The Railways is an important sector in India, providing thousands of job opportunities to aspirants. This year the RRB NTPC (Non-technical Popular Categories) have 35208 vacancies for different posts. This year the exam had been delayed due to the ongoing Pandemic. The examination’s final date is now released, and it is to be scheduled for 15th December 2020.
Here are some of the highlights of the examination and overall analysis:
Important things to remember
- The RRB NTPC exam is to be conducted online for Pay level 2,3,4,5 and 6.
- There are a total of 15 languages to choose from to give the examination.
- The selection procedure includes CBT paper 1, CBT paper 2, Skill/aptitude tests, and finally, document verification.
- The eligibility criteria are the stated 10+12 or degree from a recognized university with a minimum % of marks stated on their official website. The age limit is 18 to 30 years for the general category, and there are relaxations stated for other categories.
- The calculation would take place based on the normalization technique.
RRB NTPC Admit card
After the exam’s successful registration, students will be provided with an RRB NTPC admit card in mid of November 2020. The official date would be announced on their official website. The candidates would be allowed to download the admit card and carry the print out along to the examination center.
The Admit card will also be in two parts- One copy for the students and one for the RRB. The student’s copy is to be kept with themselves until the final recruitment process is finished. The admit card would have date and time, exam center details, and other relevant details.
RRB NTPC Exam pattern
- The CBT 1 examination will be of 90 minutes, with 100 questions divided into General Awareness, Mathematics, General Intelligence, and Reasoning. There would be 0.25 negative marks for every incorrect answer.
- The CBT 2 examination will also be of 90 minutes, comprising 120 questions and 120 marks. There would be 1/3 negative marking for each incorrect answer. There will be no section wise time limit. The scores will be calculated using Normalisation. A merit list will then be drawn along with announcing results for those who qualify for the next stage.
- In the next Typing skill and Aptitude skill test for specific posts, eight times more than the vacancies, candidates would be called. The candidates must have 30 words per minute typing speed in English and 25 words per minute in Hindi in the computer proficiency skill test. This would be without the use of any spell check or tools.
RRB NTPC Cut off
Multiple factors decide the cut off of the RRB NTPC exam. They are:
- The level of difficulty of the examination.
- The number of students who appeared for the exam.
- The Zone wise vacancies were released by the officials.
- Previous highest scores of the applicants.
The cut off marks are the minimum qualifying marks scored by the student. In the stage 1 CBT exam, 20 times the vacancies posted, candidates are qualified for the Stage 2 CBT exam.
The Cut usually ranges from 75-85 marks for the general category and lower for other categories.
Things to remember for qualifying RRB NTPC exam
- The RRB NTPC emphasizes medical standards. So, every applicant has to pass through the medical standards provided for each post.
- Candidates must start prepping for the examination before a couple of months. It does require practicing for various topics. Make a study plan accordingly.
- Ensure giving RRB NTPC mock tests regularly and analyzing the previous year’s papers and sample papers.
- As the exam is delayed in 2020, students have an ample amount of time to study for it. Make sure you go through the exam pattern, syllabus thoroughly and cover every topic.
- Ensure checking all the required things on the day of examination. Reach at least an hour before completing all necessary checks.
- Remain confident and attempt the ones first that you are confident at. Do not waste time on a particular question.
- The general awareness section needs preparation from various current affairs books, online resources, newspapers, and worldwide news.
- The Reasoning question would test your mental skill, so ensure you understand the question and accordingly answer those.
- Every section has sectional cut-offs, so do not skip a section which you aren’t comfortable with.
- The final step would be the document verification, and if everything is clear, you would be posted based on the zone wise vacancy.
