The RRB exam is not one test. It is the family of centralised recruitment examinations run by the 21 Railway Recruitment Boards under the Ministry of Railways, each announced through a numbered Centralised Employment Notification (CEN) that fixes the vacancies, eligibility, pay level and selection stages for that cycle.
- CEN 04/2026 for Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent is open from 14 August to 13 September 2026 with 3,993 vacancies
- CEN 09/2025 notified 22,195 Level 1 posts and CEN 01/2026 notified 11,127 Assistant Loco Pilot posts
- NTPC cycles 06/2025 and 07/2025 together notified 8,868 posts
- All Railway Recruitment Board websites now sit under rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.
What Is the RRB Exam?
RRB exam refers to the centralised recruitment tests run by 21 Railway Recruitment Boards under the Ministry of Railways. Each vacancy cycle is announced through a Centralised Employment Notification, or CEN, covering categories such as NTPC, Level 1, Assistant Loco Pilot, Technician, Junior Engineer, Section Controller and Isolated Categories.
A candidate applies to only one Railway Recruitment Board per CEN and gives a preference order for the zonal railways and posts within that board. Applying to more than one board against the same CEN leads to rejection of every application and can attract debarment from future RRB and RRC examinations.
- Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC), split into graduate and undergraduate notifications
- Level 1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, the cycle most candidates still call Group D
- Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP)
- Technician Grade I Signal and Technician Grade III
- Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent (JE/DMS)
- Section Controller
- Ministerial and Isolated Categories, including Junior Translator and Chief Law Assistant
Which RRB Exams Are Open in 2026?
Railway Recruitment Boards notified eight CENs between October 2025 and August 2026. CEN 04/2026 for Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent opened on 14 August 2026 with 3,993 vacancies and closes on 13 September 2026. Earlier cycles covered NTPC, Level 1, Assistant Loco Pilot, Technician and Section Controller posts.
| CEN (2026 cycle) | Category | Vacancies | Pay Level and Initial Pay | Application Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/2026 | Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent | 3,993 | Level 6, Rs 35,400 | 14 Aug 2026 to 13 Sep 2026 |
| 03/2026 | Section Controller | 119 | Level 6, Rs 35,400 | 15 Jul 2026 to 14 Aug 2026 |
| 02/2026 | Technician Grade I Signal and Grade III | 6,557 | Level 5 Rs 29,200 and Level 2 Rs 19,900 | 30 Jun 2026 to 29 Jul 2026 |
| 01/2026 | Assistant Loco Pilot | 11,127 | Level 2, Rs 19,900 | 15 May 2026 to 14 Jun 2026 |
| 09/2025 | Various posts in Level 1 | 22,195 | Level 1, Rs 18,000 | 31 Jan 2026 to 2 Mar 2026 |
| 08/2025 | Isolated Categories (8 posts) | 312 | Level 2 to Level 7, Rs 19,900 to Rs 44,900 | 30 Dec 2025 to 29 Jan 2026 |
| 07/2025 | NTPC Undergraduate | 3,058 | Level 2 and Level 3, Rs 19,900 to Rs 21,700 | 28 Oct 2025 to 27 Nov 2025 |
| 06/2025 | NTPC Graduate | 5,810 | Level 4 to Level 6, Rs 25,500 to Rs 35,400 | 21 Oct 2025 to 20 Nov 2025 |
Vacancy counts printed in a CEN are provisional. Railway administrations reserve the right to raise or lower them, and revised vacancy tables are published as corrigenda on the same board websites, so always check the corrigendum list before assuming a number is final.
RRB NTPC (Railway Recruitment Board of India)Read →What Is the RRB NTPC Exam Pattern?
The NTPC first stage CBT has 100 questions in 90 minutes: 40 General Awareness, 30 Mathematics and 30 General Intelligence and Reasoning. The second stage CBT has 120 questions in 90 minutes, split 50, 35 and 35. One third of a mark is deducted for every wrong answer.
| RRB NTPC 2026 Stage | General Awareness | Mathematics | General Intelligence and Reasoning | Total Questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First stage CBT | 40 | 30 | 30 | 100 | 90 minutes |
| Second stage CBT | 50 | 35 | 35 | 120 | 90 minutes |
- Duration extends to 120 minutes for candidates eligible to use a scribe.
- Minimum qualifying marks are 40 per cent for UR and EWS, 30 per cent for OBC non-creamy layer and SC, and 25 per cent for ST in the NTPC graduate cycle.
- The first stage CBT is a screening test; its normalised score is used only to shortlist candidates for the second stage.
- Question papers are offered in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages, and the medium is chosen in the online application.
Station Master and Traffic Assistant applicants face one extra hurdle. After the second stage CBT they sit a Computer Based Aptitude Test, must score a minimum T-score of 42 in every test battery, and their merit is drawn with 70 per cent weightage to the second stage CBT and 30 per cent to the aptitude test.
Who Is Eligible for RRB Group D Level 1 Posts?
CEN 09/2025 required a 10th pass, an ITI certificate or a National Apprenticeship Certificate granted by NCVT, with age between 18 and 33 years as on 1 January 2026. The notification listed 22,195 Level 1 vacancies at an initial pay of 18,000 rupees a month.
Level 1 selection uses a single computer based test of 100 questions in 90 minutes, drawn from General Science (25), Mathematics (25), General Intelligence and Reasoning (30) and General Awareness and Current Affairs (20). Candidates are shortlisted for the Physical Efficiency Test at three times the community-wise vacancy, and the PET is purely qualifying.
| RRB Level 1 2026 PET Standard | Male Candidates | Female Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Weight lift and carry over 100 metres in 2 minutes | 35 kg | 20 kg |
| Run of 1,000 metres in one chance | 4 minutes 15 seconds | 5 minutes 40 seconds |
Persons with benchmark disabilities are exempt from the PET but must clear the medical examination prescribed for their category. A diploma or degree in engineering is not accepted in place of the ITI or Course Completed Act Apprenticeship requirement for Level 1 posts.
RPF Exam GuideRead →How Does the RRB Selection Process Work?
Stages depend on the category. Level 1 recruitment runs a single CBT, a Physical Efficiency Test, document verification and a medical examination. NTPC and Junior Engineer use two CBTs before document verification and medicals. Station Master and Traffic Assistant candidates also sit a Computer Based Aptitude Test after the second CBT.
- Online application to a single Railway Recruitment Board, with zone and post preferences.
- First stage computer based test, normalised across shifts where the exam runs in multiple sittings.
- Second stage CBT for NTPC, Junior Engineer, Technician and similar categories, or a Physical Efficiency Test for Level 1 posts.
- Skill tests where the post demands them, such as the Computer Based Typing Skill Test for typist posts and the Computer Based Aptitude Test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant.
- Document verification, followed by the medical examination fixed for the post.
The Junior Engineer first stage CBT under CEN 04/2026 carries 100 questions in 90 minutes: Mathematics 30, General Intelligence and Reasoning 25, General Awareness 15 and General Science 30. Negative marking of one third of a mark applies here too, and the same 40, 30 and 25 per cent community cut-offs are used.
What Salary Do RRB Posts Pay in 2026?
Pay follows the 7th CPC matrix. Level 1 posts start at 18,000 rupees, Assistant Loco Pilot and Level 2 clerical posts at 19,900, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk at 21,700, Traffic Assistant at 25,500, Level 5 posts at 29,200, and Level 6 posts such as Station Master and Junior Engineer at 35,400.
| Post (2026 notifications) | Pay Level in 7th CPC | Initial Pay per Month |
|---|---|---|
| Various posts in Level 1 | Level 1 | Rs 18,000 |
| Assistant Loco Pilot, Junior Clerk cum Typist, Trains Clerk | Level 2 | Rs 19,900 |
| Commercial cum Ticket Clerk | Level 3 | Rs 21,700 |
| Traffic Assistant | Level 4 | Rs 25,500 |
| Goods Train Manager, Senior Clerk cum Typist, Technician Grade I Signal | Level 5 | Rs 29,200 |
| Station Master, Junior Engineer, Section Controller | Level 6 | Rs 35,400 |
| Chief Law Assistant, Public Prosecutor, Scientific Supervisor | Level 7 | Rs 44,900 |
Initial pay is only the basic figure in the matrix. Railway employees additionally draw dearness allowance, house rent allowance, transport allowance, medical benefits and the pension contribution applicable to central government service, so gross monthly earnings sit well above the numbers above.
Competitive Exams in India GuideRead →How Do You Apply and What Is the Fee?
Applications are submitted online only through the official Railway Recruitment Board websites named in each CEN. The fee is 500 rupees for most candidates, of which 400 is refunded on appearing for the first CBT, and 250 rupees for reserved and fee-concession categories, refunded in full.
- Create an account once per CEN using a personal mobile number and active email; neither can be changed later.
- Identity is authenticated through DigiLocker or Aadhaar, and refunds are credited to the bank account seeded with Aadhaar.
- A live photograph is captured during the application; pre-existing photos are not uploaded.
- Corrections are possible only in the modification window, at 250 rupees per occasion, and the chosen Railway Recruitment Board can never be modified.
- Concessional fee claims under the Economically Backward Class route need an EBC certificate, BPL card or equivalent poverty-alleviation document at document verification.
The 21 boards now publish everything on the Ministry of Railways domain rrb.indianrailways.gov.in, with a board-specific path such as the Chandigarh, Chennai or Mumbai page. Notifications, corrigenda, exam schedules, e-call letters and results all appear there, and every CEN warns candidates to ignore look-alike private sites.