Government job applicants can save on time and fee with one common entrance test

• The government job seekers will now be required to undergo a common online exam. The test scores will be valid upto three years.
  
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed to set up a test centre in every district to trim the recruitment process for jobs in the government departments and public banks.
  
• The entrance test may also be viable for private jobs.

Government job aspirants can breathe easy with one common eligibility test (CET) for recruitment to non-gazetted posts. This is if the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) proposed by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday (February 1), goes through.

Sitharaman proposed to set up a test centre in every district to trim the recruitment process in government departments and public sector banks. “This places enormous burden on time, effort and cost of young people,” she commented on the current process.

As per her proposal, job seekers will now have to take a common online exam and the scores will be valid upto three years - and can be used for notifications across companies over the years. However, the applicant can give three attempts to improve the score. In this case, the best of three scores obtained shall be considered for recruitment.

The scorecard will be available to both the candidates and the recruitment agency.

The move will benefit over 250 million aspirants who struggle with courses and test formats for 125,000 job postings across departments. Applicants can save on the fee needed to appear for multiple entrances.

The entrance test can also be used by private sector recruiters. “The CET score can also be utilised by the private sector for consideration of eligible candidates other than those selected by government recruitment agencies, through an arrangement with NRA,” the government noted.

According to the budget announcements, the government is likely to create 262,000 jobs by March next year.

Meanwhile, separate CETs will also be formulated for recruitment of graduates and matric level students applying for non-technical posts. As of now, these posts are filled via Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exams.

The government also plans to expand its 'Study in India' programme. In this regard, the government will introduce an INSAT exam to enroll Asian and African students in Indian universities. This will mirror the SAT and GMAT exams of the US which are used to enrol foreign students.

See also:
Education Budget 2020 gets ₹99,300 crore allocation, new schemes introduced — including 'INSAT' to enroll Asian and African students

Budget 2020: Indian education sector will now get students and funds from foreign lands

Indians are spending enormously on education even with few jobs in sight