RRB Group D
Recruits for Pay Level 1 posts across Indian Railways, such as Track Maintainer Grade IV, Assistant (Pointsman, Track Machine, Bridge, Workshop, S&T, C&W, TL & AC), Hospital Assistant and Porter. It is the largest single-notification railway recruitment.
Eligibility
Class 10 pass, or ITI from an NCVT/SCVT institute, or National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) from NCVT. Age limit in recent CENs is 18–33 years (CEN 09/2025 counted age as on 1 January 2026), with OBC-NCL +3, SC/ST +5 and PwBD +10 years relaxation. Candidates must also clear the Physical Efficiency Test and the medical standard for the chosen post.
Age limit: 18–33 years (recent CENs), with category relaxations
Exam pattern
Single-stage online CBT of 100 questions in 90 minutes (120 minutes for eligible PwBD with scribe): General Science 25, Mathematics 25, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, General Awareness and Current Affairs 20. Negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer; minimum qualifying marks are 40% (UR/EWS), 30% (OBC-NCL/SC), 25% (ST), and scores are normalised. Shortlisted candidates (about three times the vacancies) take the qualifying Physical Efficiency Test (PET): men lift 35 kg for 100 m in 2 minutes and run 1,000 m in 4 min 15 s; women lift 20 kg for 100 m in 2 minutes and run 1,000 m in 5 min 40 s. Document verification and medical follow.
Syllabus at a glance
General Science is Class 10 (CBSE) level physics, chemistry and life sciences. Mathematics covers number system, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM-HCF, ratio, percentage, mensuration, time-work, time-distance, interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and square roots. Reasoning covers analogies, series, coding-decoding, relationships, syllogism, Venn diagrams, data sufficiency, puzzles and directions; General Awareness covers current affairs in science, sports, culture, economics, politics and personalities.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CEN 09/2025 (22,195 posts) CBT result and PET shortlisting | Nov – Dec 2026 | expected |
| CEN 09/2025 Physical Efficiency Test (PET) | Dec 2026 – Feb 2027 | expected |
| Document verification and medical (CEN 09/2025) | Feb – Apr 2027 | expected |
| Next Group D notification (2027 CEN) | Jan – Mar 2027 | expected |
| Next cycle online application window | About 30 days from notification | tba |
| Next cycle CBT | Second half of 2027 | tba |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Lucent's General Science – Ravi Bhushan (Lucent Publications)
- Lucent's General Knowledge – Dr Binay Karna et al. (Lucent Publications)
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations – R.S. Aggarwal (S. Chand)
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R.S. Aggarwal (S. Chand)
- RRB Group D Previous Years' Solved Papers – Kiran Prakashan
- Science (Classes 9–10) – NCERT
How toppers play it
- Reasoning (30) and General Science (25) together form 55% of the paper; NCERT Class 9–10 science plus heavy reasoning practice is the highest-return combination.
- Cut-offs are high and normalised, so prioritise accuracy: with 1/3 negative marking, skip guesses unless you can eliminate two options.
- Start PET training months ahead, not after the result; the 1,000 m run timing (4:15 men, 5:40 women) is where most shortlisted candidates fail.
- Practise full 90-minute mocks to finish all 100 questions in about 75 minutes, leaving time to revisit marked questions.
- Ensure Aadhaar details match the Class 10 certificate and keep ITI/NAC and caste certificates in the prescribed format before applying; mismatches cause rejection at verification.