RRB Group D exam pattern 2026: The Railway Recruitment Board prescribes the RRB Group D exam pattern 2026. It is released along with the notification. It is based on the nature of the post. The RRB Group D 2026 exam is conducted as a Computer based test in an online mode. The RRB Group recruitment process consists of the stages namely CBT 1, PET and Document Verification and Medical. Candidates with the help of exam pattern come to know about the duration of an exam, number of questions asked and marks distribution for the CBT 1 exam.
The total marks allotted to the test are 100. Candidates qualifying the online test are called for called PET which is qualifying in nature. Candidates after this are called for document verification, medical exam, and empanelling of candidates. RRB Group D syllabus is framed as per the exam pattern. Scroll down about the exam pattern for the RRB Group D exam.
- RRB Group D Exam Pattern 2026
- RRB Group D Marking Scheme 2026
- RRB Group D Syllabus 2026
- RRB Group D Exam Pattern 2026 FAQs
RRB Group D Exam Pattern 2026
According to RRB Group D exam pattern, the CBT is divided into four sections: General Science, Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning and General Awareness and Current Affairs. The total marks allotted to CBT are 100. Candidates qualifying the CBT are called for PET. Candidates qualifying the PET are called for document verification. The final selection of candidates is done based on the performance in the CBT provided they qualify the PET. RRBs had removed the CBT 2 exam from the exam pattern of RRB Group D after facing backlash from the student communities. The railway boards conduct only single-stage CBT exam for RRB Group D.
RRB Group D Exam Pattern for CBT
RRB Group D exam pattern for CBT is divided into four sections: General Science, Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning and General Awareness and Current Affairs. The total duration of the test is 90 minutes (120 minutes for eligible PwBD candidates accompanied by the scribe). The test paper comprises a total of 100 objective-type multiple-choice questions. The structure of RRB Group D pattern for CBT is given below.
| Sections |
Number of questions |
|---|---|
| General Science |
25 |
| Mathematics |
25 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning |
30 |
| General Awareness and Current Affairs |
20 |
| Total |
100 |
PET is conducted for candidates qualifying the CBT. The selection of candidates for this stage is done three times the number of vacancies. It is mandatory for candidates to pass the PET and it is qualifying in nature.
| Male candidates | Female candidates/Transgender candidates |
|---|---|
| Candidates should be able to lift and carry 35 kg of weight for a distance of 100 meters in two minutes without putting down the weight |
Female candidates should be able to lift and carry 20 kgs of weight for a distance of 100 meters in two minutes without putting down the weight |
| Candidates should be able to run for a distance of 1000 meters in four minutes and 15 seconds in one chance | Candidates should be able to run for a distance of 1000 meters in five minutes and 40 seconds in one chance |
Document Verification & Empanelling of Candidates
In 2022, the process of document verification was revised. Based on the performance of candidates in CBT 1 and subject to their qualifying in PET, candidates equal to the number of vacancies in the ratio 1.1 are called for document verification as per their merit and options. Earlier, it was based on the performance of candidates in CBT subject to their qualifying in PET, candidates 1.05 times (number of extra candidates to be called for Document Verification shall be five per cent beyond the number of notified vacancies) the number of vacancies were called for Document Verification as per their merit and options. Appointment of selected candidates is subject to their passing the requisite medical fitness by the railway administration, final verification of education, community certificates, and verification of antecedents/character certificates. Candidates successful in document verification are sent for medical examination. Visual acuity standard is one of the important criteria of the medical fitness of railway staff. The medical standard prescribed for different categories is given below:
| Medical Standard | Visual Acuity |
|---|---|
| A-2 | Distant Vision: 6/9, 6/9 without glasses (no fogging test) Near Vision: Sn. 0.6, 0.6 without glasses and must pass tests for colour vision, binocular vision, night vision, mesopic vision, etc. |
| A-3 | Distant Vision: 6/9, 6/9 with or without glasses (power of lenses not to exceed 2D) Near Vision: Sn: 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses and must pass test for colour vision, binocular vision, night vision, myopic vision, etc. |
| B-1 | Distant Vision: 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses (power of lenses not to exceed 4D) Near Vision: Sn. 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses when reading or close work is required and must pass the test for colour vision, binocular vision, night vision, mesopic vision, etc. |
| B-2 | Distant Vision: 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses (power of lenses not to exceed 4D) Near Vision: Sn. 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses when reading or close work is required and must pass test for Binocular Vision, etc. |
| C-1 | Distant Vision: 6/12, 6/18 with or without glasses Near Vision: Sn. 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses when reading or close work is required |
| C-2 | Distant Vision: 6/12, NIL with or without glasses Near Vision: Sn. 0.6 combined with or without glasses where reading or close work is required |
RRB Group D Marking Scheme 2026
The marking scheme has been prescribed by the RRBs. The scores of candidates are calculated as per the marking scheme. The marking scheme of RRB Group D is given below:
- For each correct answer marked in the exam, candidates score one mark
- 1/3 marks are deducted for wrong answers in the exam
RRB Group D Qualifying Marks
o qualify the exam, candidates need to secure the qualifying marks as per their category. Besides, candidates are also required to secure RRB Group D cutoff marks. The category-wise qualifying marks are given below:
Category |
Qualifying marks (In per cent) |
|---|---|
| UR |
40 |
| EWS |
40 |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) |
30 |
| SC |
30 |
| ST |
30 |
Note: The percentage of marks is relaxed by 2 per cent for PwBD candidates.
RRB Group D Percentile Based Calculation
Percentile scores are scores based on the relative performance of all those who appear for the examination. The marks obtained are transformed into a scale ranging from 100 to 0 for each shift of examinees. The percentile score is not the same as the percentage of marks obtained. The percentile score indicates the percentage of candidates that have scored equal to or below (same or lower raw scores) that particular percentile in that examination. Therefore, the topper (highest score) of each shift will get the same percentile of 100 which is desirable. The marks obtained in between the highest and lowest scores are also converted to appropriate percentiles. According to the revised marking scheme, the boards have decided to interpolate the raw marks into the base shift.
Formula for Percentile Score Based Normalisation
The percentile score is the normalized score for the examination (instead of the raw marks of the candidate) and is used for the preparation of the merit lists. The percentile score of a candidate for a particular shift is calculated below:
Percentile Score=Number of candidates appeared in the ‘Shift’ with raw score EQUAL TO OR LESS than the candidate/The total number of the candidates who appeared in the ’Shift’ X 1000
The percentile scores for the raw score of all the candidates for all the shifts are merged and called the RRC scores which then is used for the compilation of results and further processing for deciding the merit allocation. The Percentile Scores will be calculated up to 5 decimal places to avoid the bunching effect and reduce ties.
In case of two or more candidates secure same Normalized Percentile Score, their merit position will be determined by age criteria i.e., the older person will be placed at higher merit, and in case age being same, then alphabetical order (A to Z) of the name shall be taken into account to break the tie.
What is Base Shift?
‘Base Shift’ is a shift having the ‘Highest Mean’ (Average) among all the shifts of CBT with a condition that its ‘Present Candidate Count’ should be 70 per cent or more than the average of all shifts. In case the ‘Highest Mean’ of two shifts is the same then the shift having ‘Highest Individual Marks’ is considered as ‘Base Shift’.
In case both ‘Highest Mean’ and ‘Highest Individual Marks’ are the same then the shift having ‘Highest Present Candidate Count’ is considered as ‘Base Shift’ to break the tie.
RRB Group D Syllabus 2026
Candidates must go through the topics given in the RRB Group D exam syllabus. The standard of the syllabus was formed as per the qualification of the post. The total marks allotted to the exam are 100. RRB Group D syllabus comprises the chapters that candidates need to prepare for the exam. The syllabus for RRB Group D is given below.
| Subjects | Topics |
|---|---|
| Mathematics |
Number System, Percentage, BODMAS, LCM-HCF, Simple and Compound Interest, Algebra, Profit and Loss, etc. |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning |
Analogies, Data Sufficiency, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Relationships, etc |
| General Science |
Physics, Chemistry, and Life Sciences of CBSE Class 10 level |
| General Awareness |
Current Affairs Science & Technology, Sports, Culture, Personalities, Economics, Politics |
The Railway Recruitment Board released the RRG Group D Syllabus and exam pattern on the official website at rrbcdg.gov.in. It was released along with the notification. The Syllabus is crucial in the preparation journey. It consists of the subjects namely Mathematics, General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Science, General Awareness & Current Affairs. Candidates will come to know about the topics asked in the Railway Group D exam, what to prepare, etc. The selection process consists of Computer-Based Test (CBT 1), PET and Document Verification & Medical.
While preparing the syllabus of RRB Group D the topics given in the same have been framed keeping in mind the nature of the job profile. The educational qualification for RRB Group D exam is Class 10 pass. Therefore, the syllabus has been formulated based on the given educational qualification.
RRB Group D Exam Pattern 2026 FAQs
Candidates can check below RRB Group D exam pattern FAQs.
RRB Group D syllabus comprises the topics and sub-topics that candidates need to prepare for the exam. RRB Group D syllabus is given below.
| Subjects | Topics |
|---|---|
Mathematics | Number System, Percentage, BODMAS, LCM-HCF, Simple and Compound Interest, Algebra, Profit and Loss, etc. |
General Intelligence and Reasoning | Analogies, Data Sufficiency, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Relationships, etc |
General Science | Physics, Chemistry, and Life Sciences of CBSE Class 10 level |
General Awareness | Current Affairs Science & Technology, Sports, Culture, Personalities, Economics, Politics |
RRB Group D CBT question paper will be available in 15 languages: Hindi, English, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The language of the paper is based on the region or the specific exam. But the majority of Railway Recruitment Board papers will be in the official language of the state in which the exam is conducted. For example, if the exam is taking place in Tamil Nadu, the paper is likely to be in Tamil. Likewise, if the exam is taking place in Kolkata, the language of the question paper will be in Bengali. Candidates can choose the exam language while filling out the application form.
RRB Group D General Science section covers Physics, Chemistry, and Life Sciences of Class 10 level (CBSE). This section tests candidates' knowledge of observation from everyday to scientific aspects. The tips and tricks to prepare for RRB Group D General Science section are given below:
- Candidates must learn the concepts of Class 9 and Class 10 Science thoroughly
- They should memorise the formulas and practice more formulas
- Candidates must revise the concepts given in the syllabus throughly
- Candidates must solve mock tests and previous years' question papers
The tips and tricks to prepare for RRB Group D General Awareness are given below.
- Candidates must stay updated with current events for this you should read the newspaper daily and keep an eye on daily current affairs.
- Candidates can watch our daily Current Affairs Class by Bhunesh Sir on our YouTube channel to keep themselves updated with the latest news and cases.
- Candidates should make notes of daily current affairs to recall anytime.
‘Base Shift’ is a shift having the ‘the highest Mean’ (Average) among all the shifts of CBT with a condition that its ‘Present Candidate Count’ should be 70 per cent or more than the average of all shifts. In case the ‘the highest Mean’ of two shifts is the same then the shift having ‘the highest Individual Marks’ is considered as ‘Base Shift’.
In case both ‘the highest Mean’ and ‘the highest Individual Marks’ are the same then the shift having ‘the highest Present Candidate Count’ is considered as ‘Base Shift’ to break the tie.
The topic-wise distribution of questions in RRB Group D General Science section is given below.
Topics | Expected Weightage |
|---|---|
Physics | 7-8 |
Chemistry | 9-10 |
Biology | 6-7 |
The section on logic is long and covers a wide range of topics. The only way to succeed in this section is to understand the topics well and practice again and again. The important topics for RRB Group D General Intelligence and Reasoning are given below:
- Analogy.
- Classification.
- Blood Relation.
- Direction.
- Analytical.
- Syllogism.
- Statement.
- Argument Assumption.
Percentile scores are scores based on the relative performance of all those who appear for the examination. The marks obtained are transformed into a scale ranging from 100 to 0 for each shift of examinees. The percentile score is not the same as the percentage of marks obtained. The percentile score indicates the percentage of candidates that have scored equal to or below (same or lower raw scores) that particular percentile in that examination. Therefore, the topper (the highest score) of each shift will get the same percentile of 100 which is desirable. The marks obtained in between the highest and the lowest scores are also converted to appropriate percentiles. According to the revised marking scheme, the boards have decided to interpolate the raw marks into the base shift.
General Science section of RRB Group D Exam covers the topics from Class 10 & Class 12 science books. The level of questions is of high school level. Following are the important topics for this section:
- Classification
- Life Processes
- Acid Bases and Salts
- Sources of Energy
- Reproduction
- Ecology
- Metals and Non-Metals
- Chemical Reactions
- Electricity and Magnetism
- Units and Measurement
- Heat
- Force
- Gravitation
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
UGC NET June 2026 Application Form 29 Apr '26 - 20 May '26 IAS Prelims Admit Card 2026 Issue Date May '26 - May '26