RRB Group D (Level 1) 2026
What is the RRB Group D exam, who can take it, and how do the CBT, the physical test and the medical standard decide selection?
RRB Group D is the railway recruitment for entry-level (Level 1) posts: Track Maintainer, Pointsman, and assistants in the electrical, signal and telecom, mechanical and engineering departments. The current cycle is CEN 09/2025. It notified 22,195 vacancies. You need a 10th pass, an ITI or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC), and an age of 18 to 33 on 1 January 2026. OBC-NCL candidates get 3 more years and SC and ST candidates 5 more. Applications closed on 9 March 2026. The CBT ran from 3 to 25 August 2026. After it come a physical efficiency test (PET), document verification and a medical test, and each post has its own eyesight standard.
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 30 June 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
The CBT was held from 3 to 25 August 2026. The CBT result and the PET, document verification and medical dates will be announced on the RRB and RRC websites.
Exam at a glance
- Notification
- Centralised Employment Notice CEN 09/2025, Level 1 posts (published 31.01.2026); Corrigenda 1 to 5, the last dated 30.07.2026[1]
- Vacancies
- 22,195 in the notice summary, across 14 post categories; Corrigenda 1 and 2 later revised some rows of the vacancy table[1]
- Qualification
- 10th pass, or ITI or equivalent, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) from NCVT, held by the closing date[1]
- Age on 1 January 2026
- 18 to 33 years; OBC-NCL 3 more years, SC and ST 5 more[1]
- Pay
- 7th CPC Level 1, initial pay Rs 18,000[1]
- Applications
- Closed on 9 March 2026 (extended from 2 March); 52,39,760 received, tentative count[4]
- CBT
- 100 questions in 90 minutes (120 with a scribe), minus 1/3 mark for a wrong answer; held 3 to 25 August 2026[3]
- PET
- Men: carry 35 kg for 100 m in 2 minutes, then run 1,000 m in 4 min 15 s. Women: 20 kg, then 1,000 m in 5 min 40 s[1]
- Fee
- Rs 500 (Rs 400 refunded if you sat the CBT); Rs 250 for SC, ST, ex-servicemen, PwBD, women, transgender, minority and EBC candidates (refunded if you sat the CBT)[1]
How the 100 CBT questions are split
| Community | Born on or after | Born on or before |
|---|---|---|
| UR and EWS | 2 January 1993 | 1 January 2008 |
| OBC-NCL | 2 January 1990 | 1 January 2008 |
| SC and ST | 2 January 1988 | 1 January 2008 |
Both dates count. The OBC-NCL, SC and ST windows already include the community relaxation, which does not apply if you apply against an unreserved vacancy. Other relaxations in the notice: ex-servicemen 3, 6 or 8 years after deducting service; PwBD 10, 13 or 15 years; serving Group C and former Group D railway staff and substitutes with 3 years' service up to 40, 43 or 45; widowed, divorced or judicially separated women not remarried up to 35, 38 or 40; course-completed Act Apprentices trained in railway establishments by the length of their training (up to 3, 6 or 8 years). Only the single highest relaxation applies. Your date of birth must match your 10th certificate.[1]
| Stage | What it is | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| CBT | 100 objective questions in 90 minutes: General Science 25, Mathematics 25, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, General Awareness and Current Affairs 20 | UR and EWS 40%, OBC-NCL, SC and ST 30% to be shortlisted |
| PET | Weight carrying first, then a 1,000 m run after a recovery gap; qualifying only | Pass both in one chance. PwBD candidates, ex-servicemen and course-completed Act Apprentices are exempt |
| Document verification | Original certificates checked against your online application | Every original on the day; no extra time is given |
| Medical | Railway medical test at the standard of the post you opted for | Pass it, or no other post is offered |
The CBT shortlists three times the community-wise vacancies for the PET, railway by railway. Candidates who clear the PET are called for document verification one to one against the vacancies, by CBT merit. Marks are normalised because the CBT runs in many shifts.[1]
| Post | Department | Medical standard |
|---|---|---|
| Pointsman B | Traffic | A-2 |
| Assistant Track Machine | Engineering | A-3 |
| Track Maintainer Gr. IV | Engineering (P Way) | B-1 |
| Assistant P.Way | Engineering | B-1 |
| Assistant Bridge | Engineering | B-1 |
| Assistant TRD | Electrical | B-1 |
| Assistant Operations (Electrical), general services | Electrical | B-1 |
| Assistant TL and AC | Electrical | B-1 |
| Assistant Loco Shed (Electrical), electric and diesel sheds | Electrical | B-1 |
| Assistant (S and T), signal | Signal and Telecom | B-1 |
| Assistant Carriage and Wagon | Mechanical | B-1 |
| Assistant Operations (Electrical), workshop | Electrical | C-1 |
| Assistant (S and T), workshop | Signal and Telecom | C-1 |
A-2: 6/9, 6/9 distance and Sn 0.6 near vision, both without glasses, plus colour, binocular, night and mesopic vision tests. A-3: the same with or without glasses (lens power up to 2D). B-1: 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses (up to 4D), with the same colour and night vision tests. C-1: 6/12, 6/18 with or without glasses. LASIK or any surgery to correct refractive error rules you out of A-2 and A-3 posts only. Pointsman B, Track Maintainer, Assistant P.Way and Assistant Bridge are not open to PwBD candidates.[1]
Group D is the common name for Level 1 posts on Indian Railways, the entry level of the 7th CPC pay matrix. The RRBs run one recruitment for all the zonal railways and production units, then the Railway Recruitment Cells (RRCs) handle the PET, document verification and the medical test. The posts sit in five departments: traffic, engineering (track, P.Way, bridge, track machines), electrical, signal and telecom, and mechanical.
You apply to one RRB only, and you rank the posts and railways inside it. Posts are allotted by merit, medical standard and your preferences. Submitting more than one application gets you disqualified and debarred.[1]
- It suits someone with a 10th pass, ITI or NAC who wants a railway job and is fit for outdoor, physical work.
- The PET can end your chance early. You carry a 35 kg sand bag (20 kg for women) 100 metres in 2 minutes without putting it down, before the run, and failing that ends your chance at that stage.
- Check your eyes against the standard of each post you rank. Pointsman B needs A-2 without glasses, while workshop assistant posts accept C-1 with glasses.
- Competition is heavy: the RRBs counted about 52.4 lakh applications for this cycle against 22,195 notified vacancies.
Source[1]
Mathematics: number system, BODMAS, decimals and fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentages, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, elementary statistics, square roots, age problems, calendar and clock, pipes and cisterns. General Intelligence and Reasoning: analogies, alphabet and number series, coding-decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams, data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making, classification, directions, and statements with arguments and assumptions.
General Science covers Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences at CBSE class 10 level. General Awareness covers current affairs in science and technology, sports, culture, personalities, economics and politics.
The notice calls the topic list illustrative and the section split indicative, so the real paper can vary a little.[1]
- CBT: held from 3 to 25 August 2026. Question papers, responses and answer keys were open for objections from 7 to 17 September 2026, at Rs 50 a question, refunded if the objection was right.
- Course-completed Act Apprentices: a window from 22 to 28 October 2026 let those who sat the CBT add their NCVT marks. One third of their final merit comes from those marks, and candidates who left them blank get zero for that part.
- Next: the CBT result, then PET, document verification and medical dates, announced on the RRB and RRC websites.
Source[5]
Tips and tricks
- Practise the PET the way the test runs it: lift a sand bag with no handle from waist height, carry it 100 m, then rest and run 1,000 m.[1]
- Reasoning carries 30 of the 100 questions, the biggest single section, so give it time every week.[1]
- Revise class 10 Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences from the CBSE level; that is where the General Science questions come from.[1]
- Keep every original certificate ready before the PET result. The DV gives no extra time to fetch a missing paper.[1]
Questions people ask
What is the age limit for RRB Group D 2026?
18 to 33 on 1 January 2026: born between 2 January 1993 and 1 January 2008 for UR and EWS. OBC-NCL candidates can be born from 2 January 1990 and SC and ST candidates from 2 January 1988.[1]
What qualification do I need for RRB Group D?
A 10th pass, or an ITI or equivalent, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) from NCVT, held by the closing date. Candidates still waiting for a final result could not apply.[1]
What is the RRB Group D PET?
A qualifying physical test. Men carry 35 kg for 100 m in 2 minutes and then run 1,000 m in 4 minutes 15 seconds. Women carry 20 kg and run 1,000 m in 5 minutes 40 seconds. Each is done in one chance, weight carrying first.[1]
Is there negative marking in the RRB Group D CBT?
Yes. A third of a mark is cut for each wrong answer. The paper has 100 one-mark questions in 90 minutes, or 120 minutes for candidates allowed a scribe.[1]
When was the RRB Group D 2026 CBT held?
From 3 to 25 August 2026. The answer keys were open for objections from 7 to 17 September 2026. The result and the PET dates will come on the RRB and RRC websites.[3]
Can I wear glasses in RRB Group D?
It depends on the post. Pointsman B needs medical standard A-2, met without glasses. Most other posts are B-1 or C-1, where glasses are allowed. LASIK rules you out only of A-2 and A-3 posts.[1]
What is the salary of an RRB Group D post?
The posts are at Level 1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with an initial pay of Rs 18,000. Allowances come on top and vary by city.[1]
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Official and partner links
- Official bodyRailway Recruitment Boards (official website)
Sources
- Centralised Employment Notification (CEN) No. 09/2025: Recruitment for Various Posts in Level 1 of 7th CPC Pay Matrix, with Corrigenda 1 to 5, Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways. Important dates and vacancy summary p. 3; examination process p. 6; para 3 (medical) pp. 9-10; para 5 (age) pp. 11-12; para 7 (fee) p. 13; para 12 (Act Apprentices) p. 25; para 14 (CBT, PET, DV) pp. 26-28 (printed page numbers); Annexure-A as revised by Corrigendum 3 (19.02.2026); closing date per Corrigendum 4 (02.03.2026). Accessed 29 October 2026.
- CEN 09/2025: Revised tentative CBT schedule (30.07.2026), Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways. paras 4 and 5. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- CEN 09/2025: Notice on viewing CBT questions, responses and answer keys and raising objections (07.09.2026), Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways. opening para and items 1-2. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- CEN 09/2025: RRB-wise number of applications received, tentative (25.08.2026), Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways. total row. Accessed 29 October 2026.
- CEN 09/2025: Modification window for Course Completed Act Apprentices trained in railway establishments (16.10.2026), Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways. paras 1-4. Accessed 29 October 2026.
Found an error or a newer rule? Tell us through the corrections page. Updated 29 October 2026.