RRB NTPC Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

CBT 1: screening, 90 minutes

120 minutes for candidates with a benchmark disability. CBT 1 marks don't count towards merit.

CBT 2: 90 minutes

Both tests: one third of a mark off per wrong answer, nothing for a blank, questions in English, Hindi and several regional languages.

Third stage, by post

• Aptitude test: you need a T-score of 42 in every battery, with no relaxation for any category. No negative marking; English and Hindi only. It counts 30% of the final merit.
• Typing test: qualifying only, 30 words a minute in English or 25 in Hindi, on a PC with editing tools and spell check turned off.

Same three sections in both tests; CBT 2 is longer and harder.

General Awareness

Current events, games and sports, Indian art, culture and literature, monuments and places, general and life science to class 10, Indian history and the freedom struggle, geography of India and the world, Indian polity and governance, scientific and technological developments including space and nuclear programmes, the UN and other world bodies, environmental issues, computers, common abbreviations, transport in India, the Indian economy, famous personalities, flagship government programmes, flora and fauna, and major government and public sector organisations.

Mathematics

Number system, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, elementary algebra, geometry and trigonometry, elementary statistics.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Analogies, number and alphabet series, coding-decoding, mathematical operations, similarities and differences, relationships, analytical reasoning, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams, puzzles, data sufficiency, statement and conclusion, statement and courses of action, decision making, maps and graphs.

Qualification

A degree from a recognised university. Typing for the two typist posts is tested after CBT 2, not at application.

Age

18 to 33 as on 1 January 2026 for this cycle. Relaxations: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 for OBC, 10 for PwBD, and as prescribed for ex-servicemen.

Medical standard

Each post has its own (see Salary). Station Master, Goods Train Manager and Traffic Assistant need A2, which has stricter eyesight rules. Check yours before you list a post.

1. CBT 1 (100 marks): screening. Each board shortlists 15 times its community-wise vacancies for CBT 2; the Railways can vary this.
2. CBT 2 (120 marks): the merit test.
3. Aptitude test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant (8 times the vacancies called), or typing test for the typist posts.
4. Document verification at one candidate per vacancy, then medical.

Merit is CBT 2 alone for four posts, and CBT 2 70% plus aptitude 30% for Station Master and Traffic Assistant. Cut-offs differ from board to board.

The same two papers lead to starting pay anywhere from ₹25,500 to ₹35,400, depending on your rank and the order you listed posts. These are 7th CPC basic pay figures; dearness, house rent and transport allowances come on top and vary with posting.

Fee and refund

The refund (less bank charges) only goes to those who actually sit CBT 1.

Economically Backward Class is its own category, 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.

One board, one application

Apply to one board, once. More than one application, to the same or different boards, gets all of them rejected and can bar you from future notices. You can't change board afterwards, or the details in your account.

Corrections after closing cost a non-refundable fee each time. If a change takes you out of a reduced-fee category, you pay the difference.

Post and zone preferences

Within your board, list the zones, production units and posts you'd accept. Anything you leave off, you can't be given, whatever your rank.

The employer is Indian Railways (Ministry of Railways). The 21 boards run the process, and you're appointed to a Railway zone or production unit.

Of the 5,810 posts, Goods Train Manager alone has 3,416. The CEN's annexure gives the split by board and zone.

Once you're allotted a zone or unit, you won't be considered for a higher preference later. If you didn't opt for a zone at all, the Railways can still place you in one.

The 21 boards are Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu, Kolkata, Malda, Mumbai, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Prayagraj, Ranchi, Secunderabad, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram.

Your board isn't your exam city. Centres depend on logistics, you may have to travel to another city or state, and date, centre or shift can't be changed.

If you need a scribe, enter their details in the portal in that window; it can't be arranged at the centre. Your own board's website is the authority on its dates.

Download the e-call letter from your board's website. Shortlists are posted there and sent by SMS and email, so keep your number and email working.

• Don't bring a pen or pencil; one is provided.
• No phones, watches, earphones, Bluetooth devices, fitness bands or calculators, and no books, paper, pouches, scales, writing pads, belts, handbags, caps or purses.
• No henna on your hands. It can block the biometric check, which means disqualification and debarment.
• Station Master and Traffic Assistant: bring the vision certificate in the set format to the aptitude test, or you won't be allowed to sit it.
• PwBD candidates claiming exemption from the typing test must upload the exemption certificate on the board's site beforehand.

Multi-shift CBTs are normalised, and the normalised score decides everything, so raw scores across shifts don't compare.

Ties go to the older candidate, then alphabetical order of name. Document verification is one per vacancy.

Tentative answer keys and your response sheet are released after each CBT with a paid objection window. Download yours while it's up.

RRB publishes the qualifying minimums but no cut-off marks.

These can drop by 2 marks for PwBD candidates if there aren't enough to fill their reserved posts. The aptitude test's 42 has no relaxation. Because each board shortlists against its own vacancies, the real cut-offs differ by board, post and category, and each board announces its shortlists on its own site.

1. CBT 2 is the real exam. CBT 1 just gets you there.
2. General Awareness is the biggest section: 40 of 100, then 50 of 120. Read the news daily rather than cramming.
3. Guess with care. Three wrong answers wipe out one right one.
4. Typist posts: practise typing early, with editing tools and spell check switched off, as they will be in the test.
5. Station Master and Traffic Assistant: prepare for the aptitude test. It's 30% of your merit and the 42 bar has no relaxation.
6. Take the mock test on your board's site to get used to the exam software.
7. Pick your board carefully. You only compete inside it, and vacancies vary widely.

No previous year papers are available from RRB. Anything sold as an "RRB NTPC previous paper" is rebuilt from candidates' memories, and its answers aren't checked.

What RRB does give you: the syllabus in CEN 06/2025, an official FAQ with most notices, a mock test on each board's website before the exam, and your own response sheet and answer key after each CBT.

• rrb.indianrailways.gov.in, Railway Recruitment Boards
• CEN 06/2025, detailed notice (PDF)
• RRB Chandigarh, which links to every board
• Indian Railways

Do CBT 1 marks count?

No. CBT 1 shortlists 15 times the vacancies; merit comes from CBT 2 (plus the aptitude test for two posts).

Is there negative marking?

One third of a mark per wrong answer, in both CBTs.

What are the qualifying marks?

40% UR and EWS, 30% OBC and SC, 25% ST.

What is the CBAT?

The aptitude test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant. T-score 42 in each battery, no relaxation, 30% of final merit.

Is it one national exam?

The paper is common, but you're ranked within your board only.

Can a class 12 candidate apply?

Not for these posts. Class 12 posts are in the separate Undergraduate notice.