The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has announced the Computer Based Test (CBT-1) schedule for the RRB Group D Recruitment 2026. According to the official examination programme, the CBT-1 examination will be conducted from August 3 to August 21, 2026, at examination centres across the country.
The recruitment drive aims to fill 22,195 vacancies across various zones and departments of Indian Railways. Candidates who have applied for the recruitment will soon be able to download their examination date, exam city details and admit card through the official RRB website.
According to the schedule released by the Railway Recruitment Board, the CBT-1 examination will be conducted in multiple phases in online (Computer Based Test) mode at designated examination centres nationwide. Candidates will be required to answer 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), with each question carrying one mark, making the examination worth a total of 100 marks.
The question paper will include the following subjects:
- General Science
- Mathematics
- General Intelligence and Reasoning
- General Awareness and Current Affairs
The total duration of the examination has been fixed at 90 minutes.
The CBT-1 examination will include negative marking, with one-third (1/3) of a mark deducted for every incorrect answer. The Railway Recruitment Board stated that the examination will be conducted entirely through a transparent computer-based process with a uniform evaluation system for all candidates. Candidates must secure the prescribed minimum qualifying marks to be declared successful in the examination.
According to the notification, candidates belonging to the General and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories must obtain a minimum of 40 percent marks. Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories must obtain a minimum of 30 percent marks. Final selection, however, will be based on merit, category-wise cut-off marks and other stages of the recruitment process, and not solely on securing the minimum qualifying marks.
The Railway Recruitment Board has stated that the CBT-1 admit card will be released four days before the examination date. Candidates will be able to download the admit card by logging in to their respective RRB regional portals.
The admit card will contain details including the examination date, time, examination centre, reporting time and other important instructions. Candidates will also be required to carry a valid photo identity proof along with the admit card to the examination centre.
Before the release of the admit card, the Railway Recruitment Board will issue the Exam City Intimation Slip approximately 10 days before the examination. The slip will enable candidates to know their allotted examination city in advance for travel planning. However, it will not serve as a substitute for the admit card, and only the official admit card will be accepted for entry to the examination.
The recruitment drive will fill a total of 22,195 vacancies across various technical and operational departments of Indian Railways. The posts include:
- Track Maintainer Grade-IV – 11,032 posts
- Pointsman-B – 5,053 posts
- Assistant (S&T) – 1,509 posts
- Assistant (C&W) – 1,000 posts
- Assistant – 800 posts
- Operation Assistant – 604 posts
- Assistant Bridge – 600 posts
- Assistant Track Machine – 597 posts
- Assistant TL & AC – 500 posts
- Assistant – 300 posts
- Assistant Loco Shed – 200 posts
Appointments to these posts will be made across various zones of Indian Railways according to operational requirements. Candidates have been advised to monitor official notifications for updates regarding the admit card, examination city details and other examination-related information, and to use only the official Railway Recruitment Board website for such updates.
