RRB JE CE Exam Pattern 2026: CBT 1, CBT 2 and Marking Scheme

The RRB JE CE exam pattern has two computer based tests (CBT 1 and CBT 2), followed by document verification and a medical examination. CBT 1 is a general screening paper, while CBT 2 carries a 100-mark civil engineering technical block that decides your merit. This page explains each stage, the marking scheme and what the numbers mean for your strategy.

The figures below follow the pattern published for CEN 04/2026 and agree across the sources checked. Confirm them on the official RRB portal, because older pages may still show earlier patterns.

Table of Contents

Pattern at a glance

CBT 1 pattern

CBT 1 has no separate technical section. Every discipline, civil included, writes the same paper, which makes it a pure speed and accuracy test. Candidates must score at least the minimum qualifying percentage. Reported qualifying percentages are 40 percent for UR and EWS, 30 percent for OBC-NCL and SC, and 25 percent for ST. These come from third-party summaries, so treat them as indicative and confirm them in the notification. Reports also mention a small relaxation for PwBD candidates where eligible candidates are scarce.

Candidates are shortlisted for CBT 2 in order of merit, usually up to about 15 times the community-wise vacancies. This means the qualifying percentage is only the minimum; the real bar is the cut-off set by competition.

CBT 2 pattern

The Technical Abilities section is specific to your discipline. Civil candidates answer civil engineering questions; they are not tested on electrical or mechanical content. The CBT 2 date has not been announced at the time of writing, so watch the official portal. A section-wise syllabus is on the RRB JE CE syllabus page.

Marking scheme and negative marking

• Correct answer: one mark.

• Wrong answer: one-third mark deducted.

• Unattempted: no marks and no deduction.

This applies to both CBTs. Three wrong answers cancel one correct answer.

What the pattern means for you

• Every question is worth one mark: an easy general-awareness question is worth as much as a difficult design problem, so attempt the quick ones first.

• A wrong guess costs about 0.33 marks: guess only after eliminating at least two options.

• Technical depth is two-thirds of CBT 2: 100 of 150 marks come from civil subjects, so a weak technical paper cannot be rescued by general sections.

• CBT 1 speed matters: 100 questions in 90 minutes leaves under a minute per question, so aim for fast arithmetic and reasoning.

Later stages

Document verification checks your qualification, category, age and identity documents against what you declared. The medical examination follows the standard set for the post. Both are qualifying stages; they do not add marks to merit.

How final merit works

As far as reported, the final merit for Junior Engineer posts is based on CBT 2 marks, with CBT 1 used for screening. The exact tie-breaking and normalisation rules are in the notification. If your exam is held in multiple shifts, scores are usually normalised, so compare yourself using normalised marks where released.

Worked example: if you attempt 140 questions in CBT 2 with 112 correct and 28 wrong, your raw score is 112 minus 28 divided by 3, which is about 102.7 out of 150.

Time management and exam-day strategy

1. CBT 1: start with reasoning and general awareness, then mathematics, then science, leaving the hardest maths for the last 15 minutes.

2. CBT 2: give about 80 minutes to the technical block and 40 minutes to the 50 general questions, adjusting after your mocks.

3. Review: keep 5 to 10 minutes to revisit marked questions, but do not change answers without a reason.

Practise this timing in full-length RRB JE CE mock tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to adjust your split. Then see the cut-off page to set a score target and the RRB JE CE overview for dates.