RRB NTPC 2026 Exam Date: CBT 1, CBT 2 Schedule, Admit Card & Full Details

Summary

As of 20 July 2026, the RRB NTPC 2026 CBT 1 examination for CEN 07/2025 Undergraduate Level recruitment has already been completed. The exam was conducted in two phases on 7, 8 and 9 May 2026, followed by 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 June 2026. For each exam date, the city-intimation slip was released around 10 days before the examination, while admit cards were issued approximately four days before the respective exam date.

Candidates who qualify in CBT 1 will be shortlisted for the RRB NTPC CBT 2 examination, which is tentatively expected in September 2026. The exact CBT 2 schedule, result updates, city slip and admit-card dates will be announced separately by the Railway Recruitment Board. Candidates should regularly check the official RRB Chandigarh website at rrbcdg.gov.in and their respective regional RRB portals for confirmed updates.

Millions of aspirants have been waiting for one thing above all else: a confirmed RRB NTPC 2026 exam date. The Railway Recruitment Boards have now released the schedule for the Undergraduate level posts under CEN 07/2025, and the picture is finally clear. This guide pulls together every date that matters, from CBT 1 and CBT 2 to admit cards and city slips, so you can plan your final stretch without hunting across ten different notices.

More than 63 lakh candidates registered for these posts, which tells you exactly how tight the competition is. Knowing the timeline is step one. Let us walk through it.

Here is the full schedule in one quick table. Bookmark it, because these are the dates every other plan will hang on.

The RRB NTPC 2026 exam date for CBT 1 was spread across two clusters, early May and mid June, to accommodate the enormous applicant pool across 200 exam centres. CBT 2 follows for shortlisted candidates.

TCBT 1 is the first screening stage, and it was conducted on 7, 8 and 9 May, then again on 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 June 2026. The Boards ran the exam in three daily shifts:

1. Shift 1: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
2. Shift 2: 12:45 PM to 2:15 PM
3. Shift 3: 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Note that the originally planned 21 June date was dropped from the revised UPSC schedule, so always cross-check your admit card for the exact day and shift. Your personal date and reporting time appear only once the admit card is released. Do not make assumptions, and reach the centre well before the gate closes, usually 30 to 60 minutes in advance.

CBT 2 is the second computer-based test, and only candidates who clear CBT 1 in the required ratio move forward. Based on the current schedule, CBT 2 is expected around September 2026, though the RRBs will confirm the precise dates through a separate notice.

CBT 2 carries more weight in the final selection than CBT 1, so treat the gap between the two as prime revision time rather than a break. The syllabus overlaps, but the questions are tougher and the sectional cut-offs are stricter.

The exam date is only one piece of a longer journey. For Undergraduate level posts, selection typically runs through these stages:

1. CBT 1 (screening, qualifying in nature for most posts)
2. CBT 2 (the scoring stage that decides your merit)
3. Typing Skill Test or Computer Based Aptitude Test, depending on the post
4. Document Verification
5. Medical Examination

Each stage is elimination based, so a strong CBT 2 score means little if your documents are not in order. Keep your certificates, category proof and photographs ready well in advance.

Two documents matter in the final week before your exam, and candidates often confuse them.

The city intimation slip is released about 10 days before your exam date. It tells you which city your centre is in, plus your exam date and shift, so you can arrange travel and stay. It is not your entry pass.

The admit card, or e-call letter, is released roughly 4 days before the exam. This is the document you must carry to the centre, along with a valid photo ID. Download it from your regional RRB website, print it, and check every detail against your ID for spelling and photo clarity.

Knowing the RRB NTPC 2026 exam date is useful only if you also know what the paper looks like. CBT 1 for Undergraduate posts follows this structure:

The duration is 90 minutes, extended to 120 minutes for eligible PwBD candidates. There is negative marking of one-third of a mark for every wrong answer, so blind guessing hurts. CBT 2 follows the same three sections but with 120 questions and a higher difficulty band.

CEN 07/2025 announced 3,058 vacancies at the Undergraduate level across all RRB zones. The posts on offer include:

1. Junior Clerk cum Typist
2. Accounts Clerk cum Typist
3. Trains Clerk
4. Commercial cum Ticket Clerk

These are Level 2 and Level 3 posts on the pay matrix, and they remain some of the most sought-after entry routes into Indian Railways. With over 63 lakh applicants chasing roughly 3,000 seats under CEN 07/2025, the effective ratio is steep, which is exactly why timing your preparation to the exam date is not optional.

Turning up prepared is not just about the syllabus. On exam day, the RRBs are strict about documents, and a missing paper can cost you entry. Carry these without fail:

• A clear printout of your admit card or e-call letter. Download from upsconline.nic.in
• One original, valid photo identity proof, such as Aadhaar, PAN card, voter ID, passport or driving licence.
• A recent passport-size photograph, if asked for on the admit card.

Reach your centre well before the reporting time, since gates close sharply and late entry is not allowed. Leave phones, smartwatches, calculators, and any electronic device outside, because carrying them into the hall can lead to disqualification.

One point confuses many candidates. Because CBT 1 runs across several days and three shifts, the difficulty of each shift’s paper varies slightly. To keep the process fair, the RRBs apply a normalisation formula that adjusts raw scores to a common scale.

This means your final CBT 1 score may differ a little from your raw marks. You cannot control which shift you get, so focus only on maximising accuracy and attempts on your own paper. The normalised score is what carries forward to decide your CBT 2 shortlist.

A date on the calendar is only powerful if you work backwards from it. Here is a simple way to structure the run-in:

• Count the weeks left to CBT 2 and split them into revision and mock test phases.
• Take one full-length mock every week, at the same shift time as your real exam, to fix your body clock.
• Spend your last two weeks only on revision, previous year papers, and error analysis, not new topics.
• Keep General Awareness fresh with daily current affairs, since it is the largest section.

Consistency beats intensity here. A candidate who studies three focused hours daily for two months usually outscores one who crams for ten hours in the final week.

Conclusion

The RRB NTPC 2026 exam date gives you a fixed target, and that is a gift. Use the CBT 1 to CBT 2 window wisely, keep your documents ready, and always verify your date and shift on the official admit card rather than any third-party list. Steady, planned preparation is what turns a confirmed date into a confirmed job.