Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) plans to recruit 35208 personnel across India in its non-technical popular category (NTPC) posts. The posts include senior and junior clerks cum typists, timekeepers, commercial apprentice, station master, etc. If one plans to join the railways this is the golden opportunity. There are both graduates as well as undergraduate posts in RRB NTPC.
Important Dates related to RRB NTPC
RRB NTPC advertised its NTPC vacancies last year in February. Online application began from the 1st of March 2019 and continued till 31st March 2019. Although it was scheduled to be held in 2019 itself, it has been postponed. Here is the comprehensive coverage of the important RRB NTPC dates:
| Events | Dates |
| RRB NTPC notification release date | 28th February 2019 |
| Start date of online application | 1st March 2019 |
| Last date to apply online | 31st March 2019 |
| Closing date of application fees payment | 5th April 2019; 23:59 hours |
| Final submission of applications | 12th April; 23:59 hours |
| RRB NTPC Exam Date | March – April 2020 tentatively |
RRB NTPC Admit Card has not been released yet. Generally, the admit card is released by RRB authority around a week before the RRB NTPC exam.
Vacancies in RRB NTPC
Previously it was advertised that 35277 people would be recruited in the NTPC category. However, the DLW vacancies in the RRB Allahabad zone have been cancelled, thereby reducing the vacancies to 35208. The overall vacancy in RRB Allahabad has also decreased from 4099 to 4030. Candidates must know the number of vacancies first. The age limit for undergraduate posts is between 18 to 30 years and that for graduate ones is 18 to 33 years. However, there is age relaxation for special categories. Undergraduates need to have at least a 12th pass certificate while graduates need to have any graduation degree from a recognized university. Here is the division wise breakup of the vacancies:
- Undergraduate Posts
| Post Name | 7th CPC Level | Salary (in Rs.) | Medical Standard | Vacancies |
| Accounts Clerk cum Typist | 2 | 19900 | C-2 | 760 |
| Junior Clerk cum Typist | 2 | 19900 | C-2 | 4300 |
| Trains Clerk | 2 | 19900 | A-3 | 592 |
| Junior Timekeeper | 2 | 19900 | C-2 | 11 |
| Commercial cum Ticket Clerk | 3 | 21700 | B-2 | 4940 |
| Grand Total | 10,603 | |||
- Graduate Posts
| Post Name | Level in 7th CPC | Salary (in Rs.) | Medical Standard | Vacancies |
| Traffic Assistant | 4 | 25500 | A-2 | 88 |
| Goods Guard | 5 | 29200 | A-2 | 5748 |
| Senior Clerk cum Typist | 5 | 29200 | C-2 | 2854 |
| Senior Commercial cum Ticket Clerk | 5 | 29200 | B-2 | 5638 |
| Junior Accountant cum Typist | 5 | 29200 | C-2 | 3147 |
| Senior Timekeeper | 5 | 29200 | C-2 | 6 |
| Station Master | 6 | 35400 | A-2 | 6865 |
| Commercial Apprentice | 6 | 35400 | B-2 | 259 |
| Grand Total | 24605 | |||
The salary given above is just the basic salary. It will increase as per the level of CPC. Additionally, the perks that the post-holders can enjoy are:
- Dearness Allowance (DA)
- Transportation Allowance (TA)
- House Rent Allowance (HRA)
- Medical Benefits
- Pension
RRB NTPC Fee Details
RRB NTPC has a separate fee structure for General and Other Categories. The table below gives a clearer picture:
| Category | Fees |
| General and OBC | Rs. 500/- (Out of this Rs. 400 shall be refunded after due deduction of bank charges upon appearing in CBT 1) |
| Others including minorities, transgender, women, SC, ST, etc. | Rs. 250/- (The total amount will be refunded to the applicant after due deduction of bank charges and appearance in Stage 1 exam) |
RRB NTPC Exam Stages
There will be 5 stages of the selection procedure in RRB NTPC. Below is the detailed picture of the stages:
CBT 1
This is a completely computer-based round comprising 3 sections namely Reasoning and Aptitude, General Awareness. Mathematics and Reasoning hold 30 marks each while the General Awareness section comprises 40 marks. The minimum eligibility condition is 40% for General and EWS, 30% for OBC and SC and 25% for ST candidates. The total marks is 100 and the time duration is 1.5 hours. There is a negative marking of 1/3rd for every incorrect answer chosen.
CBT 2
Upon obtaining a normalized cut-off score, candidates will be allowed to sit for this second computer-based round. The total marks is 120 but the total time duration is 90 minutes. The same amount of negative marking and the qualification criterion is applicable here as well. There are the same 3 sections as well as CBT 1. The only difference is that Mathematics and General Aptitude account for 35 marks each while there is 50 marks in the General Awareness section.
- Typing Test
Upon obtaining a normalized score in the 2nd stage of the RRB NTPC exam, candidates are allowed to sit for this test. This is aimed at testing the typing speed and accuracy of a candidate. Candidates need to produce 30 WPM in English and 25 WPM in Hindi. 8 times the number of vacancies advertised will be called for this test. This is also an elimination-based test.
- Document Verification
This is done to check the candidature of an applicant and whether there is any criminal record in the past. If found to be doubtful, his candidature may be rejected on the spot.
- Medical Test
This test is done to check the physical strength, fitness and endurance of a candidate. Sometimes the test is conducted after a candidate has joined the job. There is a set of predefined medical standard set based on which a candidate’s fortune is decided. If found to be otherwise his or her employment may be terminated. This solely lies with the RRB boards.
Candidates are requested to start preparation for the RRB NTPC exam at the earliest. The syllabus is readily available over the internet. Candidates may also buy books from the market and start preparing for the test. RRB NTPC will notify the issuance of admit card on its official websites. It is expected to be released by mid-April 2020. Candidates are hereby instructed to bring the original admit card, a photo of the candidate and an identity proof. The cut-off is decided based on the level of questions asked and the number of candidates who have appeared for the RRB NTPC test. RRB NTPC will release the results on its regional as well as all zonal websites.
