RRB Group D Eligibility 2026: Quick Answer
To apply for RRB Group D under CEN No. 09/2025, you must be 18 to 33 years old as on 01.01.2026 (born between 02.01.1993 and 01.01.2008 for UR/EWS), have passed Class 10, or ITI, or hold a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) from NCVT by the closing date, and meet the medical standard of the post you opt for. After the Computer Based Test you must also clear the Physical Efficiency Test (PET).
Key takeaway: The upper age limit is relaxed by 3 years for OBC-NCL and 5 years for SC/ST, and the CEN already prints the relaxed date-of-birth limits. Relaxations are not cumulative: if you qualify under two grounds, you get only the larger one.
Official source: CEN No. 09/2025 detailed notice (PDF) (Para 4 to 7, Para 14 and Annexure-A). The notice is on every RRB website; applications were filed on rrbapply.gov.in.
RRB Group D Eligibility Criteria 2026 at a Glance
| Criterion | Official requirement (CEN 09/2025) |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 33 years as on 01.01.2026 (Para 5.0) |
| Qualification | 10th pass or ITI or equivalent or NAC granted by NCVT (Annexure-A) |
| Qualification deadline | Must be held by the closing date; those awaiting results should not apply (Para 6.0) |
| Nationality | Indian citizen, or citizen of Nepal / subject of Bhutan / eligible Tibetan refugee / person of Indian origin as listed, with eligibility certificate where required (Para 4.1) |
| Medical | A-2, A-3, B-1 or C-1 standard, depending on the post (Para 3.0) |
| Physical test | PET after CBT, qualifying in nature (Para 14.2) |
| Number of applications | Only one application to one RRB/Railway Zone (Important Instructions, point 7) |
| Pay | Level 1, initial pay ₹18,000 (CEN page 4) |
RRB Group D Age Limit 2026 (Date of Birth Limits)
The age is counted as on 01.01.2026. The CEN gives the date-of-birth window directly, with the community relaxation already included:
| Category | Born not earlier than | Born not later than | Upper age (as on 01.01.2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UR and EWS | 02.01.1993 | 01.01.2008 | 33 years |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 02.01.1990 | 01.01.2008 | 36 years |
| SC / ST | 02.01.1988 | 01.01.2008 | 38 years |
Source: CEN 09/2025, Para 5.1.
How to check your RRB Group D age eligibility (worked examples)
- Born 15.05.1993, UR: 15.05.1993 is after 02.01.1993 and before 01.01.2008, so you are eligible.
- Born 01.01.1993, UR: the earliest allowed date is 02.01.1993. You were born one day earlier, so you are not eligible as UR, even though you turn exactly 33 on 01.01.2026.
- Born 10.03.1989, OBC-NCL: the OBC limit is 02.01.1990, so you are not eligible as OBC. If the same person were SC (limit 02.01.1988), they would be eligible.
- Born 02.01.2008: later than 01.01.2008, so you are under 18 on the crucial date and not eligible in any category.
Check your exact age with our age calculator using 01.01.2026 as the "age on" date.
RRB Group D Age Relaxation 2026 (Para 5.2)
| Category | Relaxation in upper age / maximum age |
|---|---|
| OBC-NCL | 3 years |
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| Ex-servicemen with at least 6 months' service after attestation | UR & EWS: 3 years; OBC-NCL: 6 years; SC/ST: 8 years (after deducting length of service from age) |
| PwBD | UR & EWS: 10 years; OBC-NCL: 13 years; SC/ST: 15 years |
| Serving Group 'C' and erstwhile Group 'D' railway staff and substitutes with at least 3 years' service | Up to 40 years (UR & EWS), 43 years (OBC-NCL), 45 years (SC/ST) |
| Staff of quasi-administrative railway offices (railway canteens, co-operative societies, institutes) | Length of service rendered or 5 years, whichever is less |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women not remarried | Up to 35 years (UR), 38 years (OBC-NCL), 40 years (SC/ST) |
| Course Completed Act Apprentices trained in railway establishments, for posts whose minimum qualification is ITI/CCAA | Extent of apprentice training, maximum 3 years (UR & EWS), 6 years for OBC-NCL and 8 years for SC/ST (inclusive of community relaxation) |
| Candidates who began Act Apprenticeship before age 25 | Up to 35 years (UR & EWS), 38 years (OBC-NCL), 40 years (SC/ST) |
Three rules that trip people up (Para 5.2 notes):
- Not cumulative. If you are eligible for relaxation on more than one ground, you get the maximum of them, not the sum.
- SC, ST and OBC-NCL candidates applying against UR vacancies get no age relaxation.
- PwBD candidates applying against UR vacancies get only the PwBD (UR) relaxation, subject to suitability of the post.
The date of birth in your application must match your Matriculation/SSLC (or equivalent) certificate; any difference leads to disqualification (Para 5.3).
RRB Group D Educational Qualification 2026
Annexure-A (Post Parameters) prescribes the qualification as "10th pass or ITI or equivalent or National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) granted by NCVT". Para 6.0 adds:
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Hold the qualification by the closing date | The CEN's closing date was 02.03.2026; RRBs later revised the notified dates through Corrigendum No. 4 (dated 02.03.2026), so go by the corrigendum for your exact cut-off |
| Results awaited? | Candidates awaiting results of the final examination should not apply |
| Engineering diploma/degree | Not accepted in lieu of Course Completed Act Apprenticeship/ITI for Level-1 posts, unless otherwise specified |
| Graduate Act Apprentice | Not accepted in lieu of Course Completed Act Apprenticeship (CCAA) |
| Certificates without a date | Bring the consolidated mark sheet with result date, or a board/university letter showing the date of declaration, at document verification |
A higher qualification such as a degree does not disqualify you, but it does not replace the 10th/ITI/NAC requirement either. Note also that CCAA vacancies apply only to apprentices trained in railway establishments (CEN page 4).
RRB Group D Medical Standards 2026 (Vision Rules)
Medical fitness is checked after document verification. If you fail the standard of a post you opted for, you are not given an alternative appointment, so choose posts carefully.
| Medical standard | Distant vision | Near vision | Other tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-2 | 6/9, 6/9 without glasses (no fogging test) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses | Colour, binocular, night and mesopic vision |
| A-3 | 6/9, 6/9 with or without glasses (lens power not over 2D) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses | Colour, binocular, night and mesopic vision |
| B-1 | 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses (lens power not over 4D) | Sn 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses when reading or close work is needed | Colour, binocular, night and mesopic vision |
| C-1 | 6/12, 6/18 with or without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 with or without glasses when reading or close work is needed | — |
Which posts need which standard (Annexure-A): Pointsman B needs A-2; Assistant Track Machine needs A-3; most other posts (Track Maintainer Grade IV, Assistant Bridge, Assistant P.Way, Assistant Carriage and Wagon, Assistant TRD, Assistant TL and AC, Assistant Loco Shed, Assistant (S and T) in Signal and Assistant Operations (Electrical) in General Services) need B-1; Assistant Operations (Electrical) and Assistant (S and T) in workshops need C-1.
LASIK rule: candidates who have had LASIK or any other surgery to correct refractive error are not eligible for A-2 and A-3 posts; for B-1 and C-1 posts they are eligible subject to the Railway Board conditions referred to in the CEN.
RRB Group D PET 2026 (Physical Efficiency Test)
Candidates are called for PET on CBT merit, about three times the community-wise vacancies. PET is qualifying only; it has two stages, and failing the weight test ends your PET there.
| Test | Male candidates | Female candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Weight carrying | Lift and carry 35 kg for 100 metres in 2 minutes, in one chance, without putting it down | Lift and carry 20 kg for 100 metres in 2 minutes, in one chance |
| Running | 1,000 metres in 4 minutes 15 seconds, in one chance | 1,000 metres in 5 minutes 40 seconds, in one chance |
- Exempted from PET: PwBD candidates (they take the PwBD medical examination instead), Course Completed Act Apprentices, and Ex-servicemen (who must still pass the written test and medical standards).
- Transgender candidates take the female PET standards.
- The weight test uses a sandbag without handles, lifted from about waist height.
Source: CEN 09/2025, Para 14.2.
RRB Group D Application Fee and Refund
| Category | Fee | Refund on appearing in CBT |
|---|---|---|
| All candidates except those below | ₹500 | ₹400 refunded (minus bank charges) |
| SC, ST, Ex-servicemen, PwBD, Female, Transgender, Minorities, Economically Backward Class (EBC) | ₹250 | ₹250 refunded (minus bank charges) |
EBC is not EWS or OBC. EBC here means annual family income below ₹50,000, shown by the prescribed income certificate, a BPL card, an Izzat MST or a certificate under a recognised Central poverty alleviation scheme. EBC gets only the fee concession, not reservation (Para 7.3). Refunds go only to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account (Para 7.4).
RRB Group D Selection Process and Exam Pattern
| Stage | Details |
|---|---|
| Computer Based Test | 100 questions, 90 minutes (120 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates): General Science 25, Mathematics 25, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, General Awareness and Current Affairs 20 |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark for each wrong answer |
| Minimum marks to be shortlisted | UR 40%, EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 30% (may be relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD if there is a shortage) |
| PET | About 3 times the vacancies, qualifying |
| Document verification and medical | 1:1 with vacancies, on CBT merit after PET |
Source: CEN 09/2025, Para 14.1 to 14.3. The full topic list for each subject is in our RRB Group D syllabus 2026 note. Marks are normalised when the CBT runs in multiple shifts (Para 15.0). Ties are broken by age (older first) and then by the alphabetical order of the given name.
Who Is Not Eligible for RRB Group D?
- Candidates debarred by any RRB/RRC for life or for a period not yet over (Para 1.4).
- Candidates dismissed from service by the Central or State Government, a PSU or any government organisation (Para 1.5).
- Anyone who files more than one application under this CEN, to the same or different RRBs; all such applications are rejected and the candidate is debarred (Para 1.3).
- Candidates awaiting the result of their qualifying examination on the closing date (Para 6.0).
RRB Group D Eligibility FAQs
What is the age limit for RRB Group D 2026?
18 to 33 years as on 01.01.2026 for UR and EWS. OBC-NCL candidates get 3 extra years (up to 36) and SC/ST candidates 5 extra years (up to 38), as per CEN 09/2025.
What is the RRB Group D qualification?
Class 10 pass, or ITI or equivalent, or a National Apprenticeship Certificate granted by NCVT (Annexure-A of CEN 09/2025).
Can 12th pass or graduates apply for RRB Group D?
Yes, if they have passed Class 10 (or hold ITI/NAC), because the minimum qualification is 10th/ITI/NAC. A higher qualification does not disqualify you. However, an engineering diploma or degree is not accepted in place of CCAA/ITI where that is the requirement.
Can I apply for RRB Group D if my 10th result is awaited?
No. Para 6.0 says candidates awaiting the result of their final qualifying examination should not apply.
Is age relaxation cumulative in RRB Group D?
No. If you qualify for relaxation on more than one ground, you get only the largest one (Para 5.2, note i).
What is the PET running time for RRB Group D?
1,000 metres in 4 minutes 15 seconds for men and 5 minutes 40 seconds for women, after first carrying 35 kg (men) or 20 kg (women) for 100 metres in 2 minutes.
Can I wear glasses in the RRB Group D medical test?
It depends on the post. A-2 posts such as Pointsman B need 6/9, 6/9 without glasses. A-3 allows glasses up to 2D, B-1 up to 4D, and C-1 allows glasses.
Practice Next for RRB Group D
- Exam hub: RRB Group D 2026 exam page and free RRB Group D mock tests.
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