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A big and shocking update has come out from the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) for lakhs of candidates preparing to become Station Master in Indian Railways. Railway Board has announced unprecedented changes in the syllabus and exam pattern of the upcoming Station Master Recruitment Examination under Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB NTPC). Under the new revised exam pattern, the traditionally asked General Studies (GS/General Studies) section has been completely removed. After this revolutionary change, now the entire 100 questions of the exam will be asked from new sections and practical subjects. This decision has completely changed the strategy of the candidates preparing for the exam, due to which it has now become very important for every candidate to understand the new exam blueprint.
#1 Why was the section of General Studies removed and what is the new thinking of Railway Board?
According to senior Railway Board officials and examination experts, the post of Station Master is directly involved with operations, signaling, emergency decisions and daily station management. The old-fashioned General Studies syllabus (which included traditional subjects like history, geography, ancient culture) was finding little direct application in the practical functioning of the Station Master. Keeping this in mind, the board has decided to make the examination more job-oriented and analytical. Now after removing the rote topics, the main focus has been on the topics which test the quick decision making ability, logical aptitude, mathematical accuracy and technical understanding of the candidates, so that Railways can get more efficient and mentally alert young station masters.
#1 Know where the 100 questions will come from now: Complete breakup of the new exam pattern
According to the new exam notification released by the Railway Recruitment Board, a total time of 90 minutes has been prescribed for the question paper consisting of 100 questions. For each correct answer, 1 mark will be given, while the system of negative marking of 1/3 (one-third) marks will remain the same. Now questions will be asked from the following 3 main sections in the exam:
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1. Mathematics & Quantitative Aptitude – 35 Questions: It will include high level practical questions related to Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Data Interpretation (DI), Time and Work, Profit and Loss and Speed and Distance.
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2. Reasoning & Mental Ability – 35 questions: In this section, analytical questions related to Puzzles, Sitting Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Data Sufficiency, Statements and Conclusions, and Venn Diagram will be asked which will test the decision-making power of the candidate.
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3. Basic Computer Technology, Railway Operations and General Awareness – 30 Questions: Instead of traditional History-Geography, this new section will now have practical questions related to Computer Applications (IT/Basics), History and Modern Technology of Indian Railways, Railway Safety Rules, Signaling Basics and National and International Current Affairs.
#1 New preparation strategy for candidates and its impact on cut-off
With the removal of General Studies, the weightage of Mathematics and Reasoning subjects has increased to 70%. Exam analysts believe that this change will greatly benefit those candidates who have strong logical and mathematical grip, while the candidates who rely only on GK will have to immediately change their strategy. Now the candidates will have to work more on their speed, calculations and accuracy, as handling 100 solvable questions in 90 minutes will be a big challenge. Moreover, the competition in sectional cut-off and overall merit list is expected to be tougher than before.
#1 Complete information about CBAT Psycho Test and upcoming recruitment process
Candidates who qualify the written examination (CBT-1 and CBT-2) will have to undergo the mandatory ‘Computer Based Aptitude Test’ (CBAT/Psycho Test) to qualify for the post of Station Master. After this, the final selection list will be released after document verification and medical fitness test. Railway Recruitment Board has advised the candidates to avoid social media rumors and finalize their preparation only on the basis of model question paper and new syllabus released on the official website of RRB.