Skip to content

RRB Technician (Grade 1 Signal and Grade 3)

Evidence status: 🟢 official. Every number below is from the Detailed Centralised Employment Notice CEN No. 02/2026 (Technician Grade-I Signal and various categories of Technician Grade-III, 6,557 vacancies), fetched from the official RRB website on 2026-10-02. Read the official notice and any corrigendum before applying.

The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) conduct the RRB Technician examination to recruit technicians across Indian Railways for signalling, telecommunication, workshops, locomotives, and track maintenance. Recruitment is divided into two distinct pay levels: Technician Grade-I Signal (Pay Level 5, initial pay ₹29,200) and Technician Grade-III across 24 technical categories and Merged Post Categories (Pay Level 2, initial pay ₹19,900).

Technician Grade-I Signal requires a Bachelor of Science (in Physics, Electronics, Computer Science, IT, or Instrumentation), or a 3-year engineering diploma, or a B.E./B.Tech degree in these basic streams or combinations. Technician Grade-III posts require Matriculation / SSLC plus an ITI certificate (NCVT/SCVT) in the designated trade, or a completed Act Apprenticeship in that trade; Category 14 (Technician Grade-III S&T) additionally accepts 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Candidates must submit a separate online application and separate examination fee for each Pay Level. Under any chosen Pay Level, a candidate selects only one RRB and provides post preferences.

At a glance
Conducted by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs)
Notification Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) No. 02/2026 (Technician Categories)
Posts and vacancies 6,557 total vacancies: Technician Grade-I Signal (Pay Level 5): 323; Technician Grade-III (Pay Level 2): 6,234 across 24 trade categories
Initial pay Grade-I Signal: ₹29,200 (Level 5); Grade-III: ₹19,900 (Level 2)
Age limit (as on 01.07.2026) Grade-I Signal: 18–33 years (born 02.07.1993 to 01.07.2008 for UR/EWS); Grade-III: 18–30 years (born 02.07.1996 to 01.07.2008 for UR/EWS); age relaxations apply (OBC-NCL 3 years, SC/ST 5 years, PwBD 10–15 years, Ex-Servicemen per rules)
Stages Single-stage CBT (separate examination per Pay Level) → Document Verification (1:1 ratio based on CBT merit) → Medical Examination (post-specific medical standard: A-3, B-1, B-2, or C-1)
Application timeline Online applications 30.06.2026–29.07.2026 (fee payment till 31.07.2026); modification window 01.08.2026–10.08.2026; CBT dates to be notified on RRB portals
Question papers Available in English, Hindi, and 13 regional languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu)

Official sources

Exam pattern

Recruitment uses a single-stage Computer Based Test (CBT) conducted separately for Pay Level 5 (Grade 1 Signal) and Pay Level 2 (Grade 3). Both examinations consist of 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks to be answered in 90 minutes.

  • Marking scheme: Each correct answer carries 1 mark. There is negative marking of −1/3 mark for each wrong answer.
  • Compensatory time: Eligible PwBD candidates using a scribe (or entitled without scribe) receive 20 minutes compensatory time per hour (total 120 minutes).
  • Normalisation: Marks are normalised across multiple shifts to account for variation in question paper difficulty.
  • Minimum qualifying marks: UR 40%, EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25% (relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD candidates if reserved vacancies fall short).
Paper Questions Marks Duration Negative Marking Marking Scheme
Technician Grade-I Signal (Level 5) 100 100 90 minutes −1/3 mark +1 for correct, −1/3 for incorrect
Technician Grade-III (Level 2) 100 100 90 minutes −1/3 mark +1 for correct, −1/3 for incorrect

Sectional distribution — Technician Grade-I Signal (Pay Level 5)

Section Questions Marks
General Awareness 10 10
General Intelligence and Reasoning 15 15
Basics of Computers and Applications 20 20
Mathematics 20 20
Basic Science and Engineering 35 35
Total 100 100

Note: The subject-wise question distribution in the CEN is indicative.

Sectional distribution — Technician Grade-III (Pay Level 2)

Section Questions Marks
Mathematics 25 25
General Intelligence and Reasoning 25 25
General Science 40 40
General Awareness 10 10
Total 100 100

Note: The subject-wise question distribution in the CEN is indicative.

Syllabus

Technician Grade-I Signal (Pay Level 5)

  • General Awareness: Current affairs, Indian geography, culture and history of India including the freedom struggle, Indian Polity and Constitution, Indian Economy, environmental issues concerning India and the World, sports, general scientific and technological developments.
  • General Intelligence and Reasoning: Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding and decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagram, data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making, similarities and differences, analytical reasoning, classification, directions, statement–arguments and assumptions.
  • Basics of Computers and Applications: Computer architecture, input and output devices, storage devices, networking concepts, operating systems (Windows, Unix, Linux), MS Office suite, data representation formats, internet and email, websites and web browsers, computer viruses and malware defense.
  • Mathematics: Number system, rational and irrational numbers, BODMAS rule, quadratic equations, arithmetic progressions, similar triangles, Pythagoras theorem, coordinate geometry, trigonometrical ratios, heights and distances, surface area and volume. Sets and set operations: representations, empty set, finite and infinite sets, subsets of real numbers, universal set, Venn diagrams, union, intersection, difference, complement and properties. Statistics and Probability: measures of dispersion (range, mean deviation, variance and standard deviation of ungrouped and grouped data), probability of events, exhaustive events, mutually exclusive events.
  • Basic Science and Engineering:
  • Physics fundamentals: Units and measurements, mass, weight, density, work, power, and energy, speed and velocity, heat and temperature.
  • Electricity and Magnetism: Electric charge, field, and intensity, electric potential and potential difference, simple electric circuits, conductors, insulators, Ohm’s law and its limitations, series and parallel resistances, specific resistance, electric power and energy relations, Ampere’s law, magnetic force on moving charged particles and conductors, electromagnetic induction, Faraday’s law, magnetic flux, magnetic fields.
  • Electronics and Measurements: Basic electronics, digital electronics, electronic devices and circuits, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic measurements, measuring systems and principles, meter range extension methods, Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO), LCD and LED panels, transducers.

Technician Grade-III (Pay Level 2)

  • 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 cisterns.
  • General Intelligence and Reasoning: Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding-decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogisms, 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 of 10th standard CBSE/NCERT level.
  • General Awareness: Current affairs in science and technology, sports, culture, personalities, economics, politics, and other subjects of national and international importance.

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Master NCERT Class 9 and 10 Science: For Grade-III candidates, General Science carries 40 marks (40% of the entire CBT), making it the single highest-weightage subject. Focus systematically on mechanics, optics, electricity, chemical reactions, periodic table concepts, and human physiology from Class 9 and 10 NCERT textbooks.
  2. Build Arithmetic Speed and Accuracy: Mathematics carries 25 marks in Grade-III and 20 marks in Grade-I. Master BODMAS, fractions, percentages, ratio-proportion, simple/compound interest, and mensuration. Practice mental calculations and step shortcuts to solve questions in under 45 seconds.
  3. Drill Reasoning and Mental Ability Daily: Reasoning carries 25 marks in Grade-III and 15 marks in Grade-I. Solve diverse problem sets on coding-decoding, syllogisms, blood relations, and Venn diagrams to build pattern recognition and eliminate negative marks.
  4. Target Technical Sections for Grade-I Signal: Basic Science and Engineering (35 marks) together with Basics of Computers and Applications (20 marks) constitute 55% of the Grade-I paper. Revise circuit theory, semiconductor basics, digital logic gates, microprocessors, instrumentation transducers, and operating system / networking fundamentals using standard diploma reference materials.
  5. Leverage Overlap with RRB ALP: The mathematics, mental ability, and basic science & engineering portions of Technician CBT align closely with RRB ALP CBT 1 and CBT 2 Part A. Candidates preparing for both exams can share their core quantitative, logical, and basic science preparation.
  6. Simulate Full-Length Timed CBTs: Practice 100-question timed mocks strictly within the 90-minute limit. Since the negative penalty is high (−1/3 mark per incorrect response), train to skip ambiguous questions and maintain an accuracy rate above 85%.

Free resources