CET | Common Eligibility Test
CET is called common eligibility test. The Staff selection committee or SSC is also the body tasked with the formalization of CET.
SSC has in its report submitted to Rajya Sabha Committee on Mar 14, 2018 has recommended a common entrance test for various exams conducted by various bodies. In its report, SSC has noted that this move will bring in much needed transparency and increase the efficiency of the exams being conducted now to recruit candidates to various central government departments and various public banks.
What is CET?
CET is a common entrance test. It will replace the preliminary level of exams such as SSC CGLE, CHSL, RRB(Railways), IBPS(Bank). In the current procedure, the candidates are required to give separate exam for every different recruitment exam. And these exams are conducted by various organizing bodies giving scope to malpractices and inefficiencies during the condition of these exams.
The CET will be different for 3 qualifications such as
- Matriculation or 10th class level
- Higher secondary or +2 level
- Graduation level
When will CET be implemented?
SSC has proposed the implementation of CET from the year 2019. Also, SSC CGL will be the first exam to use this scores.
- Your CET score is valid for 2 years post the exam
- CET will be first conducted in 2019
- The Tier-2 or mains level exam will be conducted by concerned department
- All the hopeful candidates should register on a portal to be developed by National Career Services
What are the reasons for conducting CET?
In last 10 years, the number of candidates giving exams conducted by SSC has increased by 20 fold. It is an uphill task for SSC or IBPS or RRB to cater to the demands of these many candidates. Also, the last 5 years has seen almost 10 exams cancelled or postponed or result withheld by SSC. The recent such event is the SSC CGL 2017 mains against which a CBI inquiry is also ordered. It has been almost 9 months since the result of SSC CGL 2016 is declared but many candidates are yet to seem their joining letter.
In the wake of all these irregularities and ineffectiveness by the organisation bodies in conducting the exam, the proposal of CET is a welcome move. This move in return increase the efficiency of various organisations and bring the much needed transparency in the conduction of government examinations.
In the wake of all these irregularities and ineffectiveness by the organisation bodies in conducting the exam, the proposal of CET is a welcome move. This move in return increase the efficiency of various organisations and bring the much needed transparency in the conduction of government examinations.
Controversy surrounding CET
While CET is a good first step, there are still some unanswered questions from the candidates perspective.
- What will the syllabus of the exam be. As, the syllabus of SSC and IBPS are different, how will the syllabus CET exam look like?
- How many times will CET be conducted in an year? If CET is conducted only once an year, what happens to those who get less marks in that?
- The tier-2 will be conducted by the respective organisations. What guarantee does the government give that the current inefficiencies and leakages doesn't cripple the system?
- Will CET be just qualifying or the marks will be counted in the final result?
