Lakhs of students appear for the IBPS PO exam every year. But only very few of them clears the exam. Some clear the prelims but couldn’t go through in Mains while some got stuck in the interview.
Many candidates even fail at several attempts. The bank examinations IBPS and SBI for different posts are not easy exams to crack. And with the ever-increasing number of candidates taking the exam the rate of failure is also increasing.
This year the IBPS PO prelim is going to be held differently. The National Recruitment Agency (NRA) is going to conduct a single-window screening exam, Common Entrance Test NRA CET for all the non-technical and non-gazetted posts at various entry levels.
The main purpose of conducting the NRA CET exam will be to reduce the various stages in the selection process for various posts like Tier-1, Tier-2, skill tests, and other tests.
This will lessen the burden of conducting different exams on government organizations and will provide equal opportunity to urban and rural students.
NRA CET Key Highlights
1. NRA CET will be a single preliminary exam
2. NRA CET will be conducted for three entry levels (10th, 12th & Graduate)
3. The Scorecard of NRA CET will be valid for 3 years
4. Apart from IBPS, RRB & SSC various other vacancies in State Govt, PSU, Private Companies will also accept the CET Score.
5. NRA CET EXAM will be conducted twice a year in 12 Major languages of instruction.
6. Since there is no age limit a candidate can have an unlimited Number of Attempts to improve CET score subject to them fulfilling the eligibility criteria for the post.
Having a common screening test will have many advantages which can be summed up below:
1. NRA CET will reduce the time and resources of various government bodies who earlier conducted several exams for every vacant post.
2. The candidates will not have to pay for multiple application form fees and travel expenses to appear for multiple exams. A single NRA CET exam will hence reduce the financial burden on the students.
3. The NRA CET will put a stop to the corruption and scams in entry-level exams.
4. No restriction on the number of attempts. Hence the candidate will have the opportunity to appear for the NRA CET exam as long as they satisfy the age limit.
5. NRA CET majorly aims to bring transparency in the conduct and procedures of various government exams. In the past, CGL 2014, SSC Constable (GD), SSC CHSL 2013, CAPF 2016, etc. have been cancelled and gone south due to several reasons.
This time around students are very curious to apply for the newly formed NRA CET Exam. Since the pattern and syllabus of NRA CET are yet to be out, most of the students are still in dilemma about the difficulty level of the IBPS PO Exam.
The rumor around the corner is that the level of the NRA CET exam is going to be very tough and the average student will not be able to qualify for the exam easily. Let's put the rumors to rest and put our efforts to the test.
Why is IBPS PO considered the toughest exam?
IBPS PO prelim exam is a qualifying exam after which you will be required to appear for the mains. The overall cut-off of prelim depends on the number of candidates, number of seats, and difficulty of the exam.
So when we talk about the difficulty level of IBPS PO, then the overall difficulty level of the exam is difficult. The Data Interpretation & Analysis section is the hardest, while Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude are moderate to difficult.
The English Language section is moderate to difficult whereas the General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness section is moderate. Combining this with the number of seats concerning the number of candidates appearing in the exam becomes a big fish to catch.
Now Difficult doesn't mean that it's impossible, it just means you will have to work harder. With properly disciplined and determined 4-5 months of preparation, it is possible to clear the exam.
The candidates will have to answer 35 questions from the Reasoning Ability section in 20 minutes, 35 questions from the Quantitative Aptitude section in 20 minutes and 30 questions of the English language in 20 minutes.
So, to solve the sections within the time limit the candidates need to attain a good level of proficiency, accuracy, and speed.
To attain all these aspects of paper solving in your skill set you need practice. And what a better way to practice than to do previous years' question papers.
But since NRA CET is going to be conducted for the first time for this exam, the previous years of IBPS PO hence become more than important. As with a slight change in the pattern, the NRA is going to be setting the question paper based on the trend of previous years.
How previous years will help you rank up in NRA CET 2022?
1. Understanding
The NRA CET is a newly formed exam for the candidates to understand the standard of the NRA CET exam they will have to refer to the previous year's question papers.
As only when you know something you can achieve it. Ignorance is dangerous in preparations.
2. Time and speed
Life isn’t a race but an entrance exam is not with others but a race with time. The NRA CET exam is an exam of the race against time. More questions have to be solved in less time.
If you practice solving the previous year’s regularly you will be able to develop a grip on effective time management with fewer errors. You will understand which section will require what amount of time.
3. Where Arnold is Weak
As you tread through the previous year's papers, you will come to know which areas and concepts are your strongest and which need improvement.
This knowledge will help you become conscious of your efforts in weaker areas while balancing your time investment in stronger areas.
4. Core Concepts
Solving NRA CET in previous years develops a better understanding of the paper’s core concepts and how you should approach your preparation to get that concept right.
With basic concepts cleared you will have the best opportunity to build advanced concepts on them. Making the foundations of your preparation stronger.
5. Navigation
As NRA CET EXAM will be an online exam it becomes important to know how to navigate between different sections, the meaning of colors and different symbols that are displayed about the status of each question indicating whether you have answered it, left it unanswered or marked it for review.
Previous year's question papers give you an idea of the real exam.
6. Common mistakes
When we solve questions we identify the common mistakes that we are making while answering the questions. By only being aware of mistakes one can rectify them at the earliest.
These all cumulatively help in ranking up your NRA CET score and taking you to the next level. Given that you practice from the previous years regularly and analyze your performance thoroughly.
Best wishes with your dreams!
