The online common entrance examination (CEE), the first level of screening in the recruitment procedure for Agniveers, junior commissioned officers and others, commenced across the county on April 17, officials said.

The CEE began at 375 examination centres spread across 176 pan-India locations and will continue till April 26, they said.

The Army recently announced a change in the Agniveer recruitment process and candidates wanting to join the force will now have to first appear for an online CEE, followed by physical fitness and medical tests.

Earlier, candidates for Agniveers and others, had to undergo a physical fitness test, followed by medical tests, and appearing for the CEE was the last step.

“The Indian Army has transformed the procedure for recruitment of Agniveers, junior commissioned officers and other categories with the introduction of a computer-based online common entrance exam as the first step,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The online exam is being conducted with assistance from Education Consultancy Services India Limited, a Mini Ratna Company under the Ministry of Education, it said.

“The technological threshold of youth in the nation has improved significantly and with enhanced network connectivity and the proliferation of smartphones, the youth is now empowered to undertake an online exam, instead of travelling long distances to appear for physical exams,” the ministry said.

The changed methodology will ensure an “increased focus on the cognitive aspect” during selection and “prevent chances of malpractice”, it said.

“It will have wider outreach across the country and also reduce the large crowds seen during recruitment rallies to make them more manageable and easier to conduct,” the statement said.

The new recruitment procedure will be carried out in three stages.

In stage one, all candidates who have registered and applied online will undergo an online CEE.

In stage two, the shortlisted candidates will be called for recruitment rallies from June 2023 onwards in phases, at locations decided by respective Army Recruitment Office where they will undergo a physical fitness test and physical measurement test.

Finally, in stage three, the selected candidates will undergo a medical test. Thereafter, the final merit list of the successful candidates will be declared, officials said.

“The modified recruitment system will make the recruitment process more streamlined, transparent and is designed to optimally exploit the latest IT infrastructure available in the nation,” it added.

A top Army official on February 23 said that there was no change in the syllabus or the test pattern that will be used for the online CEE.

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