RRB Technician Previous Year Papers 2026: Topic Analysis & Practice Questions
- CEN 02/2026: 6,565 posts — Grade I Signal (323) + Grade III (6,242)
- Single CBT — General Awareness, Maths, Reasoning, Basic Science & Engineering
- 14 practice questions based on the RRB Technician pattern — not official papers
By RojgarDekho Team | Updated: June 2026
RRB Technician CEN 02/2026 is one of the largest railway recruitments this cycle, with 6,565 posts for ITI holders. The selection is through a single Computer-Based Test (CBT), which makes it more accessible than multi-stage exams — but the competition is enormous, so accuracy and speed decide your fate. This article gives you the topic-wise breakdown of the RRB Technician CBT and practice questions so you prepare efficiently.
RRB Technician CEN 02/2026: 6,565 posts. Apply 30 June – 29 July 2026. ITI holders eligible. Check official notification →
RRB Technician CBT — Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 10 | 10 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 15 | 15 |
| Mathematics | 20 | 20 |
| Basic Science & Engineering | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 75 | 75 |
Duration is 90 minutes (120 minutes for PwBD with scribe). There is negative marking of 1/3 per wrong answer. The "Basic Science & Engineering" section carries the highest weight (30 of 75 marks) and is where ITI/technical candidates have a real advantage — this is the section that decides selection.
Basic Science & Engineering (30 marks) covers Physics fundamentals, Electricity, Electronics, measurements, units, and basic engineering concepts at the ITI level. Most candidates have similar scores in GA, Maths, and Reasoning — the gap that decides selection opens up in this technical section. Prioritise it.
Topic-Wise Question Frequency
| Section | High-Frequency Topics |
|---|---|
| Basic Science & Engineering | Units & measurements, Work-Power-Energy, Speed-Velocity, Heat & Temperature, Basic Electricity (Ohm's law, series/parallel), Electronics basics, Levers & simple machines, Occupational safety |
| Mathematics | Number system, BODMAS, LCM/HCF, Ratio & proportion, Percentage, Mensuration, Time-work, Time-distance, Simple & Compound Interest |
| Reasoning | Analogies, Series, Coding-decoding, Syllogism, Venn diagrams, Directions, Classification |
| General Awareness | Current affairs, Indian polity, geography, history basics, science in daily life, sports, important days |
14 Practice Questions — Topic-Representative
Practice questions modelled on the RRB Technician CBT. NOT official RRB papers.
Basic Science & Engineering
1. The SI unit of electric current is:
(a) Volt (b) Ampere (c) Ohm (d) Watt
Answer: (b) Ampere.
2. According to Ohm's law, V = IR. If V = 12 V and R = 4 Ω, what is the current I?
Answer: I = V/R = 12/4 = 3 amperes.
3. Two resistors of 6 Ω and 3 Ω are connected in parallel. What is the equivalent resistance?
Answer: 1/R = 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6, so R = 2 Ω.
4. The SI unit of power is:
(a) Joule (b) Newton (c) Watt (d) Pascal
Answer: (c) Watt (1 Watt = 1 Joule/second).
5. Which of these is a good conductor of electricity?
(a) Rubber (b) Glass (c) Copper (d) Wood
Answer: (c) Copper.
6. Work done is zero when the angle between force and displacement is:
(a) 0° (b) 45° (c) 90° (d) 180°
Answer: (c) 90° — Work = F × d × cos(90°) = 0.
Mathematics
7. The LCM of 12 and 18 is:
Answer: 36.
8. A shopkeeper marks an item 40% above cost and gives a 25% discount. What is his profit percentage?
Answer: Let CP = 100. MP = 140. SP = 140 × 0.75 = 105. Profit = 5%.
9. Simplify: 15 + 5 × 4 − 8 ÷ 2
Answer: BODMAS → 15 + 20 − 4 = 31.
Reasoning
10. Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Answer: 42 (differences 4, 6, 8, 10, 12).
11. If FAN is coded as 6-1-14, how is CAB coded?
Answer: Letters by position: C=3, A=1, B=2 → 3-1-2.
General Awareness
12. Who is the head of the Indian Railways at the apex (chairman of the Railway Board)?
Answer: The Chairman & CEO of the Railway Board heads Indian Railways administratively. (Verify the current name from recent current affairs.)
13. The "Gauge" of Indian Railways broad gauge is:
(a) 1.435 m (b) 1.676 m (c) 1.000 m (d) 0.762 m
Answer: (b) 1.676 m (Indian broad gauge).
14. Which vitamin is produced in the human body on exposure to sunlight?
Answer: Vitamin D.
Preparation Strategy — 4–6 Weeks to CBT
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1–2 | Basic Science & Engineering — Physics fundamentals, Electricity, Electronics (the 30-mark section) |
| Week 3 | Mathematics — arithmetic, mensuration, percentage, profit-loss |
| Week 4 | Reasoning + General Awareness (current affairs of last 6 months) |
| Week 5–6 | Full-length CBT mocks with negative marking; revise weak topics |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there only one CBT for RRB Technician?
Yes — RRB Technician (Grade III) selection is based on a single CBT, followed by document verification and a medical examination. Grade I Signal may have a slightly different scheme. There is no second-stage CBT for the Technician posts, unlike RRB NTPC. This makes the single CBT decisive.
Q: How important is the Basic Science & Engineering section?
Very important — it carries 30 of 75 marks, the highest weight. ITI and technical candidates have a natural advantage here. Since GA, Maths, and Reasoning scores tend to cluster, your performance in this technical section usually decides whether you clear the cut-off.
Q: Where can I find RRB Technician previous year papers?
Memory-based RRB Technician papers from CEN 01/2024 and earlier are available through railway-exam coaching platforms. RRB does release some past papers and answer keys on regional RRB websites after exams — check there. Practising RRB ALP/Technician papers of past years is the best preparation.
Why the Single CBT Format Suits ITI Candidates
Unlike RRB NTPC, which has two CBT stages, RRB Technician selection rests on a single CBT followed by document verification and a medical. This is good news for ITI holders: you do not need to survive multiple elimination rounds, and your technical training directly translates into marks in the Basic Science & Engineering section. The flip side is that one bad day in the CBT ends your attempt — so build consistency through repeated full-length mocks rather than relying on a single peak performance.
Normalisation — Why Your Raw Score Isn't Final
Because RRB conducts the Technician CBT in multiple shifts across days, raw scores are normalised to account for differences in shift difficulty. This means your final score may differ slightly from your raw marks. You cannot control which shift you get, so do not worry about it — focus on maximising accuracy. Practically, normalisation rewards consistent high accuracy; it does not rescue a low-attempt performance. Aim to attempt confidently across all sections.
5 More Practice Questions
15. The unit of electrical resistance is:
(a) Ampere (b) Ohm (c) Watt (d) Coulomb
Answer: (b) Ohm.
16. A body of mass 5 kg moves with a velocity of 4 m/s. What is its kinetic energy?
Answer: KE = ½mv² = ½ × 5 × 16 = 40 Joules.
17. In a transformer, if the primary has 100 turns and the secondary 200 turns, it is a:
(a) Step-down transformer (b) Step-up transformer (c) Isolation transformer (d) None
Answer: (b) Step-up transformer — more turns on secondary increases voltage.
18. The frequency of AC supply in India is:
(a) 50 Hz (b) 60 Hz (c) 100 Hz (d) 25 Hz
Answer: (a) 50 Hz.
19. A car covers 240 km in 4 hours. What is its average speed?
Answer: 240/4 = 60 km/h.
Cut-Off Expectation
RRB Technician cut-offs vary by region (RRB zone), category, and the post (Grade I vs Grade III). Based on past Technician/ALP cut-off trends, qualifying marks are set at minimum percentages — typically 40% for UR, 30% for OBC/SC, and 25% for ST — but the actual selection cut-off (for the limited posts) runs much higher, often 60–75% in competitive zones. Since there are 6,565 posts this cycle, the cut-off may be slightly more accessible than in low-vacancy years, but you should still target 55+ out of 75 to be safe in a competitive region.
| Category | Minimum Qualifying % | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UR / EWS | 40% | Qualifying floor, not selection cut-off |
| OBC / SC | 30% | Qualifying floor |
| ST | 25% | Qualifying floor |
| Realistic selection target | 55+ / 75 | In competitive zones |
How to Use the 30-Mark Technical Section
The Basic Science & Engineering section is your scoring engine. Focus your preparation on: basic electricity (Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, power = VI, energy), magnetism and electromagnetic induction basics, fundamental physics (units, work-energy-power, motion, heat), simple electronics (diode, transistor basics, semiconductors), and workshop/occupational safety. These are exactly the topics an ITI graduate has studied — revise them with the exam's objective format in mind. A candidate who scores 25+ out of 30 here builds a lead that is very hard for others to close in the remaining 45 marks.
Final Word
RRB Technician 2026 is a high-opportunity recruitment — 6,565 posts is a large number, and the single-CBT format is straightforward. Your edge is the technical section, your discipline is accuracy under the 1/3 negative marking, and your preparation tool is repeated full-length mocks. Treat the Basic Science & Engineering section as non-negotiable, keep your Maths and Reasoning steady, and stay current with the last six months of general awareness. That combination clears the CBT.
How to Approach the General Awareness Section Efficiently
The General Awareness section in RRB Technician carries only 10 marks, but those 10 marks are quick and scoring if you prepare smartly. Unlike the technical and maths sections, GA requires no calculation — pure recall. Focus your GA preparation on the last six months of current affairs (government schemes, sports, awards, appointments, important days), basic Indian polity (Constitution, Parliament, fundamental rights), geography (rivers, states, capitals), history highlights, and general science in daily life. Railway-specific GK — zones, gauges, important railway facts, the first railway, electrification milestones — also appears and is worth a quick revision because it is predictable. Since GA questions take seconds to answer, banking these 10 marks early in the exam frees up time for the calculation-heavy sections.
Maths Section — Speed Techniques
The Mathematics section (20 marks) is scoring if you have your basics solid. Most questions are at the ITI/Class-10 level: arithmetic, percentage, ratio, average, time-work, time-distance, simple and compound interest, mensuration, and number systems. The key is speed — learn tables up to 20, squares up to 25, and common percentage-fraction conversions. Practise BODMAS-based simplification daily because such questions are guaranteed and fast. For mensuration, memorise the formulas for area and volume of common shapes (rectangle, triangle, circle, cube, cylinder, cone, sphere). A candidate who is quick and accurate in Maths can finish this 20-mark section in good time and use the saved minutes on the technical section.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in the CBT
Three mistakes cost RRB Technician candidates the most. First, ignoring negative marking — at 1/3 per wrong answer, blind guessing erodes your score; only attempt when you can eliminate options. Second, spending too long on the technical section out of overconfidence and running out of time for the easy GA and Maths marks — manage your 90 minutes across all four sections. Third, neglecting mock tests in the actual CBT interface; the real exam is on a computer, and candidates who only practised on paper lose time fumbling with the on-screen navigation. Practise on a computer-based mock platform so the interface feels natural on exam day.
After the CBT — Document Verification and Medical
Clearing the CBT is the main hurdle, but the process does not end there. Shortlisted candidates undergo document verification, where you must produce your ITI/NTC certificate, NAC (if applicable), matriculation certificate (for date of birth), category certificate, and other documents. After that comes the medical examination — Indian Railways has specific medical fitness standards (vision, hearing, physical fitness) that depend on the post's medical classification. Technician posts typically require a certain vision standard, so if you wear glasses, ensure your corrected vision meets the norm. Keep all original documents organised and your medical fitness in mind well before the CBT result.
