RRB NTPC 2026 eligibility
CBT 1 100 Q, 1 h 30 minCBT 1 100 questions, 1 hour 30 min · 1/3 negative marking
Who can apply
- Graduate posts
- A degree, age 18–33 age on 1 Jan 2027 · CEN 06/2026 · 3,548 posts · apply by 6 Nov 2026
- Under-Graduate posts
- Class 12 (50%), age 18–30 age on 1 Jan 2027 · CEN 07/2026 · 1,688 posts · apply by 13 Nov 2026 · 50% not needed for SC, ST, PwBD, ex-servicemen or higher qualifications
- Fee
- ₹500 · ₹250 reduced ₹250 for SC, ST, ex-servicemen, PwBD, women, transgender, minority and EBC candidates; ₹400 (or the full ₹250) is refunded after you sit CBT 1
- Apply to
- One RRB only on rrbapply.gov.in; applying to more than one RRB rejects all your applications
Age relaxation (upper limit)
- SC and ST: +5 years; OBC (non-creamy layer): +3 years
- Ex-servicemen: +3, +6 or +8 years (UR and EWS, OBC, SC and ST) after deducting their service
- Persons with benchmark disabilities: +10, +13 or +15 years (UR and EWS, OBC, SC and ST)
- Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women: up to 35, 38 or 40 years (UR and EWS, OBC, SC and ST)
- Railway Group C and former Group D staff with 3 years' service: up to 40, 43 or 45 years
- Relaxations don't add up, and SC, ST and OBC candidates applying against unreserved vacancies get none.
How selection works
- STEP 1CBT 1100 questions in 90 minutes (General Awareness 40, Mathematics 30, Reasoning 30), 1/3 cut for a wrong answer. A screening test: its normalised score shortlists 15 times the vacancies for CBT 2.
- STEP 2CBT 2120 questions in 90 minutes (50, 35, 35), the same syllabus and marking. Its normalised marks decide who is called for documents.
- STEP 3Documents and medicalDocument verification and a medical test for the post's standard. No typing test in 2026.
As per RRB's CEN 06/2026 (NTPC Graduate) and CEN 07/2026 (NTPC Under-Graduate) on rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.
RRB NTPC 2026 qualifying marks
UR and EWS · 40%
40 / 100
OBC and SC · 30%
30 / 100
ST · 25%
25 / 100
These are RRB's minimum marks to be eligible, in each CBT; the marks above are for CBT 1's 100. They may be relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD candidates if too few qualify. Being eligible is not selection: the shortlists go by normalised merit.
Related
Eligibility: common questions
What is the age limit for RRB NTPC 2026?
18 to 33 years for the Graduate posts and 18 to 30 for the Under-Graduate posts, on 1 January 2027, with relaxations such as +5 years for SC and ST and +3 for OBC.
Can final-year students apply for RRB NTPC 2026?
Only if they hold the qualification by the last date to apply: a degree for the Graduate posts, Class 12 for the Under-Graduate posts. Candidates awaiting results may not apply.