it helps across agencies, and keep following the notifications of each agency for the stages after the CET.

Time Management and Test Strategy

These habits work for any timed objective paper, so you can build them now.

A sample split for a 60-minute, four-section paper

This is an illustrative split for practice, not an official format.

In-test habits

• Do a quick first pass: Solve what is easy, mark the rest, and return with the time left.

• Do not sink time: If a question takes more than twice the average time, skip it.

• Reserve the last five minutes: Use them for marked questions and a final check, not for new long questions.

To build these habits, you can attempt timed online tests on Testkart in a Tier-I style format and use the section-wise analysis to see where your time goes. Our NRA CET graduates mock test guide shows a weekly routine.

After each mock

Review three things: questions you got wrong, questions you skipped but could have solved, and questions that took far longer than average. Record them in an error log and revisit the log before your next mock. Over a few weeks, the log shows which topics cost you the most marks.

Warning About Older Pages

Older pages may still show a CET pattern from 2020 and 2021 news reports, or a pattern copied from another exam, as if it were final. Treat these as unverified. The reliable test is simple: if a page does not point to an NRA or Government of India document, it is not an official pattern.