Railway Exams 2024: Upcoming Exam Notification, Application Form, Last Date

Railway exams in India hold paramount significance in the realm of job opportunities within the country. These examinations, conducted by Indian Railways, are not just about securing employment; they represent an aspiration for millions of Indians. The allure of railway jobs extends beyond mere economic stability; it encompasses factors like prestige, diverse job profiles, and the chance to contribute significantly to the nation’s transportation infrastructure. In this article, we delve into the reasons why railway jobs are highly sought-after in India and why they are considered a symbol of both professional success and service to the nation.

Latest Update:
— RRB has released the tentative Annual Calendar of Examinations scheduled to take place in 2024. Check out the official notification or refer to the table on this page.

In addition, we will shed light on different Railway exams conducted by various railway boards, such as RRB, RRC, etc., explain the eligibility criteria, and discuss impressive pay scale opportunities. But first, let us go over different positions offered by Indian Railways.

Different Job Opportunities Offered

The Indian Railways, one of the world’s largest railway networks, offers a plethora of job opportunities across various sectors and domains. These job opportunities cater to individuals with diverse skill sets, educational backgrounds, and interests. Here are some of the critical types of posts that the Indian Railways commonly hires for.

1. Group A Services

These are high-ranking officer posts and include positions like Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), and Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS). These officers oversee various administrative and managerial functions within the railway system.

2. Group B Services

This category includes positions like Section Officer, Depot Material Superintendent, and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant. These roles often involve middle-level management responsibilities.

3. Group C Services

Group C positions encompass a wide range of roles, such as ticket collectors, station masters, clerks, and technicians. These positions form the backbone of the railway system, involved in day-to-day operations and customer service.

4. Group D Services

Previously, Group D included positions like trackmen, gangmen, and helpers. However, with reforms, these roles have been restructured, and many Group D employees have been absorbed into Group C or other categories.

5. Engineering Services

The Indian Railways has a substantial demand for engineers in various disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics, and telecommunications. Engineers play a vital role in maintaining and upgrading the railway infrastructure.

6. Medical Services

Railway hospitals and healthcare facilities employ doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff to provide medical services to railway employees and their families.

7. Protection and Security Services

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of passengers, railway property, and assets.

8. Technical and Maintenance Services

These roles include technicians, fitters, mechanics, and craftsmen responsible for maintaining railway tracks, locomotives, signalling systems, and rolling stock.

9. Commercial Services

Railway commercial services include marketing, sales, and management roles related to passenger and freight services.

10. Research and Development

The Indian Railways also invests in research and development activities, hiring scientists and researchers to develop innovative solutions and improve railway technology.

11. Information Technology and Communication

With the increasing digitisation of railway services, there is a growing demand for IT and communication professionals to manage railway information systems, websites, and communication networks.

12. Legal and Administrative Services

Legal experts and administrative professionals are essential for handling legal matters, contracts, and various administrative functions within the organisation. 

Here is the complete list of Group A, B, C, and D posts in Indian Railways:

RRB Group	RRB Post Name
Group ‘A’	Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) Indian Railway Personal Service (IRPS) Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) Indian Railway Protection Force (IRPF) Indian Railway Stores Services (IRSS) Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) Engineering Service Examination (ESE) IAS Allied Services (IAS) Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineer (IRSSE) Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) Indian Railway Medical Services (IRMS)
Group ‘D’	Porter Peon Hamal Safaiwala/Safaiwali Assistant Pointsman Helper Hospital Attendant Tracker Gunman Track-man Gate-man
Group ‘B’	Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) Senior Section Officers (SSO) Junior Engineer (JE) Senior Section Engineer (SSE) Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA)
Group ‘C’	A. Non-technical Jobs Clerk Ticket Collector (TC) Goods Guard Traffic Apprentice (TA) Assistant Station Master (ASM) Junior Accounts Assistant-cum-Typist (JAA) Commercial Apprentice (CA) Senior Clerk-cum-Typist (SCT) Traffic Assistant (TA) Senior Time Keeper (STK) Enquiry-cum-Reservation Clerk (ECRC) B. Technical Jobs Mechanical Civil Electrical Telecommunication Signal

Since the number of job opportunities offered by Indian Railways is immense—and is always increasing, lakhs of applicants are always on the watch to grab the opportunity. This makes the process even more challenging.

Furthermore, staying one step ahead is key to achieving success. Getting all updates about the upcoming Railway exams or keeping in mind which Railway exam is to be conducted and when it will be conducted will definitely pave the way for your success.

That is why we have brought to you a list of all upcoming Railway exams 2024, so you never miss out on anything important.

Let us begin, shall we?

RRB Exam Name	Vacancies	RRB Notification	RRB Exam Date
RRC Group D	To Be Notified	October/December 2024	To Be Notified
RRB JE	To Be Notified	July/September 2024	To Be Notified
RRB ALP	5969	January 20, 2024	Between June & August 2024
RRB NTPC	To Be Notified	July/September 2024	To Be Announced
RRB Paramedical	To Be Notified	July/September 2024	To Be Announced
RPF Sub Inspector	250	January 2, 2024	To Be Announced
RPF Constable	2000 (Anticipated)	January 2, 2024	To Be Announced

The months given above are tentative based on previous year trends because no official notification has been announced yet. 

The Railway Recruitment Board invites applications for various posts, such as Group A, B, C, & D and publishes advertisements for the same on its official regional websites. The recruitment notification includes everything about the vacancy announcement, starting and last date to apply, category-wise fee, exam centres, eligibility criteria (age limit, education, nationality, etc.), and relaxation.

These RRB notifications are issued in different months or years, depending on the requirements of people in the department. Usually, RRB conducts a Computer-based Test (CBT) to gauge candidates’ performance for the job applied. CBT is generally followed by another test, such as a Typing Skill Test (TST); however, this varies according to RRB posts advertised. All aspirants interested in RRB exams must thoroughly check out the notification before applying.

Since RRB is not just limited to one specific exam, the eligibility criteria will also differ for each one of them. So, if you apply for RRB JE and RRB ALP, the eligibility is going to be different for sure. 

Due to so many RRB exams, It is not feasible to include the eligibility criteria for every single one of them; however, we have tried to cover the major ones. 

Let us begin with the RRB NTPC first:

RRB NTPC Eligibility

The Railways NTPC eligibility criteria are as follows:

• Applicants applying for RRB NTPC must be an Indian citizen, or subject to Nepal, or subject to Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, with an intention to settle in India permanently, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, East African Countries (Kenya, Uganda), Burma, Tanzania, Bambai, and others.
• The age should be 18 to 30 years. 
• Only graduates can apply for RRB NTPC. 

RRB ALP Eligibility

The Railways ALP eligibility criteria are as follows:

• The nationality for RRB ALP is same as RRB NTPC. 
• Aspirants should be 18 years to 28 years old.
• In education, aspirants must have a matriculation certificate from a reputed NCVT/SCVT institution, or matriculation with Course Completed Act Apprenticeship (CCAA), or 3-year diploma in Electrical / Mechanical / Automobile Engineering / Electronics, or combination of different steams of these engineering disciplines from a reputed institution, in lieu of an ITI.

RRB JE Eligibility

The Railways Junior Engineer eligibility criteria are as follows:

• The nationality criterion shall be similarly recognised.
• The age limit, on the other hand, differs from category to category. General candidates have to be 18 to 33 years of age, OBC 18 to 33 , and SC/ST 18 to 38 years of age.
• Applicants must possess a 3-year diploma inMechanical / Civil Engineering / Automobile / Production/ Electrical / Instrumentation & Control Engineering / Electronics / Control / Tools & Die Making / Tools & Machining / Computer Engineering / Computer Science. Or, they should have a B.Sc., degree in Civil Engineering from a reputed university.

RRB Group D Eligibility

The Railways Group ‘D’ eligibility criteria are as follows:

• The nationality is very much the same — head to RRB Group ‘D’ eligibility to know more about the same.
• The age limit, however, is 18 years to 33 years. 
• Candidates should have a matriculation certificate, or an ITI certificate from an NCVT/SCVT institute or equivalent, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC), which is granted by NCVT.

Candidates can also refer to our eligibility criteria-specific article on in the archives on Embibe.

Time to feed your appetite — to present the list of all major Railway exams conducted in India. 

RRB NTPC

RRB NTPC stands for Railway Recruitment Board Non-Technical Popular Categories. As discussed above, NTPC covers a wide range of RRB posts, such as Trains Clerk, Goods Guard, Junior Account Assistant cum Ticket Clerk, Junior Time Keeper, to name a few. Like most RRB exams, NTPC also includes CBT-1 and CBT-2 as part of the selection process. Having cleared CBT-1, aspirants must appear for CBT-2, followed by a Computer-based Aptitude Test (CBAT (only for Traffic Assistant & ASM post)) and Skill Test (Typist).

The RRB NTPC exam pattern and syllabus barely change. However, if Railways decides, a slight change is introduced to the same. CBT-I is conducted for 90 minutes, and it also includes negative markings — for every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted. Overall, the question paper comprises 100 questions, each carrying one mark, meaning, there are a total of 100 marks in the examination.

RRB ALP

The full form of ALP is Assistant Loco Pilot, another most sought-after job that aspiring pilots look forward to grabbing. Again, the selection process of RRB ALP is very similar to that of RRB NTPC: CBT Stage-1, CBT Stage-2, followed by a CBAT. Currently, the RRB ALP notification is not active; however, as soon as we hear anything about it, we will add an update to this page so that all candidates are in the loop.

ALPs also receive an impressive pay scale of Rs.19,900/- after the final selection, with a grade pay of Rs.1900/-, not to mention those perks and allowances. The job of an ALP is to attend the minor locomotive repairs, fine-tune the locomotive, call out signals — once observed, or evaluate the locomotive’s efficiency regularly. Aspirants must be 18 to 28 years old when applying for RRB ALP recruitment. However, they also have to pay a small amount of application fee — applicable for all categories. 

RRB JE

RRB JE can be expanded as Railway Recruitment Board Junior Engineer, another lucrative role for all the ambitious candidates out there willing to make a career in Railways. Now, becoming a JE requires unyielding determination, a well-thought-out study plan, and a willingness to leave no stone unturned. Around 14,000+ vacancies are announced by RRB every year to hire worthy candidates for Junior Engineer posts. 

Aspirants have to pass CBT-1 and CBT-2, followed by a document verification (DV) round and a medical exam. The RRB JE exam pattern has a total of 100 objective-type questions, and candidates are given a time duration of  2 hours to complete the test. The question paper includes total marks, meaning each question carries 1 mark, and there is also a negative marking of ⅓ — deducted upon incorrectly selecting the response.

RRC Group D

RRC Group D is another most desirable job offered by Indian Railways or Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC). RRC also releases Group D vacancy details region-wise, i.e., for Central Railways, Eastern Railways, Northern Railways, Southern Railways, etc., and also category-wise, i.e., SC/ST, General, OBC, EWS, etc. Also, the applicants should know that RRB Group D is one of the most competitive exams; therefore, it requires unbending determination.

Aspirants must put all their best efforts to ace the test, despite the exam being challenging, because if one can do anything in life if one sets one’s mind to it — and RRB Group D is one of the Railway exams that aspirants seek to crack for a good career opportunity — and to live a fruitful life, too. We strongly suggest that aspirants take RRB Group D mock tests on Embibe to up their game of cracking the test.

RPF Constable & Sub Inspector (SI)

RPF, which stands for Railway Protection Force, is another prominent police force in India that advertises different job opportunities from time to time, such as Constable, Sub Inspector (SI), etc. Worthy aspirants are hired in various departments of RPF based on their performance in different exams as part of the selection process.

RPF conducts CBT for various group-wise posts, namely Group A, B, C, D, E, & F. Based on the group, candidates’ are appointed for various posts in different railway regions. Around 9,000 vacant posts of Constable and SI are announced by RPF every time there is a requirement. In addition to appearing for a CBT, aspirants must also appear for physical rounds, such as the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and Physical Measurement Test (PMT).

Aspirants are recommended to study exam-specific subjects based on the exam pattern set forth by the RRB. However, what they should also know is that most of the RRB exams share a similar exam pattern. This not only helps in preparing for several Railway exams simultaneously but also helps in managing time effectively or strategically.

The sections that most Railway exams share are as follows:

• General Science
• Technical Ability
• General Awareness
• Reasoning
• General Intelligence
• Mathematics
• Physics & Chemistry

These sections might vary from exam to exam; therefore, it is suggested that aspirants always look out 

Just like the Railway exam pattern, the Railway exam syllabus also shares similarities with most of the RRB exams. So, whether candidates are applying for RRB JE, RRB Constable, it is likely they will come across similar sections. That is one of the advantages of appearing for several RRB exams over the same period.

Here are some Railway exam syllabus resources:

• RRB NTPC Syllabus
• RRB JE Syllabus
• RRC Group D CBT Syllabus
• RRB ALP Syllabus
• RPF Constable Syllabus
• RPF Constable CBT 1 Syllabus

Why Pursue Indian Railway Jobs After Class 12?

Indian Railway jobs following completion of the 12th grade come bundled with a multitude of enticing perks and privileges, including:

• Accommodation: Access to comfortable residential quarters within the vibrant railway colonies.
• Education: The privilege of availing education for their children in schools and higher education institutions managed by Indian Railways.
• Medical Facilities: Comprehensive medical benefits, not just for employees but also for their dependents, ensuring healthcare needs are well taken care of.
• Travel Passes: Thedom to travel across India at no cost, thanks to complimentary railway travel passes provided to employees and their family members.
• Recession Resilience: Indian Railways stands as a stronghold against economic recessions, assuring employees that they need not fear pay cuts during challenging times.
• Pension for Life: A lifelong safety net in the form of a pension awaits employees after their retirement. Accumulate a decade of service within Indian Railways, and you become eligible for this comforting benefit.
• Employment for Family: In the unfortunate event of an employee’s demise, Indian Railways extends a compassionate gesture by offering employment to a family member.
• Scope and Support for Talent: Indian Railways takes pride in nurturing and promoting talent within its ranks. Employees with exceptional skills, particularly in areas like sports, receive encouragement, training, and ample opportunities to shine.

This comprehensive array of benefits underlines the diverse range of railway positions available to 12th-grade aspirants. Indian Railways, as a sprawling government institution, not only prioritises the well-being of its workforce but also guarantees financial security.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions on Railway exams 2024 in India that aspirants might be interested in:

We hope that this article on Railway exams 2024 has been helpful. If you still have any doubts, reach out to us on Embibe — The Learning Outcomes app, and we will be happy to help you.

Happy job hunting!