RRB NTPC Syllabus and Exam Pattern: CBT 1 and CBT 2 Guide

Want a railway job this season? Start by learning the RRB NTPC syllabus and exam pattern. Once you know what is asked, how many questions each section has and how the two computer-based tests work, you can prepare with a clear plan and much less stress.

This guide covers both stages, CBT 1 and CBT 2, for the 2026 Graduate recruitment (CEN 06/2026) and the 2026 Undergraduate recruitment (CEN 07/2026). You will find the pattern tables, the full topic list, the sections that carry the most marks and a simple way to prepare for each one. Let's get started.

Key Takeaways: RRB NTPC Syllabus and Exam Pattern

• Three subjects, both stages: General Awareness, Mathematics, and General Intelligence and Reasoning. There is no English language section.
• CBT 1: 100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes (40 GA, 30 Maths, 30 Reasoning).
• CBT 2: 120 questions, 120 marks, 90 minutes (50 GA, 35 Maths, 35 Reasoning).
• Negative marking: one-third of a mark is cut for each wrong answer in both stages.
• CBT 1 only screens. Final merit is built on normalised CBT 2 marks.
• New this cycle: reports of the 2026 notifications say the typing skill test has been dropped and no post needs the CBAT.
• Act now: Graduate applications close on 6 November 2026 and Undergraduate applications on 13 November 2026.

RRB NTPC Selection Process at a Glance

RRB NTPC (Non-Technical Popular Categories) fills clerical, commercial and operations posts in Indian Railways. Selection moves in a fixed order, and you have to clear each step before you reach the next.

Stages of selection

1. CBT 1 (first-stage computer-based test): one common screening test for everyone who applied under the notice.
2. CBT 2 (second-stage computer-based test): the stage that decides your merit position.
3. Typing Skill Test or CBAT (depending on the post): earlier cycles had these for some posts. Reports of the 2026 notifications say the typing test has been dropped for the typist posts and none of the 2026 posts needs the CBAT. The section on these tests below explains more.
4. Document verification (DV).
5. Medical examination, to the medical standard set for your post.

Graduate and undergraduate posts

There are two separate notices this year, one for graduates and one for Class 12 pass candidates. The CBT pattern and syllabus are the same for both. What changes is the posts, the pay level and the eligibility.

Together that comes to 5,236 vacancies. Some reports give a slightly different graduate total, so check the official notification on your regional RRB website for the final post-wise figures.

Current-cycle dates to act on

Both application windows are open today, and the graduate window closes in less than a week. Reports say RRB's indicative notice dated 12 October 2026 puts Graduate CBT 1 in the fourth week of December 2026, with exact dates to follow in a separate notice. For eligibility, fees and every date in one place, read our RRB NTPC Notification and Important Dates for Graduates.

RRB NTPC CBT 1 Exam Pattern

CBT 1 is the first stage, and everyone sits the same paper. It is an online objective test with multiple-choice questions, and reports say it is offered in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages.

That leaves you about 54 seconds per question. Speed matters, but accuracy matters more, as the next point shows.

Negative marking and extra time for PwBD candidates

• Each correct answer gets 1 mark.
• Each wrong answer loses one-third of a mark.
• A question you leave blank costs nothing.
• PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe get 120 minutes instead of 90.

Example: you attempt 90 questions and get 75 right and 15 wrong. Your score is 75 − (15 × 1/3) = 75 − 5 = 70. Five careless guesses cost you five full marks.

Minimum qualifying marks

You must reach a minimum percentage just to be considered:

If there are not enough PwBD candidates for their reserved vacancies, these limits may be relaxed by 2 marks for them.

CBT 1 is a screening stage

CBT 1 has one job: to shortlist candidates for CBT 2. The exam runs in many shifts, so marks are normalised to even out differences in difficulty between shifts. RRB then shortlists candidates on these normalised scores, in a fixed multiple of the vacancies. Some reports say 20 times the vacancies and others say 15 times, so check the official notification for the ratio in your CEN.

RRB NTPC CBT 1 Syllabus

The syllabus has three subjects. Here is what each one covers, as laid down in recent RRB NTPC notifications.

Mathematics (30 questions)

This is school-level arithmetic, with a few topics from algebra, geometry and statistics:

• Number System, Decimals and Fractions
• LCM and HCF
• Ratio and Proportion
• Percentage
• Profit and Loss
• Simple and Compound Interest
• Time and Work; Time and Distance
• Mensuration
• Elementary Algebra
• Geometry and Trigonometry
• Elementary Statistics

Reports from recent CBT 1 shifts point to number system, LCM and HCF, percentage, ratio and average as the steady scorers. Master these first.

General Intelligence and Reasoning (30 questions)

• Analogies
• Completion of number and alphabetical series
• Coding and Decoding
• Mathematical Operations
• Similarities and Differences; Relationships
• Analytical Reasoning and Jumbling
• Syllogism
• Venn Diagrams
• Puzzles
• Data Sufficiency
• Statement and Conclusion; Statement and Courses of Action
• Decision Making, Maps and Interpretation of Graphs

Most of these topics run on a few patterns you can learn. Once you have seen enough of them, reasoning can become your fastest section.

General Awareness (40 questions)

This is the widest section, and it carries the most marks:

• Current events of national and international importance
• Games and Sports
• Art and Culture of India, Indian Literature, Monuments and Places of India
• History of India and the Freedom Struggle
• Physical, social and economic geography of India and the world
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Indian Economy
• General Science and Life Science (up to Class 10 level)
• Scientific and technological developments, including India's space and nuclear programmes
• UN and other important world organisations
• Environmental issues concerning India and the world
• Basics of computers and computer applications
• Common abbreviations, transport systems in India
• Famous personalities, flagship government programmes
• Flora and fauna of India, important government and public sector organisations

Current affairs needs daily work, not a last-week rush. Our Daily current affairs page gives you a short daily dose to keep up.

Which sections carry the most weight

The official split answers this: General Awareness has the most questions, 40 out of 100 in CBT 1. Mathematics and Reasoning have 30 each. So GA alone is 40% of your CBT 1 score.

GA questions also take the least time: you either know the answer or you don't. A strong GA score frees up minutes for the calculation-heavy Maths questions.

RRB NTPC CBT 2 Exam Pattern

Only shortlisted candidates take CBT 2. The subjects stay the same, but there are more questions and they are harder.

You get the same 90 minutes for 20 more questions, which works out to about 45 seconds per question.

Negative marking and qualifying conditions

• Each wrong answer again loses one-third of a mark.
• PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe get 120 minutes.
• The minimum qualifying percentages are the same as in CBT 1:

The 2-mark relaxation for PwBD candidates, in case of a shortage, applies here too. Remember that these are only the minimum marks to be considered. The actual cut-off is usually much higher.

How CBT 2 marks decide the merit list

The merit list is built on your normalised CBT 2 score. In earlier cycles, posts with a typing test or CBAT had an extra step after CBT 2. Reports of the 2026 notifications say neither test applies this year, so CBT 2 alone decides merit, subject to the qualifying marks. Shortlisted candidates then go on to document verification and the medical exam.

RRB NTPC CBT 2 Syllabus

Same three subjects, deeper questions

The CBT 2 syllabus is officially the same as CBT 1: Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, and General Awareness. The difference is depth. Questions are more often multi-step, and you have less time for each one.

Topics that gain weight in CBT 2

Based on recent papers, reports point to these areas growing in CBT 2:

• Advanced arithmetic: more simple and compound interest, multi-step percentage and profit-loss questions, and mixed time-speed-work problems.
• Mensuration and geometry: more area, volume and property-based questions.
• Data interpretation: questions based on tables and graphs, which test both calculation speed and reading.
• Higher-level reasoning: longer seating and scheduling puzzles, statement-based questions and data sufficiency.

General Awareness: current affairs plus static GK

GA rises to 50 questions, so it decides even more in CBT 2. Give equal time to:

• Current affairs: awards, appointments, government schemes, sports events, summits, and science and space news from the past several months.
• Static GK: history, polity, geography, economy and Class 10 level science, which come up in every shift.

CBT 1 vs CBT 2: Where the Two Stages Differ

The differences in plain words

• Question count: CBT 2 has 20 more questions (120 against 100).
• Duration: both stages last 90 minutes, so CBT 2 gives you less time per question.
• Difficulty: CBT 2 questions are deeper and take more steps, especially in Maths and Reasoning.
• Weightage: GA goes from 40 to 50 questions, and Maths and Reasoning from 30 to 35 each.

Why CBT 1 marks are not counted in the final merit

CBT 1 is a filter. Its normalised marks only decide who moves on to CBT 2. After that, the merit list is drawn up from CBT 2 marks. A great CBT 1 score does not carry forward, and a borderline one does not hold you back once you have qualified. The lesson: treat CBT 1 as the gate you must get through, and CBT 2 as the race you must win.

Typing Skill Test and CBAT

What applies in the 2026 cycle

The typing skill test and the CBAT used to be stage three for certain posts. Here is where they stand now:

• Typing Skill Test: reports of the 2026 notifications say the computer-based typing skill test has been dropped for the typist posts under both CEN 06/2026 and CEN 07/2026. Typing skill is to be assessed after joining instead.
• CBAT: reports say no post in the 2026 notifications needs the computer-based aptitude test.

How it worked in earlier cycles

In the previous graduate cycle, reports say the CBAT was held for Station Master and Traffic Assistant, and the typist posts had a qualifying typing test. Some reports put the old typing speed at 30 words per minute in English or 25 in Hindi, and the old CBAT qualifying standard at a T-score of 42 in each test battery. These rules may return in a future notice, so for any later cycle, check the official notification.

What this means for you: this year there is no separate skill round to prepare for. All your effort can go into CBT 1 and CBT 2.

How to Prepare Section by Section

Build your study plan around high-weight topics

1. Begin with the pattern. GA carries the most questions in both stages, so give it a daily slot, around 45 to 60 minutes.
2. Lock in Maths basics early. Spend your first few weeks on number system, percentage, ratio, profit-loss and interest. Most other chapters build on them.
3. Learn reasoning one pattern at a time. Take one topic a day, such as coding-decoding, series or syllogism, and solve 20 to 30 questions on it.
4. Cover CBT 2 topics early. With the Graduate CBT 1 tentatively due in late December, there is little time between the two stages. Start data interpretation and longer puzzles now.
5. Revise every week. Keep a short notes book of formulas, GK facts and your own mistakes, and read it every Sunday.

Practise with mock tests

Mock tests turn knowledge into marks. They build speed, teach you when to skip a question and show you the topics you keep losing marks on.

• RRB NTPC CBT 2 Mock Test Series 2026: full-length tests on the 120-question, 90-minute CBT 2 pattern, to build stamina and practise working at about 45 seconds a question.
• Find more railway and other exam mocks in our Online test series.

Take one full mock a week to start, then two or three a week in the last month. After each test, spend as much time reviewing it as you spent taking it.

Choose your study material carefully

Pick one good source for each subject and stick with it. Jumping between too many books scatters your revision. Use the mock series above for exam-level practice, Class 10 science textbooks for General Science, and our Books for competitive exams collection for subject-wise practice books.

Smart exam-day habits

• Do your strongest section first to build confidence and bank time.
• Skip any question that is taking more than about a minute and come back to it.
• Guess only when you can rule out at least two options, because every wrong answer costs a third of a mark.

Conclusion: Mastering the RRB NTPC Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The RRB NTPC syllabus and exam pattern is simple once you break it down. There are three subjects, two computer-based tests and one fixed negative-marking rule. CBT 1 (100 questions) gets you through the gate, and CBT 2 (120 questions) decides your rank. General Awareness carries the most questions in both stages. With no typing test or CBAT this cycle, according to reports, everything rests on how well you do in the two CBTs.

First, finish your application before the deadline. Then follow a steady plan: daily GA, strong Maths basics, reasoning one pattern at a time and regular mocks. You can do this. Start today and keep going.

FAQs

How many questions and marks are there in RRB NTPC CBT 1?

CBT 1 has 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks, to be answered in 90 minutes: 40 from General Awareness, 30 from Mathematics and 30 from General Intelligence and Reasoning. PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe get 120 minutes.

Is there negative marking in RRB NTPC CBT 1 and CBT 2?

Yes. In both stages, one-third of a mark is cut for each wrong answer. A question you leave blank costs nothing, so guess only when you can rule out most of the options.

Is the syllabus of CBT 1 and CBT 2 the same?

Yes, both stages cover the same three subjects: Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, and General Awareness. CBT 2 has more questions (120 instead of 100) in the same 90 minutes, and its questions are usually harder.

Are CBT 1 marks counted in the final merit list?

No. CBT 1 is only a screening test. Its normalised marks decide who goes on to CBT 2, and the merit list is then drawn up from normalised CBT 2 marks.

Which section carries the most weight in RRB NTPC?

General Awareness. It has 40 of the 100 questions in CBT 1 and 50 of the 120 in CBT 2. Mathematics and Reasoning have 30 questions each in CBT 1 and 35 each in CBT 2.

Which posts require a typing skill test or CBAT?

For the 2026 cycle, reports of CEN 06/2026 and CEN 07/2026 say the typing test has been dropped for the typist posts, and no post needs the CBAT. In earlier cycles, the typist posts had a typing test and Station Master and Traffic Assistant had the CBAT, so check each new notification.

What are the minimum qualifying marks in RRB NTPC CBT 1 and CBT 2?

You need at least 40% if you are UR or EWS, 30% if you are OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) or SC, and 25% if you are ST. If there are not enough PwBD candidates for their reserved vacancies, these limits may be relaxed by 2 marks for them. The actual cut-off is usually much higher than these minimums.