RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026: Key Details
The RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026 notification has been released for 119 graduate-level vacancies in Indian Railways. Eligible candidates can submit the online application until 14 August 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
The recruitment is being conducted under Centralised Employment Notice No. 03/2026. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree and must ordinarily be between 20 and 33 years old as on 1 July 2026.
Selected candidates will receive an initial basic pay of ₹35,400 per month under Level 6 of the Seventh Central Pay Commission. However, candidates must also meet the strict A-2 railway medical standard.
Latest update: The application process is currently open. RRB also issued Corrigendum No. 1 on 15 July 2026, correcting the railway zone shown against RRB Bhubaneswar from ECR to ECoR.
RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026 Overview
| Particular | Details |
|---|
| Recruiting authority | Railway Recruitment Boards |
| Department | Ministry of Railways, Government of India |
| Notification number | CEN No. 03/2026 |
| Post name | Section Controller |
| Total vacancies | 119 |
| Educational qualification | Graduate degree or equivalent |
| Age limit | 20 to 33 years |
| Age-calculation date | 1 July 2026 |
| Pay level | Level 6 |
| Initial basic pay | ₹35,400 per month |
| Application mode | Online |
| Selection process | CBT, CBAT, document verification and medical examination |
| Medical standard | A-2 |
| Application deadline | 14 August 2026 |
| Job location | Various railway zones across India |
Important Dates
Candidates should complete the application process before the deadline because account details and the selected RRB cannot be changed later.
| Event | Date |
|---|
| Indicative notice released | 27 June 2026 |
| Detailed notification released | 14 July 2026 |
| Online application started | 15 July 2026 |
| Last date to apply online | 14 August 2026, 11:59 p.m. |
| Last date to pay the fee | 16 August 2026 |
| Application correction window | 17 to 26 August 2026 |
| Scribe-details submission window | 27 to 31 August 2026 |
| CBT date | To be announced |
| CBAT date | To be announced |
RRB will announce the examination schedule through its regional websites. Therefore, applicants should keep their registered mobile number and email address active.
RRB Section Controller Vacancy 2026
A total of 119 vacancies have been notified. In addition, five horizontal vacancies are marked for eligible ex-servicemen. No separate PwBD vacancy has been notified in the vacancy table.
Category-Wise Vacancies
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|
| Unreserved | 50 |
| OBC–NCL | 29 |
| SC | 19 |
| ST | 12 |
| EWS | 9 |
| Total | 119 |
RRB-Wise Vacancy Distribution
| RRB | Vacancies |
|---|
| Ahmedabad | 11 |
| Ajmer | 1 |
| Prayagraj | 4 |
| Bengaluru | 8 |
| Bhopal | 6 |
| Bhubaneswar | 6 |
| Bilaspur | 4 |
| Chandigarh | 6 |
| Chennai | 9 |
| Gorakhpur | 5 |
| Guwahati | 1 |
| Jammu–Srinagar | 0 |
| Kolkata | 8 |
| Malda | 7 |
| Mumbai | 6 |
| Muzaffarpur | 3 |
| Patna | 6 |
| Ranchi | 14 |
| Secunderabad | 5 |
| Siliguri | 5 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 4 |
| Total | 119 |
RRB Ranchi has the highest allocation with 14 vacancies. Ahmedabad follows with 11 posts, while Chennai has nine.
Candidates can select only one RRB. Moreover, the chosen board cannot be changed after account creation and final submission.
Zonal Railway-Wise Vacancies
The table below includes the correction issued for RRB Bhubaneswar.
| Railway zone | Vacancies |
|---|
| Central Railway | 8 |
| East Coast Railway | 6 |
| East Central Railway | 17 |
| Eastern Railway | 7 |
| North Central Railway | 2 |
| North Eastern Railway | 5 |
| Northeast Frontier Railway | 6 |
| Northern Railway | 8 |
| South Central Railway | 5 |
| South East Central Railway | 2 |
| South Eastern Railway | 14 |
| Southern Railway | 13 |
| South Western Railway | 8 |
| West Central Railway | 5 |
| Western Railway | 13 |
| Total | 119 |
East Central Railway has the highest allocation with 17 posts. Meanwhile, South Eastern Railway has 14 vacancies.
RRB Section Controller Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the educational, age and medical requirements. Eligibility will initially remain provisional and will be verified during document verification.
Educational Qualification
Candidates must possess a graduate degree from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
The required qualification must be completed by the application closing date. Therefore, candidates awaiting their final graduation results should not apply.
Age Limit
The basic age limit is:
- Minimum age: 20 years
- Maximum age: 33 years
- Crucial date: 1 July 2026
The date of birth entered in the form must match the Class 10 or equivalent certificate.
Date-of-Birth Range
| Category | Candidate must not be born before | Candidate must not be born after |
|---|
| UR and EWS | 2 July 1993 | 1 July 2006 |
| OBC–NCL | 2 July 1990 | 1 July 2006 |
| SC and ST | 2 July 1988 | 1 July 2006 |
The category-specific dates already include the standard community relaxation.
Age Relaxation
| Category | Relaxation or maximum age |
|---|
| OBC–NCL | 3 years |
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| PwBD—UR/EWS | 10 years |
| PwBD—OBC–NCL | 13 years |
| PwBD—SC/ST | 15 years |
| Eligible railway employees—UR/EWS | Up to 40 years |
| Eligible railway employees—OBC–NCL | Up to 43 years |
| Eligible railway employees—SC/ST | Up to 45 years |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women—UR/EWS | Up to 35 years |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women—OBC–NCL | Up to 38 years |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women—SC/ST | Up to 40 years |
| Ex-servicemen | As calculated under the notification rules |
Candidates eligible under more than one provision will receive the highest applicable relaxation, not a combination of multiple relaxations.
A-2 Medical and Eyesight Standard
The Section Controller post carries the A-2 medical classification. Candidates must be physically fit in all respects and satisfy the prescribed vision conditions.
The general eyesight requirements are:
- Distant vision: 6/9 and 6/9 without glasses
- Near vision: Sn 0.6 and 0.6 without glasses
- Normal colour vision
- Satisfactory binocular vision
- Satisfactory night vision
- Satisfactory myopic-vision test
Candidates must submit the prescribed eye-specialist certificate on the CBAT examination day. Without it, they will not be allowed to appear for CBAT.
LASIK Surgery Rule
Candidates who have undergone LASIK or another surgical procedure to correct refractive error are not eligible for the Section Controller post.
In addition, candidates must submit the prescribed self-declaration regarding corrective eye surgery during document verification.
Important: Check the medical standard before applying. RRB will not offer an alternative post if a candidate fails the medical examination.
Application Fee
| Candidate category | Fee | Refund after appearing in CBT |
|---|
| All candidates except concession categories | ₹500 | ₹400 after deducting applicable bank charges |
| Female, transgender, ex-servicemen, SC, ST, minority, EBC and PwBD candidates | ₹250 | ₹250 after deducting applicable bank charges |
The refund applies only to candidates who appear in the CBT. Moreover, the refund will be credited through the Aadhaar-seeded bank-account process prescribed by RRB.
Applicants must pay the fee online through internet banking, debit card, credit card or UPI.
Note: EBC, EWS and OBC are different categories. EBC provides fee concession but does not provide job reservation.
How to Apply Online
Candidates can complete the RRB Section Controller online form by following these steps:
- Visit the official RRB application portal.
- Open the application page for CEN 03/2026—Section Controller.
- Create an account or log in with an existing RRB account.
- Complete Aadhaar verification, wherever applicable.
- Enter personal, category and communication details.
- Add the required graduation information.
- Select one RRB and enter railway-zone preferences.
- Capture the live photograph through the portal.
- Upload the signature in the prescribed format.
- Preview every entry carefully.
- Submit the application.
- Pay the examination fee online.
- Download the completed form for future reference.
Candidates who created an account for an RRB notification issued in 2024, 2025 or 2026 should use the same login credentials.
Although applicants may use a smartphone, RRB recommends a desktop or laptop because some application features may not work properly on mobile devices.
Submit Only One Application
Candidates must apply to only one RRB. Multiple applications to the same or different boards may result in:
- Rejection of every application
- Cancellation of candidature
- Debarment from future RRB and RRC examinations
Therefore, review the selected RRB and all account details before submission.
Documents to Keep Ready
Applicants should keep the following records available:
- Class 10 certificate for name and date-of-birth verification
- Graduation marksheets
- Degree or provisional degree certificate
- Aadhaar card
- Category certificate, where applicable
- OBC–NCL certificate, where applicable
- EWS certificate, where applicable
- EBC, BPL or other valid fee-concession proof
- Ex-serviceman documents, where applicable
- PwBD certificate, where applicable
- Name-change document, where required
- No Objection Certificate for eligible employees
- Scribe-related certificates, where applicable
- Prescribed eye-specialist certificate for CBAT
SC and ST candidates requesting a free railway travel pass must upload the relevant caste certificate in PDF format. Its file size must remain below 400 KB.
Selection Process
The RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026 selection process has four stages:
- Single-stage Computer-Based Test
- Computer-Based Aptitude Test
- Document Verification
- Railway Medical Examination
Candidates must qualify at every applicable stage. Final appointment will depend on combined merit, original-document verification, medical fitness and vacancy availability.
CBT Exam Pattern
The Computer-Based Test will contain 100 objective questions for 100 marks.
| Section | Indicative questions | Marks |
|---|
| Analytical and Mathematical Capability | 60 | 60 |
| Logical Capability | 20 | 20 |
| Mental Reasoning | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Key CBT Details
- Examination mode: Online
- Question type: Multiple-choice questions
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Marks per question: 1
- Negative marking: One-third mark per incorrect answer
- Normalisation: Applicable when the CBT is held in multiple shifts
The section-wise distribution is indicative. Therefore, the actual number of questions in each section may vary slightly.
Minimum Qualifying Marks
| Category | Minimum qualifying marks |
|---|
| UR | 40% |
| EWS | 40% |
| OBC–NCL | 30% |
| SC | 30% |
| ST | 25% |
Meeting the minimum percentage does not guarantee CBAT shortlisting. Instead, RRB will shortlist candidates according to normalised marks, category, merit and vacancy availability.
Official CBT Syllabus
Analytical and Mathematical Capability
This section includes:
- Number system
- Ratio and proportion
- Averages
- Percentages
- Profit, loss and discount
- Time, speed and distance
- Power and work
- Algebra
- Linear equations
- Arithmetic progression
- LCM and HCF
- Geometry
- Area and volume
- Basic probability
- Basic statistics
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Charts, graphs and tables
- Scatter plots
- Pie charts
- Venn diagrams
- Data sufficiency
- Data arrangement
Logical Capability
Important areas include:
- Binary logic
- Syllogism
- Clocks and calendars
- Assumptions
- Blood relations
- Family trees
- Logic-based puzzles
- Reading comprehension
Reading-comprehension passages will be in English. Questions may test the main idea, supporting idea, application, logical structure and style of a passage.
Mental Reasoning
This section includes:
- Analogies
- Series completion
- Coding and decoding
- Ranking
- Arrangement-based problems
The notification states that these topics are illustrative rather than exhaustive.
Computer-Based Aptitude Test
RRB will shortlist candidates for CBAT based on normalised CBT marks.
Key rules include:
- Candidates up to eight times the vacancies may be shortlisted from each community.
- The test will be available only in English and Hindi.
- Candidates must obtain a minimum T-score of 42 in every test battery.
- No category-based relaxation applies to the minimum T-score.
- Candidates must qualify in each test battery.
- CBAT has no negative marking.
- Candidates must carry the original prescribed vision certificate.
For final merit, RRB will give 70% weightage to CBT marks and 30% weightage to CBAT marks. Only candidates who qualify for CBAT will be considered for the merit list.
RRB Section Controller Salary
The Section Controller post falls under Level 6 of the Seventh CPC Pay Matrix.
| Salary component | Details |
|---|
| Initial basic pay | ₹35,400 per month |
| Pay level | Level 6 |
| Other benefits | Admissible allowances under railway rules |
The final monthly salary will depend on the place of posting, applicable allowance rates and statutory deductions.
Important Instructions
Before submitting the form:
- Apply only through an official RRB website.
- Use your own active mobile number and email address.
- Select only one RRB.
- Enter the date of birth exactly as shown on the Class 10 certificate.
- Confirm that the graduation result was declared before the closing date.
- Check the A-2 medical and LASIK conditions.
- Upload a valid live photograph and signature.
- Pay the fee by 16 August 2026.
- Save the registration number and completed application.
- Ignore unofficial recruitment websites and social-media notices.
RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026 FAQs
What is the last date for fee payment?
Applicants can pay the examination fee until 16 August 2026.
What qualification is required?
Candidates need a graduate degree from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
Can candidates awaiting graduation results apply?
No. Applicants must already possess the required qualification. Candidates awaiting final results should not apply.
What is the age limit?
The basic age limit is 20 to 33 years as on 1 July 2026. Eligible categories receive relaxation according to the notification.
What is the examination fee?
The fee is ₹500 for general fee categories and ₹250 for eligible concession categories.
Is the application fee refundable?
Candidates who appear in CBT can receive the prescribed refund after applicable bank charges. The refundable amounts are ₹400 from the ₹500 fee and ₹250 from the concession fee.
Is there negative marking?
Yes. RRB will deduct one-third mark for each incorrect CBT answer. However, CBAT has no negative marking.
Conclusion
The RRB Section Controller Recruitment 2026 provides 119 opportunities for graduates seeking a Level 6 position in Indian Railways. Since the post carries strict aptitude and eyesight requirements, applicants should confirm both academic and medical eligibility before submitting the form.
Complete the application by 14 August 2026, pay the fee by 16 August 2026, and retain a copy of the final form. Also, follow only official RRB websites for the exam date, city-intimation slip and admit-card updates.
Share this article with other railway aspirants so they do not miss the application deadline.
