RRB JE 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
RRB JE (RRB JE — Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant) is conducted by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs). The stages are: CBT 1 → CBT 2 (with Technical Abilities paper) → document verification + medical. This page sets out each stage with its sections, questions, marks, duration and negative marking, explains how the final selection is made, and shows how to approach each subject. For dates and the current status of the 2026 cycle, see the RRB JE guide.
✓ Data verified 6 Oct 2026
Stage-wise 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.
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 is not your 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.
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: CBT 1 — First Stage (screening) is “Screening (shortlists for CBT 2)”; CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding) is “Merit-deciding”; Document Verification and Medical Examination is “Qualifying (final stage)”. Read each stage's tag and notes to see whether its marks count towards the final merit or only decide who moves to the next stage, because that changes how much risk is worth taking on a single question.
Always check the negative marking line before you decide how freely to guess. Where there is a penalty, a wrong answer costs marks; where the data says there is none, leaving a question blank only loses the chance to score.
Question counts per section are the best guide to how much time and practice each subject deserves. Use the tables above to split your preparation in proportion to the marks on offer, and revisit the split after each mock or topic test.
How to approach each section
Each subject below links to the full notes on ExamShortcut. Key topics are the high-importance ones where our topic data flags them (or the ones that matter most for this exam); the question counts come from the pattern above.
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 30 questions, 30 marks
Learn the formula and the shortcut for each topic first, then drill timed sets so that routine calculation questions take seconds. In the exam, take the questions you can do quickly and leave the long, multi-step ones for the end. Topic tests after every chapter show which topics still cost you time.
High-importance topics: Number System, Percentage, Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages, Average, Interest (SI & CI), Profit, Loss & Discount
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 25 questions, 25 marks
Reasoning rewards pattern recognition, so practise each question type until you recognise it on sight: series, coding-decoding, analogy, classification, syllogism, direction and blood-relation questions, and non-verbal figures. Work in rough on paper rather than in your head, and skip any puzzle that is not settling within a minute or so.
High-importance topics: Analogy, Classification (Odd One Out), Series (Number & Letter), Coding - Decoding, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement
General Awareness
All 14 topics →CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 45 questions, 45 marks · CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding): 50 questions, 50 marks
General awareness is memory work, so revise in short, regular rounds instead of cramming. Combine static GK tables with the last several months of current affairs, and use the daily quiz to keep facts fresh. Decide in advance how much time you will give it.
High-importance topics: Modern Indian History, Indian Polity & Constitution, Indian Geography, Indian Economy, Biology, Static GK
Next, check who can apply on the RRB JE eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the RRB JE salary and posts page.
RRB JE exam pattern — overview
CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding): 150 questions, 150 marks, 120 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong.
RRB JE exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for RRB JE?
CBT 1 → CBT 2 (with Technical Abilities paper) → document verification + medical.
What is the CBT 1 — First Stage (screening) pattern in RRB JE?
100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. Sections: Mathematics (30 questions, 30 marks); General Intelligence & Reasoning (25 questions, 25 marks); General Science + General Awareness (45 questions, 45 marks).
What is the CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding) pattern in RRB JE?
150 questions, 150 marks, 120 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. Sections: Common part: General Awareness, Physics & Chemistry, Basics of Computers, Environment & Pollution Control (50 questions, 50 marks).
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.
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.