How RRB Group D selection works
Selection is a funnel (para 14.0). Your CBT score gets you shortlisted for the PET; clearing the PET gets you called for document verification and the medical examination; and empanelment follows CBT merit, your post preferences and your medical fitness. There is no interview.
Stage-by-stage flow
- Computer Based Test100 questions, 90 minutes, 1/3 mark off per wrong answer. To be eligible for shortlisting you need at least 40% (UR, EWS) or 30% (OBC-NCL, SC, ST).
- Shortlisting for PETThree times the community-wise vacancies, Railway/RRC-wise, on CBT merit. The Railways can raise or lower this ratio.
- Physical Efficiency TestWeight carrying first, then the run. Qualifying only. PwBD, ex-servicemen and Course Completed Act Apprentices are exempt.
- Document verification & medicalCalled 1:1 to the vacancies on CBT merit, subject to qualifying in the PET, then a medical exam to the standard of the post.
- Empanelment & appointmentRRCs allot the post and railway/unit by merit, option, medical standard and vacancy; the Railway administration makes the offer of appointment.
CBT — the stage that ranks you
A 90-minute objective test (120 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe) with 25 General Science, 25 Mathematics, 30 General Intelligence & Reasoning and 20 General Awareness & Current Affairs questions, a split the notification calls only indicative. Each question carries 1 mark, and 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer. Because the CBT runs in many shifts, shortlisting at every stage uses normalised marks (para 15.0).
PET — the physical test
Passing the PET is mandatory but it adds nothing to your merit (para 14.2). You first lift a sandbag (no handle) from about waist height and carry it to the finish without putting it down. Fail that and you are out at that stage; pass it and you run after a recovery gap. Each test is done in one chance. Transgender candidates take the women’s standards.
PwBD candidates, ex-servicemen and Course Completed Act Apprentices are exempt from the PET (PwBD candidates must pass the medical examination prescribed for them). A woman who declares she is pregnant and is confirmed pregnant is declared temporarily unfit; her vacancy is kept reserved and she is re-tested six weeks after confinement, with a medical fitness certificate.
See age, qualification & relaxationsDocument verification
The RRCs call candidates for DV equal to the number of vacancies (1:1), on CBT merit, subject to qualifying in the PET (para 14.3). Bring every original certificate with two sets of self-attested photocopies: 10th/ITI/NAC certificates, caste or category certificates in the CEN’s formats, EBC or minority documents if you claimed the fee concession on that basis, an NOC if you are employed, and the Annexure-VII declaration if you opted for an A-2 or A-3 post.
No extra time is given if an original is missing, and absent candidates are cancelled. A reservation claim without a valid certificate in the prescribed format is not accepted; you are then considered as UR, if eligible.
Medical examination
Candidates called for DV must pass the medical fitness test for the posts they opted for (para 3.0). Each post has its own standard in Annexure-A: Pointsman B is A-2, Assistant Track Machine is A-3, the two workshop posts are C-1, and the rest are B-1.
Candidates who have had LASIK or other refractive eye surgery are not eligible for A-2 and A-3 posts; B-1 and C-1 posts allow it on conditions. If you fail the medical for a post you are not given an alternative appointment, but you get one final medical appeal, on payment of the prescribed charges.
Final merit & post allotment
Empanelment is based on CBT merit among candidates who qualify in the PET, DV and medical. The RRCs allot the post and railway/unit by merit, your options, medical standard and vacancy position (para 1.13–1.14). Once you are allotted a post, you lose the right to be considered for any other. The RRBs and RRCs only recommend names; the Railway administration makes the offer of appointment, subject to verification of certificates, character and antecedents.
| If marks tie, the RRBs compare… |
|---|
| 1. Age — the older candidate ranks higher |
| 2. Alphabetical order (A to Z) of the given name, not the surname |
The CEN 09/2025 cycle in numbers
| Stage (CEN 09/2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Applications received (tentative) | 52,39,760 |
| Vacancies (provisional) | 22,195 |
| CBT held | 3–25 Aug 2026 (16 days) |
| Shortlisted for PET | Awaited — no date announced |
Applications are from the RRB notice of 25 August 2026, and vacancies from page 4 of the notification. The RRBs have not published how many candidates appeared in the CBT.
See the CEN 08/2024 cut-off (RRB Chandigarh)Crack RRB Group D with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ practice sets & practice mocks — built around the CBT syllabus.
Peak for the CBT, the stage that counts
Only the CBT builds your rank; the PET just has to be passed. So JobSafal weights your plan toward the CBT, where every mark moves you up the merit list in your RRC and community.
CBT-focused plan
All four sections sequenced into daily targets.
Practice mocks
Timed mocks in a CBT-style interface with rank comparison.
Negative-marking analysis
See how accuracy vs attempts changes your net score at −1/3 per wrong answer.
PYQ practice sets
Practice sets in the CBT’s question style, by section.
