RRB ALP Cut Off 2026: CBT 1 and CBT 2 Previous Year Marks

The RRB ALP cut-off is the lowest normalised score at which candidates of a category were shortlisted for the next stage by their chosen Railway Recruitment Board. Each RRB publishes its own figures for CBT 1 and CBT 2, category by category, so there is no single all-India cut-off for the Assistant Loco Pilot exam.

This page sets out official previous year cut-offs from the CEN 01/2024 and CEN 01/2025 cycles, explains how to read them and shows how to turn them into a target for the current cycle (CEN 01/2026), whose CBT 1 is tentatively scheduled from 3 to 5 November 2026. Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.

Minimum Qualifying Marks vs Cut-off

Two different numbers decide your progress, and many candidates confuse them.

Qualifying marks only make you eligible to be considered. The cut-off is what you actually need, because candidates are shortlisted RRB-wise and community-wise at about 15 times the vacancies for CBT 2 and about 8 times the vacancies for CBAT. In a competitive RRB, the cut-off sits far above the qualifying line.

How to Read RRB ALP Cut-off Figures

• They are percentages, not raw marks: RRBs publish cut-offs as a percentage of normalised marks. A CBT 1 cut-off of 60 means about 45 out of 75 after normalisation.

• They apply to one RRB only: You compete only with candidates who chose the same RRB, so compare yourself with your own board's figures.

• A community cut-off can sit above UR: Reserved-category candidates who score above the UR cut-off are counted in the UR list. The RRB notices themselves point this out, so a higher SC or ST figure is not an error.

• EWS often sits near 40: The EWS minimum is 40 percent, and in many RRBs fewer EWS candidates cross it, so the shortlist closes close to the qualifying line.

RRB ALP CBT 1 Cut-off (CEN 01/2025)

These figures were released in June 2026 for shortlisting to CBT 2. They are percentages of normalised CBT 1 marks.

Source: cut-off notices on the respective RRB websites, rounded to two decimals. Other RRBs published their own figures; check your board's notice for the exact numbers, including the Ex-Servicemen cut-off.

RRB ALP Previous Year Cut-off (CEN 01/2024)

CBT 1 cut-off

CBT 2 cut-off for CBAT shortlisting

In Chandigarh, every CBT 1 cut-off was almost exactly the qualifying percentage. This usually means the shortlist of 15 times the vacancies is larger than the number of candidates who qualify, so anyone who crossed the minimum moved to CBT 2.

RRB ALP Cut-off Trend

Ahmedabad shows how sharply the CBT 1 cut-off can move between cycles.

Vacancies fell from 18,799 in CEN 01/2024 to 10,970 (after revision) in CEN 01/2025, which shrinks the shortlist and pushes cut-offs up. CEN 01/2026 notifies 11,127 posts, close to the last cycle, but the pattern has changed, so the next cut-offs cannot be predicted reliably from these numbers alone.

What Affects the RRB ALP Cut-off

• Vacancies in your RRB: Shortlisting is a multiple of vacancies, so fewer posts mean a smaller shortlist and a higher cut-off.

• Number of applicants: More serious candidates for the same RRB raise the score needed.

• Paper difficulty and normalisation: CBT 1 and CBT 2 run in many shifts, and normalisation adjusts scores between them.

• Pattern changes: CEN 01/2026 removed General Awareness from CBT 1, so more of the paper now comes from Mathematics, reasoning and science. Scores may shift as a result.

How to Set Your Target Score

1. Start with your RRB: Find the last two cut-offs for your board and category, and take the higher one.

2. Add a safety margin: Aim for about 8 to 10 percentage points above it. For a 70 percent benchmark, that means roughly 59 to 60 out of 75 in CBT 1.

3. Measure it on normalised-style practice: Score your mocks after negative marking, since every wrong answer costs one-third of a mark.

4. Remember the later stages: CBT 1 marks are not counted in final merit. Final merit gives 50 percent weight to CBT 2 Part A and 50 percent to CBAT, so your target there matters more than your CBT 1 margin.

Always confirm official figures on rrbapply.gov.in and the website of your RRB.