RRB ALP Exam Pattern 2026: CBT 1, CBT 2 and CBAT Marking Scheme

The RRB ALP exam pattern decides how you should split your preparation time across three very different tests. The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) select Assistant Loco Pilots through two computer-based tests (CBT 1 and CBT 2), a Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT), document verification and a medical examination. The current cycle runs under CEN No. 01/2026 for 11,127 posts, with CBT 1 tentatively scheduled from 3 to 5 November 2026.

This guide follows the detailed CEN 01/2026 notification. It covers questions, marks and timing for every stage, the negative marking rule, minimum qualifying marks, how the final merit is calculated and what all of this means for your exam-day strategy. Two changes make this cycle different: General Awareness is no longer part of CBT 1, and CBAT now carries the same weight as CBT 2 Part A in the final merit.

Table of Contents

• RRB ALP Exam Pattern 2026 at a Glance

• Key Changes in CEN 01/2026

• CBT 1 Exam Pattern

• CBT 2 Exam Pattern

• CBAT Exam Pattern

• Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• Language of the Exam

• Normalisation and Final Merit

• What the Pattern Means for You

• Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

• How to Practise in the Current Pattern

RRB ALP Exam Pattern 2026 at a Glance

Every stage is held on a computer except document verification and the medical examination. You must clear each stage to move to the next, and marks from CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part B never enter the final merit list.

Key Changes in CEN 01/2026

• CBT 1 now has three subjects: Mathematics, Mental Ability and General Science. General Awareness and Current Affairs have been dropped, while the paper still has 75 questions in 60 minutes.

• Final merit is now 50:50: CBT 2 Part A marks and CBAT scores carry equal weight. In the previous cycle the split was 70% for Part A and 30% for CBAT.

• Medical self-screening is built into the process: Candidates declared their fitness while applying and must bring medical reports, signed by a General Physician and an Eye Specialist from a government hospital or medical college, on CBAT day.

Some pages still show General Awareness in CBT 1, a 70:30 merit split or CBT 2 Part A qualifying marks calculated out of 75. These are either from older cycles or simply wrong. Part A has 100 marks, so its qualifying marks are worked out on 100. Follow the CEN 01/2026 notification on rrbapply.gov.in and the websites of the individual RRBs.

CBT 1 Exam Pattern

CBT 1 is a screening test. Its job is to reduce lakhs of applicants to a manageable number for CBT 2, so it rewards speed and accuracy on school-level topics.

The notification does not fix how many questions come from each subject. Pages that show an exact split are estimating from past papers, so treat any such figure as indicative.

CBT 1 minimum qualifying marks

Ex-servicemen follow the percentage of their own community. Reaching these marks only makes you eligible to be considered. Shortlisting for CBT 2 is done RRB-wise and community-wise at about 15 times the vacancies of each RRB, based on normalised CBT 1 marks, so the real cut-off is usually well above the minimum.

CBT 2 Exam Pattern

CBT 2 has two parts taken in one sitting: 175 questions in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Part A decides your rank. Part B decides whether you stay in the race at all.

CBT 2 Part A

Basic Science and Engineering covers engineering drawing, units and measurements, work, power and energy, heat, basic electricity, levers and simple machines, occupational safety, environment education and IT literacy. It is the section that separates ALP preparation from other railway exams. The full topic list is in the RRB ALP syllabus 2026 guide.

CBT 2 Part B

ITI and Act Apprentice candidates answer questions from their own trade. Diploma and degree holders chose one trade linked to their engineering branch in the application form. Electrical branches map to trades such as Electrician and Wireman, Electronics to Electronics Mechanic, Mechanical to Fitter, Turner or Mechanic (Diesel), and Automobile to Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) and related trades.

CBT 2 qualifying marks

Only Part A marks are used to shortlist candidates for CBAT, and only for those who clear 35% in Part B. Shortlisting is done at 8 times the ALP vacancies in each community, among candidates who chose the same RRB.

CBAT Exam Pattern

The Computer Based Aptitude Test, often called the psycho test, checks the job skills a loco pilot uses every day: noticing signals, remembering instructions and reacting quickly. It has no textbook syllabus.

A T-score is a standardised score that compares you with other candidates, so it is not the same as a raw percentage. Failing even one battery ends your candidature, however strong your CBT 2 score is. The notification points candidates to the psychology section of the RDSO website for sample information on these tests.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Three wrong answers cancel one correct answer. For example, if you attempt 60 questions in CBT 1 and get 51 right and 9 wrong, your raw score is 51 minus 3, or 48 out of 75.

Language of the Exam

CBT 1 and CBT 2 questions are available in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Questions appear in the language you chose while applying, alongside English, and this choice cannot be changed later. CBAT is conducted only in English and Hindi, so candidates who chose a regional medium should practise aptitude batteries in one of these two languages.

Normalisation and Final Merit

CBT 1 and CBT 2 are held in several shifts, so marks are normalised to adjust for differences in paper difficulty between shifts. Your normalised score, not your raw score, is used for shortlisting.

The final merit list is prepared RRB-wise only from candidates who qualify every CBAT battery. It combines CBT 2 Part A marks and CBAT scores in the ratio 50:50. Candidates equal to the number of vacancies are then called for document verification and the medical examination, based on merit and their zone preferences.

Illustration: Suppose two candidates finish with a Part A score equivalent to 70 and 62 on a 100-point scale, and CBAT scores equivalent to 58 and 72 on the same scale. With equal weight, the first gets 64 and the second gets 67, so the second candidate ranks higher despite a lower written score. The notification does not publish the exact conversion formula, so use this only to understand the effect of the 50:50 rule.

Tie-breaking: If two candidates have the same merit score, the older candidate ranks higher. If the age is also the same, the alphabetical order of the given name (not the surname) decides.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Speed matters in every CBT: CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part B give you 48 seconds per question, and Part A gives 54 seconds. There is little room to get stuck.

• Blind guessing does not pay: With four options and a one-third penalty, a pure guess has an expected value of zero. If you can rule out even one option, the expected value turns positive, so attempt questions where you can eliminate choices.

• Part A carries your rank: Every extra mark in Part A moves you up the merit list, so this is where most of your study hours should go after CBT 1.

• CBAT is now half the result: A strong written score can still lose out to a candidate with better aptitude scores. Regular CBAT practice is no longer optional.

• Part B is a gate, not a goal: You need 26.25 marks out of 75. Aim for a comfortable margin, then shift time back to Part A and CBAT.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

CBT 1: 75 questions in 60 minutes

• Start with your strongest section: Early confident answers save time for harder questions later.

• Use two rounds: In the first round, answer everything you can solve within about 40 seconds. Use the second round for questions you marked for review.

• Set an attempt target in mocks: Decide how many questions you can attempt at your usual accuracy before the exam, not during it.

CBT 2: Part A and Part B

• Protect Part A time: Budget roughly 30 minutes for each of the three subjects and do not borrow from Basic Science and Engineering, which many candidates leave for last.

• Play safe in Part B: Answer questions you are sure about first. Since only 35% is needed, avoid risky guesses that could pull you below the line.

CBAT

• Read each battery's instructions fully: Many errors come from rushing past the practice screen.

• Keep a steady pace: Accuracy and speed are both measured, so avoid long pauses on single items.

On exam day

Only the e-call letter is allowed inside the centre, along with an original photo ID and a recent colour passport photograph. Mobile phones, watches, calculators, pens, wallets and similar items are banned, and a pen is provided at the centre. The exam city is shared about 10 days in advance and the e-call letter can be downloaded about 4 days before your exam.

How to Practise in the Current Pattern

1. Before CBT 1: Take a 60-minute full-length test every other day and review each one the same day. Keep an error log of repeated mistakes.

2. After CBT 1: Begin sectional tests for Basic Science and Engineering and topic tests for your trade, and add 15 to 20 minutes of CBAT practice daily.

3. Before CBT 2: Take full 150-minute mocks with both parts to build stamina for the longer sitting.

4. Before CBAT: Shift most of your time to timed aptitude batteries, since they now decide half of your merit.