RRB NTPC
Also known as: NTPC
Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB)
Your gateway to non-technical jobs across Indian Railways in 2026
RRB NTPC recruits candidates for non-technical posts across Indian Railways through two parallel notifications, Graduate and Undergraduate level. Selection involves two computer-based tests, a post-specific typing or aptitude test, document verification, and a medical examination, with no interview. The 2026 cycle offers 5,236 vacancies across both notifications.
In-Hand Salary
A Level 5 Graduate post such as Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist has a basic pay of Rs 29,200 and an approximate net take-home of Rs 42,836 per month before HRA. The full level-wise break
Typical Vacancies
5,236
Frequency
Periodic (as separate CENs for Graduate and Undergraduate levels)
Latest Updates
Undergraduate Application Window Opened
Online application for CEN 07/2026 opened, closing 13 November 2026 (fee payment until 15 November).
RRB NTPC Undergraduate Notification Released (CEN 07/2026)
Notification released for 1,688 Undergraduate-level vacancies.
Graduate Application Window Opened
Online application for CEN 06/2026 opened, closing 6 November 2026 (fee payment until 8 November).
RRB NTPC Graduate Notification Released (CEN 06/2026)
Notification released for 3,548 Graduate-level vacancies.
Overview
What is NTPC?
RRB NTPC is the Railway Recruitment Boards' recruitment process for non-technical popular category posts across India's zonal railways. It fills clerical, commercial, accounts, and operating-support roles that keep trains, ticketing, and railway administration running. The recruitment runs as two parallel notifications. The Graduate level (CEN 06/2026) covers posts such as Goods Train Manager, Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor, Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist, and Senior Clerk cum Typist. The Undergraduate level (CEN 07/2026) covers Trains Clerk, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk, Accounts Clerk cum Typist, and Junior Clerk cum Typist.
Who Can Apply?
Candidates who hold a Class 12 (10+2) or equivalent qualification can apply for Undergraduate posts, and those with a recognized Bachelor's degree in any discipline can apply for Graduate posts. Age limits and relaxations for reserved and PwBD categories also apply.
Career Opportunities
Graduate-level posts include Goods Train Manager, which involves managing freight train operations, and Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor, which combines supervisory duties with commercial and ticketing work. Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist and Senior Clerk cum Typist roles focus on accounts, records, and office documentation, with typing as part of the job. Undergraduate-level posts include Trains Clerk, which supports train-related record and operational work, and Commercial cum Ticket Clerk, which handles passenger ticketing and commercial transactions. Accounts Clerk cum Typist and Junior Clerk cum Typist posts involve clerical record-keeping, accounts support, and typing-based office work.
How to Apply
- 1
Register on the RRB application portal
Create an account on rrbapply.gov.in with basic personal details to get a registration ID.
- 2
Fill the application form
Enter personal, educational, and other details, and choose your RRB zone/region preference.
- 3
Upload photograph and signature
Per the photo/signature format and size specified in the CEN notification.
- 4
Pay the application fee
Rs 500 for UR/OBC candidates. Rs 250 for SC/ST/PwBD/women/Ex-Servicemen/minority/EBC candidates — Rs 250 of this is refunded to these categories after they appear for CBT 1, provided bank details on file are correct.
- 5
Review and submit
Check every section carefully before final submission.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Limit
18–36 years
Age Relaxation
| Category | Relaxation |
|---|---|
| OBC | +3 years |
| SC | +5 years |
| ST | +5 years |
| PwBD_UR_EWS | +10 years |
| PwBD_OBC | +13 years |
| PwBD_SC_ST | +15 years |
Educational Qualification
Undergraduate-level posts require Class 12 (10+2) or an equivalent qualification. Graduate-level posts require a recognized Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
Nationality
Indian citizen
Undergraduate posts are open to candidates aged 18 to 33 years, while Graduate posts are open to candidates aged 18 to 36 years. Government relaxations apply to OBC, SC/ST, and PwBD candidates as specified in the notification.
Selection Process
CBT 1
Computer Based Test (CBT, Online) · 90 minutes
CBT 2
Computer Based Test (CBT, Online) · 90 minutes
Typing Skill Test / CBAT (post-dependent)
Skill/Aptitude Test · Varies by post
Final Selection
Exam Pattern
CBT 1
Computer Based Test (CBT, Online)Duration: 90 minutesTotal: 100 marksNegative: -1/3 mark per wrong answer| Subject / Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 40 | 40 |
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 30 | 30 |
Shortlisting stage for CBT 2, applied as a screening test (normalized across shifts). Same syllabus as CBT 2 but considered easier. Minimum qualifying: 40% (UR/EWS), 30% (OBC/SC), 25% (ST).
CBT 2
Computer Based Test (CBT, Online)Duration: 90 minutesTotal: 120 marksNegative: -1/3 mark per wrong answer| Subject / Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| Mathematics | 35 | 35 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 35 | 35 |
Merit-deciding stage. Same syllabus as CBT 1 but a noticeably higher difficulty level. Same qualifying marks thresholds as CBT 1.
Typing Skill Test / CBAT (post-dependent)
Skill/Aptitude TestDuration: Varies by postNegative: Not applicable, qualifying only| Subject / Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Typing Skill Test (clerical/typist posts) | — | — |
| Computer Based Aptitude Test, CBAT (Station Master / Traffic Assistant-type posts) | — | — |
Applies only to specific posts that require it, not all NTPC posts. Qualifying only, does not add to merit score.
Detailed Syllabus
- Number system, decimals and fractions
- LCM, HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage
- Mensuration, time and work, time and distance
- Simple and compound interest, profit and loss
- Elementary algebra, geometry and trigonometry
- Data interpretation
Salary & Career Growth
Pay Scale
Posts fall under Pay Level 2 to 6 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, with basic pay starting at Rs 19,900 at Level 2 and reaching Rs 35,400 at Level 6.
In-Hand Salary
A Level 5 Graduate post such as Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist has a basic pay of Rs 29,200 and an approximate net take-home of Rs 42,836 per month before HRA. The full level-wise break
Pay Breakdown
| Level 2 (Undergraduate posts, e.g. Junior Clerk cum Typist) | Level 5 (Graduate posts, e.g. Goods Train Manager, JAA) | Level 6 (Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Pay | Rs 19,900 | Rs 29,200 | Rs 35,400 |
| DA (63%) | Rs 12,537 | Rs 18,396 | Rs 22,302 |
| Approx. Gross (before HRA) | Rs 32,437 | Rs 47,596 | Rs 57,702 |
| NPS Deduction (10% of Basic+DA) | -Rs 3,244 | -Rs 4,760 | -Rs 5,770 |
| Approx. Net (before HRA) | Rs 29,193 | Rs 42,836 | Rs 51,932 |
Figures as of: DA 63% effective 1 Jul 2026. Shown by pay level (post group), since post-to-post pay variance matters more than city HRA differences. HRA and NPS apply on top as noted in Allowances. Figures exclude minor deductions like CGHS.
Allowances & Benefits
Dearness Allowance (DA) is added to basic pay, and House Rent Allowance (HRA) applies at 30%, 20%, or 10% of basic for X, Y, and Z category cities. The National Pension System (NPS) takes 10% from employees, with a 14% government contribution, both calculated on basic plus DA. Gratuity is payable under CCS (Pension) Rules 2021 after qualifying service, subject to a Rs 25 lakh ceiling and tax exemption.
Promotion Hierarchy
Progression happens through departmental seniority and periodic departmental promotion exams into senior grades within Indian Railways. The Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme guarantees three financial upgrades at 10, 20, and 30 years of service, even when no promotional post is available.
Job Security
Railway posts are permanent government positions with pension-linked retirement benefits and gratuity, making them a stable long-term career option.
Previous Year Cutoffs
| Year | Stage | Post / Region | UR | OBC | SC | ST | EWS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CBT 1 + CBT 2 (minimum qualifying floor, NOT the competitive cutoff) | All Graduate and Undergraduate posts | 40 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 40 | — |
| 2025 | CBT 2 (merit-deciding, final selection) | Graduate posts — RRB Prayagraj (highest zone) | 71.2 | — | — | — | — | 120 |
| 2025 | CBT 2 (merit-deciding, final selection) | Graduate posts — RRB Bilaspur (lowest zone) | 66.81 | — | — | — | — | 120 |
| 2025 | CBT 2 (merit-deciding, final selection) | Graduate posts — approximate category range across zones | 70 | 65 | 60 | 54 | 66 | 120 |
All Graduate and Undergraduate posts · 2025: Minimum qualifying PERCENTAGE marks (not marks out of a total), applied to both CBT 1 and CBT 2. Clearing this floor does not guarantee selection — the actual competitive cutoff is published per zone/RRB and varies significantly by region. Sourced from a third-party aggregator, not yet verified against the official RRB notification.
Graduate posts — RRB Prayagraj (highest zone) · 2025: Final CBT 2 cutoff is out of 120 marks and set per RRB zone — UR category only, other categories not confirmed for this specific zone. This is a representative example (highest-scoring zone), not the full zone list. Sourced from a third-party aggregator, not yet verified against the official RRB result PDF.
Graduate posts — RRB Bilaspur (lowest zone) · 2025: Final CBT 2 cutoff is out of 120 marks and set per RRB zone — UR category only. Representative example (lowest-scoring zone among those found), not the full zone list. Sourced from a third-party aggregator, not yet verified against the official RRB result PDF.
Graduate posts — approximate category range across zones · 2025: Approximate midpoints of the reported category-wise ranges across zones for the 2025 cycle (UR 69-72, OBC 63-67, EWS 64-68, SC 57-63, ST 51-58, out of 120) — a single illustrative figure per category, not a specific zone's actual cutoff. Real cutoffs vary by zone; see the two zone-specific rows above for actual examples. Sourced from a third-party aggregator, not yet verified against the official RRB result PDF.
Preparation Strategy
For Beginners
Start with Mathematics and reasoning, since these sections have clear rules and reward regular practice. Use Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma for maths and A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal for reasoning. Build General Awareness alongside, using Lucent's General Knowledge or Railway General Knowledge by Disha Experts.
Intermediate Level
Inconsistent mock scores at this stage are almost always a General Awareness problem, since that section carries 40 of 100 marks in CBT 1 and 50 of 120 in CBT 2, and its score swings with how much of a given paper falls inside revised ground. Log each mock by section with three numbers, attempts, correct answers and marks lost to the 1/3 penalty, and compare across four consecutive mocks before changing anything. If Mathematics and Reasoning accuracy stays above roughly 90 percent while the score still moves, the fix is a fixed General Awareness revision cycle across static topics such as history and the freedom struggle, geography, Indian economy and art and culture, not more question practice. If accuracy itself is the swinging variable, cap attempts in the weakest section for two weeks and raise the cap only when the penalty cost falls, because the qualifying thresholds of 40, 30 and 25 percent reward controlled attempting over volume.
Advanced (Final Stage)
CBT 1 is the screening stage, and its marks are normalized across shifts, while CBT 2 is the merit-deciding stage that determines your ranking. Both stages share the same syllabus, but CBT 2 is noticeably harder, so practice at that difficulty level. Take full-length timed mocks and track negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer, since guessing can cost you in both stages.
3-Month Study Plan
Month 1: Build a foundation in Mathematics and General Intelligence and Reasoning using Fast Track Objective Arithmetic and R.S. Aggarwal, and start daily General Awareness reading from Lucent's General Knowledge. Month 2: Focus on General Awareness with Railway General Knowledge by Disha Experts, and begin sectional tests that mirror the CBT 1 pattern of 100 questions in 90 minutes. Month 3: Shift to CBT 2 level practice with harder sets and full-length mocks, reviewing mistakes and working on accuracy to avoid negative marking.
6-Month Study Plan
Month 1: Cover the Mathematics core of number system, decimals and fractions, LCM, HCF, ratio and proportion and percentage from Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma, solving untimed sets until the methods are automatic. Begin daily newspaper reading for current national and international events. Month 2: Move to time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss and mensuration, and start General Intelligence and Reasoning with analogies, series completion, coding-decoding and mathematical operations from R.S. Aggarwal's A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Month 3: Finish Mathematics with elementary algebra, geometry, trigonometry and data interpretation, and complete the harder reasoning topics of syllogism, Venn diagrams, puzzles, data sufficiency and statement-conclusion. Month 4: Make General Awareness the main workload, using Lucent's General Knowledge for history and the freedom struggle, geography, Indian economy and general science up to Class 10 level, and Railway General Knowledge by Disha Experts for railway-oriented material. Add sectional tests in all three sections. Month 5: Run timed sectional tests at CBT 1 weighting of 40, 30 and 30 questions, then begin full-length mocks once a week. Maintain a weekly error log sorted by topic. Month 6: Shift to CBT 2 difficulty and weighting of 50, 35 and 35 questions, taking two or three full-length mocks a week with complete review. Keep a short daily revision slot for art and culture, Indian literature, monuments and places of India, and games and sports.
12-Month Study Plan
Month 1: Rebuild arithmetic fundamentals only, number system, decimals and fractions, LCM and HCF, working slowly from Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma without any timer. Month 2: Cover ratio and proportion, percentage and profit and loss, and start a fifteen minute daily reading habit for current national and international events. Month 3: Take up time and work, time and distance, and simple and compound interest, revisiting Month 1 topics once a week to prevent decay. Month 4: Study mensuration, elementary algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and begin General Awareness properly with general science and life science up to Class 10 level from Lucent's General Knowledge. Month 5: Learn data interpretation alongside the first reasoning block of analogies, number and alphabetical series completion, coding-decoding and mathematical operations from R.S. Aggarwal's A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Month 6: Continue reasoning with similarities and relationships, jumbling, analytical reasoning and syllogism, and read history of India and the freedom struggle in General Awareness. Month 7: Complete reasoning with Venn diagrams, puzzles, data sufficiency, statement-conclusion and decision making, and cover geography and Indian economy. Month 8: Work through art and culture of India, Indian literature, monuments and places of India, and games and sports, supported by Railway General Knowledge by Disha Experts. Start untimed mixed question sets. Month 9: Begin timed sectional tests in each section separately, measuring accuracy and marks lost to the 1/3 penalty rather than raw attempts. Month 10: Take full-length mocks at CBT 1 weighting of 40 General Awareness, 30 Mathematics and 30 Reasoning questions, one per week, with a full review of every wrong and skipped question. Month 11: Raise difficulty to CBT 2 level and weighting of 50, 35 and 35 questions, moving to two mocks a week and fixing the two weakest topics identified by the error log. Month 12: Hold a steady cycle of three CBT 2 level mocks a week with same-day review, and spend the remaining time on current affairs and static General Awareness revision. Candidates applying to clerical, typist, Station Master or Traffic Assistant-type posts should add typing or aptitude practice for the qualifying stage.
Recommended Books
Mathematics
Fast Track Objective Arithmetic
Rajesh Verma · Arihant Publications
Quick arithmetic practice for CBT 1 and 2
Reasoning
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
R.S. Aggarwal · S. Chand
Core reasoning concepts and practice sets
General Awareness
Lucent's General Knowledge
Lucent Publication Editorial Board · Lucent Publications
Static GK: history, geography, polity, science
Railway General Knowledge
Disha Experts · Disha Publications
Railway-specific current affairs and GK
Admit Cards
Results
Check Your Eligibility
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
RRB NTPC stands for Railway Recruitment Boards Non-Technical Popular Categories. It is the recruitment process conducted by RRBs across India's zonal railways for non-technical posts.
The Graduate notification (CEN 06/2026) covers posts such as Goods Train Manager and Senior Clerk cum Typist and requires a Bachelor's degree. The Undergraduate notification (CEN 07/2026) covers posts such as Trains Clerk and Junior Clerk cum Typist and requires Class 12 or equivalent.
Undergraduate posts require Class 12 (10+2) or equivalent, while Graduate posts require a recognized Bachelor's degree in any discipline. Age limits and government relaxations also apply to eligibility.
Undergraduate posts accept candidates aged 18 to 33 years, and Graduate posts accept candidates aged 18 to 36 years. OBC, SC/ST, and PwBD candidates receive additional age relaxation as specified in the notification.
CBT 1 is a 100-question, 100-mark test in 90 minutes covering General Awareness, Mathematics, and General Intelligence and Reasoning. CBT 2 is a 120-question, 120-mark test in 90 minutes with the same three subjects at a higher difficulty level.
Yes, 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer in both CBT 1 and CBT 2. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
The minimum qualifying marks are 40% for UR/EWS, 30% for OBC/SC, and 25% for ST candidates in both CBT 1 and CBT 2. These are minimum floors, not the final competitive cutoffs, which vary by zone and post.
Clerical and typist posts require a Typing Skill Test, while Station Master and Traffic Assistant-type posts require a Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT). These tests are only qualifying and do not add marks to merit.
Salaries fall under Pay Level 2 to 6 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, with basic pay ranging from Rs 19,900 to Rs 35,400. Take-home pay also depends on DA, HRA based on city category, and NPS deductions, and the full breakdown table is available on this page.
No, RRB NTPC does not include an interview. Selection is based on CBT 1, CBT 2, the post-dependent typing or aptitude test, document verification, and a medical examination.
Merit is decided by CBT 2 scores, since CBT 1 is only a screening stage. The Typing Skill Test or CBAT is qualifying only, followed by document verification and a medical examination.
The fee is Rs 500 for UR and OBC candidates and is not refunded. For SC, ST, PwBD, women, Ex-Servicemen, minority, and EBC candidates, the fee is Rs 250, of which Rs 250 is refunded after appearing for CBT 1 if correct bank details are on file.
No, NTPC posts generally do not have a Physical Efficiency Test (PET) or Physical Standard Test (PST). Physical tests apply to certain other railway technical categories, not NTPC.
The 2026 cycle has a combined total of 5,236 vacancies. The Graduate notification has 3,548 vacancies and the Undergraduate notification has 1,688 vacancies.
You need a registration ID from rrbapply.gov.in, and you must upload a photograph and signature in the format specified in the CEN notification. Check the notification for the complete list of documents required at the verification stage.