Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) hold numerous RRB tests, such as RRB NTPC, RRB Group D, RRB JE, RRB ALP, and so on, to choose candidates for various positions in Indian railway and many candidates submit applications for these exams. The Railway Recruiting Control Board is in charge of doing interviews to choose individuals who want to join the coveted Indian Railways. 

Indian Railways Recruitment is ranked first. After the United States, Russia, and China, Indian Railways has the fourth largest railway network, with 114,500 total kilometres of track and 7,500 stations. 

Indian Railways Board conducts the RRB exam and other tests for the railway sector. The Test is for the candidates who want to be in the Railways division of India. As per the former candidates, the RRB test is competitive and challenging. The establishment of the Railway Recruitment Control Board was in the year 1998.  It comes under the Government of India that takes place in New Delhi’s Ministry of Railways. RRB Boards are responsible for finding the best people to work for the Indian Railways. 

From the article, get all the details of Indian Railway Exams. Learn about different groups of Railway tests and their qualifying requirements.

Railway Exams 2023: Overview

RRB notification for various exams is released depending on the number of openings and demands of various railway departments. RRB hiring is highly competitive, so candidates must study well to pass the test. There are multiple job possibilities in the various branches of the Indian railway. With a staff of about 1.4 million, the Indian railway has one of the world’s largest employers.

RRB hired thousands of people for various RRB centres across India. Candidates must begin preparing ahead of time to pass the Railway test since the official announcement for the RRB Tests for the various tests is out.

Thousands of applications take place each year. Individuals are chosen based on the RRB’s cut-off criteria. Indian railway offers several job opportunities; students must meet specific eligibility requirements. The following are some of the tests to pursue a career in the railway zone. 

Why Railway Exam? 

Have you ever wondered why students are still competing for the Railway exams? In this section, let’s find out why Railway Exams Matters till now?”. 

Working at the British-run railways was a prestigious symbol for Indians during the colonial era. However, the scope of Railway positions has faded over the decades. The appeal of a “permanent career” always attracts thousands of students from around the country. Interested candidates must take any of the tests mentioned here. Either apply through UPSC – Union Public Service Commission or Railway Recruitment Board – RRB. 

Since it is the Government sector employees are allowed additional benefits such as Grade Wage; Dearness Allowance; Travel Allowance; and House Rent Allowance along with the base pay. 

Vacancies 

The Indian Railways have the most vacancies for job searchers. Therefore, this sector has a lot of opportunities for people looking for government employment. RRB publishes thousands of railway job openings yearly to hire technical and non-technical staff for railways. 

Impartial  Selection Process 

The Railway Exam board oversees the selection process, ensuring to manage transparently and honestly, with no room for unjust selections. 

Job Benefits 

The Indian Railways provides all the benefits of a government position, including DA/TA; HRA; grade pay; and other bonuses. Because it is a revenue-generating department of the Indian government, it provides excellent perks to its employees. 

• Railways provide a safe & secure future both during and after service. There is no impact of recessions or crises on railway personnel. And after service, a railway employee receives a pension and family pension benefits. 
• Employees of Indian Railways have access to residential amenities. Each city has well-built railway colonies that provide housing for railway employees. More than half of railway personnel take advantage of on-site lodging. 
• Employees of Indian Railways are entitled to free medical care. In various regions of India, numerous railway hospitals and railway dispensaries are dedicated solely to providing the best medical care for railway employees and their families. Furthermore, if one of these railway hospitals refers a patient to a private hospital for medical care, the railway pays for the entire treatment cost. 

List of Top Railway Exams 

The test is under the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) for various positions. For numerous technical and non-technical roles in the Indian Railways, the RRB conducts a series of tests. RRB posts hundreds of jobs for Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC), Junior Engineer (JE), Paramedical, Ministerial and Isolated (MI) groups, and Level 1 Group D Posts every year. In India, railway recruitment exams are conducted for technical and non-technical professions. The following are the available positions: 

• RRB NTCP 
• RRB Group D 
• RPF SI 
• RPF Constable 
• RRB ALP 
• RITES Recruitment 
• RRB JE 

All the above-mentioned Railway test category has unique eligibility criteria for the students. 

RRB NTPC 

The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) holds the RRB NTPC exam to select applicants for various non-technical positions within the Indian Railways. Candidates for the RRB NTPC positions must have completed their undergraduate degree or have passed class XII. 

Eligibility Criteria

Age

• The age limit for the UG position is 18 to 30 years old. The graduate position has an age range of 18 to 33 years. 

Education Criteria

• Candidates must have completed Class 12th to be considered for UG positions. 
• Students for graduate positions must have completed their education. 

Four phases comprise the RRB NTPC exam: CBT 1, CBT 2, Typing Skill Test/Computer Based Aptitude Test (as appropriate), and Document Verification. The RRB NTPC test has a class 10, 12, and graduate-level syllabus and is offered in 15 different languages.  

RRB NTPC CBT I Exam Pattern

• The authorities to applicants administer the first stage computer-based test (CBT).
• The exam lasts for 1.5 hours (90 minutes).
• The exam lasts 120 minutes for applicants who are PWDs.
• 0.25 marks are deducted from the final score for each incorrectly attempted question.
• No marks are deducted if a question is left unanswered.

RRB NTPC Exam Pattern: CBT II

• The RRB NTPC CBT-1 normalized score will be utilized to select the candidates for the 2^nd Stage CBT based on merit.
• The exam questions’ difficulty level will vary depending on the post.
• The exam lasts 1.5 hours or 90 minutes.
• For every incorrect response, 1/3 of the total marks for the question are subtracted, creating negative grading.

Because of the test’s generalist nature, the RRB NTPC test is the most popular among graduates. The test takes place to hire non-technical personnel for railway departments. Clerks; Goods Guards; Accountants; traffic Assistants; Commercial-cum-train clerks; and Station Master are in RRB NTPC recruitment. 

Know More – Check RRB NTCP Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RRB Group D  

The RRB Group D examination is held to fill various positions with the Indian Railway, including Helper/Assistant Points man and Track Maintainer Grade-IV. According to the RRB Group D eligibility requirements, candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 33 and hold either a Class 10 diploma or an ITI from a recognized institution as a minimum requirement to apply for the RRB Group D exam.

The Ministry of Railways has adjusted the document verification process for the RRB Group D exam, requiring candidates to be called for the process at a 1:1 ratio. Candidates with a 10th or ITI pass are eligible for RRB Group D, which includes four stages:

• Stage 1: Computer-Based Test
• Stage 1: Physical Efficiency Test
• Stage 2: Document Verification
• Stage 4: Medical Fitness Examination.

RRB Group D: Eligibility

• RRC specifies relatively broad qualifying requirements for RRB Group D positions. The following lists the RRB Group D eligibility requirements.

• Indian citizens are eligible to apply for RRB Group D, including Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan refugees, and Indian-born individuals who permanently reside in India.

• The following are the prerequisite academic credentials for RRB Group D applicants:

• Class 10th pass certificate, or
• A degree or diploma from ITI

• RRB Group D is open to general category candidates aged 18-33, with age relaxations for OBC, SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, and PWD.
•  

RRB Group D: Exam Pattern

The RRB Group D exam’s first phase is a computer-based test (CBT). Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) are the format of the questions.

Know More – Check RRB Group D Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RPF SI 

To find candidates for the position of Sub Inspector, the Ministry of Railways holds a Railway Protection Force (RPF) SI. The Ministry advertises openings for both male and female applicants for Sub Inspector positions. The RPF SI Computer-Based Test is administered on various dates in 15 regional languages. 

Along with the notification, the application form will be made available. Interested students must take part in an online application form. The test is open to any graduate student between the ages of 20 and 25.

The Railway Protection Force performs various functions in addition to the safety of trains and railway property. The RPF recruitment test takes place for two positions, they are: 

• Constables 
• Sub-inspectors 

Eligibility Criteria 

Age

• Candidates should be between the ages of 20 and 25. The ideal age to take the RPF SI test was 25 years old. 

Education Criteria

• Candidates must have completed their 10+2 education or have graduated from a recognized college. 

Know More – Check RPF SI Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RRB JE

The test for RRB JE is to hire junior engineers for a variety of railway departments. This test is considerably popular among engineering graduates. And there are a lot of students who want to take it. 

On August 10, 2021, the RRB Bhopal issued a notice for the replacement panel of applicants selected under the centralized notification number CEN 03/2018. In the replacement panel, a total of 13 applicants were chosen based on their merit. The replacement panel is set to fill vacant positions on the Western as well as West-Central Railways. 

The four roles for which a recruitment notice was out are the following: 

• Junior Engineer IT (Information Technology) 
• Junior Engineer (JE) 
• DMS – Depot Material Superintendent 
• CMA – Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant 

Eligibility Criteria 

Age

• The students must be or between 18 to 33 years. 

Education Criteria

• JE Post: A applicant must have a 3-year diploma in Civil Engineering, Production Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Tools & Machining/ Tools & Die Making Computer Science/ Computer Engineering, Electrical/ Electronics/ Instrumentation & Control Engineering/ Control, or a B.Sc in Civil Engineering from a recognized college/institute. 
• JE (IT):  B.Sc. (Computer Science) / PGDCA / BCA / B.Tech. (Computer Science) / B.Tech. (Information Technology) / DOEACC ‘B’ level course of three years duration or equivalent. 

• DMS: Applicants must have completed a three-year diploma in engineering from a government-approved college or a similar program. 

Know More – Check RRB JE Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RPF Constable

The RPF conducts a constable recruitment test to recruit men and women for constable service in the force. The RPF constable test is in four stages. The Ministry of Railways has issued an RPF Constable Notification to fill the vacancies across India’s railway zones. The exam is set in a centralized setting. Recruitment, on the other hand, is done independently for each railway zone. 

This year’s RPF Constable Notification will be out soon. The RPF Constable test is open to candidates aged 18 to 25. For the RPF Constable test, SSLC/Matric is the minimal educational requirement. As a result, candidates have knowledge of all of the test’s fundamentals. Let’s go through the key details of the RPF Constable test 2022. 

Eligibility Criteria 

Age

• Candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 25 years old to take the test. 

Education Criteria

• Candidates taking the test must have completed their SSLC/matriculation from a recognized board. 

Know More – Check RPF Constable Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RRB ALP 

Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Conducts RRB ALP & Technician Exams to recruit Assistant Loco Pilots and Technicians for various railway zones around the country. The term “assistant loco pilot” refers to the train’s assistant driver. Although this is a countrywide test, RRB independently posts openings for different zones. First Stage CBT; Second Stage CBT; Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT); as well as Document Verification is the different phases of the test. RRBs publish results on their regional websites once all steps are over. 

Eligibility Criteria 

Age

RRB ALP applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 28. 

Educational Criteria

• ALP: Must have completed Class 10th/SSLC and ITI/Course Completed Act Apprentices or Engineering Diploma/Degree. 
• Technician: SSLC plus ITI/Class 10th/Course Completed Act Apprentices or 10+2 with Engineering Diploma or Physics and Math 

Exam Pattern

RRB ALP selection process involves three phases and four steps.

Stage I-

Candidates have to face multiple-choice questions from various subjects in the initial stage.

Stage II-

Candidates will fill out a questionnaire that is divided into two parts at the second round of the screening process Part A: Questions related to Maths, Reasoning, Basic Science, Current Affairs, and Engineering.

Part A

Part B

 Questions in Part B of the RRB ALP Stage 2 test are based on trade and pertinent practical experience. Relevant Trade subject contains total of 75 questions with a total duration of 60 minutes / 1 hour.

Stage III-

 The computer-based aptitude exam (CBAT) is the last phase of the RRB ALP process. Students may take Paper No. 3 after passing both exams. The only applicants for Assistant Loco-Pilot are needed to take this exam.

Know More – Check RRB ALP Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

RITES Recruitment 

Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) Limited is an Indian Government engineering firm. It was found in 1947. The main goal was to provide rail transport services consultancy to run in India and internationally. Further, the company grew its services beyond rail transport service consultation to other infrastructure planning and consultation. It includes ports, highways, airports, and urban development. 

Eligibility Criteria 

Age

Candidates must be under the age of 40 are eligible to apply for this position. 

Educational Criteria

• Electrical Engineering: BE; B.Tech; B.Sc in Electrical/Electrical & Electronics Engineering with a minimum of 2 years of work experience in one or more of the Electrical engineering fields, such as general. 
• Mechanical Engineer: BE/ B.Tech/ B.Sc in Electrical/Electrical & Electronics Engineering with a minimum of 2 years of work experience in one or more of the Electrical engineering fields, such as general Mechanical Engineer (Engineering) With a minimum of 2 years of experience in Quality Assurance/production/manufacturing/maintenance & operations, a degree in Mechanical/Production/Industrial/Automotive Engineering is necessary. 
• Civil Engineer: BE/ B.Tech/ BSc (Bachelor of Engineering/ Bachelor of Science) (Engineering) A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and at least two years of construction supervision experience. 

Exam Pattern

All applications will be reviewed, and those who make the shortlist will be contacted for a written exam. Candidates will be invited in for a personal interview based on how well they performed on the written test. The following weighting criteria will be used to determine which candidates will be chosen in the end:

• Experience – 5%
• Written test – 60%
• Interview – 35% (Technical proficiency – 25% & Personality communication – 10%)
• The candidates will also have the option to choose the interview language i.e. Hindi / English.

Know More – Check RITES Recruitment Exam Dates, Eligibility & Notification 

Railway Exam Complete Process 

The selection process of the Railway Exam is different for different tests. We will provide the common process of all the examinations. Read from the small illustration of all steps from here. 

Registration or How to Apply?

The application as well as the registration process, are entirely online. Students can pay the application fee both online and offline. There is a Rs 500 fee (for all students except the fee concession groups). A fee of Rs. 250 is for Female/PwBD/Transgender/Ex-Servicemen candidates. Also, for students from SC/ST/Minority Communities/OBC. On appearing in the CBT, the application cost will compensate after subtracting the bank expenses. 

Admit Card Release 

The admit card for the railway exam will release a few weeks before the test date. For each stage of the test, a separate admit card will be available. By checking in with the proper credentials, students can download the admit card. The railway exam hall ticket contains test information as well as personal information. 

CBT – Computer Based Test 

The exam takes place in numerous shifts around the country in various areas. Questions from Mathematics, Science, General Intelligence and Reasoning, as well as Current Affairs are in CBTs. Moreover, candidates who pass the first stage CBT are eligible to take the second stage CBT. Typically, the first round of CBT is to screen candidates for the next phase. 

Result Release 

The results will be available on the official website. The final result will be in PDF format. By inputting the necessary credentials, get the scorecard. From here get the results of Railway Tests. 

PET(Physical Efficiency Test)/Typing Test/Skill Test 

Typing Skill Tests; Computer Based Aptitude Tests; Skill Tests; PET comes under the job descriptions. Candidates are eligible for this step depending on their performance in the CBT’s second stage. 

Document Verification 

All of the posts have a process to document verification. Students must participate in this step. Candidates’ documents as well as details that are on the application form are verified against their authentic certificates. 

Medical Test 

Before getting into the position, students must pass a medical test. Only medically fit candidates will receive a letter of appointment. 

Railway Exam Preparation Tips 

1.) Maintain an Effective Time Schedule 

The first step is to teach yourself with the test format and syllabus. Check the weighting of each part before making. Mark the topics in the syllabus that you are familiar with. In your notebook, note down the most important points. Every day, add at least two subjects to the study time. You can divide it into hours or mornings as well as evenings. 

2.) Learn the Basics 

The tests will assess students’ managing abilities as well as intelligence. That is why, rather than memorizing formulas, it is crucial to understand the reasoning and also, concept. Once you’ve figured out the reason, it’ll be easier to use the quick tricks. 

3.) Study Digitally

If you have the suitable study materials, then you’ll never be short on anything. You don’t even need tutoring. All you have to do is dedicate yourself to Online Study. You can learn about any subject by watching online video lectures. Taking a test is the most effective approach to learn new material. Therefore, after you’ve finished a topic, solve practice papers and mock tests to see where you stand in this competition. 

4.) Practice Frequently

Rewrite, revise, and revise some more!! This is the key to acquiring new knowledge. Daily review the topics under General Awareness. In your notebook, note down the most essential logic, brief techniques, GK facts, etc. And then, go over them the day before the exam. Also, don’t try to learn anything new in the days leading up to the test. If you have time left for your test, revise your complex topics again. 

5.)Follow the Exam Pattern 

One should first teach yourself the specific exam pattern for the test. Because once created a schedule, you should look for strategies to get your goal. As a result, understanding test patterns is an important part of preparing for the Railway exam in 2021. It is also critical to know the test pattern for each level so that one can take a proper place to ensure success. 

6.) Study Previous Year Question Paper 

The entrance tests can only crack by a mindset of practising regularly. This statement is appropriate for those who believe practising will allow industry growth. Since questions are repeated in other RRB tests, thus, it is advisable to study previous year’s papers. And keep up to date by solving many issues on a live platform, such as mock tests.  

7.) Self-Confidence 

Instead of well-planned and organized techniques, some pupils choose their unique ways of self-study. Relax and go forward with the pattern if you are one of them. You will sometimes feel fatigued, which may be due to a lack of good supervision or the stress of an incomplete syllabus, but you must maintain your confidence. Always remember that it is the journey, not the destination, that counts. You may fail one test, but your knowledge will not fail you, and you will eventually qualify for the test.