Preliminary Examination
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 40 | 25 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 40 | 20 min |
| Total | 80 | 80 | 45 min |
The two sectional clocks matter. Practising only one composite 45-minute paper can hide a section-selection problem.
Main Examination
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 50 | 30 min |
| Computer Knowledge | 40 | 20 | 15 min |
| General Awareness | 40 | 40 | 15 min |
| English or Hindi Language | 40 | 40 | 30 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 50 | 30 min |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 120 min |
Candidates opt for either the English Language test or the Hindi Language test. The medium available for the other sections follows the State/notification rules.
Negative marking — important nuance
For a wrong objective answer, the penalty is one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question. A blank answer has no penalty.
Do not casually convert that rule into “-0.25 for every Main question”. Some Main sections have 40 questions but 50 or 20 marks, so the assigned marks per question are not uniform across the whole paper.
Sectional and overall qualification
RRB PO uses qualifying requirements at both stages. Prelims candidates need to clear the required tests to reach Main; Main candidates must clear the applicable requirements to reach Interview.
Pattern interpretation
Prelims is only 80 questions of Reasoning + Quant. Main changes the skill mix sharply: 80 questions come from GA + Computer, 40 from Language, and Reasoning/Quant become higher-mark sections. A Prelims-only preparation plan is therefore structurally incomplete.
Interview
After Main, Officer Scale I has a 100-mark Common Interview. The final relative weight is Main 80 : Interview 20.