RRB NTPC
Recruits for non-technical posts on Indian Railways such as Station Master, Goods Train Manager (Guard), Senior/Junior Clerk-cum-Typist, Commercial-cum-Ticket Clerk, Traffic Assistant and Accounts Clerk.
Eligibility
Undergraduate-level posts require Class 12 pass; Graduate-level posts require a Bachelor's degree in any discipline. Age limits in the current cycle (CEN 06/2025 and 07/2025, as on 1 January 2026) are 18-30 years for Undergraduate posts and 18-33 years for Graduate posts, with relaxation of 3 years for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 5 years for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). There is no limit on the number of attempts within the age window.
Age limit: 18-30 (Undergraduate posts), 18-33 (Graduate posts); standard OBC/SC/ST/PwBD relaxations
Exam pattern
Fully computer-based, multi-shift with score normalisation. Computer-Based Test 1 (CBT 1) has 100 questions in 90 minutes: General Awareness 40, Mathematics 30, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30. CBT 2 has 120 questions in 90 minutes: General Awareness 50, Mathematics 35, Reasoning 35. Every wrong answer costs one-third of a mark. Station Master and Traffic Assistant aspirants then face a Computer-Based Aptitude Test (CBAT, no negative marking), while clerk and typist posts have a typing skill test; document verification and medical examination follow. There are no sectional cut-offs — merit is on normalised total score.
Syllabus at a glance
Mathematics covers number system, fractions, LCM-HCF, ratio, percentage, mensuration, time-work, time-distance, simple and compound interest, elementary algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics. Reasoning covers analogies, coding-decoding, series, puzzles, syllogism, Venn diagrams, data interpretation and decision making. General Awareness spans current affairs, Indian history, polity, geography, economy, general science up to Class 10 level, Indian Railways facts, sports, art and culture, and basics of computers.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CBT 1 result — Undergraduate posts (CEN 07/2025) | 4th week of Aug 2026 | expected |
| CBT 2 city intimation slip — Undergraduate posts | 7 Sep 2026 (about 10 days before exam) | expected |
| CBT 2 — Undergraduate posts (CEN 07/2025) | 17 Sep 2026 | confirmed |
| CBT 2 result — Graduate posts (CEN 06/2025, CBT 2 held 10 Jul 2026) | Sep-Oct 2026 | expected |
| Typing test / CBAT — Graduate posts | Late 2026 | tba |
| Next NTPC notification (fresh cycle) | 2027, per RRB annual calendar | 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
- Fast Track Objective Arithmetic — Rajesh Verma (Arihant)
- Magical Book on Quicker Maths — M. Tyra
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning — R.S. Aggarwal
- Lucent's General Science — Ravi Bhushan
- Kiran's RRB NTPC Previous Year Solved Papers — Kiran Publications
How toppers play it
- General Awareness is 40 of 100 marks in CBT 1 and 50 of 120 in CBT 2 — it is the deciding section, so revise static GK plus 8-10 months of current affairs daily rather than treating it as an afterthought.
- With one-third negative marking and normalisation across shifts, accuracy beats attempts: skip questions you cannot narrow to two options, and aim for 90-plus per cent accuracy in maths and reasoning.
- Attempt order that works for most: General Awareness first (fast, no calculation), then reasoning, then maths — never let a lengthy mensuration question eat the last ten minutes.
- If you are targeting Station Master or Traffic Assistant, start CBAT practice (test batteries for memory, following directions, spatial ability) right after CBT 2 — a minimum of 42 in each battery is mandatory and it cannot be crammed in a week.
- Solve at least the last five years of actual NTPC papers under timed conditions; RRB recycles question templates heavily, especially in number series and coding-decoding.