Complete exam guide
RRB JE — Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant
RRB JE is the Railway Recruitment Boards' recruitment for the technical, field and workshop posts of Indian Railways: Junior Engineer in the electrical, civil, mechanical and S&T (signals and telecom) departments, Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) in stores, and — added through corrigendum in the 2026 cycle — Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA).
2026 cycle — status
✓ Verified 6 Oct 2026CEN 04/2026 is the running cycle. Applications closed on 13 September 2026 (modification window ran 16 to 25 September with a ₹250 fee per occasion). CBT 1 is scheduled for 27 and 28 October 2026 — originally 27, 28 and 30 October, then revised through the schedule notice dated 2 October 2026. City and date intimation is expected about 10 days before the exam and e-call letters about 4 days before. CBT 2 has not been scheduled yet. Note that the CEN was published with 3,993 vacancies and Corrigendum-1 dated 18 August 2026 added 1 JE/Electrical/TRS vacancy and the CMA post with 35 vacancies, taking the total to 4,029.
- Detailed CEN 04/2026 publishedDone13 August 2026Indicative notice 25 July 2026
- Applications (CEN 04/2026)Done14 Aug to 13 Sep 2026Fee payment until 15 Sep 2026
- Modification windowDone16 to 25 September 2026₹250 per occasion; account details and chosen RRB cannot be changed
- CBT 1Upcoming27 and 28 October 2026Revised schedule notice dated 2 October 2026 (was 27, 28 and 30 October)
- CBT 2AwaitedTo be announced
Vacancy position: 3,993 posts of Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent in the detailed CEN (13 August 2026), raised to 4,029 by Corrigendum-1 (18 August 2026) which added 1 JE/Electrical/TRS vacancy (RRB Secunderabad) and 35 Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant vacancies (RRB Guwahati 4, RRB Patna 7, RRB Prayagraj 1 plus others). The largest RRB allocations in the CEN were RRB Kolkata (457), RRB Mumbai (411), RRB Chennai (362), RRB Prayagraj (340) and RRB Guwahati (329). Every post is in Pay Level 6 with initial pay ₹35,400 — there is no Level 7 post in this cycle (the Level 7 Chemical Supervisor/Research and Metallurgical Supervisor/Research posts of CEN 03/2024 have not been notified again). Key rules: one RRB and one application only (multiple applications mean rejection and debarment); candidates choose an Exam Group (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Civil and Allied, or the CMA group) based on their qualification; the 'Create an Account' details and chosen RRB cannot be changed later. Age is counted as on 1 January 2027. Apply only through the official RRB websites and rrbapply.gov.in.
About this exam
The selection runs in two computer-based stages: CBT 1 (screening) → CBT 2 (merit) → document verification → medical examination, with no interview. CBT 1 is a common paper for everyone (Maths, Reasoning, General Awareness, General Science), while CBT 2 adds a heavy Technical Abilities paper of 100 questions from your own engineering branch. That technical paper is what separates this exam from NTPC and Group D: the general subjects are standard competitive-exam fare, but the 100-question branch paper decides the merit, so your diploma or degree subjects carry most of the weight. Pay is Level 6 (initial pay ₹35,400) for every post in the current cycle, and the medical standard for most posts is B-1 or B-2, so vision and fitness matter — check the post parameters before you commit.
More on RRB JE
Dates, syllabus and results for RRB JE
Exam pattern
CBT 1 — First Stage (screening) Screening (shortlists for CBT 2)
Online CBT · 90 min · +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| General Science + General Awareness | 45 | 45 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
One 90-minute block (120 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates), no sectional timing. Within the 45 General questions the CEN table splits General Science 30 (Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences up to 10th standard CBSE) and General Awareness 15 (current affairs, geography, history including the freedom struggle, polity and constitution, economy, environmental issues, sports, scientific and technological developments). Minimum qualifying marks: UR and EWS 40%, OBC-NCL and SC 30%, ST 25% (relaxable by 2 marks for PwBD candidates against a shortage). Normalised scores are used only to shortlist for CBT 2, at 15 times the community-wise vacancies of the RRB (the RRB can change this ratio). CBT 1 marks do not count in the final merit.
CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding) Merit-deciding
Online CBT · 120 min · +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Common part: General Awareness, Physics & Chemistry, Basics of Computers, Environment & Pollution Control | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
150 questions in 120 minutes (160 for scribe-eligible candidates); a virtual calculator is available on screen. The common part of 50 questions splits as General Awareness 15, Physics & Chemistry 15 (up to 10th standard CBSE), Basics of Computers and Applications 10, Basics of Environment and Pollution Control 10. The remaining 100 questions are Technical Abilities from your Exam Group, decided by your qualification: Mechanical and Allied, Electrical and Allied, Electronics and Allied, or Civil and Allied Engineering (Annexure VIII A to D of the CEN), or the separate CMA group (Physics and Chemistry, Annexure VIII E). Diploma holders with more than one qualifying branch choose one Exam Group but can then be considered for all posts they opted for. Minimum qualifying percentages are the same as CBT 1 (UR/EWS 40%, OBC-NCL and SC 30%, ST 25%). Shortlisting for document verification is based on CBT 2 merit, expressed as a Merit Index scored from 350 (at the general-category qualifying mark of 40) up to 900 (at the mean of the top 0.1% of candidates), so candidates of different branches compete on one common scale. The site's technical-section practice lives under your branch's engineering subjects; the GA section covers the common part.
Document Verification and Medical Examination Qualifying (final stage)
In person at the RRB · Not applicable
Candidates are shortlisted for DV RRB-wise at 1:1 of the vacancies, on normalised CBT 2 merit and post options. Ties are broken first by age (the older candidate ranks higher) and then alphabetically by given name. At DV you produce all original certificates — qualification, date of birth, category, and an NOC if you are a serving government or PSU employee; failure to produce originals forfeits the candidature. Appointment depends on clearing the railway medical examination against the standard of your post: most JE posts carry B-1 or B-2, some carry C-1, and a few design posts carry A-3 (for A-3 posts, candidates who have had LASIK or similar refractive surgery are not eligible; colour, binocular and night vision tests apply). A one-time medical appeal with prescribed charges is allowed if you fail the initial medical. There is no interview anywhere in the process.
Eligibility
Citizen of India, or a citizen of Nepal, or a subject of Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or the East African countries listed in the CEN, with a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India where required (produced at document verification).
Three-year Diploma in Engineering in the relevant branch (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Civil or a recognised combination of sub-streams), as mapped to each post in Annexure A, from a recognised university or institute. B.E./B.Tech or a higher engineering degree in the same discipline is accepted in lieu of the diploma. Some posts accept additional routes (for example certain civil posts accept a three-year B.Sc in Civil Engineering); check the post parameters annexure of the CEN you apply under.
Three-year Diploma in Engineering in any discipline from a recognised university or institute; B.E./B.Tech or a higher qualification in engineering is accepted in lieu of the diploma. Candidates eligible through any of the diploma streams can opt for DMS.
B.Sc degree in Physics and Chemistry with at least 45% marks from a recognised university or institute — with Physics as the major or honours subject and Chemistry as a subject, or Chemistry as the major and Physics as a subject, or another Science subject as major with both Physics and Chemistry as subjects, per the post parameters.
| SC / ST | +5 years |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | +3 years |
| Ex-servicemen (after deducting length of service) | UR and EWS +3, OBC-NCL +6, SC and ST +8 years |
| PwBD | UR and EWS +10, OBC-NCL +13, SC and ST +15 years |
| Serving railway Group C and erstwhile Group D staff (and substitutes) with 3 or more years of service | Up to 40 years (UR and EWS), 43 (OBC-NCL), 45 (SC and ST) |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women who have not remarried | Up to 35 years (UR and EWS), 38 (OBC-NCL), 40 (SC and ST) |
Qualifications must be complete on or before the closing date (13 September 2026 for CEN 04/2026); candidates awaiting results cannot apply. Relaxations are not cumulative — if you qualify on more than one ground you get the maximum of them, and SC, ST and OBC-NCL candidates against UR vacancies get no relaxation. Age limits for the posts are uniform in this cycle because every post is Level 6; earlier cycles (CEN 03/2024) had 18 to 36 years for all posts as a one-time Covid relaxation of 3 years over the standard 18 to 33. The detailed CEN of the cycle you apply in is the final word.
Posts, pay & who should apply
| Post | Department | Group | Pay level | Approx. in-hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Engineer (Electrical — General Services, EMU, TRS, TRD, Workshop, Design) | Indian Railways, electrical department and traction role | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 | |
| Junior Engineer (Civil — P. Way, Bridge, Works, Design Drawing and Estimation) | Indian Railways, engineering department (permanent way, bridges, works) | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 | |
| Junior Engineer (Mechanical — Carriage & Wagon, Workshop, Design, Diesel, Track Machine) | Indian Railways, mechanical department, sheds and workshops | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 | |
| Junior Engineer (S&T — Signal, Telecommunication, Design) | Indian Railways, signal and telecom department | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 | |
| Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) | Indian Railways, stores department | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 | |
| Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA) | Indian Railways, CMT department (added by Corrigendum-1 of CEN 04/2026, 35 vacancies) | Level 6 (7th CPC) | Level 6 · initial pay ₹35,400 |
Special requirements: Junior Engineer (Electrical — General Services, EMU, TRS, TRD, Workshop, Design) — Electrical and Allied Exam Group paper in CBT 2; medical standard B-1/B-2/C-1 per post · Junior Engineer (Civil — P. Way, Bridge, Works, Design Drawing and Estimation) — Civil and Allied Exam Group paper in CBT 2; some design posts carry the A-3 standard (no LASIK) · Junior Engineer (Mechanical — Carriage & Wagon, Workshop, Design, Diesel, Track Machine) — Mechanical and Allied Exam Group paper in CBT 2 · Junior Engineer (S&T — Signal, Telecommunication, Design) — Electronics and Allied Exam Group paper in CBT 2 (per the qualification mapping) · Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) — Open to a three-year diploma in any engineering discipline; you still choose one Exam Group for the technical paper · Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA) — B.Sc (Physics and Chemistry, 45% or more) qualification; separate CMA Exam Group paper of Physics and Chemistry topics; B-1 medical
Selection process
CBT 1 (screening) → CBT 2 (merit) → Document Verification → Medical Examination. No interview. CBT 1 shortlists candidates for CBT 2 at 15 times the community-wise vacancies of each RRB, on normalised marks. The final merit is built only from CBT 2, expressed as a Merit Index between 350 and 900 so that candidates from different Exam Groups compete on a common scale for the same posts. DV shortlists are drawn RRB-wise at 1:1 of the vacancies, with ties broken by age (older first) and then alphabetically. Every post is Level 6, and post and zone allotment follow merit, options, medical fitness and vacancy position.
Normalisation (why your raw score ≠ final score)
Both CBTs are held over multiple days and shifts with different question papers, so raw marks are normalised across shifts before any shortlisting, using the RRBs' published method. For the final merit the normalised (or raw, for single-session) marks are then converted into a Merit Index: the general-category qualifying mark of 40 maps to 350, and the mean marks of the top 0.1% of candidates (or top 10, whichever is larger) maps to 900. In practice: never compare raw scores with friends in other shifts; a tougher paper is statistically adjusted in your favour; and the merit index, not your raw total, decides the panel.
Preparation topics
Every topic below has full notes, formulas, shortcut tricks and practice — tap in.
- Number System
- Simplification
- HCF & LCM
- Percentage
- Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages
- Average
- Interest (SI & CI)
- Profit, Loss & Discount
- Mixtures & Alligation
- Time & Work
- Time, Speed & Distance
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Mensuration (2D)
- Mensuration (3D)
- Trigonometry
- Heights and Distances
- Statistics
- Data Interpretation
- Permutation, Combination & Probability
- Sequences & Progressions
- Set Theory & Venn Diagrams
- Functions, Graphs & Logarithms
- Analogy
- Classification (Odd One Out)
- Series (Number & Letter)
- Coding - Decoding
- Mathematical Operations
- Missing Number
- Blood Relations
- Direction & Distance
- Order & Ranking
- Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Venn Diagrams
- Dictionary Order & Alphabet
- Statement & Conclusion
- Counting Figures
- Mirror & Water Images
- Paper Folding & Cutting
- Embedded Figures
- Cube & Dice
- Figure Series
Notification dates history
| Year | Vacancies | Notification | Exam | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4029 | CEN 04/2026 (JE/DMS/CMA): detailed CEN 13 Aug 2026, applications 14 Aug to 13 Sep 2026 (3,993 + 36 added by Corrigendum-1) | CBT 1: 27 and 28 October 2026 (revised schedule) | — |
| 2025 | 2569 | CEN 05/2025 (JE/DMS/CMA): notification published on RRB websites 28 Oct 2025 (2,569 vacancies), applications 31 Oct to 30 Nov 2025, extended to 10 Dec 2025 by Corrigendum-1 · 5,74,402 applications received | CBT 1: 19, 20 and 25 February 2026 (CBT 1 cutoff published 8 May 2026) | DV rounds under way from late September 2026 |
FAQs
Is there negative marking in RRB JE?
Yes. 1/3 mark is deducted for every wrong answer in both CBT 1 and CBT 2, while each correct answer earns 1 mark. Unattempted questions cost nothing.
What is the CBT 1 and CBT 2 pattern?
CBT 1: 100 questions in 90 minutes — Mathematics 30, General Intelligence & Reasoning 25, General Awareness 15, General Science 30. CBT 2: 150 questions in 120 minutes — General Awareness 15, Physics & Chemistry 15, Basics of Computers and Applications 10, Basics of Environment and Pollution Control 10 and Technical Abilities 100 from your branch. A virtual calculator is available in CBT 2. The CEN says the section-wise splits are indicative and may vary slightly in actual papers.
Does CBT 1 count towards the final merit?
No. CBT 1 is purely a screening test. Its normalised score is used only to shortlist candidates for CBT 2 at 15 times the community-wise vacancies of each RRB, subject to the category-wise minimum percentages. The final merit is built only from CBT 2.
What is the Technical Abilities paper and which branch will I get?
The last 100 questions of CBT 2 come from your Exam Group, fixed by your qualification: Mechanical and Allied, Electrical and Allied, Electronics and Allied, or Civil and Allied Engineering, or the separate CMA group for B.Sc Physics and Chemistry candidates. Diploma holders eligible through more than one branch choose one Exam Group during the application, but remain eligible for all the posts they opted for. The group-wise syllabus is given in Annexure VIII of the CEN.
What is the Merit Index and why is my score out of 900?
Because candidates from different branches compete for the same posts, RRB converts normalised CBT 2 marks into a common Merit Index: the general-category qualifying mark (40) maps to 350 and the mean marks of the top 0.1% of candidates (or top 10, whichever is larger) maps to 900. DV shortlists and panel merit are decided on this index, which is why official cutoffs after CBT 2 look like 700 to 800 rather than marks out of 150.
What is the qualification for RRB JE posts?
JE: three-year engineering diploma in the relevant branch (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Civil or a listed combination); a B.E./B.Tech or higher degree in the same discipline is accepted in lieu of the diploma. DMS: three-year diploma in any engineering discipline (degree accepted in lieu). CMA: B.Sc in Physics and Chemistry with at least 45% marks. Qualifications must be complete before the application closing date; candidates awaiting results cannot apply.
What is the age limit and the cut-off date for the 2026 cycle?
18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027 for all posts in CEN 04/2026 (all are Level 6). Standard relaxations apply: OBC-NCL +3 years, SC/ST +5 years, plus separate limits for ex-servicemen, PwBD, serving railway staff, and widowed or divorced women as given in the CEN table. (In CEN 03/2024 the limit was 18 to 36 years because of a one-time 3-year Covid relaxation.)
What is the application fee and how does the refund work?
₹500 for all other candidates, of which ₹400 is refunded (minus bank charges) after you appear in CBT 1; ₹250 for SC, ST, ex-servicemen, PwBD, female, transgender, minority and EBC candidates, fully refunded after you appear. Only candidates who actually attend CBT 1 get the refund. Changing application details later costs a ₹250 modification fee per occasion.
Can I raise objections against the answer key?
Yes. After each CBT the RRBs open a window to view your questions, responses and the provisional keys, and objections can be raised online for a fee of ₹50 plus bank charges per question. If your objection is found correct, the fee for that question is refunded. The RRBs' decision on objections is final.
Which posts and medical standards should I check before applying?
Every post in the current cycle is Level 6 (₹35,400), so pay does not differ — the differences are department, posting and medical standard. Most JE posts need B-1 or B-2, some design posts need A-3 (where LASIK or similar refractive surgery disqualifies you), and CMA needs B-1. Check Annexure A (post parameters) for the standard of each post, because failing the medical means no appointment on that post and no alternative.
Documents for document verification
Keep these ready for the application and for Document Verification: Class 10 (matriculation) certificate as date of birth and name proof, diploma or degree certificates with all semester/year marksheets (or the B.Sc certificate for CMA) with the date of issue or result declaration, category certificate in the central government format (OBC-NCL, EWS, SC or ST), EBC certificate (Annexure III-A), BPL card or Izzat MST if you claimed the fee concession, ex-servicemen and PwBD certificates where applicable, an NOC from your employer if you are serving in a central or state government department or PSU, a valid photo ID (Aadhaar is strongly preferred, since Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication is used at the exam centre), the live photograph captured during the application, and your scanned signature. Name or date of birth mismatches across documents are the commonest cause of DV trouble — fix them with a gazette notification before you apply. SC and ST candidates who opt for the free sleeper-class train pass must carry the original caste certificate at every stage.