RRB Group D (Level 1)
Recruits for Indian Railways' Level 1 posts — track maintainer grade IV, pointsman, and assistant/helper roles across the engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecom departments. It is the entry gate to a permanent central-government railway job.
Eligibility
Class 10 pass, or an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) certificate, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) granted by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT). Age 18–33 as on 1 January 2026, with +3 years for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and +5 years for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). Candidates must also meet post-specific medical standards, and there is no cap on attempts.
Age limit: 18–33 years as on 1 January 2026; +3 years OBC, +5 years SC/ST
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. Negative marking is 1/3 mark per wrong answer, with normalisation across the three daily shifts. The CBT is followed by a qualifying Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — men 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 — then document verification and a medical examination.
Syllabus at a glance
General Science at Class 9–10 NCERT level (physics, chemistry, life sciences) is the signature section. Mathematics covers arithmetic — number system, BODMAS, percentages, ratio, time-work, speed-distance, simple and compound interest, mensuration, age problems. Reasoning covers analogies, series, coding-decoding, syllogism, Venn diagrams, puzzles and directions. General Awareness covers current affairs, sports, culture, personalities, economics and polity.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Exam-city intimation slip | 24 July 2026 (10 days before each exam date) | confirmed |
| Admit card release | From 31 July 2026 (about 4 days before each exam date) | confirmed |
| CBT (CEN 09/2025) | 3–21 August 2026, three shifts daily | confirmed |
| CBT result | Oct–Nov 2026 | expected |
| Physical Efficiency Test (PET) | Late 2026 – early 2027 | expected |
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
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations — R.S. Aggarwal
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning — R.S. Aggarwal
- RRB Group D Previous Years' Solved Papers — Kiran Prakashan
How toppers play it
- Anchor General Science on NCERT Classes 9–10 — the 25 science questions are the most predictable block in the paper and past-paper repeats are common.
- Cut-offs after normalisation run brutally high in popular zones (raw 90+ out of 100 has occurred), so drill full 90-minute mocks at the exact shift timings and target 95%+ accuracy.
- With 1/3 negative marking, fix an attempt order that banks certain marks first — typically Science, then Reasoning, then GK, leaving lengthy arithmetic for the end.
- The PET is eliminatory, not merit-based, but it eliminates thousands every cycle: start running and weight-carrying practice alongside CBT prep, not after the result.
- Track current affairs for roughly the last 6–12 months only — the 20-mark General Awareness section leans on sports, awards, schemes and railway news rather than deep static GK.