RRB NTPC 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
RRB NTPC (RRB NTPC — Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate & Undergraduate)) is conducted by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs). The stages are: CBT 1 → CBT 2 → typing / aptitude test (post-wise) → 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 NTPC guide.
CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding): 120 questions, 120 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong.
✓ Data verified 1 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 | 30 | 30 |
| General Awareness | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
One 90-minute block (120 minutes for PwBD candidates with scribe/eligibility) — no sectional timing, so you choose the order. Qualifying percentages used in the last cycle: UR/EWS 40%, OBC-NCL and SC 30%, ST 25%. Marks are normalised across shifts. CBT 1 marks do not carry into the final merit.
CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding) Merit-deciding
Online CBT · 90 min · +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 35 | 35 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 35 | 35 |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 120 | 120 |
Same three subjects, longer and a notch harder than CBT 1, again in a single 90-minute block. Candidates are shortlisted for CBT 2 in a multiple of the vacancies, and the final merit list is drawn from CBT 2 marks (for CBAT posts, 70% CBT 2 + 30% CBAT). Marks are normalised across shifts.
Skill stage — Typing Test (CBTST) or Aptitude Test (CBAT) Post-specific (qualifying or part of merit)
Computer-based · No negative marking in CBAT
CBAT applies to Station Master and Traffic Assistant: minimum T-score of 42 in each test battery, no relaxation, no negative marking; it carries 30% weight with 70% for CBT 2. Typing Skill Test applies to typist posts (Senior Clerk cum Typist, Junior Account Assistant cum Typist, Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist): it is qualifying, speed required is 30 wpm in English or 25 wpm in Hindi. Goods Train Manager, Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk and Trains Clerk have no typing test in the last cycle's scheme — confirm in the new CEN.
Selection process
CBT 1 (screening) → CBT 2 (merit) → Skill stage (CBAT or typing test, where applicable) → Document Verification → Medical Examination. CBT 1 only decides who is called for CBT 2. For Station Master and Traffic Assistant, the final merit is 70% CBT 2 + 30% CBAT, with a minimum T-score of 42 in every CBAT battery. For typist posts the typing test is qualifying. For the remaining posts, the merit list follows CBT 2 marks, subject to the category-wise vacancies and your post preference. There is no interview. Exact stage mapping for each post will be restated in the detailed CEN.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
RRB conducts CBT 1 and CBT 2 across many days and shifts with different question papers, so scores are normalised across shifts before results are declared: a statistical adjustment makes sure a tougher paper doesn't hurt you and an easier one doesn't help you. In practice: (1) never compare raw scores with friends in other shifts; (2) attempt according to the paper you actually get, not the one you expected; (3) a raw score slightly below the cut-off you've heard about is not the end — only the normalised score is compared.
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”; Skill stage — Typing Test (CBTST) or Aptitude Test (CBAT) is “Post-specific (qualifying or part of merit)”. 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. Topics are listed as high importance where our topic data flags them; the question counts come from the pattern above.
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →CBT 1 — First Stage (screening): 30 questions, 30 marks · CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding): 35 questions, 35 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): 30 questions, 30 marks · CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding): 35 questions, 35 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): 40 questions, 40 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 NTPC eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the RRB NTPC salary and posts page.
RRB NTPC exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for RRB NTPC?
CBT 1 → CBT 2 → typing / aptitude test (post-wise) → document verification + medical.
What is the CBT 1 — First Stage (screening) pattern in RRB NTPC?
100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. Sections: Mathematics (30 questions, 30 marks); General Intelligence & Reasoning (30 questions, 30 marks); General Awareness (40 questions, 40 marks).
What is the CBT 2 — Second Stage (merit-deciding) pattern in RRB NTPC?
120 questions, 120 marks, 90 minutes, +1 per correct, −1/3 per wrong. Sections: Mathematics (35 questions, 35 marks); General Intelligence & Reasoning (35 questions, 35 marks); General Awareness (50 questions, 50 marks).
Is there negative marking in RRB NTPC?
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. The CBAT has no negative marking.
Does CBT 1 count towards the final merit?
No. CBT 1 is a screening test — you need to clear the category-wise qualifying percentage and rank high enough to be called for CBT 2. The final merit is built from CBT 2 marks (with the 70:30 CBT 2 + CBAT weighting for Station Master and Traffic Assistant).
What is CBAT and who has to take it?
The Computer Based Aptitude Test is a psychometric-style test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant only. You need a T-score of at least 42 in each test battery (no relaxation), and it carries 30% of the final merit. There is no negative marking, and candidates are called in a multiple of the vacancies on the basis of CBT 2.
Which posts have a typing test and what speed is needed?
Typist posts — Senior Clerk cum Typist, Junior Account Assistant cum Typist, Junior Clerk cum Typist and Accounts Clerk cum Typist — have a qualifying typing skill test. The required speed is 30 words per minute in English or 25 in Hindi. Marks from the typing test don't count in merit; you only have to qualify.
Can I apply to both the graduate and undergraduate CEN?
A graduate is generally eligible for both, since the undergraduate posts ask for Class 12 as the minimum, and the two notifications run on different application windows. Whether it's wise depends on your prep time: both use the same Maths-Reasoning-GA pattern, but the undergraduate CBT 1 is a separate exam. Read the detailed CENs for any rule on applying to more than one.
Is there any interview in RRB NTPC?
No. Selection is through CBT 1, CBT 2, the post-specific skill test where applicable, document verification and a medical examination.