Hey future railway employees! Big news for everyone waiting. The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has just dropped the official syllabus and exam pattern for the NTPC 2025 exams. If you’re feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, that’s completely normal. The key to turning those nerves into confidence is having a clear plan, and it all starts with knowing exactly what you need to study.
The results for the graduate level are already out, which means it’s game on for the next stage. But whether you’re a graduate or an undergraduate candidate, the path is similar. Let’s break down the RRB NTPC syllabus for CBT 1 and CBT 2 into something simple and actionable.
First Things First: How Will You Be Selected?
Think of the selection process like a video game with multiple levels. You have to clear one to unlock the next. Here’s the journey:
- CBT 1 (The Prelims): This is the first hurdle. It’s a screening test to shortlist candidates for the next round.
- CBT 2 (The Mains): This is the main event, with slightly tougher questions. Only those who clear CBT 1 get here.
- Skill Test (The Final Boss): Not for all posts! If you’ve applied for a typing-related job, you’ll face a Typing Skill Test. For a post like Station Master, there’s a Computer-Based Aptitude Test instead.
- Document Verification & Medical: The final step before you get that offer letter!
The good news? The syllabus for both CBT 1 and CBT 2 is pretty much the same. The main difference is the number of questions and the depth expected.
What Do the Exams Actually Look Like?
Let’s get practical. How many questions? How much time? Knowing this helps you practice better.
For CBT 1 (Prelims):
- You’ll face 100 questions worth 100 marks.
- You get 90 minutes to solve it all.
- The paper is divided into:
- General Awareness (40 questions): Time to show off your GK!
- Mathematics (30 questions): Number crunching time.
- General Intelligence & Reasoning (30 questions): Time to get logical.
For CBT 2 (Mains):
- It’s a bit longer with 120 questions for 120 marks.
- The time remains the same—a tight 90 minutes—so speed and accuracy are crucial.
- The subject split changes slightly:
- General Awareness (50 questions)
- Mathematics (35 questions)
- General Intelligence & Reasoning (35 questions)
A quick but important warning: There’s negative marking. For every wrong answer, you lose 1/3 of a mark. So, guessing blindly is a risky game!
The Heart of the Matter: What Exactly to Study?
This is the part you came for. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of the syllabus.
- Mathematics: Don’t Panic!
You don’t need advanced calculus. Focus on the basics you learned up to class 10.
- Key Friends: Number problems, percentages, profit and loss, simple & compound interest.
- The Usual Suspects: Time, speed & distance, and time & work questions are always there.
- Brush Up On: Basic geometry, algebra, and how to calculate averages.
- General Intelligence & Reasoning: Train Your Brain
This section can be scoring if you practice. It’s all about patterns and logic.
- Puzzles and Coding-Decoding: These are heavyweights. Practice them daily.
- Logical Sequences: Series completion (number and alphabet), analogies, and blood relations.
- Visual Reasoning: Some questions might involve patterns and diagrams.
- General Awareness: The Wide Net
This is the vastest section, but you can manage it smartly.
- Current Affairs: This is HUGE. Follow the news from the last 6-12 months—especially topics related to railways, science, sports, and national events.
- Static GK: Indian History (freedom struggle is important), Geography, Polity (basics of the Constitution), and important dates and days.
- Science: Basic concepts from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology at the 10th-grade level.
From a Friend: How to Actually Prepare Without Burning Out
We know it feels overwhelming. Here’s some honest advice from someone who’s been there.
- Start with a Self-Test. Before you dive in, take one official mock test. Don’t worry about your score. This just shows you where you naturally stand and which subjects need more love.
- Quality over Quantity. It’s better to fully understand one topic per day than to skim through five. Did you practice ‘Time & Work’ today? Make sure you can solve any moderate problem on it before moving on.
- Make Current Affairs a Habit, Not a Chore. Spend 20 minutes every morning with a coffee reading a news app or newspaper. It’s less painful than cramming 6 months of news the week before the exam.
- Practice in Exam Conditions. When you take mock tests, stick to the 90-minute timer. This trains your brain to handle the exam pressure.
- Review Your Mistakes. This is the golden rule. After every mock test, spend time understanding why you got a question wrong. Was it a silly mistake? A conceptual gap? This is how you improve.
You’ve got this! The RRB NTPC is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistent, smart study is your best strategy. Download that syllabus PDF, make a simple plan, and start with one chapter today. Good luck
