RRB Group D (Level 1)
Recruits for Level 1 posts on Indian Railways — Track Maintainer Grade IV, Helper/Assistant in Electrical, Mechanical, Signal & Telecom and other departments, Assistant Pointsman and Porter.
Eligibility
Class 10 (Matriculation) pass, or an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) certificate from NCVT/SCVT, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate. Age limit for CEN 09/2025 is 18-33 years as on 1 January 2026, with relaxation of 3 years for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 5 years for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). Candidates must also meet medical fitness standards, which are strict for safety-category posts like Track Maintainer.
Age limit: 18-33; +3 years OBC, +5 years SC/ST, further relaxation for PwBD and ex-servicemen
Exam pattern
Single Computer-Based Test (CBT) of 100 questions in 90 minutes: General Science 25, Mathematics 25, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, General Awareness and Current Affairs 20. One-third of a mark is deducted per wrong answer, and scores are normalised across shifts. Qualified candidates then take a Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — men must carry 35 kg for 100 m in 2 minutes and run 1,000 m in 4 min 15 s; women carry 20 kg and run 1,000 m in 5 min 40 s. Document verification and medical examination complete the process.
Syllabus at a glance
General Science is drawn from Class 9-10 physics, chemistry and life sciences. Mathematics covers number system, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM-HCF, ratio-proportion, percentage, mensuration, time-work, time-distance, interest, profit-loss, algebra, geometry and elementary statistics. Reasoning includes analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding-decoding, syllogism, Venn diagrams, puzzles and directions. General Awareness covers current affairs, sports, personalities, economics and polity.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CBT concludes (CEN 09/2025, running since 3 Aug 2026) | 25 Aug 2026 | confirmed |
| Provisional answer key and objection window | Sep 2026 | expected |
| CBT result | Oct-Nov 2026 | expected |
| Physical Efficiency Test (PET) | Dec 2026 - early 2027 | expected |
| Document verification and medical | Early 2027 | tba |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Lucent's General Knowledge — Dr Binay Karna and team
- Lucent's General Science — Ravi Bhushan
- Mathematics for SSC and Railway Exams — Rakesh Yadav
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning — R.S. Aggarwal
- Kiran's RRB Group D Previous Year Solved Papers — Kiran Publications
How toppers play it
- General Science (25 marks) from Class 9-10 NCERT is the highest-return section — most toppers finish both NCERT science books twice before touching anything else.
- There is only one CBT and no sectional cut-off, so build a fixed attempt order: science and General Awareness first (under 25 minutes), reasoning next, calculation-heavy maths last.
- With one-third negative marking and 58 lakh competitors, a raw score in the high 80s out of 100 is typically needed for popular zones — blind guessing is fatal; guess only with a 50-50 elimination.
- Do not neglect the Physical Efficiency Test: start the 1,000 m run and weight-carry practice while awaiting the result, since PET is strictly qualifying but eliminates many CBT qualifiers.
- Practise full mocks at the actual 90-minute length; shift-wise normalisation rewards consistent accuracy, and Group D papers repeat previous-year question patterns more than any other railway exam.