NTPC is the Railways' largest graduate and 12th-pass recruitment stream. Here is what each post actually does, the exact CBT pattern, how normalisation works across shifts, and which posts face a typing test or an aptitude test.
Quick snapshot
- NTPC stands for Non-Technical Popular Categories — Group C clerical, commercial and traffic posts recruited by the Railway Recruitment Boards. There are 21 RRBs in the country.
- It is notified in two separate streams: a Graduate CEN and an Under Graduate (12th pass) CEN, each with its own posts, age band and pay levels.
- Selection is 1st Stage CBT → 2nd Stage CBT → skill test (where applicable) → Document Verification → Medical Examination.
- Both CBTs carry negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer. CBT 1 is purely a screening test — its marks do not go into the final merit.
- When a CBT runs in multiple sessions on the same syllabus, shortlisting is done on normalised marks, not raw marks.
- A Computer Based Aptitude Test applies only to Station Master and Traffic Assistant; a Computer Based Typing Skill Test applies only to the typist posts — and only when the particular CEN says so.
- Medical fitness is post-specific. Candidates who have had LASIK are not eligible for the strictest vision standard in these notifications.
RRB NTPC is the Railways' recruitment for Non-Technical Popular Categories — Group C posts such as Goods Train Manager, Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor, Senior Clerk cum Typist, Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist, Station Master, Traffic Assistant, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk, Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist and Trains Clerk. Graduate posts and 12th-level posts are notified through separate Centralised Employment Notifications.
The written stage is two computer based tests. CBT 1 has 100 questions in 90 minutes; CBT 2 has 120 questions in 90 minutes. Each question carries one mark and 1/3 mark is deducted for a wrong answer. Minimum qualifying percentages in the CBTs are UR and EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25%. Under the current graduate notification CEN No. 06/2026, the Railways announced 3,548 vacancies with applications open until 6 November 2026.
1. What the NTPC posts actually do
"Non-Technical Popular Categories" is an administrative label, not a job description. It covers the Railways' running-adjacent and office posts that do not need an engineering or technical qualification. The Railway Recruitment Boards notify them in two streams.
Graduate-level posts
These were the six posts carried in CEN No. 06/2025, with the pay level and entry basic pay stated in the notification's post-wise parameters:
| Post | Level (7th CPC) | Initial basic pay | Medical standard | What the job involves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor | 6 | ₹35,400 | B-2 | Supervising booking, reservation and commercial work at stations; earnings and refunds |
| Station Master | 6 | ₹35,400 | A-2 | Train movement control and safety at a station; the operating head of the station |
| Goods Train Manager | 5 | ₹29,200 | A-2 | Running-staff role on freight trains; brake-power, train safety and documentation |
| Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist | 5 | ₹29,200 | C-2 | Accounts office work — bills, pay, pensions; typing proficiency required |
| Senior Clerk cum Typist | 5 | ₹29,200 | C-2 | Establishment, stores and general office work in divisions and headquarters |
| Traffic Assistant | 4 | ₹25,500 | A-2 | Operating and traffic control support work |
The current graduate notification, CEN No. 06/2026, is narrower. According to the Ministry of Railways announcement of 11 October 2026, it covers four posts only: Goods Train Manager (2,750 vacancies), Senior Clerk cum Typist (371), Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist (300) and Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor (127) — a total of 3,548. Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor is at Level 6 with initial basic pay of ₹35,400; the other three are at Level 5 with initial basic pay of ₹29,200.
Under Graduate (12th-level) posts
From CEN No. 07/2025, the undergraduate stream carried four posts:
| Post | Level (7th CPC) | Initial basic pay | Medical standard | Skill test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial cum Ticket Clerk | 3 | ₹21,700 | B-2 | None |
| Accounts Clerk cum Typist | 2 | ₹19,900 | C-2 | Computer Based Typing Skill Test |
| Junior Clerk cum Typist | 2 | ₹19,900 | C-2 | Computer Based Typing Skill Test |
| Trains Clerk | 2 | ₹19,900 | A-3 | None |
The point to take away is that the post list is decided afresh in every CEN. Station Master and Traffic Assistant appeared in CEN 06/2025 but are not among the four posts in CEN 06/2026. Never assume a post is on offer because it was there last time — open the current notification and check the post-wise parameters annexure.
2. Eligibility: age bands and qualification
Age is reckoned on a crucial date fixed in the notification, not on the exam date. For CEN 06/2025 and CEN 07/2025 the crucial date was 1 January 2026. For the current CEN 06/2026, the Ministry of Railways has stated the notified age limit as 18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027.
| Stream | Age band (2025 cycle, as on 01.01.2026) | Minimum qualification |
|---|---|---|
| NTPC Graduate (CEN 06/2025) | 18–33 years | Degree from a recognised university or equivalent. Typist posts additionally require typing proficiency in English or Hindi on computer |
| NTPC Under Graduate (CEN 07/2025) | 18–30 years | 12th (+2 stage) or equivalent with not less than 50% in aggregate. The 50% is not insisted on for SC/ST, PwBD, ex-servicemen, or candidates holding a higher qualification |
Age relaxation
The relaxations in the 2025 notifications were: SC and ST 5 years; OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) 3 years. For ex-servicemen with at least six months' continuous service after attestation, the relaxation is 3 years for UR and EWS, 6 years for OBC-NCL and 8 years for SC and ST, each after deducting the length of defence service from age. For Persons with Benchmark Disabilities it is 10 years (UR and EWS), 13 years (OBC-NCL) and 15 years (SC and ST). Serving Group C railway staff with at least three years' service get a maximum upper age of 40, 43 or 45 by category. Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women who have not remarried get a maximum upper age of 35, 38 or 40 by category.
Two rules trip people up. If you qualify for relaxation on more than one ground, you get the maximum single relaxation, not the sum — the relaxations are explicitly not cumulative. And SC, ST or OBC-NCL candidates who apply against UR vacancies get no age relaxation at all.
Examination fee
Under CEN 06/2025 and CEN 07/2025 the fee was ₹500 for all candidates, of which ₹400 is refunded (after bank charges) on appearing in the 1st Stage CBT. For SC, ST, ex-servicemen, PwBD, female, transgender, minority and Economically Backward Class candidates the fee was ₹250, fully refundable (after bank charges) on appearing in the 1st Stage CBT. The refund is triggered by attending CBT 1 — if you pay and do not turn up, nothing comes back. Fee amounts are fixed afresh in each CEN, so confirm them in the live notification before you pay.
3. The selection stages, in order
1st Stage CBT — common to every post in the CEN
A single screening test for all posts in that notification. Its normalised score is used only to shortlist for CBT 2. It does not count towards final merit.
2nd Stage CBT
Candidates equal to 15 times the community-wise vacancies notified against the RRB are shortlisted on CBT 1 normalised marks. CBT 2 is where the real merit is built.
Skill test, only where the post requires it
Computer Based Aptitude Test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant; Computer Based Typing Skill Test for the typist posts. Posts without a skill test go straight from CBT 2 to document verification.
Document Verification
Called at a ratio of 1:1 — candidates equal to the number of vacancies. Originals must be produced on the date given; no extra time is allowed.
Medical Examination and empanelment
Conducted by the Railway Administration against the medical standard of the post you opted for. Empanelment follows merit, successful DV and passing the medical.
Ties in merit are broken by age — the older candidate ranks higher — and if the date of birth is the same, by alphabetical order of name.
4. CBT 1 and CBT 2 pattern, negative marking and normalisation
| Stage | Duration | General Awareness | Mathematics | General Intelligence & Reasoning | Total questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Stage CBT | 90 minutes | 40 | 30 | 30 | 100 |
| 2nd Stage CBT | 90 minutes | 50 | 35 | 35 | 120 |
Every question carries one mark. 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer in both stages. Candidates eligible to use a scribe get 120 minutes instead of 90. The notification itself says the section-wise split is indicative and the actual paper may vary slightly, so do not build a strategy that depends on exactly 30 reasoning questions appearing.
Minimum qualifying percentages are the same in both CBTs: UR 40%, EWS 40%, OBC Non-Creamy Layer 30%, SC 30%, ST 25%. These may be relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD candidates where there is a shortage of PwBD candidates against reserved vacancies.
How normalisation works
An NTPC CBT runs across many days and many shifts, and no two question papers are identical in difficulty. The notification's rule is plain: shortlisting for various stages is based on normalised marks whenever a CBT is conducted in multiple sessions for the same syllabus. Your raw score is converted to a score comparable across shifts before any cut-off is applied.
The Ministry of Railways has explained the design logic publicly: where more than a crore candidates apply, a two-stage CBT is used so that the second stage carries a much smaller number who can be accommodated in one or a limited number of shifts, which keeps extensive normalisation out of the stage that actually decides merit.
What candidates get wrong about normalisation
Normalisation is not a bonus for a hard shift decided by someone's judgement, and it is not a conspiracy against an easy shift. It is a statistical adjustment applied to the whole cohort of a session. You cannot predict it, you cannot game it by choosing a date, and you will not be told your normalised score in advance.
Two practical consequences. First, attempt strategy matters more than usual — with 1/3 negative marking, guessing on questions you have no basis for will cost you. Second, because CBT 1 marks are discarded after shortlisting, a spectacular CBT 1 buys you nothing except a seat in CBT 2. Treat CBT 1 as a gate and put your preparation weight on CBT 2.
5. CBAT and the Typing Skill Test
Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT)
- Applies only to candidates who opted for Station Master or Traffic Assistant, and only when those posts are notified in the CEN.
- Conducted after qualifying CBT 2. Candidates equal to 8 times the vacancies for each community are shortlisted.
- You must score a minimum T-Score of 42 in every test battery. This applies to all candidates regardless of community — there is no relaxation.
- No negative marking in CBAT. Questions and options are available in English and Hindi only.
- Final merit for these posts is 70% weightage to CBT 2 and 30% weightage to CBAT.
- A vision certificate in the prescribed format must be produced in original at the CBAT, failing which you are not allowed to sit.
Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST)
- Applies to typist posts — Senior Clerk cum Typist and Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist at graduate level, Junior Clerk cum Typist and Accounts Clerk cum Typist at 12th level.
- Candidates equal to 8 times the vacancies per community are called.
- Standard: 30 words per minute in English or 25 WPM in Hindi, on a personal computer, without editing tools or spell check. Hindi typing is offered in Kruti Dev and Mangal fonts.
- It is qualifying only — typing marks are never added to merit. You either clear it or you are out.
- Exemption is available to candidates permanently disabled by blindness or low vision, cerebral palsy or locomotor disability of not less than 40%, on uploading the prescribed certificate from a competent medical board.
- Under CEN 06/2026, the Ministry of Railways has stated that CBTST has been dispensed with for Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist and Senior Clerk cum Typist; typing proficiency will be assessed after joining.
6. Document verification and medical standards
Medical fitness is where a lot of otherwise successful candidates fall. Visual acuity is the decisive standard for railway service, and it is tied to the post, not to the candidate. The standards printed in the two 2025 notifications were:
| Medical standard | Distant vision | Near vision | Seen in these NTPC posts |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-2 | 6/9, 6/9 without glasses (no fogging test) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses; must pass colour vision, binocular vision, night vision and myopic vision tests | Station Master, Goods Train Manager, Traffic Assistant (CEN 06/2025) |
| A-3 | 6/9, 6/9 with or without glasses (lens power not to exceed 2D) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses; must pass colour, binocular, night and myopic vision tests | Trains Clerk (CEN 07/2025) |
| B-2 | 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses (lens power not to exceed 4D) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses where reading or close work is required; must pass field of vision test | Chief Commercial cum Ticket Supervisor, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk |
| C-2 | 6/12, nil with or without glasses | Sn 0.6 combined, with or without glasses, where reading or close work is required | Senior Clerk cum Typist, Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist, Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist |
The A, B and C categories are the Indian Railway Medical Manual's classification, with A the strictest, used for safety-critical and running duties, and C the most relaxed, used for office posts. Both notifications point candidates to Chapter 5 of the Indian Railway Medical Manual, Volume I for the full detail, and state that the table in the CEN is indicative rather than exhaustive. Standards for PwBD candidates and for ex-servicemen are dealt with separately in the manual.
LASIK and refractive surgery
This is the single most expensive mistake in NTPC. Candidates who have undergone LASIK or any other surgery to correct refractive error are not eligible for the post carrying the strictest standard in each CEN — A-2 in CEN 06/2025, A-3 in CEN 07/2025. They are eligible for posts carrying B-2 and C-2, subject to the conditions in the Railway Board letter annexed to the notification, and a declaration must be submitted.
So if you have had refractive surgery, do not opt for Station Master, Goods Train Manager, Traffic Assistant or Trains Clerk and hope the medical board will take a kind view. Choose the posts you are medically eligible for at the application stage. If you fail the prescribed medical standard, there is no alternate appointment — the notification says so explicitly. A single final medical appeal, on payment of the prescribed charges, is the only remedy.
7. The 21 RRBs, zone allotment and how to apply
The Railway Recruitment Boards function under the Ministry of Railways and recruit Group C staff. There are 21 RRBs: Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Prayagraj, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu-Srinagar, Kolkata, Chennai, Malda, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Ranchi, Bengaluru, Secunderabad, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram. Vacancies are published RRB-wise and zone-wise in an annexure to each CEN, and you compete only within the RRB you choose.
Create an account once
Registration is done on the RRB application portal at rrbapply.gov.in. Candidates who already created an account for an earlier RRB notification must reuse the same login rather than creating a new one.
Submit only one application, through one RRB
The CEN permits only one online application per candidate through any one of the official RRB websites. Multiple applications get you rejected.
Choose your RRB with care — it cannot be changed
The chosen RRB and the details entered in the "Create an Account" form are not editable, even in the modification window. Everything else can be corrected during the modification window on payment of a modification fee.
Complete the qualification before the closing date
Candidates awaiting the final result of the prescribed qualification are not eligible. You must already hold the degree or 12th certificate as on the closing date for applications.
Think about posting before you pick a zone
The CEN warns that a railway servant is ordinarily employed throughout service on the railway where first posted, and no transfer request is registered until the candidate completes at least 5 to 10 years of service. Choosing a far-off RRB because the vacancies look better is a decade-long decision.
Free sleeper class rail travel is admissible on request to SC and ST candidates for CBTs, CBAT, CBTST, DV and the medical examination, on the strength of the e-call letter and a valid caste certificate. The notifications also carry an explicit warning: the RRBs appoint no agents and no coaching centres, selection is purely on merit, and attempting to influence an RRB is itself a ground for disqualification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the RRB NTPC exam pattern for CBT 1 and CBT 2?
CBT 1 has 100 questions in 90 minutes: 40 General Awareness, 30 Mathematics and 30 General Intelligence and Reasoning. CBT 2 has 120 questions in 90 minutes: 50 General Awareness, 35 Mathematics and 35 General Intelligence and Reasoning. Each question carries one mark and one-third of a mark is deducted for every wrong answer. Candidates eligible to use a scribe get 120 minutes. The section-wise split is described in the notification as indicative.
Do CBT 1 marks count in the final RRB NTPC merit list?
No. The 1st Stage CBT is a screening test. Its normalised score is used only to shortlist candidates for the 2nd Stage CBT, at 15 times the community-wise vacancies notified against that RRB. The merit that decides selection is built on the 2nd Stage CBT, combined with the aptitude test where the post requires one.
What is the age limit for RRB NTPC?
It is fixed in each notification and reckoned on a crucial date stated there. In CEN 06/2025 the graduate band was 18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2026, and in CEN 07/2025 the undergraduate band was 18 to 30 years as on 1 January 2026. For the current graduate notification CEN 06/2026 the Ministry of Railways has stated the age limit as 18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027. Always confirm the band and crucial date in the live CEN.
Who has to take the Computer Based Aptitude Test?
Only candidates who opted for Station Master or Traffic Assistant, and only when those posts are notified in that CEN. Candidates equal to eight times the vacancies per community are shortlisted after CBT 2. You must score a minimum T-Score of 42 in each test battery, with no relaxation for any category. There is no negative marking in CBAT, and final merit for these posts is 70 per cent from CBT 2 and 30 per cent from CBAT.
What typing speed is required for the RRB NTPC typist posts?
Thirty words per minute in English or 25 words per minute in Hindi, typed on a personal computer without editing tools or spell check. Hindi typing is offered in Kruti Dev and Mangal fonts. The test is qualifying only and its marks are never added to merit. Under CEN 06/2026 the Ministry of Railways has said the typing skill test has been dispensed with for Junior Accounts Assistant cum Typist and Senior Clerk cum Typist, with proficiency assessed after joining.
How does normalisation work in RRB NTPC?
When a CBT is conducted in multiple sessions on the same syllabus, shortlisting for subsequent stages is based on normalised marks rather than raw marks. This adjusts for differences in difficulty between shifts. The Railways also uses a two-stage CBT design so that the second stage, which decides merit, involves far fewer candidates and can be held in one or a limited number of shifts.
Can a candidate who has had LASIK surgery apply for RRB NTPC?
Yes, but not for every post. Candidates who have undergone LASIK or other refractive surgery are not eligible for the post carrying the strictest vision standard in the notification, which was A-2 in CEN 06/2025 and A-3 in CEN 07/2025. They are eligible for posts carrying medical standards B-2 and C-2, subject to the conditions in the Railway Board letter annexed to the CEN, and must submit a declaration. Choose eligible posts at the application stage, because failing the prescribed medical means no alternate appointment.
How many RRBs are there and can I apply to more than one?
There are 21 Railway Recruitment Boards. You may submit only one online application for a CEN, through any one RRB, and the chosen RRB cannot be changed later even in the modification window. Choose carefully, because the notification states that a railway servant is ordinarily employed throughout service on the railway where first posted, and no transfer request is registered until at least five to ten years of service are completed.
Sources: PIB, Ministry of Railways — 3,548 graduate-level NTPC vacancies under CEN No. 06/2026 (11 October 2026); Railway Recruitment Boards — Detailed CEN No. 06/2025, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate); Railway Recruitment Boards — Detailed CEN No. 07/2025, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under Graduate); PIB, Ministry of Railways — FAQs on the RRB recruitment process; Railway Recruitment Boards — official portal; RRB online application portal.
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