Railway Exams 2026: Syllabus Guide

The railway exams syllabus is built on one shared core: mathematics, general intelligence and reasoning, and general awareness. Every RRB and RPF exam tests these three subjects, and most add 10th level general science or a technical paper on top. The Railway Recruitment Boards print the syllabus inside each Centralised Employment Notice (CEN), and the 2026-27 notices for ALP, Technician, JE, Paramedical and NTPC Graduate repeat the same core topic lists almost word for word.

This page sets out that common syllabus once, then shows what each exam adds, so you can plan one preparation that covers several railway exams. The CENs describe their topic lists as illustrative and not exhaustive. The breakdowns below combine the official lists with the areas previous papers have tested, so use them as a working checklist rather than an official list.

Railway Exams Syllabus at a Glance

Key Changes to Know

• NTPC Graduate typing test removed: CEN 06/2026 dispenses with the computer based typing skill test for the graduate typist posts, so you no longer need a typing practice block for that notice.

• CMA added to the JE syllabus group: Corrigendum 1 to CEN 04/2026 adds Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant, with its own exam group mapped to B.Sc. Physics and Chemistry.

• Technician split into two papers: Grade I Signal and Grade III have different subject weights, so one Technician book no longer covers both.

• Computers inside NTPC General Awareness: The NTPC list includes basics of computers and computer applications, which many older study plans leave out.

Mathematics Syllabus for Railway Exams

The NTPC, Group D, ALP and JE notices list nearly identical mathematics topics. Group D and ALP add a few arithmetic extras.

Percentages drive profit and loss, interest and data questions, so learn them before anything else. Group D and ALP name calendar, clock, age and pipes and cisterns explicitly, while the NTPC list does not. RPF lists arithmetic for 35 marks, with use of tables and graphs, averages and discount added.

General Intelligence and Reasoning Syllabus

Verbal and analytical reasoning

• Series and analogies: Number and alphabet series, analogies, classification, similarities and differences.

• Coding and relations: Coding-decoding, mathematical operations, blood and other relationships, directions.

• Logic: Syllogism, statement and conclusion, statement and arguments or assumptions, decision making.

• Arrangement: Jumbling, puzzles and analytical reasoning.

Visual and data reasoning

• Venn diagrams: Listed in every RRB notice and quick to master.

• Data sufficiency and interpretation: Graph reading and whether given data answers a question.

• Maps and spatial items: NTPC names maps and graph interpretation; RPF adds spatial visualisation, visual memory and non-verbal series.

Reasoning gives the fastest marks per minute in most railway papers, so it is the best place to bank time for harder arithmetic.

General Awareness Syllabus

General awareness is the widest subject, and it carries 40 questions in NTPC CBT 1 and 50 in CBT 2. The NTPC list is the most detailed and works as a master list for other railway exams.

Group D trims this to current affairs in science and technology, sports, culture, personalities, economics and politics. JE adds environmental issues, and its CBT 2 has a separate section on basics of environment and pollution control.

General Science Syllabus (10th Level)

The Group D, ALP CBT 1 and Technician CENs define general science as physics, chemistry and life sciences of 10th standard level. JE CBT 1 uses the same definition, and JE CBT 2 tests physics and chemistry up to 10th CBSE again.

Physics

• Mechanics: Motion, force and laws of motion, work, energy and power, gravitation.

• Heat, light and sound: Reflection, refraction, lenses, the human eye, sound waves.

• Electricity and magnetism: Ohm's law, circuits, heating effect, magnetic effects of current.

Chemistry

• Matter and reactions: Atoms and molecules, chemical reactions and equations, acids, bases and salts.

• Elements: Metals and non-metals, periodic classification, carbon and its compounds.

Life sciences

• Human body: Life processes, control and coordination, reproduction, nutrition and diseases.

• Environment: Heredity and evolution, natural resources, our environment.

Technical and Professional Syllabus by Exam

ALP

CBT 2 Part A adds Basic Science and Engineering: engineering drawing, units and measurements, mass, weight and density, work, power and energy, speed and velocity, heat and temperature, basic electricity, levers and simple machines, occupational safety and health, environment education and IT literacy. Part B is a qualifying trade paper based on the Directorate General of Training (DGT) syllabus for your ITI trade. Diploma and degree holders pick a trade mapped to their engineering branch.

Technician

Grade III follows a 10th level science-heavy paper. Grade I Signal adds basics of computers and applications and a basic science and engineering section with electronics topics such as circuits, microcontrollers, measurements, transducers and display devices.

JE, DMS and CMA

CBT 2 has 100 questions on technical abilities for your exam group, plus general awareness, physics and chemistry, basics of computers and applications, and basics of environment and pollution control. The CEN maps each qualification to an exam group, so check which technical syllabus applies to your degree or diploma.

Paramedical and Isolated Categories

Professional ability carries 70 of 100 questions in the Paramedical CBT and 50 in the Isolated Categories CBT. Each CEN prints a post-wise professional syllabus in its annexures, for example nursing for Nursing Superintendent and pharmacy for Pharmacist.

Where the Marks Sit in Each Exam

The same syllabus carries very different weight from one exam to the next. Put your first and longest study block on the section that decides the most marks in your target exam.

Common syllabus mistakes

• Skipping science for NTPC: Science up to 10th CBSE is part of NTPC general awareness, so it still earns marks there.

• Treating the trade paper lightly: ALP Part B needs 35% to qualify, and failing it removes you whatever your Part A score.

• Using an old Technician plan: Grade I and Grade III now weight subjects differently, so match your plan to the grade you applied for.

Overlap Between Railway Exams

If you hold a 12th or higher qualification, preparing for NTPC to Group D depth in science covers almost every non-technical railway exam. ITI and diploma holders add the technical layer for ALP, Technician or JE.

Is There a Syllabus for the Interview, PET or CBAT?

RRB exams have no interview. The physical efficiency test for Group D and RPF is a fitness test with no syllabus, only standards. The ALP CBAT is a psychological aptitude battery with no negative marking and no topic syllabus, and the CEN points candidates to the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) psychology pages on rdso.indianrailways.gov.in for information.

How to Cover the Railway Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 6: Arithmetic basics, all reasoning topic types, and 30 minutes of current affairs a day with monthly notes.

2. Weeks 4 to 10: 10th level science chapter by chapter, plus static GK in polity, history and geography.

3. Weeks 8 to 12: Advanced arithmetic, algebra and geometry; technical or trade syllabus if your exam has one.

4. Weeks 10 onward: Topic tests, then 30-minute sectional tests on your weakest subject.

5. Final phase: Full-length mocks in the exact pattern of your target exam, same-day analysis and error-log revision.