RPF Constable Exam Pattern 2026
The full RPF Constable exam pattern for 2026 — 5 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) on behalf of Railway Protection Force (RPF). Then take a free RPF Constable mock in the real pattern below.
Stage 1: Computer-Based Test (CBT)
- Mode
- Online CBT, single shift
- Sections
- General Awareness · Arithmetic · General Intelligence & Reasoning
- Questions
- 120 (GA: 50 · Arithmetic: 35 · Reasoning: 35)
- Marks
- 120 (1 mark per correct)
- Duration
- 90 minutes (120 minutes for PwBD candidates entitled to scribe)
- Negative marking
- -1/3 mark per wrong answer
GA carries the heaviest weight (50 of 120 = 42%) reflecting the security context — defence operations, RPF history, CAPFs, Indian Railways general facts. Qualifying marks: UR 35%, OBC-NCL/SC 30%, ST 25%. How the stage works: the 120 questions are served in one 90-minute block with no sectional lock, so you can move between General Awareness, Arithmetic and Reasoning in any order. A correct answer earns 1 mark and a wrong one loses one-third, which puts the break-even accuracy at 25% — attempt when you can rule out an option, leave it when you cannot. Marks are normalised across shifts before the shortlist for PET/PMT is drawn, and that shortlist is prepared RRB-wise (by the zone you applied to), category-wise and separately for male and female candidates, usually as a multiple of the vacancies notified. The CBT score you carry into the final merit is this normalised score; PET and PMT add nothing to it, so a higher CBT rank is the only way to improve your final position.
Stage 2: Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — Qualifying
- Mode
- Physical performance test at RPF training grounds
- Sections
- Run · Long Jump · High Jump
- Questions
- —
- Marks
- Qualifying only — no marks added to merit
- Duration
- Male: 1600m run in 5 min 45 sec, long jump 14 ft, high jump 4 ft. Female: 800m run in 3 min 40 sec, long jump 9 ft, high jump 3 ft.
- Negative marking
- —
2 chances are given for long jump and high jump. Run is single attempt. Failure in any one event = PET failure = disqualification. Practical points: the run is held on a marked track or ground in the morning session, so train at the same hour and on similar ground; wear the shoes you have trained in, since a blister on the day ends the attempt; and arrive with a light meal two to three hours earlier. Ex-servicemen are exempt from PET as per the notification, but must still clear PMT and DV. Long-jump and high-jump attempts are recorded by the RRB's officials and the better of the two counts, so treat the first attempt as a safe clearance and the second as the improvement. Candidates who are injured on the day cannot claim a re-test, which is why the notification asks you to appear only if fit; a medical certificate does not substitute for the event.
Stage 3: Physical Measurement Test (PMT) — Qualifying
- Mode
- Height and chest measurement
- Sections
- Height (all candidates) · Chest with expansion (males only)
- Questions
- —
- Marks
- Qualifying only
- Duration
- Same day or next, after PET
- Negative marking
- —
Measurement done by RRB-empanelled medical officers. Below minimum standard = disqualification. Relaxations apply for ST, Gorkha, Garhwali, Sikkimese, Hill area candidates as per notification.
Stage 4: Document Verification (DV)
- Mode
- Document examination at regional RRB office
- Sections
- Educational certificates · Date-of-birth proof · Category certificate · Identity proof · Photographs · Address proof
- Questions
- —
- Marks
- —
- Duration
- Variable — 2-4 hours per candidate
- Negative marking
- —
All claims in your application form must match documents. Discrepancies disqualify. Carry original + 2 self-attested photocopies of each document.
Medical Examination (post-DV appointment-fitness check)
- Mode
- Medical board at railway hospital
- Sections
- General fitness · Vision (incl. colour vision) · Hearing · BP · BMI · Disease screening
- Questions
- —
- Marks
- Qualifying only — Medical Standard B-1 (good distant vision, no colour blindness, no contagious disease)
- Duration
- 1 day at designated railway hospital
- Negative marking
- —
Conducted after DV as an appointment-fitness check, not a selection or merit stage. Vision standards — 6/9 in better eye, 6/12 in worse eye (without glasses), normal colour vision, no chronic disease. Failed candidates may seek a single re-medical from a higher medical board.
You know the pattern — now practise in it.
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