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RRB Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant Recruitment (CEN 04/2026): syllabus and eligibility

RRB JE key facts
Conducting bodyRailway Recruitment Boards (RRB). Official website ↗
PostsJunior Engineer in various departments (Level 6), Depot Material Superintendent (Level 6), Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (Level 6)
QualificationA 3-year diploma in engineering or a bachelor's degree in engineering/technology in the branch mapped to the post in Annexure A (mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer, civil and allied branches; a 3-year B.Sc. in Civil Engineering is also listed). Depot Material Superintendent needs a 3-year diploma in any engineering discipline. Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant, added by Corrigendum 1, needs a B.Sc. with Physics and Chemistry and at least 45% marks.
Age limit18–33 years on 1 January 2027 (general category)
DomicileNot required
Selection stages1st stage CBT (screening, common to all posts) → 2nd stage CBT (technical, by exam group) → Document verification → Medical examination
Latest notificationCEN 04/2026: Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant · 4,029 vacancies

Last checked . Sources

About RRB JE

RRB JE recruits Junior Engineers for several railway departments, plus Depot Material Superintendents and, after the August 2026 corrigendum, Chemical and Metallurgical Assistants. All these posts are at pay level 6 of the 7th CPC. Your technical paper depends on your qualification: engineering branches map to the civil, electrical, electronics or mechanical exam group, and the B.Sc. posts of CMA have their own group. Selection is through two CBTs, document verification and a medical.

Eligibility

Age limit

General category: 18–33 years, counted on 1 January 2027.

Age relaxation

  • OBC: 3 years
  • SC: 5 years
  • ST: 5 years
  • PwBD: 10 years
  • SC and ST candidates get 5 extra years and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates get 3. SC, ST and OBC candidates applying against unreserved vacancies get no age relaxation.
  • PwBD candidates get 10 years (UR and EWS), 13 years (OBC-NCL) or 15 years (SC and ST), only for posts marked suitable for their disability.
  • Ex-servicemen with at least six months of service after attestation get 3 years (UR and EWS), 6 years (OBC-NCL) or 8 years (SC and ST), counted after deducting their length of service from their age.
  • Serving railway Group C and erstwhile Group D staff, and substitutes, with at least 3 years of service can apply up to 40 (UR and EWS), 43 (OBC-NCL) or 45 (SC and ST).
  • Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women who have not remarried can apply up to 35 (UR and EWS), 38 (OBC-NCL) or 40 (SC and ST).
  • If you qualify for relaxation on more than one ground, you get the largest one only; they do not add up.

Qualification

A 3-year diploma in engineering or a bachelor's degree in engineering/technology in the branch mapped to the post in Annexure A (mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer, civil and allied branches; a 3-year B.Sc. in Civil Engineering is also listed). Depot Material Superintendent needs a 3-year diploma in any engineering discipline. Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant, added by Corrigendum 1, needs a B.Sc. with Physics and Chemistry and at least 45% marks.

Other conditions

  • Open to Indian citizens, and to citizens of Nepal, subjects of Bhutan and a few other groups named in the notice, who need a Government of India eligibility certificate.
  • Calculators are not allowed, but a virtual calculator appears on screen in the 2nd stage CBT.
  • You can apply to only one RRB. A second application, to the same or another RRB, gets all your applications rejected.
  • Corrigendum 1 (18 August 2026) added 35 Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant vacancies and one more JE vacancy, taking the total to 4029. Read it with the main notice.

Selection process

  1. 1st stage CBT (screening, common to all posts)
  2. 2nd stage CBT (technical, by exam group)
  3. Document verification
  4. Medical examination

Exam pattern

1st stage CBT

Mode: Online, objective multiple choice · Duration: 90 minutes (120 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe) · Negative marking: 1/3 mark cut for each wrong answer

SUBJECTQUESTIONSMARKS
Mathematics3030
General Intelligence and Reasoning2525
General Awareness1515
General Science3030

2nd stage CBT

Mode: Online, objective multiple choice · Duration: 120 minutes (160 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe) · Negative marking: 1/3 mark cut for each wrong answer

SUBJECTQUESTIONSMARKS
General Awareness1515
Physics and Chemistry1515
Basics of Computers and Applications1010
Basics of Environment and Pollution Control1010
Technical Abilities100100

RRB JE syllabus

1st stage: Mathematics

  • Number system, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF
  • Ratio and proportion, percentages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest
  • Time and work, time and distance, pipes and cisterns
  • Mensuration, algebra, geometry and trigonometry
  • Elementary statistics, square roots, age problems, calendar and clock

1st stage: General Intelligence and Reasoning

  • Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding-decoding
  • Mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams
  • Data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making
  • Similarities and differences, classification, directions
  • Analytical reasoning, statement with arguments and assumptions

Both stages: General Awareness

  • Current affairs
  • Indian geography, culture and history including the freedom struggle
  • Indian polity and constitution, Indian economy
  • Environmental issues concerning India and the world
  • Sports, general scientific and technological developments

1st stage: General Science / 2nd stage: Physics and Chemistry

  • Physics, chemistry and life sciences up to Class 10 CBSE syllabus

2nd stage: Basics of Computers and Applications

  • Computer architecture, input, output and storage devices
  • Networking, operating systems such as Windows, Unix and Linux, MS Office
  • Data representation, internet and email, websites and browsers, computer viruses

2nd stage: Basics of Environment and Pollution Control

  • Air, water and noise pollution, their effects and control
  • Waste management, global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion

2nd stage: Technical Abilities (exam groups)

  • Civil and Allied Engineering
  • Electrical and Allied Engineering
  • Electronics and Allied Engineering
  • Mechanical and Allied Engineering
  • CMA group: physics and chemistry topics such as heat, light, electricity, atomic structure, chemical bonding and metallurgy (added by Corrigendum 1)
  • Detailed syllabus for each group is in Annexure VIII (A) to (E) of the notice and corrigendum

What they ask

The 1st stage is a general paper of 100 questions: 30 maths, 25 reasoning, 15 GA and 30 science at Class 10 CBSE level. It only screens, and 15 times the vacancies move on. The 2nd stage has 150 questions in 120 minutes, and 100 of them test your engineering branch through the exam group syllabus. The rest cover GA, physics and chemistry, computers and environment. Because candidates from different exam groups compete for common posts, the notice uses a merit index built from normalised marks.

How to prepare

  • Put most of your preparation into your branch's technical syllabus in Annexure VIII of the notice. Technical Abilities is 100 of the 150 questions in the 2nd stage.
  • Do not skip the small sections. Computers and environment together give 20 marks in the 2nd stage and follow short, fixed topic lists.
  • Practise without a calculator for the 1st stage, where 30 maths questions must be done by hand. The virtual calculator is only in the 2nd stage.
  • Revise topic by topic with daily practice quizzes on the free Improvam app, then switch to full-length mocks.

RRB JE is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.

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RRB JE FAQs

Yes. A bachelor's degree in engineering or technology in the mapped branch is accepted along with the 3-year diploma.

Sources

Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.

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