The Railway Recruitment Boards have notified 1,265 Station Master posts under CEN No. 08/2026, open to graduates of any stream. Applications run on rrbapply.gov.in until 25 November 2026 (11:59 PM). Two things make this recruitment unlike most railway exams. First, there is no General Awareness section. Second, the CBT is followed by a Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) that counts for 30% of your final merit and has to be cleared on its own. This guide goes through the official notice and its corrigendum: how the posts are split, who can apply, the medical rule that disqualifies people after they have already cleared the exam, the CBT syllabus, and how the CBAT and the 70:30 merit work. Paragraph references are to the official CEN.
For the dates, fee and apply link in one place, see the RRB Station Master 2026 online form page. This article answers the questions that come next: Am I eligible? Which RRB should I pick? What exactly is tested, and what is the CBAT?
RRB Station Master 2026 at a Glance
| Notice | CEN No. 08/2026 (Station Master), with Corrigendum No. 1 dated 27.10.2026 |
| Post and pay | Station Master, Level 6 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, initial pay ₹35,400 |
| Total posts | 1,265 (all RRBs) |
| Apply online | 27 October – 25 November 2026 (11:59 PM), on rrbapply.gov.in |
| Last date for fee payment | 27 November 2026 |
| Modification window | 28 November – 7 December 2026 (₹250 per modification) |
| Qualification | Graduate degree in any stream, held by 25.11.2026 |
| Age | 20 to 33 years as on 01.01.2027 |
| Medical standard | A-2 (strict vision rules; LASIK not allowed) |
| Selection | CBT → CBAT → Document Verification → Medical; merit = 70% CBT + 30% CBAT |
The Corrigendum: 1,265 Posts, Not 1,215
The vacancy summary on page 3 of the original notice printed the total as 1,215. RRB's Corrigendum No. 1 (27.10.2026) says the total "may be read as 1,265", and the RRB-wise table in Annexure-B adds up to 1,265. If you see 1,215 quoted somewhere, it comes from the misprint.
Category-Wise and RRB-Wise Posts
Annexure-B gives the category split across all RRBs:
| Category | Posts |
|---|---|
| UR | 542 |
| OBC | 296 |
| SC | 176 |
| EWS | 147 |
| ST | 104 |
| Total | 1,265 |
| of which Ex-Servicemen (horizontal) | 133 |
The ExSM posts are counted inside the category figures, not on top of them.
The posts are spread very unevenly between boards. The largest are Mumbai (177), Jammu-Srinagar (122), Chennai (119), Thiruvananthapuram (114), Prayagraj (112) and Bengaluru (102). At the other end, Malda has 4 posts (Eastern Railway) and Kolkata (South Eastern Railway) and Secunderabad (South Central Railway) have 5 each.
Choosing your RRB: one only
You can apply to only one RRB. The notice says that applying to more than one RRB leads to rejection of all applications and debarment. Within the chosen RRB you rank the zones in order of preference, and the RRB you pick cannot be changed later, not even in the modification window. Shortlisting for the CBAT is done RRB-wise and category-wise (below), so the board you choose decides who you are competing with. A board with 100+ posts and a board with 4 posts are very different contests. Choose with your Annexure-B row open, not by habit.
Eligibility
Qualification
A graduate degree from a recognised university, in any stream (Annexure-A). Arts, commerce, science and engineering graduates are all eligible. You must already hold the degree on 25.11.2026: the notice says candidates awaiting the result of their final examination are not eligible and should not apply.
Age: 20 to 33 as on 01.01.2027
In date-of-birth terms (para 8.2):
| Category | Born between |
|---|---|
| UR / EWS | 02.01.1994 and 01.01.2007 |
| OBC-NCL (+3 years) | 02.01.1991 and 01.01.2007 |
| SC / ST (+5 years) | 02.01.1989 and 01.01.2007 |
The relaxations are not cumulative (para 8.5). Because the cut-off date is 1 January 2027, a candidate who turns 20 on 1 January 2027 is just inside, and anyone born on or after 2 January 2007 is not.
PwBD candidates
Annexure-A marks the post as not suitable for any of the PwBD categories (VI, HI, LD, OD, MD). Candidates with benchmark disabilities cannot apply for this post.
The Medical Rule That Catches People Late
Station Master falls under medical standard A-2 (para 6.1). The vision requirement is:
- Distant vision: 6/9, 6/9 without glasses
- Near vision: Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses
- must pass colour vision, binocular vision, night vision and myopic vision tests
And then the line that matters most (para 6.1, note b): candidates who have had LASIK or any other surgery to correct a refractive error are not eligible for Station Master. You have to give a self-declaration about this (Annexure VI-B) at document verification.
This is the expensive mistake in this recruitment. The medical comes last, after the CBT, the CBAT and document verification, so someone who has had LASIK or who needs glasses to reach 6/9 can clear every exam stage and still be rejected. If you wear glasses, get your unaided vision checked by an eye doctor before paying the fee.
The vision certificate (Annexure VI) also has to be produced in original at the CBAT. Without it, you are not allowed to sit the CBAT (para 15.2).
Application Fee and Refund
| Category | Fee | Refund after appearing in the CBT |
|---|---|---|
| General (all others) | ₹500 | ₹400 |
| Female / Transgender / ExSM / SC / ST / Minority / EBC | ₹250 | ₹250 (full) |
Bank charges are deducted from the refund, and you only get it if you actually sit the CBT (para 10). Note that EBC (Economically Backward Class) is not OBC or EWS; the notice specifically warns against mixing them up, and the concession needs a valid EBC certificate or one of the alternatives listed in the notice.
Selection Process: Four Stages
- Computer Based Test (CBT): a single stage, which screens you for the CBAT
- Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT)
- Document Verification (DV)
- Medical Examination
The CBT (para 15.1)
- 100 questions in 120 minutes, objective, multiple choice
- Negative marking: 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer
- Scores are normalised across shifts
- Available in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu). The language you pick in the form cannot be changed later, and questions show in that language and in English.
- Minimum qualifying marks: UR 40%, EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25%
CBT Syllabus: Four Sections, No General Awareness
| Section | Marks | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Science & Mathematics | 30 | Number system, ratio, average, percentage, profit/loss/discount, time-speed-distance, time and work, algebra, linear equations, AP, LCM/HCF, geometry, trigonometry, area and volume, basic probability and statistics; units, mass/weight/density, work-power-energy, kinetic energy, friction, velocity and relative velocity, heat and temperature, basic electricity, levers and simple machines |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | Data from text, tables, charts, graphs, scatter plots, pie charts, distribution curves and Venn diagrams; data sufficiency; data arrangement |
| Logical Capability | 20 | Binary logic, syllogism, clocks and calendars, assumptions, blood relations, family tree, puzzles, plus reading comprehension in English (main idea, supporting idea, application, structure and style) |
| Mental Reasoning | 20 | Analogy, series completion, coding-decoding, ranking and arrangement |
The notice calls this split indicative, so the actual paper may vary slightly. Two points matter for preparation:
- There is no General Awareness / current affairs section. If you are coming from NTPC preparation, the GA hours can go into quant, data interpretation and reasoning instead.
- Reading comprehension is in English, inside Logical Capability. Even if you take the CBT in Hindi or a regional language, plan for some English passages.
Science here is basic physics (units, energy, friction, electricity, simple machines), not chemistry or biology. Data Analysis carries as many marks as Science & Maths (30 each), so table and chart questions deserve daily practice.
What −1/3 means for guessing
If a question has four options, the −1/3 penalty works out like this:
- A blind guess is worth zero on average (¼ × 1 − ¾ × ⅓ = 0).
- With one option ruled out, a guess is worth about +0.11 mark on average.
- With two options ruled out, a guess is worth about +0.33 mark on average.
So skip questions you have no idea about, and attempt any where you can confidently eliminate an option. Since the CBT only gets you into the CBAT and then counts for 70% of the merit, every extra normalised mark carries through to the final list.
The CBAT: What It Is and How It Counts
The Computer Based Aptitude Test is a psychological aptitude test; the notice refers candidates to RDSO's Psychology section for details of it. The notice sets these rules (para 15.2):
- Shortlist: candidates equal to 8 times the vacancies are called, RRB-wise and separately for each community (UR, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, including ExSM), based on the CBT.
- Qualifying: a minimum T-score of 42 in each test battery. You must clear every battery, and the notice allows no relaxation in this.
- No negative marking in the CBAT.
- Languages: English and Hindi only, even if you took the CBT in a regional language.
- Bring the vision certificate in original, or you are not allowed in.
For a description of the test batteries, the notice points candidates to the RDSO website (Verticals → Traffic and Psychology → Psychology – Candidate's Corner) at rdso.indianrailways.gov.in. That is the official place to see what the test looks like before the day.
Final merit: 70% CBT + 30% CBAT
Only candidates who qualify in the CBAT go into the merit list. It is built with 70% weightage to the CBT and 30% to the CBAT, and candidates equal to the number of vacancies are called for document verification according to merit and railway preference (para 15.3). If two candidates have the same score, the older one is placed higher; if the age is also the same, alphabetical order decides.
In practice, a good CBT gets you into the 8× shortlist, but the CBAT can move you up or down within it. Being comfortable with the CBAT format matters as much as a few extra CBT marks.
A Preparation Plan for the CBT
RRB has not yet announced the CBT date. Until it does, a sensible order is:
- First week: apply (one RRB, carefully chosen), check your unaided vision, and download the official notice.
- Foundation (about 4 weeks): arithmetic (percentage, ratio, profit/loss, time-speed-distance, work), then algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mensuration. Add the basic physics topics alongside.
- Data Interpretation daily: one set of tables or charts every day from the start, since it carries 30 marks on its own.
- Reasoning: syllogism, blood relations, puzzles, clocks and calendars, coding-decoding, series and ranking, plus two English RC passages a week.
- Mocks: 100 questions in 120 minutes, tracking accuracy as much as attempts because of the −1/3.
- Once CBT results are close: study the RDSO candidate's-corner material on psycho tests so the CBAT format is not new to you.
How to Apply
- Go to rrbapply.gov.in. If you created an account for an RRB CEN in 2024, 2025 or 2026, use the same login; otherwise create one. Account details, including mobile number and email, cannot be changed once the account is created.
- Choose one RRB and give your zone preferences.
- Choose your exam language (it cannot be changed later).
- Upload your photo, signature and the required certificates, and pay the fee by 27 November 2026.
- Check everything. After submission, changes are only possible in the modification window (28 November – 7 December 2026) at ₹250 per modification, and the chosen RRB and account details cannot be changed even then.
Watch: RRB Station Master 2026 Explained
Our video above goes through the same official notice in Hindi: the posts, eligibility, the medical rule, the CBT syllabus and how the CBAT and 70:30 merit work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many posts are there in RRB Station Master 2026?
1,265, as corrected by Corrigendum No. 1 dated 27.10.2026. The 1,215 printed on page 3 of the original notice was a misprint.
What is the last date to apply?
25 November 2026 (11:59 PM). Fee payment is allowed until 27 November 2026.
Can final-year students apply?
No. You must hold the graduate degree by 25.11.2026; candidates awaiting their final result are not eligible.
Can I apply if I wear glasses or had LASIK?
The A-2 standard needs 6/9, 6/9 distant vision and Sn 0.6 near vision without glasses. Candidates who have had LASIK or any other surgery to correct a refractive error are not eligible.
Is there General Awareness in the Station Master CBT?
No. The CBT has Basic Science & Maths (30), Data Analysis & Interpretation (30), Logical Capability (20) and Mental Reasoning (20).
What is the qualifying score in the CBAT?
A minimum T-score of 42 in each test battery, with no relaxation and no negative marking.
How is the final merit list made?
70% weightage to the CBT and 30% to the CBAT, among candidates who have qualified in the CBAT.
What is the salary of an RRB Station Master?
Level 6 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with initial pay of ₹35,400. Allowances are added on top.
Official Sources
- RRB official website: CEN No. 08/2026 (Station Master) and Corrigendum No. 1 on the RRB pages
- rrbapply.gov.in: online application
- RDSO: Traffic and Psychology → Psychology – Candidate's Corner (CBAT information)
This guide was checked against CEN No. 08/2026 and Corrigendum No. 1 on 30 October 2026. If RRB issues a further corrigendum, the official notice takes precedence.
