RRB Ministerial Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Last verified 01 Aug 2026
The RRB Ministerial and Isolated Categories exam pattern under CEN 08/2025 is set out below, with negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer and normalisation of marks where the CBT runs across multiple shifts.
RRB Ministerial and Isolated Categories exam pattern
| Stage / Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Ability | 50 | 50 | — |
| General Awareness | 15 | 15 | — |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 15 | 15 | — |
| Mathematics | 10 | 10 | — |
| General Science | 10 | 10 | — |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 90 minutes |
These are small-intake, high-specialisation recruitments — 312 posts across eight very different categories. The CBT is single-stage and half the paper is Professional Ability in your own subject, which is what makes this exam quite different from the general railway papers.
Junior Translator (Hindi) follows a different question structure from the other posts, reflecting the translation skills being tested.
Qualifying marks
UR and EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25%. PwBD candidates may receive a 2-mark relaxation where there is a shortage of PwBD candidates against reserved vacancies.
Common syllabus topics
Mathematics
Number system, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentages, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, elementary statistics, square root, age calculations, calendar and clock, pipes and cistern.
General Intelligence and Reasoning
Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding and decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams, data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making, similarities and differences, analytical reasoning, classification, directions, statement–arguments and assumptions.
General Science
Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences at Class 10 level.
General Awareness
Current affairs in science and technology, sports, culture, personalities, economics, politics and other subjects of importance.
The CEN notes that listed topics are illustrative and not necessarily exhaustive.
Normalisation of marks
Where the CBT is held in multiple sessions on the same syllabus, shortlisting uses normalised marks rather than raw scores, so candidates who sat harder shifts are not disadvantaged.