RRB NTPC Cutoff 2026 — Category-Wise Cut Off Marks & Previous Year

The RRB NTPC Cutoff is a key factor in railway recruitment, determining which candidates advance from CBT-1 to CBT-2 and ultimately to the final merit list. Railway Recruitment Boards release zone-wise cutoffs, meaning cutoff scores vary across different RRBs (e.g., RRB Allahabad may have different cutoffs than RRB Chennai) based on the number of applicants and vacancies in each zone.

How RRB NTPC Cutoff Works

RRB NTPC cutoffs are determined separately for each stage:

• CBT-1 Cutoff: Screening stage — determines who proceeds to CBT-2. Typically 15-20 times the number of vacancies are shortlisted.
• CBT-2 Cutoff: Merit stage — final selection is based on normalised CBT-2 scores. Post-wise cutoffs apply (Station Master vs Junior Clerk cutoffs differ).

RRBs apply normalisation across multiple shifts to ensure fairness. The cutoff is based on normalised scores, not raw marks. This accounts for variations in question difficulty between different exam shifts.

RRB NTPC Cutoff Trend Analysis (2019–2024)

Over the past three recruitment cycles, RRB NTPC CBT-1 cutoffs have shown moderate fluctuation. General category cutoffs ranged from 54.22 (2019) to 62.50 (2024), showing a general upward trend. The significant jump between 2021 and 2024 cutoffs reflects both increased competition and higher candidate preparedness.

OBC cutoffs have tracked a similar pattern, rising from 47.65 (2019) to 55.75 (2024). SC and ST cutoffs show smaller absolute increases but remain proportionally challenging given the reservation quotas.

Expected RRB NTPC 2026 Cutoff

Based on the 3-cycle trend, the RRB NTPC 2026 CBT-1 cutoff for General category is expected to be in the 63–68 range out of 100 marks. However, the actual cutoff will depend on the total vacancies (estimated 11,558), number of applicants (expected 1.5+ crore), and exam difficulty level.

Candidates should target a score of 70+ marks in CBT-1 to be safely above the expected cutoff across all RRB zones. For CBT-2, a score of 80+ out of 120 is recommended for Graduate-level posts.