RRB NTPC Complete Guide: Posts, Eligibility, Pattern & Salary

RRB NTPC is the Railway Recruitment Boards' exam for Non-Technical Popular Categories — the station, commercial, clerical and accounts roles that keep Indian Railways running. It has both 12th-pass and graduate-level posts, so it draws an enormous number of applicants every cycle.

This guide covers the posts, who can apply, the multi-stage exam, the salary by pay level, and how selection works. Vacancy numbers and dates change with each Centralised Employment Notice (CEN), so confirm against the official CEN on the RRB sites.

What is RRB NTPC and which posts does it fill?

RRB NTPC recruits non-technical posts across Indian Railways, issued in separate graduate-level and undergraduate (12th-level) notices:

• Graduate-level posts: Station Master and Commercial Apprentice (Pay Level 6); Goods Train Manager, Senior Clerk cum Typist and Junior Account Assistant cum Typist (Level 5).
• Undergraduate (12th) posts: Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist and Trains Clerk (Level 2); Commercial cum Ticket Clerk (Level 3).

Eligibility and age

• Education: 12th pass for the undergraduate posts; a bachelor's degree for the graduate posts. Typist posts also need typing proficiency (tested later).
• Age: roughly 18–30 years for undergraduate posts and 18–33 for graduate posts (the exact band is in the CEN), with standard category relaxations.

Exam pattern

Selection runs through two computer-based tests, then a skill or aptitude test for certain posts, document verification and a medical. Both CBTs carry one-third negative marking, and scores are normalised across shifts.

• CBT 1 (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes — General Awareness (40), Mathematics (30) and General Intelligence & Reasoning (30).
• CBT 2 (decides merit): 120 questions, 120 marks, 90 minutes — General Awareness (50), Mathematics (35) and Reasoning (35), at a higher level.
• Typing Skill Test for typist posts (around 30 wpm English or 25 wpm Hindi), or a Computer-Based Aptitude Test for Station Master and Traffic Assistant — both qualifying.
• Document Verification and a Medical Examination as the final steps.

Salary by pay level

• Level 6 (Station Master, Commercial Apprentice): basic ₹35,400, in-hand roughly ₹55,000–₹60,000.
• Level 5 (Goods Train Manager, Senior Clerk, Junior Account Assistant): basic ₹29,200, in-hand roughly ₹45,000–₹50,000.
• Level 3 (Commercial cum Ticket Clerk): basic ₹21,700.
• Level 2 (Junior/Accounts Clerk, Trains Clerk): basic ₹19,900.
• All come with DA, HRA and TA, plus railway perks like travel passes and medical facilities.

Recent cycles

The 2024 cycle had separate graduate (CEN 05/2024, around 8,113 posts) and undergraduate (CEN 06/2024, around 3,445 posts) notices, with newer 2025 graduate notices since. Vacancy figures vary across sources and are tentative — confirm the exact numbers on the official CEN. Track the live RRB NTPC notification, CBT dates and results on GovtNaukri365.