RRB Exam 2026: The race for government jobs—22,915 posts, 53 lakh applications... 238 contenders for a single seat..

Indian Railways Jobs, RRB Group D Exam 2026: Competition is set to be extremely fierce for young aspirants dreaming of a career in the Railways. Over 53 lakh candidates have applied for the 22,915 vacancies under the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Group D Level-1 recruitment drive; this translates to an average of 238 candidates vying for a single post. Bihar is among the states with the highest number of applicants, with over 10 lakh candidates having submitted their forms. All eyes are now fixed on the Computer-Based Test (CBT) scheduled for August.

**238 Candidates Competing for Each Seat**
The Railway Recruitment Board has announced a total of 22,915 vacancies for the Group D Level-1 category. More than 53 lakh applications have been received for these posts. This implies an average competition of 238 candidates per vacancy, although this figure is lower than that of the 2019 recruitment drive, when approximately 1.15 crore candidates had applied for Railway Group D posts. Despite this, the competition remains extremely tough this time around.

**Highly Qualified Candidates Also Applying**
According to RRB officials, the applicant pool is not limited to those who have passed the 10th standard or ITI; a large number of graduates and post-graduates have also applied. Driven by the rising demand for government jobs and limited vacancies, highly educated youth are increasingly applying for positions like Group D, further intensifying the competition.

**Over 10 Lakh Candidates from Bihar in the Fray**
A large number of youths from Bihar have applied for this recruitment. Reports indicate that over 10 lakh candidates from Bihar alone will appear for the Group D examination. Candidates from Bihar are believed to constitute the largest group of applicants across the various zones of the Railway Recruitment Board.

**Exams to Begin on August 3**

The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has released the tentative schedule for the Group D recruitment examination. The Computer-Based Test (CBT) will be conducted from August 3 to August 21, 2026. Candidates will be able to view details regarding their exam date, exam city, and roll number on the official RRB website approximately 10 days prior to the examination.

**Aadhaar Verification Mandatory at Exam Centers**

To enhance security and transparency, the Railway Recruitment Board has made Aadhaar-linked biometric verification mandatory for the examination. All candidates will undergo Aadhaar-based biometric verification before entering the exam center. For this purpose, candidates must carry their original Aadhaar card or a printout of their e-Aadhaar.

**Vacancy Details by Post**

The majority of appointments under the Group D recruitment drive will be for the post of Track Maintainer Grade-4. Vacancies include 11,032 posts for Track Maintainer Grade-4, 5,053 for Pointsman B, 1,509 for Assistant Signal & Telecom, along with various posts in other departments. Additionally, 1,183 posts will be filled under RRB Prayagraj, with approximately 600 of these being for Track Maintainers.

**Selection Process**

Candidate selection for the Railway Group D recruitment will take place in multiple stages. First, candidates must appear for a single-stage Computer-Based Test (CBT). Candidates who qualify in the CBT will be called for the Physical Efficiency Test (PET). Subsequently, the final selection will be made following document verification and a medical examination.

**CBT Exam Pattern**

The Railway Recruitment Board has not made any changes to the exam pattern this time. The CBT will have a duration of 90 minutes and consist of 100 questions. The test will include 25 questions on Mathematics, 25 on General Science, 30 on General Intelligence and Reasoning, and 20 on General Awareness and Current Affairs. **Negative Marking Applicable**
Marks will be deducted for incorrect answers in this examination. A negative marking of one-fourth (0.25) of a mark will apply for every wrong answer; therefore, candidates should answer only those questions about which they are completely confident.

**Minimum Passing Marks**
Minimum qualifying marks have been prescribed for different categories to succeed in the CBT. The minimum passing marks required are 40% for General (UR) and EWS categories, and 30% for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), SC, and ST categories. However, merely securing the minimum marks will not be sufficient; the final merit list will be determined based on the cut-off.

**Normalization of Marks**
The Railway Recruitment Board will conduct the examination in multiple shifts. Therefore, a normalization process will be adopted to bring the scores of all candidates to a comparable level. Based on the merit list prepared after normalization, candidates numbering three times the total vacancies will be called for the Physical Efficiency Test (PET).