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Railways | RRB

RRB Ministerial and Isolated Categories Latest notified cycle

A single notice covering many specialist railway posts, from Junior Translator and Junior Stenographer to school teachers, chemists and librarians, each with a Professional Ability paper of its own.

Awaiting notification3 stages

Overview

Conducting body
RRBwww.rrbapply.gov.in
Age limit
18 years and above, upper limit varies by post
Application fee
₹250 to ₹500
Vacancies
To be announced
First stage duration
1 hr 30 min
Negative marking
1/3 mark per wrong answer

Railway Recruitment Board Recruitment for Ministerial and Isolated Categories is conducted by Railway Recruitment Boards, under the Railway Recruitment Control Board. Selection runs through 3 stages: Computer Based Test, Skill, performance or teaching test, Document Verification and Medical Examination.

  1. Identify the single post in the notice whose qualification you meet, since the requirements differ entirely from post to post.
  2. Clear the Computer Based Test, half of which is a Professional Ability paper set on your post.
  3. Pass the skill, performance or teaching test where your post requires one.
  4. Attend Document Verification in merit order for your board and post, where qualifications and experience are examined closely.
  5. Pass the medical examination for the standard applicable to the post before appointment.

Important dates

Important dates
EventDateStatus
Centralised Employment Notice release

This notice appears infrequently, since the posts it covers are few in number and become vacant slowly.

To be announcedNot announced
Online application window

Usually open for about a month from the notice date.

To be announcedNot announced
Computer Based Test

Held over fewer shifts than the large railway exams, because the applicant pool per post is small.

To be announcedNot announced
Skill, performance or teaching test, where the post requires oneTo be announcedNot announced
Document Verification and Medical ExaminationTo be announcedNot announced
Final result and panelTo be announcedNot announced

Eligibility

Educational qualification

Entirely post-specific. Junior Stenographer requires class 12 with stenography speed in Hindi or English. Junior Translator requires a postgraduate degree in Hindi or English with the other language as a subject, or a recognised translation qualification. Teaching posts require the relevant degree with a BEd or equivalent, and the CTET or an equivalent where prescribed. Chemist and Metallurgist requires a BSc with specified subjects. Librarian, Physical Training Instructor, Staff and Welfare Inspector, Cook, Laboratory Assistant and the other posts each have their own requirement.

There is no common qualification for this notice, because it bundles unrelated posts that happen to be recruited together. The post-wise table in the notice is the only authority, and both the qualification and the age band change from post to post.

Age

18 to 48 years as on the cut-off date stated in the official notification.

Upper age relaxation

  • SC and ST+5 years
  • OBC (non-creamy layer)+3 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (UR)+10 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (OBC)+13 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (SC and ST)+15 years
  • Ex-servicemen, after deducting service rendered+3 years
  • Serving railway employees, as specified in the notice+5 years

Nationality

A candidate must be one of the following:

  • A citizen of India
  • A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
  • A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 intending to settle permanently
  • A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka or specified East African countries intending to settle permanently in India

Application fee

CategoryFee
General, OBC and EWS

Rupees 400 is refunded after you appear in the Computer Based Test, net of bank charges.

₹500
SC, ST, ex-servicemen, PwBD, women, transgender, minorities and economically backward class

The full amount is refunded after you appear in the Computer Based Test, net of bank charges.

₹250

Exam pattern

Stage by stage structure with question counts, marks, timing and the marking scheme.

Stage 1: Computer Based Test

Computer based test
SectionQuestionsMarks
Professional Ability for the post applied for5050
General Awareness1515
General Intelligence and Reasoning1515
Mathematics1010
General Science1010
Total100100

Duration: 1 hr 30 min|Negative marking: 1/3 mark per wrong answer

  • 100 questions for 100 marks in a composite 90 minutes.
  • Professional Ability is half the paper and is set on the subject of the post you applied for, so a translator and a mathematics teacher sit entirely different papers under the same notice.
  • Minimum qualifying marks are 40% for UR and EWS, 30% for OBC and SC, and 25% for ST.
  • A single test decides merit, subject to any skill or performance test the post requires.

Stage 2: Skill, performance or teaching test

Skill testQualifying only

Duration: Varies|Negative marking: None

  • Applies only to posts that need a demonstrated skill, and not to every post in the notice.
  • Junior Stenographer candidates take a stenography test at the prescribed dictation and transcription speed in Hindi or English.
  • Teaching posts take a teaching skill test, and Physical Training Instructor and Music Mistress posts take a performance test.
  • Where held, the test is qualifying rather than scored, so it cannot improve your merit position but can end your candidature.
  • Confirm from the notice whether your post has one and at what standard.

Stage 3: Document Verification and Medical Examination

Document and medicalQualifying only

Duration: Varies|Negative marking: None

  • Candidates are called in merit order against the vacancies for their board and post.
  • Medical standards depend on the post, and most of these are non-safety categories with less demanding requirements than operating posts.
  • Professional qualifications and experience claims are examined closely here, since eligibility for these posts is narrowly defined.

Syllabus

General Awareness

  • Professional Ability content depends entirely on the post: for Junior Translator, translation theory and practice between Hindi and English, official language policy and terminology
  • For teaching posts: the subject of the post at the level taught, along with pedagogy, child development and teaching methodology
  • For Chemist and Metallurgist: analytical and physical chemistry, metallurgical testing and laboratory practice
  • For Librarian: library classification, cataloguing, reference service and library management
  • For Junior Stenographer: language, grammar and correspondence conventions alongside the stenography skill
  • For Staff and Welfare Inspector: labour legislation, welfare administration and personnel management
  • General Awareness common to all posts: Indian polity, history, geography, economy, government schemes, sports and awards
  • Indian Railways: organisation, zones and terminology
  • Current affairs of the previous six to twelve months

General Intelligence & Reasoning

  • Analogies and classification
  • Alphabetical and number series
  • Coding and decoding
  • Mathematical operations
  • Relationships and blood relations
  • Syllogism
  • Jumbling and Venn diagrams
  • Data interpretation and sufficiency
  • Conclusions and decision making
  • Analytical reasoning and directions

Mathematics

  • Number system and simplification
  • LCM and HCF
  • Ratio and proportion
  • Percentage
  • Average
  • Profit and loss
  • Simple and compound interest
  • Time and work
  • Time, speed and distance
  • Mensuration
  • Elementary statistics

General Science

  • Physics at class 10 level
  • Chemistry at class 10 level
  • Life Sciences at class 10 level
  • Basic environmental science

How to apply

  1. Read the post-wise table before anything else

    This notice bundles unrelated posts, and the qualification, age band and Professional Ability paper differ for each. Find your post in the table and read only its row, rather than reading the notice as though it described one exam.

  2. Create your account on the centralised RRB portal

    Applications go through rrbapply.gov.in. Register once and enter details carefully, since many fields cannot be edited later.

  3. Choose your Railway Recruitment Board

    Merit is drawn board by board and post by post. With only a handful of vacancies per post at each board, this choice matters more here than in the large recruitments.

  4. Upload your qualification and experience documents

    Eligibility for these posts is narrowly defined and verified strictly, so ensure your certificates match the wording of the requirement, including any professional registration or experience condition.

  5. Pay the fee and keep the receipt

    Most of the fee is refunded after you appear for the CBT, so provide accurate bank details and save the transaction record.

Documents to keep ready

  • The professional or academic qualification prescribed for your specific post, with all mark-sheets
  • BEd or equivalent teaching qualification, and CTET where prescribed, for teaching posts
  • Stenography speed certificate, for Junior Stenographer applicants
  • Experience certificates, where the post requires a minimum period of experience
  • Class 10 and class 12 certificates
  • Valid photo identity proof such as Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID
  • Caste or EWS certificate in the prescribed central government format, where applicable
  • PwBD certificate issued by the competent authority, where applicable
  • Recent passport-size photograph and signature matching the images uploaded
  • Bank account details for the fee refund

Salary and job profile

Pay and allowances

Pay scale:
Varies by post, from Level 2 for entry-level roles up to Level 8 and above for senior posts such as Public Prosecutor and Chief Law Assistant
Initial basic pay:
To be announced
Approximate in-hand:
To be announced

Allowances

  • Dearness Allowance revised periodically
  • House Rent Allowance based on the city classification of the posting
  • Transport Allowance
  • Post-specific allowances such as teaching or laboratory allowances where applicable

Perks

  • Railway quarters, subject to availability
  • Free or concessional railway passes for self and family
  • Railway hospital and dispensary medical facilities
  • Pension under the National Pension System
  • Provident fund and gratuity
  • Access to railway schools and institutes at subsidised rates

Because the notice covers posts across a wide range of pay levels, there is no single salary figure. Check the level attached to your specific post in the notice.

What the job involves

  • Junior Translator: translating circulars, notices and correspondence between Hindi and English and supporting official language implementation.
  • Junior Stenographer: taking dictation and preparing correspondence for officers.
  • Teaching posts in railway schools: Primary Railway Teacher, Trained Graduate Teacher and Postgraduate Teacher roles teaching the children of railway employees.
  • Chemist and Metallurgist: testing materials, water and metallurgical samples in railway laboratories.
  • Librarian: running a railway library or institute collection.
  • Physical Training Instructor and Music Mistress: teaching and coaching in railway schools and institutes.
  • Staff and Welfare Inspector: administering staff welfare schemes and liaising on labour matters.
  • Chief Law Assistant and Public Prosecutor: advising on and conducting railway litigation and prosecutions.
  • These are mostly office, school and laboratory roles rather than field or operating posts, which makes them attractive to candidates seeking regular hours.

How to prepare for RRB Ministerial and Isolated Categories

  • Half the paper is your own subject. Revising your degree or professional syllabus is the highest-return preparation, and generic railway exam material will not cover it.
  • The remaining 50 marks of General Awareness, Reasoning, Mathematics and General Science overlap with Group D and NTPC preparation, so any general railway study you have done already applies.
  • Verify your eligibility documents against the exact wording of your post's requirement early. These posts are narrowly defined and verification rejections are common.
  • If your post has a skill or performance test, practise it in parallel rather than afterwards. The gap between the written result and the test is usually short.
  • Do not calibrate against last cycle's cut-off. With only a few vacancies per post, the figure can move a long way in either direction.

Frequently asked questions

Is this one exam or many?

It is one notice and one paper structure covering many unrelated posts. Everyone sits a 100-mark CBT, but the 50-mark Professional Ability half is set on the subject of the post you applied for, so a translator and a chemistry teacher take completely different papers.

Where do posts like Junior Translator, Junior Stenographer and railway teacher recruitment appear?

Here. They are not separate railway exams with their own notifications; they are individual posts within the Ministerial and Isolated Categories notice, which is why they are covered on one page rather than several.

What is the age limit?

It depends entirely on the post. The band across the whole notice is wide, and senior posts such as Public Prosecutor and Chief Law Assistant carry much higher upper limits than entry-level ones. Read your own post's row in the notice.

Do all posts have a skill test?

No. Stenographer, teaching, physical training and music posts have a skill, teaching or performance test, and it is qualifying rather than scored. Many other posts have none, and are decided on the CBT alone.

Why are the cut-offs unpredictable?

Because vacancies per post per board are often in single figures. A small applicant pool and a small vacancy count together make cut-offs swing sharply between cycles, so previous years' figures are a weak guide.

How often is this notice issued?

Infrequently. These posts are few and become vacant slowly, so there can be long gaps between notices. It is worth setting a reminder to check rather than expecting an annual cycle.

Last verified 28 July 2026(today, by editorial)

Not yet confirmed for this cycle: the schedule, the vacancy count, the minimum age, the upper age limit, the required qualification, basic pay, gross pay and in-hand pay. Where we have a figure from previous cycles we show it and label it as expected; where we do not, the page says "to be announced". Check the official source below before you rely on any of it.

Official sources

Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it, citing the source.