The RRB Group D syllabus and exam pattern below are taken from the Railway Recruitment Boards’ own Centralised Employment Notification CEN 09/2025, Recruitment for Various Posts in Level 1 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, and were verified against it on 16 September 2026. Nothing here is copied from another coaching site.
Group D is the largest recruitment exam in the country — the CEN 09/2025 cycle drew around 52 lakh applications for 22,195 posts. It is also structurally simpler than any SSC exam, and that simplicity is the thing to understand first: one 90-minute paper decides everything.
Where this cycle stands
The CEN 09/2025 Computer Based Test has been conducted and the answer key released; results are awaited. No Group D application window is open right now, and the next CEN has not been announced. This page covers the syllabus, pattern and selection process, which carry across cycles — it does not claim any current application date. Watch rrbapply.gov.in and your regional RRB website for the next notification.
RRB Group D at a glance
| Conducting body | Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Ministry of Railways |
| Reference notification | CEN 09/2025 — Level 1, 7th CPC Pay Matrix |
| Vacancies (that cycle) | 22,195 |
| Selection stages | Computer Based Test → Physical Efficiency Test → Document Verification → Medical Examination |
| CBT | 100 questions · 100 marks · 90 minutes · single stage |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark per wrong answer |
| Age | 18–33 years, as reckoned on the date stated in the CEN |
| Qualification | As prescribed per post — see Annexure A of the CEN |
| Apply at | rrbapply.gov.in |
One CBT, and that is the whole written exam.
There is no Tier-2, no Mains, no descriptive paper. Everything after the CBT — the Physical Efficiency Test, document verification, the medical — is qualifying. Your entire position in the merit list comes from a single 90-minute paper of 100 questions. That is a very different preparation problem from SSC, where the screening paper and the ranking paper are separate exams.
RRB Group D exam pattern — Computer Based Test
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics | 25 | 25 |
| General Science | 25 | 25 |
| General Awareness and Current Affairs | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Every question carries 1 mark. There is no sectional timer — the 90 minutes cover all 100 questions, so you can move between subjects freely. That is one of the few ways Group D is more forgiving than SSC.
Negative marking is harsher than it looks
One-third of a mark is deducted for every wrong answer. Put plainly: three wrong answers cancel out one correct answer. On a 100-mark paper where the qualifying bar is 40% for unreserved candidates, careless guessing does real damage. Answer what you know, make a considered attempt where you can eliminate two options, and leave the rest.
Minimum qualifying marks
| Category | Minimum |
|---|---|
| UR | 40% |
| EWS | 40% |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 30% |
| SC | 30% |
| ST | 30% |
Note that the unreserved bar here is 40%, not the 30% used across SSC exams. The notification also provides that PwBD candidates may be given a relaxation of 2 marks where there is a shortage of candidates against posts reserved for them.
Your raw score is not your final score — normalisation applies.
The CEN states plainly that normalisation of marks will be done for CBTs held in multiple shifts. With tens of lakhs of candidates, Group D runs across many shifts over many days, and no two question papers are identical in difficulty. Normalisation adjusts scores so that a candidate who sat a harder shift is not penalised for it. In practice this means the mark you calculate from the answer key is not the mark that decides your rank, and comparing your raw score against someone else’s from a different shift tells you very little. Most candidates never have this explained to them.
What does Group D actually pay?
Level-1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, plus allowances that vary by city and posting. Our salary guide breaks down the in-hand figure, the job profile for each Level-1 post, and how promotion works from there.
RRB Group D syllabus (topic-wise)
The CEN publishes this syllabus as running lists. Below it is grouped for readability — the scope is the RRBs’, the arrangement is ours.
1. General Intelligence and Reasoning (30 questions)
The largest section in the paper, and the most learnable. Thirty of the hundred marks sit here.
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Series & analogy | Analogies; alphabetical and number series. |
| Coding & operations | Coding and decoding; mathematical operations; jumbling. |
| Logic | Syllogism; conclusions and decision making; analytical reasoning; statement — arguments and assumptions. |
| Comparison & grouping | Relationships; similarities and differences; classification. |
| Diagrams & data | Venn diagrams; data interpretation and sufficiency; directions. |
2. Mathematics (25 questions)
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Number work | Number system; BODMAS; decimals; fractions; LCM and HCF; square root. |
| Arithmetic | Ratio and proportion; percentages; time and work; time and distance; simple and compound interest; profit and loss; pipes and cistern. |
| Algebra & geometry | Algebra; geometry and trigonometry; mensuration. |
| Applied topics | Elementary statistics; age calculations; calendar and clock. |
Calendar and clock, pipes and cistern, and age calculations are named explicitly in the CEN. They are small topics that candidates often skip because SSC weights them lightly — here they are on the syllabus by name.
3. General Science (25 questions)
The scope is defined precisely, and that is good news.
The CEN states that the General Science syllabus shall cover Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences of 10th standard level (CBSE). That is an unusually specific boundary for a government exam syllabus, and it means a Class 10 NCERT set is not merely adequate preparation — it is the stated scope. Twenty-five marks with a defined ceiling is the best-value section in the paper.
| Subject | Level |
|---|---|
| Physics | 10th standard, CBSE |
| Chemistry | 10th standard, CBSE |
| Life Sciences | 10th standard, CBSE |
4. General Awareness and Current Affairs (20 questions)
The CEN describes this as covering Science and Technology, Sports, Culture, Personalities, Economics, Politics and any other subject of importance. Note that the framing leans towards current affairs and personalities rather than the deep static history and polity that SSC favours.
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Science and technology | Recent developments and applications. |
| Sports | Events, winners, tournaments. |
| Culture and personalities | Notable people, awards, cultural events. |
| Economics | Basic economic awareness and current developments. |
| Politics | Current political developments. |
| Other | Any other subject of importance, as stated in the CEN. |
Physical Efficiency Test — lifting, not just running
The PET is qualifying only — it carries no marks and adds nothing to your rank. But it eliminates, and it is not the PET people expect: the first event is a loaded carry, and you get one chance at it.
| Event | Male candidates | Female candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Lift and carry | 35 kg for 100 metres in 2 minutes, in one chance | 20 kg for 100 metres in 2 minutes, in one chance |
| Run | 1,000 metres in 4 minutes 15 seconds | 1,000 metres in 5 minutes 40 seconds |
“In one chance” is the phrase to notice.
The running event is a standard test of fitness you can train for steadily. The loaded carry is different: 35 kg over 100 metres inside two minutes, with no second attempt. Candidates who have trained only by running find out on the day that carrying is a separate skill — grip, posture and pace under load. If you are preparing for Group D, train the carry specifically, with the actual weight.
The CEN exempts Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, Course Completed Act Apprentices and Ex-Servicemen from the PET.
Medical standards
Medical standards vary by post — the CEN refers to categories A-2, A-3, B-1 and C-1, based on visual acuity and physical fitness, with the standard for each post set out in Annexure A of the notification. Vision requirements in particular differ sharply between categories, so check the medical standard attached to the specific posts you intend to opt for before you apply, not after you have cleared the CBT.
Eligibility and application
| Age | 18–33 years, reckoned on the date stated in the CEN, with community-specific relaxations ranging from 3 to 15 years |
| Educational qualification | As prescribed for each post in Annexure A, from a recognised Board, Institute or University, held as on the closing date. Candidates awaiting final results are not eligible. |
| Posts | Various Level-1 posts across railway departments. Post-wise parameters are in Annexure A of the CEN and the zone-wise vacancy table in Annexure B. |
The fee is mostly refundable — which many applicants do not realise
| Category | Fee | Refunded on attending the CBT | Effective cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and others | ₹500 | ₹400 | ₹100 |
| SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD, Female, Transgender, Minorities, EBC | ₹250 | ₹250 | Nil |
The refund is conditional on appearing for the CBT. It is, in effect, a deposit against no-shows rather than a fee — which is worth knowing both because it lowers the real cost of applying and because skipping the exam forfeits it.
Verify your own eligibility in the CEN.
Qualification, age reckoning date, medical standard and vacancy count are all post-specific and cycle-specific, and they live in the annexures rather than the main notice. Read Annexure A of CEN 09/2025 for the posts you intend to opt for, and confirm everything against the current notification on rrbapply.gov.in when the next cycle opens.
How to prepare for Group D
Four things follow directly from the pattern above:
- Reasoning is the biggest section and the most improvable. Thirty marks, and the topic list is finite — series, coding, syllogism, Venn diagrams, directions. Sustained practice moves this score more reliably than any other section.
- General Science has a stated ceiling. Class 10 CBSE Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences. Twenty-five marks with a defined boundary is the highest-return revision in the paper — work the NCERTs rather than a thick competitive guide.
- Respect the 1/3 penalty. Three wrong answers wipe out a correct one. On a 100-mark paper with a 40% bar for UR candidates, disciplined attempting beats volume.
- Train the loaded carry, not only the run. It is one chance, with real weight, and it is where fit candidates get eliminated.
If you are also writing SSC exams this cycle, our SSC CGL and SSC CHSL syllabus guides cover those from their official notifications the same way. For what the job actually pays, see our RRB Group D salary guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RRB Group D application open right now?
No. The CEN 09/2025 Computer Based Test has been conducted and the answer key released, with results awaited. The next Centralised Employment Notification has not been announced. Watch rrbapply.gov.in and your regional RRB website.
How many stages are there in RRB Group D?
Four: Computer Based Test, Physical Efficiency Test, Document Verification and Medical Examination. Only the CBT is scored — the other three are qualifying.
What is the RRB Group D exam pattern?
A single CBT of 100 questions and 100 marks in 90 minutes: General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, Mathematics 25, General Science 25, and General Awareness and Current Affairs 20. Candidates eligible for a scribe get 120 minutes.
What is the negative marking in RRB Group D?
One-third of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer, so three wrong answers cancel one correct answer.
What are the minimum qualifying marks?
40% for UR and EWS candidates, and 30% for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), SC and ST candidates. PwBD candidates may receive a 2-mark relaxation where there is a shortage of candidates against posts reserved for them.
What is normalisation in RRB Group D, and does it affect me?
The CEN states that normalisation of marks is done for CBTs held in multiple shifts. Because Group D runs across many shifts with different question papers, scores are adjusted so candidates who sat harder shifts are not disadvantaged. It means your raw score from the answer key is not the score that determines your rank.
What is the PET standard for RRB Group D?
Male candidates: lift and carry 35 kg over 100 metres in 2 minutes in one chance, and run 1,000 metres in 4 minutes 15 seconds. Female candidates: lift and carry 20 kg over 100 metres in 2 minutes in one chance, and run 1,000 metres in 5 minutes 40 seconds.
Who is exempt from the PET?
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, Course Completed Act Apprentices and Ex-Servicemen, as stated in the CEN.
Is the RRB Group D application fee refunded?
Partly. General and other candidates pay ₹500 and are refunded ₹400 on appearing for the CBT. Candidates in the SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD, female, transgender, minority and EBC categories pay ₹250 and are refunded the full ₹250. The refund depends on actually sitting the exam.
What is the age limit for RRB Group D?
18 to 33 years, reckoned on the date specified in the notification, with community-specific relaxations of between 3 and 15 years.
What is the General Science syllabus for Group D?
Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences at 10th standard CBSE level, as stated in the CEN. That specific boundary makes Class 10 NCERT the natural preparation.
Source and verification
| Conducting body | Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways |
| Primary source | Centralised Employment Notification CEN 09/2025 — Recruitment for Various Posts in Level 1 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix |
| Application portal | rrbapply.gov.in |
| Verified on | 16 September 2026 |
| Next review | When the next Level-1 CEN is published |
This page is not an official publication.
JobShouter.com is an independent information website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by the Railway Recruitment Boards, the Ministry of Railways or Indian Railways. Where this page and the official notification differ, the official notification prevails. Syllabus, pattern and standards are reproduced from CEN 09/2025 and may change in a future CEN — verify against the current notification on rrbapply.gov.in before you apply.
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