Railway Recruitment Board Paramedical Staff
RRB Paramedical Staff is a recruitment exam conducted by Railway Recruitment Board, relevant to candidates preparing for Indian Railways recruitment.
RRB Paramedical Staff Study Material
The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Paramedical Staff exam is how Indian Railways fills health posts such as Nursing Superintendent, Pharmacist, Lab Assistant, Radiographer and Health and Malaria Inspector in its hospitals and health units. All RRBs recruit together under one Centralised Employment Notice (CEN), and a single computer-based test (CBT) decides who moves on to document verification and the medical examination.
The current cycle is CEN 05/2026 (Paramedical Categories), with 590 provisional vacancies across nine posts. Online applications closed on 14 October 2026, and the CBT date has not been announced yet. This page brings together the RRB Paramedical 2026 notification, post-wise vacancies, eligibility, fee, exam pattern, syllabus, salary and a preparation plan, with links to the detailed page for each topic.
Table of Contents
RRB Paramedical 2026 at a Glance
CEN 05/2026 Notification Highlights
Important Dates
Post-wise Vacancies and Pay Level
Eligibility Criteria
Application Fee and Application Process
RRB Paramedical Exam Pattern
Syllabus Summary
Selection Process
Salary and Career Growth
How to Prepare for RRB Paramedical
Previous Cut-off Reference
RRB Paramedical 2026 at a Glance
Particular | Details |
|---|---|
Recruiting body | Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Ministry of Railways |
Current notice | CEN 05/2026 (Paramedical Categories) |
Total vacancies | 590 (provisional, across 20 RRBs) |
Posts | 9 paramedical posts, from Lab Assistant Grade II to Nursing Superintendent |
Application window | 15 September to 14 October 2026 (closed) |
Exam mode | Online CBT, 100 objective questions, 90 minutes |
Negative marking | One-third mark deducted for each wrong answer |
Selection stages | CBT, document verification, medical examination |
Pay | Level 3 to Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix (initial pay Rs. 21,700 to Rs. 44,900) |
Official website |
CEN 05/2026 Notification Highlights
The detailed notice for CEN 05/2026 was released in September 2026, with an indicative notice in Employment News dated 12 September 2026. A few points matter more than the rest:
One RRB only: You can apply to just one RRB. Applying to more than one leads to rejection of all applications and can lead to debarment.
One application, many posts: A single application lets you choose every post you are eligible for and rank them in order of preference.
Nursing posts dominate: Nursing Superintendent alone has 365 of the 590 vacancies, so most competition is concentrated there.
Two posts added: CEN 03/2025 covered seven posts. CEN 05/2026 adds Optometrist and Audiologist and Speech Therapist.
Provisional vacancies: The notice says vacancy numbers may go up, go down or become nil, depending on the needs of the Railway administration.
New official website: In 2026 the RRBs moved to one unified website. Regional RRB sites are no longer being updated, so older pages that point to them may be out of date.
Important Dates
Event | Date |
|---|---|
Indicative notice in Employment News | 12 September 2026 |
Online application opens | 15 September 2026 |
Last date to apply | 14 October 2026 (23:59 hrs) |
Last date for fee payment | 16 October 2026 |
Application modification window | 17 to 26 October 2026 (Rs. 250 per modification) |
Scribe details window | 27 to 31 October 2026 |
Application status | To be announced |
Exam city slip and e-call letter | To be announced (released shortly before the CBT) |
CBT | To be announced |
Dates up to 31 October 2026 come from the CEN 05/2026 schedule. Later dates are not yet notified and can change. Track the official RRB website and your registered email and mobile number for updates.
Post-wise Vacancies and Pay Level
The table below lists all nine posts with their vacancies, pay level and initial pay as given in CEN 05/2026.
Post | Vacancies | Pay level | Initial pay |
|---|---|---|---|
Nursing Superintendent | 365 | Level 7 | Rs. 44,900 |
Dialysis Technician | 1 | Level 6 | Rs. 35,400 |
Health and Malaria Inspector Grade II | 43 | Level 6 | Rs. 35,400 |
Audiologist and Speech Therapist | 1 | Level 6 | Rs. 35,400 |
Pharmacist (Entry Grade) | 118 | Level 5 | Rs. 29,200 |
Radiographer X-Ray Technician | 25 | Level 5 | Rs. 29,200 |
ECG Technician | 4 | Level 4 | Rs. 25,500 |
Optometrist | 2 | Level 4 | Rs. 25,500 |
Lab Assistant Grade II | 31 | Level 3 | Rs. 21,700 |
Total | 590 | - | - |
Vacancies are split across 20 RRBs. The largest shares are with RRB Kolkata (98), RRB Secunderabad (71), RRB Chennai (65) and RRB Mumbai (61). Since you can apply to only one RRB, check the RRB-wise and category-wise split in the notice before you settle on a board, especially for posts with only one or two vacancies.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility is post-specific. Each post has its own qualification and age band, so you may be eligible for some posts and not others.
Educational Qualification
Post | Qualification (summary) |
|---|---|
Nursing Superintendent | Registered Nurse and Midwife with 3-year GNM from an Indian Nursing Council recognised institution, or B.Sc Nursing |
Pharmacist (Entry Grade) | Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy (Allopathic) or Doctor of Pharmacy, with registration under the Pharmacy Act, 1948 |
Lab Assistant Grade II | 10+2 Science with DMLT or an equivalent one-year full-time certificate, or B.Sc in Medical Lab Technology |
Radiographer X-Ray Technician | 10+2 with Physics and Chemistry plus a 2-year radiography diploma, or a listed radiography degree |
Health and Malaria Inspector Grade II | B.Sc with Chemistry plus a one-year Health or Sanitary Inspector diploma or NCVT trade certificate |
ECG Technician | 10+2 or science graduation plus an ECG or cardiology certificate, diploma or degree of at least one year |
Dialysis Technician | B.Sc plus a Diploma in Haemodialysis or two years of haemodialysis training or experience, or a B.Sc in dialysis technology |
Optometrist | B.Sc Optometry or a 3 to 4 year Ophthalmic Technician diploma, with council registration |
Audiologist and Speech Therapist | BASLP from a recognised university, with Rehabilitation Council of India registration |
You must hold the full qualification by 14 October 2026. Candidates still awaiting final results are not eligible for this cycle.
Age Limit
Age is counted as on 1 January 2027. Most posts use an 18 to 33 band, but five posts differ: Nursing Superintendent (20 to 40), Pharmacist (20 to 35), Radiographer (19 to 33), Dialysis Technician (20 to 33) and Audiologist and Speech Therapist (21 to 30).
Category | Upper age relaxation |
|---|---|
SC and ST | 5 years |
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 3 years |
PwBD | 10 years (UR/EWS), 13 years (OBC-NCL), 15 years (SC/ST) |
Ex-Servicemen | 3, 6 or 8 years by community, after deducting service |
Application Fee and Application Process
Category | Fee | Refund after appearing in CBT |
|---|---|---|
General (including OBC and EWS) | Rs. 500 | Rs. 400, minus bank charges |
SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD, Female, Transgender, Minorities, Economically Backward Class | Rs. 250 | Full Rs. 250, minus bank charges |
The refund goes only to candidates who actually sit the CBT, and it is credited to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account. Fee for the modification window (Rs. 250 per modification) is not refundable.
How the Application Works
Create an account: Register through the apply link on the official RRB website. Aadhaar or DigiLocker verification is advised at this step.
Choose one RRB: The RRB cannot be changed after submission.
Select posts and preferences: Pick every post you qualify for and rank them.
Upload documents: Upload your photograph and signature as per the notice specifications.
Pay the fee and submit: Pay online through net banking, card or UPI, then download the submitted form.
For CEN 05/2026 this window is now closed. If you applied, the next steps are the modification window, the scribe details window (if you need a scribe) and the application status notice.
RRB Paramedical Exam Pattern
The RRB Paramedical exam has a single CBT. There is no second CBT and no skill test for these posts.
Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
Professional Ability (post-specific) | 70 | 70 |
General Awareness | 10 | 10 |
General Arithmetic, General Intelligence and Reasoning | 10 | 10 |
General Science | 10 | 10 |
Total | 100 | 100 |
The CBT lasts 90 minutes (120 minutes for PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe). One-third of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer, and the section split is indicative, so it may vary slightly.
What This Means for You
Your subject decides the result: 70 percent of the paper is your own professional subject, so your diploma or degree knowledge carries most of the weight.
Do not ignore the other 30 marks: In a merit list where candidates are separated by fractions of a mark, General Awareness, Arithmetic, Reasoning and Science can decide your rank.
Guess carefully: With a one-third penalty, three wrong guesses cancel one correct answer.
For timing strategy and the minimum qualifying marks, see the detailed RRB Paramedical exam pattern page.
Syllabus Summary
Section | Important topics |
|---|---|
Professional Ability | Post-specific: for example, nursing foundations, medical-surgical nursing and midwifery for Nursing Superintendent; pharmaceutics, pharmacology and pharmaceutical chemistry for Pharmacist; haematology, microbiology and clinical biochemistry for Lab Assistant |
General Awareness | Current affairs, Indian history, geography, polity, economy, environment, sports |
General Arithmetic | Percentages, ratio, profit and loss, interest, time and work, mensuration |
General Intelligence and Reasoning | Analogies, series, coding-decoding, syllogism, directions, Venn diagrams |
General Science | Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences up to Class 10 level |
The notice gives a post-wise list of professional topics.
Selection Process
Computer-based test: Candidates are ranked on CBT marks, normalised where the exam runs over several shifts, subject to minimum qualifying marks.
Document verification: Candidates are shortlisted RRB-wise in line with the number of vacancies and must bring original certificates.
Medical examination: Conducted by the Railway administration as per the medical standard of each post (for example, C1 for Nursing Superintendent and C2 for Pharmacist).
Empanelment: Final selection is on CBT merit, subject to passing DV and the medical exam. Ties go to the older candidate.
Salary and Career Growth
Pay follows the 7th CPC pay matrix. The initial basic pay ranges from Rs. 21,700 (Level 3, Lab Assistant Grade II) to Rs. 44,900 (Level 7, Nursing Superintendent).
On top of basic pay, railway employees receive Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance or railway quarters, and other allowances under the rules. The take-home amount depends on the city of posting and current DA rates, so any in-hand figure you see online is an estimate, not an official number.
Railway paramedical staff also get medical facilities for themselves and their families, travel passes and promotion through grades within their cadre over time.
How to Prepare for RRB Paramedical
Because the paper is mostly professional, your preparation should start from your own course material, not from general railway exam books.
Stage-wise Plan
Weeks 1 to 6: Revise your core professional subjects from standard textbooks. Make short notes on high-yield areas such as drug classifications, normal lab values, nursing procedures or radiation safety, depending on your post.
Weeks 3 onward: Add 20 to 30 minutes a day of current affairs and basic arithmetic and reasoning practice.
Weeks 6 to 10: Take topic-wise tests in your professional subject and fix weak chapters.
Final phase: Take full-length 100-question mocks in 90 minutes, analyse each one on the same day and revise from an error log.
Mock Tests and Official Practice
The CEN 05/2026 notice says a mock test will be made available on the official RRB website so you can get used to the CBT screen. For CEN 03/2025, RRBs posted the mock test link in early March 2026, about a week before the CBT. No mock test link for CEN 05/2026 had been posted at the time of writing, so check the official RRB website once the exam schedule is out.
Previous Cut-off Reference
RRB Paramedical cut-offs are released RRB-wise, post-wise, community-wise and railway unit-wise. In CEN 03/2025 (CBT held 11 to 13 March 2026), many UR cut-offs for Nursing Superintendent sat in the 70s out of 100.
RRB (railway unit) | Post | UR | SC | OBC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranchi (ECR) | Nursing Superintendent | 75.08 | 63.15 | 75.08 |
Ranchi (SER) | Nursing Superintendent | 75.08 | 65.66 | 66.33 |
These figures are from the RRB Ranchi part panel notice for CEN 03/2025 and are indicative only. Cut-offs change with vacancies, difficulty and the number of candidates, so treat them as a benchmark and aim for a clear margin above them.
Once you have the pattern and syllabus clear, regular practice on Testkart can help you track whether your scores are moving toward that benchmark.