What RRB NTPC is
The Non Technical Popular Categories exam recruits into a wide range of non-technical roles across Indian Railways: Commercial cum Ticket Clerk, Junior Clerk, Accounts Clerk, Junior Time Keeper, Trains Clerk, Commercial Apprentice, Station Master and Goods Guard, among others. The Railway Recruitment Boards conduct it in a single centralised cycle covering vacancies across the country, which is why it draws one of the largest applicant pools of any Indian government exam.
Posts split into undergraduate level (class 12 pass) and graduate level (bachelor’s degree) categories, each with its own set of eligible posts, so candidates choose which level to apply for based on their qualification rather than applying to a single undifferentiated post.
Who can apply
Undergraduate level posts require class 12 pass; graduate level posts require a bachelor’s degree. The general age band is roughly 18 to 33 years, varying by post and category, with standard relaxations for reserved categories. The exact age limit and cutoff date for each post are set out post by post in the notification.
How the exam runs
RRB NTPC runs in two stages of computer based tests. The First Stage CBT is a ninety minute screening round of one hundred questions across General Awareness, Mathematics and General Intelligence and Reasoning, with a penalty of a third of a mark for each wrong answer. It decides who advances but does not itself count towards the final score.
The Second Stage CBT, also ninety minutes and covering the same three sections at a higher difficulty, is where the substantive ranking happens, and the specific paper depends on the post applied for.
Depending on the post, candidates then sit either a Typing Skill Test or a Computer Based Aptitude Test, followed by document verification and a medical examination for those provisionally selected. There is no interview.
Preparing the application
Photograph and signature specifications match most Indian government exams: a JPEG photograph between 20 and 50 kilobytes and a JPEG signature between 10 and 20 kilobytes. Use the resizers on this site if your file is outside that range.
The application fee is typically 500 rupees for general and OBC candidates, of which 400 rupees is refunded on appearing in the First Stage exam, and 250 rupees for SC, ST, women, and other specified categories, fully refunded on appearing.
On exam day
Arrive at least ninety minutes before the reporting time on your admit card, since RRB centres process large numbers of candidates and frisking takes time. Carry the printed e-admit card, a government photo identification, and two passport size photographs matching the one on the admit card. No electronic devices are permitted inside the hall.
The official Indian Railways website and the relevant Railway Recruitment Board site, linked above, carry the current notification, post-wise vacancies and exact dates for the cycle you are applying to.