The Railway Recruitment Boards have issued an indicative notice on 12 October 2026 about when the first stage Computer Based Test for CEN No. 06/2026 — Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) — will begin. The CBT-I is tentatively planned to start in the fourth week of December 2026.
This is a heads-up, not a datesheet. The boards say a separate notice announcing the actual examination dates will be issued once they are finalised.
Why the RRBs published this
The notice says it plainly: the tentative schedule is being given “well in advance in the interest of the candidates, enabling them to plan the available time for exam preparation, to make necessary travel arrangements and other examination-related requirements.” In other words, you now know roughly how long you have. Use it.
Full CEN 06/2026 Notification Details Apply Online · rrbapply.gov.in Railway Exam Hub · Tamil
What the notice actually says
அறிவிப்பில் உள்ளது என்ன
The notice runs to five short points. In full:
- The first stage CBT for CEN No. 06/2026, covering various posts of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate), is tentatively planned to start in the fourth week of December 2026.
- A separate notice announcing the dates of the examination will be issued once the examination dates are finalised.
- The tentative schedule is being informed well in advance in the interest of candidates, so they can plan their preparation time, travel arrangements and other examination-related requirements.
- Candidates are advised to refer only to the official websites of the RRBs for the latest updates on the recruitment process, and not to be misled by unauthenticated sources.
- Beware of touts who try to misguide candidates with fake promises of appointment on illegal consideration. RRB selections are based on the Computer Based Test and recruitment is made strictly on the merit of candidates.
The timeline now
இப்போதைய கால அட்டவணை
| Stage | When | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Online applications open | 08.10.2026 | Done — open now |
| Last date to apply | 06.11.2026, 23:59 hrs | Confirmed in the CEN |
| Last date for fee payment | 08.11.2026 | Confirmed in the CEN |
| Modification window | 09.11.2026 to 18.11.2026 | Confirmed in the CEN |
| CBT 1 begins | Fourth week of December 2026 | Tentative — notice of 12.10.2026 |
| Exact CBT dates | A separate notice | Awaited |
| Exam city intimation slip | About 10 days before your exam date | Usual RRB practice |
| E-call letter | About 4 days before your exam date | Usual RRB practice |
Read “tentative” literally. The RRBs have moved CBT windows before. Nothing is fixed until the separate dates notice appears on the official RRB websites, and the city intimation slip is the first thing that tells you your date, shift and city.
What this means for your preparation
உங்கள் தயாரிப்புக்கு இதன் பொருள்
Counting from the middle of October, the fourth week of December is roughly ten weeks away. That is the entire runway, and it is a workable one for CBT 1 if you start now rather than in December.
CBT 1 is 100 questions in 90 minutes — General Awareness 40, Mathematics 30, General Intelligence and Reasoning 30, with one-third negative marking. It is a screening test: the marks do not count towards the final merit, they only decide who reaches CBT 2. The qualifying bar is 40% for UR and EWS, 30% for OBC-NCL and SC, and 25% for ST.
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–4 mid-Oct to mid-Nov |
Build General Awareness, the largest and slowest section at 40 of 100 marks. Daily current affairs alongside static GK — history, polity, geography, economy, general science to 10th standard. In parallel, finish the Mathematics syllabus topic by topic. |
| Weeks 5–8 mid-Nov to mid-Dec |
Previous-year papers, shift by shift. NTPC repeats heavily across shifts and cycles, and the CEN 06/2026 syllabus is unchanged from the 2025 CEN, so the old papers are directly relevant. Work reasoning daily — it is the most improvable section. |
| Weeks 9–10 mid-Dec onwards |
Full-length mocks at the real time of day your shift falls in, revision of what you got wrong, and the accuracy habit that negative marking demands. Keep the certificates and the e-call letter ready. |
One-third negative marking changes how you attempt
Three wrong answers cancel one correct answer. In a screening test where the bar is 40% or lower, a candidate who attempts 70 questions accurately usually beats one who attempts 95 by guessing. Practise leaving questions alone.
If you have not applied yet
இன்னும் விண்ணப்பிக்கவில்லை என்றால்
The exam date notice does not extend anything. The form still closes at 23:59 on 6 November 2026, and the fee must be paid by 8 November. Two things that cost candidates this cycle:
- Aadhaar first. The name and date of birth in your Aadhaar must match your 10th class certificate exactly, with your latest photograph and biometrics updated, and a working Aadhaar-seeded bank account for the fee refund. Corrections take days.
- One RRB, one application. More than one application against this CEN means all of them are rejected and you are debarred from future RRB and RRC examinations. The RRB you choose and the details in the Create an Account form can never be changed.
Everything else — the 3,548 vacancies, the four posts, age limits, fee, medical standards and the RRB Chennai breakdown — is in our full CEN 06/2026 notification guide.
Ignore unofficial exam dates
அதிகாரபூர்வமற்ற தேதிகளை நம்ப வேண்டாம்
Between now and the real dates notice, exact CBT dates will circulate on social media and on sites that invent them for traffic. The RRBs have put the warning in the notice itself: refer only to the official RRB websites, and do not be misled by unauthenticated sources.
The same notice repeats the standing warning about touts. Recruitment is strictly on CBT merit — nobody can arrange a railway post for a fee. If anyone asks for money beyond the official application fee paid on rrbapply.gov.in, it is a fraud.
Ten weeks is enough — with the right material
Tamil-medium preparation for the Railway exams from ATHIYAMAN ACADEMY — previous-year question banks, video classes and daily current affairs.
RRB NTPC Previous Year Questions · Tamil Book Video Classes Railway Exam Hub
Frequently asked questions
அடிக்கடி கேட்கப்படும் கேள்விகள்
Is the RRB NTPC CBT 1 date confirmed?
No. The notice of 12.10.2026 says the CBT is tentatively planned to start in the fourth week of December 2026. The actual dates come in a separate notice that the RRBs will publish once they are finalised.
Does this notice apply to CEN 07/2026 as well?
No. It names CEN No. 06/2026, the graduate level, only. Nothing has been said about the CBT schedule for the undergraduate CEN 07/2026, whose detailed notification is itself still awaited.
When will I know my exam date, shift and city?
From the exam city intimation slip, which the RRBs normally release about ten days before the exam, and then the e-call letter about four days before. Both are downloaded from your RRB’s page, reached from rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.
Can the date move again?
Yes. It is marked tentative, and the RRBs have revised CBT windows in earlier cycles. Prepare for the fourth week of December and treat any shift as extra time, not as a reason to slow down.
Has the last date to apply changed?
No. Applications still close at 23:59 on 06.11.2026, with fee payment until 08.11.2026 and the modification window from 09.11.2026 to 18.11.2026.
Source: Railway Recruitment Boards, CEN No. 06/2026 — Indicative Notice regarding tentative schedule of 1st stage CBT, dated 12.10.2026, issued by the Chairpersons, Railway Recruitment Boards. Application dates and the exam pattern are from the detailed CEN No. 06/2026. City intimation and e-call letter timings reflect usual RRB practice and are not stated in this notice. Published by ATHIYAMAN ACADEMY on 13 October 2026.