RRB ALP Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

CBT 1: 75 marks, 60 minutes

One mark a question, one third deducted for a wrong answer. CBT 1 is screening only: its marks do not enter the final merit.

CBT 2: two parts

One third is deducted for a wrong answer in Part A.

Part B is qualifying at 35% for every candidate, of every category, with no relaxation. Its marks never enter the merit list, but failing it ends your attempt.

Computer Based Aptitude Test

Only candidates who clear CBT 2 sit it. A minimum T-score of 42 is required in each test battery separately, again with no category relaxation. There is no negative marking in the CBAT.

How the merit is built

CBT 2 Part A and the CBAT carry equal weight, 50:50. The aptitude test is worth as much as the technical paper.

After that

Document verification and a medical examination. Assistant Loco Pilot is an A-1 medical category post, with the strictest vision standards on the railways.

Mathematics

Number system, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, elementary statistics, square root, age calculations, calendar and clock, and pipes and cisterns.

Mental Ability / General Intelligence & Reasoning

Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding and decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams, data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making, similarities and differences, analytical reasoning, classification, directions, statement and arguments, statement and assumptions.

General Science

Physics, chemistry and life sciences to class 10 level.

General Awareness & Current Affairs

Current affairs in science and technology, sports, culture, personalities, economics, politics and other subjects of importance.

Basic Science & Engineering (CBT 2 Part A)

Engineering drawing including projections, views, drawing instruments, lines, geometric figures and symbolic representation; units and measurements; mass, weight and density; work, power and energy; speed and velocity; heat and temperature; basic electricity; levers and simple machines; occupational safety and health; environment education; and IT literacy.

Part B: trade syllabus (qualifying)

Set on the relevant ITI trade or diploma discipline: Fitter, Electrician, Electronics Mechanic, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Wireman, Instrument Mechanic, Machinist, Turner, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic and others, or the corresponding engineering diploma. The relevant trades are listed in the notification.

Computer Based Aptitude Test

Test batteries assessing intelligence, personality traits and psychomotor abilities relevant to train operation: memory, following directions, depth perception, concentration, perceptual speed. You can't cram for it, but you can practise.

Educational qualification

Any one of:

• Class 10 pass plus an ITI in a notified trade from an institution recognised by NCVT or SCVT; or
• a three-year Diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering (or a combination of these streams); or
• a completed Act Apprenticeship in a notified trade.

Age

Broadly 18 to 30 years, reckoned as on the date given in the notification, with the usual relaxations: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 years for OBC, and the prescribed relaxation for ex-servicemen and other categories.

Medical standards

Assistant Loco Pilot is medical category A-1, the strictest on the railways, with demanding distant and near vision requirements and no spectacles permitted for some standards. Check yourself against the standards in CEN 01/2026 before applying; the medical comes at the very end.

1. CBT 1: 75 marks, 60 minutes. Screening only.
2. CBT 2 Part A: 100 questions, 90 minutes. Half the final merit.
3. CBT 2 Part B: 75 trade questions, 60 minutes. Qualifying at 35% for every category, no relaxation.
4. Computer Based Aptitude Test: minimum T-score 42 in each battery, no relaxation, no negative marking. The other half of the final merit.
5. Document verification and medical examination to A-1 standards.

Selection is board-wise, so cut-offs differ between boards in the same cycle.

Level 2 of the 7th CPC matrix. Dearness, house rent and transport allowances are added, and running staff also draw a running allowance, a large part of a loco pilot's actual earnings that isn't in the basic figure.

You only get the refund if you sit CBT 1, less bank charges. Skip it and you lose the whole fee.

Economically Backward Class (EBC) is not OBC or EWS. It needs an EBC certificate in the CEN's format, a BPL card, an Izzat MST or another central government poverty certificate. An OBC or EWS certificate won't do.

One board, one application. More than one, to one board or several, gets all of them rejected and can debar you from future CENs. The board and the Create an Account details can't be changed later.

Corrections after closing cost a non-refundable modification fee each time. If a correction moves you out of a concessional category, you also pay the fee difference.

The form also takes your zone and post preferences. They decide who is called for document verification at the end, alongside merit, so fill them in with care.

The employer is Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways. The 21 Railway Recruitment Boards run the process, and you are appointed to a Railway zone according to the vacancy table and your preferences.

The 2026 notice has 11,127 Assistant Loco Pilot vacancies across all boards, split board by board and zone by zone in Annexure B of the CEN.

CBT 2 shortlisting is board-wise, at 15 times that board's vacancies, so the board you choose is the field you compete in. It is locked once you apply.

There are 21 Railway Recruitment Boards: Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu, Kolkata, Malda, Mumbai, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Prayagraj, Ranchi, Secunderabad, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram. Your candidature stays with the one you apply to.

That's not where you sit the paper. Centres depend on logistics, you may have to travel to another city or state, and date, centre or shift changes are not allowed. CBT 1, CBT 2 and the CBAT are allocated separately, and the CBAT is held at fewer centres.

Dates from CEN 01/2026, Assistant Loco Pilot:

Exam dates are announced through the board websites, SMS and email. Each of the 21 boards publishes its own vacancy table and schedule under the same CEN number, so watch your own board's site; all are linked from rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.

Download the e-call letter from your board's website. Shortlists are also sent by SMS and email, so keep both live.

• Don't bring a pen or pencil. One is provided.
• No electronics: phones, watches, earphones, Bluetooth devices, health bands, calculators. No books, paper, pouches, scales, writing pads, belts, handbags, caps or purses.
• No henna on your hands. It blocks the biometric capture, and a failure there means disqualification and debarment.

For the CBAT, bring the original Self Screening Medical Declaration Report in the CEN's format. Without it you can't sit the CBAT.

CBTs held over several shifts are normalised, and the normalised mark decides shortlisting and merit.

Final merit is 50% CBT 2 Part A and 50% CBAT, prepared board-wise from candidates who qualified the CBAT, then matched against zone and post preferences for document verification and the medical. On equal marks the older candidate ranks higher.

Tentative answer keys and response sheets go up on the board websites after each CBT, with a paid objection window. Download yours while it is open.

No cut-off is announced in advance. The fixed minimums for CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part A, from CEN 01/2026:

Ex-servicemen take their own community's percentage. Part B (35%) and the CBAT (T-score 42 in each battery) have no relaxation for anyone.

The real cut-off comes from board-wise shortlisting: 15 times the vacancies for CBT 2, and 8 times the ALP vacancies per community for the CBAT. It differs by board and community, and boards post their shortlists on their own sites, linked from rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.

1. Prepare for the aptitude test from the start. It is 50% of the final merit, and between CBT 2 and the CBAT there are only weeks.
2. Part B has no category relaxation. 35% is the bar for everyone. Trade preparation is not optional even though those marks never count.
3. CBT 1 buys nothing but entry. Clear it and move on.
4. Check the A-1 medical standards before applying. Vision requirements for loco running staff are the strictest on the railways and eliminate at the last stage.
5. Mind the one-third penalty in CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part A, but note there is none in the CBAT, so attempt everything there.
6. Basic Science & Engineering includes engineering drawing, not just class 10 physics. Don't skip it.

No previous year papers are available. The Railway Recruitment Boards do not publish them, so every "RRB ALP previous year paper" is a reconstruction from candidates' memory with an unofficial answer key.

What is official: the syllabus in CEN 01/2026, the FAQ document the boards publish with most CENs, and the answer key with your response sheet after each CBT, all on rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.

RRB Chandigarh (carries the common notification and links to every board): rrbcdg.gov.in

Railway Recruitment Boards: rrb.indianrailways.gov.in

CEN 01/2026 (PDF): CEN 01/2026

Indian Railways: indianrailways.gov.in

How is the final merit calculated?

CBT 2 Part A and the Computer Based Aptitude Test carry equal weight, 50:50. CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part B contribute nothing.

Is CBT 2 Part B scored?

No. It is qualifying at 35% for every candidate of every category, with no relaxation. Failing it ends the attempt even though the marks never count.

Is there negative marking in the aptitude test?

No. There is none in the CBAT, so every question should be attempted. CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part A deduct one third of a mark.

What score do I need in the CBAT?

A minimum T-score of 42 in each test battery separately, with no category relaxation.

What qualification do I need?

Class 10 plus an ITI in a notified trade, or a three-year diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering, or a completed Act Apprenticeship in a notified trade.

How strict is the medical?

Assistant Loco Pilot is medical category A-1, the strictest on the railways, with demanding vision standards. Check them before applying.

Is RRB ALP a national exam?

The pattern is common, but recruitment is zone-wise. You apply to one Railway Recruitment Board and compete for its vacancies.