look news india
A big update has come out regarding the much awaited Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) Undergraduate Recruitment of Railway Recruitment Board (RRB). Immediately after the declaration of CBT-1 results, Railways has announced the official exam date of CBT 2 (Computer Based Test-2). As per the official exam calendar of Railway Recruitment Board, NTPC CBT 2 exam for 3,058 undergraduate level posts will be conducted on September 17, 2026 at various exam centers across the country. A total of 45,898 candidates who passed the first phase will present their claim in this second phase of decisive examination. This phase is going to prove to be very important for the youth who are dreaming of government job in Railways.
Tough competition between 15 contenders for one post
As per Railway Recruitment Rules, candidates 15 times the total number of vacancies against each vacant post have been shortlisted for CBT 2. Under this recruitment process, direct appointments are to be made on a total of 3,058 posts at the undergraduate level. These mainly include important posts like Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist, Trains Clerk and Commercial cum Ticket Clerk. The cut-off is likely to be very tight in this competition among 45,898 successful candidates. Experts believe that CBT 1 was only a screening test, whereas the marks obtained in CBT 2 will decide the final merit list and the path to the next stage (Typing Skill Test/Document Verification).
Deadline for release of exam city slip and admit card
For the convenience of candidates planning travel and stay for CBT 2 examination, Railway Recruitment Board will activate the Exam City Intimation Slip exactly 10 days before the examination. That means, around 7th September 2026, the link of city slip will go live on all the regional RRB websites. Through this slip, candidates will be able to know in which city and in which shift their examination has been scheduled. Free Travel Authority Pass for eligible candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) will also be made available for download from the same day. At the same time, the original e-call letter (Admit Card) of the examination will be issued just 4 days before the examination date, i.e. on 13 September 2026, in which the complete address of the examination center and reporting time will be mentioned.
New exam pattern and marking scheme of CBT 2
CBT 2 examination will be completely computer based (Online CBT) of 90 minutes duration. A total of 120 minutes time will be provided to the candidates of PwBD category taking scribe. The question paper of CBT 2 will be of total 120 marks, in which 120 multiple choice (MCQ) type questions will be asked:
-
General Awareness: 50 questions (50 marks)
-
Mathematics: 35 questions (35 marks)
-
General Intelligence and Reasoning: 35 questions (35 marks)
Strict provision of negative marking will be applicable in this examination. One-third (1/3) marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. In such a situation, candidates have been advised to avoid guessing and adopt the strategy of solving only the correct answers.
Strict rules for Aadhaar biometric authentication and security
To ensure transparency and prevent fraud in railway recruitment examinations, Railways has made Aadhaar-based biometric authentication mandatory at examination centres. The board has issued clear guidelines that all candidates should ensure that their Aadhaar card is unlocked by visiting the UIDAI portal before reaching the examination centre. If the biometric details of a candidate are found locked or not matching, he/she will not be allowed to enter the examination hall. It will be mandatory for the candidates to carry the printed copy of the admit card along with the original Aadhar Card and recent passport size photograph.
Accurate strategy for preparation and revision in the last 20 days
Now less than 20 days are left for the exam. In such a situation, according to experts and previous years’ toppers, candidates should concentrate completely on revision and mock tests instead of starting new topics:
-
Daily Full-Length Mock Tests: Solve a full 90-minute mock test daily and do an in-depth analysis of the questions you got wrong after the test.
-
Emphasis on Current Affairs and Static GK: Quickly revise the core concepts of National-International Current Affairs, Indian Constitution, Geography, History and General Science in the General Awareness section of 50 marks.
-
Balance of Speed and Accuracy: Mathematics and Reasoning have weightage of 70 marks. To increase your speed, practice basic formulas, shortcut tricks and previous years’ papers again and again.
-
Negative Marking Control: During the exam, those questions which have even 50-50 doubt, should be attempted only after you have scored a safe enough score.
Helpdesks will be active in various railway zones
All major zonal headquarters of Railway Recruitment Board—like RRB Patna, Prayagraj, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ajmer, Chennai, Secunderabad and Guwahati—have released the notices on their official portals. Candidates have been strictly instructed not to believe misleading news from any unofficial source or social media and to keep an eye only on the official websites of Railways.