Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) have issued a schedule notice for the second-stage Computer Based Test (CBT-II) under CEN 07/2025, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under Graduate). The notice supplied to Citizen Affairs is dated 24 August 2026 and gives 17 September 2026 as the tentative CBT-II exam date.
For candidates, the date itself is only part of the update. The notice also explains when the Exam City & Date link, SC/ST Travel Authority and e-call letter are expected, and it gives important instructions about Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication at the examination centre.
Verification status: Citizen Affairs has the supplied image of the 24 August schedule notice and has independently verified the official CEN 07/2025 page, the detailed CEN PDF and the RRB candidate portal. At the time of our check on 24 August 2026, we could not independently locate the exact 24 August CBT-II schedule PDF on the official RRB pages available to us. The article therefore remains under verification. Do not book travel only on the basis of a forwarded image; re-check your regional RRB website first.
RRB NTPC UG CBT-2 2026: quick overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Recruitment | CEN 07/2025 — NTPC (Under Graduate) |
| Exam stage | Second-stage Computer Based Test (CBT-II) |
| Tentative exam date | 17 September 2026 |
| Exam City & Date link | 10 days before the exam date |
| SC/ST Travel Authority | With the city/date link for eligible candidates |
| E-call letter | 4 days before the exam date shown in city/date intimation |
| Exam authority | Railway Recruitment Boards, Ministry of Railways |
The word tentative matters. RRB can revise a schedule, so candidates should keep checking the official website of the RRB through which they applied.
Expected city slip and e-call letter dates if the exam remains on 17 September
The notice gives the release schedule in terms of days before the examination rather than separate calendar dates.
If 17 September 2026 remains the final exam date:
- the Exam City & Date link would be expected around 7 September 2026 because the notice says 10 days before the exam;
- the e-call letter would be expected around 13 September 2026 because the notice says 4 days before the exam date shown in the city/date intimation.
These two calendar dates are calculated references, not separate RRB announcements. If RRB changes the exam date, the city-intimation and e-call-letter timeline will move with it.
City intimation slip and e-call letter are not the same thing
The notice lists the Exam City & Date information and the e-call letter separately. This is useful because candidates often search for “RRB NTPC UG admit card” when the city slip is released and then assume the same document is the call letter.
The city/date information helps you know the examination city and date allotted to you. The e-call letter is the later document you should download from the official RRB link when it becomes active. Always follow the reporting time, venue and candidate instructions printed on your own e-call letter.
How to check the city slip and e-call letter safely
When the links go live, use a simple verification routine:
- Open the official website of the RRB through which you applied or start from the official CEN 07/2025 page.
- Look for the current CEN 07/2025 NTPC Undergraduate notice or candidate-login link.
- Check that the page is an official Railway Recruitment Board or RRB candidate portal before entering credentials.
- Log in only through the official link and view the Exam City & Date information when available.
- Return through the official RRB site for the e-call letter instead of using a link forwarded in a WhatsApp, Telegram or social-media group.
- Save a copy of the e-call letter and read the exam-centre instructions completely.
A search result or forwarded message can help you discover that a link may be live, but it should not replace checking the official RRB source.
SC/ST Travel Authority: what the notice says
The schedule notice states that the link for the Travel Authority for eligible SC/ST candidates will be made live along with the Exam City & Date information, 10 days before the examination date.
Eligibility and use of the travel authority depend on the recruitment rules and the candidate’s own status. Use only the travel-authority document generated through the official RRB system and read the instructions shown with it.
Aadhaar biometric authentication at the exam centre
The supplied notice says Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication will be carried out at the examination centre before entry into the examination hall.
Candidates are instructed to bring either:
- their original Aadhaar card, or
- a printout of e-verified Aadhaar.
The notice also advises candidates who have not already authenticated their identification through Aadhaar to log in with their credentials at the official RRB candidate portal so that entry and registration at the exam centre can be smoother.
Keep Aadhaar unlocked before the examination
RRB has specifically asked candidates, including those who verified Aadhaar during application submission, to make sure their Aadhaar remains in an unlocked condition in the UIDAI system before going to the exam centre.
The notice also asks candidates to ensure that the Aadhaar information relevant to identification is updated correctly. If you need to change or unlock Aadhaar, use only official UIDAI services. Do not share OTPs, Aadhaar credentials or login details with agents who claim they can “fix” exam verification.
Official RRB NTPC UG CBT-2 exam pattern
The detailed CEN 07/2025 notification independently confirms the second-stage CBT pattern. This is separate from the 24 August schedule notice and is useful for candidates planning their final revision.
| CBT-II component | Official pattern |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 120 |
| Total marks | 120 |
| General Awareness | 50 questions |
| Mathematics | 35 questions |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 35 questions |
| Standard duration | 90 minutes |
| Duration for eligible scribe users | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer |
The detailed CEN says the section-wise distribution is indicative, so candidates should prepare across the complete notified syllabus rather than assuming every paper must follow the table with absolute rigidity.
With 120 questions in 90 minutes, time management is important. Accuracy also matters because the one-third negative marking can reduce the benefit of random guessing.
What candidates should prioritize before CBT-2
A practical preparation plan for the remaining period is to focus on what directly affects the examination:
- revise high-yield General Awareness topics without abandoning Mathematics and Reasoning;
- practise timed sets because CBT-II has more questions than the first-stage paper;
- review mistakes from mock tests instead of only increasing the number of mocks;
- keep login credentials, Aadhaar and application details accessible before the city-slip window opens;
- avoid making non-refundable travel arrangements until the official city/date information is available;
- read the final e-call letter carefully because reporting time and venue instructions are candidate-specific.
Exam-day document and readiness checklist
Before leaving for the centre, verify the instructions on your own e-call letter. Based on the supplied schedule notice, candidates should pay particular attention to:
- original Aadhaar or printout of e-verified Aadhaar;
- Aadhaar remaining unlocked in the UIDAI system;
- correct identification details;
- printed or otherwise permitted e-call letter as instructed by RRB;
- reporting time and examination-centre address;
- any additional document or photograph requirement stated on the e-call letter.
The e-call letter should be treated as the final candidate-specific instruction sheet if any generic guidance differs from it.
Beware of fake links, agents and “guaranteed selection” claims
The notice tells candidates to rely only on official RRB websites for recruitment updates and warns against touts who make fake promises of railway jobs in exchange for money or influence.
No genuine RRB selection can be purchased through an agent. Do not pay anyone for a supposed “confirmed seat”, “inside setting”, leaked paper, biometric bypass or special access to the recruitment process.
Official sources used for this guide
- RRB Bhubaneswar CEN 07/2025 official notice page
- CEN 07/2025 detailed NTPC Undergraduate notification PDF
- RRB candidate portal
How Citizen Affairs verified this update
We separated the information into two evidence levels. The 17 September schedule, city-slip/e-call-letter timing and Aadhaar exam-day instructions come from the notice image supplied to Citizen Affairs. The CBT-II question pattern and negative-marking rules were cross-checked against the official detailed CEN PDF.
Because the exact 24 August schedule PDF was not yet independently located on the official RRB pages we checked, we have not labelled this article “officially confirmed”. We will update the verification status if the exact notice appears on an official RRB source or if RRB issues a revised schedule.
Before you act
The 17 September 2026 CBT-II date is described as tentative. Check your regional RRB website again before booking travel, and download your city information and e-call letter only from official RRB links.
Citizen Affairs is an independent public-information platform and is not affiliated with the Ministry of Railways or the Railway Recruitment Boards.
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Use this source-linked summary before reading the full explanation or opening an official portal.- Current status
- Under Verification
- Last verified
- 24 August 2026
- Deadline
- 17 September 2026 · Open
- Official sources
- 3
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Important dates
- CBT-II tentative exam date: 17 September 2026
- Exam City & Date / SC-ST Travel Authority: 10 days before the exam date
- E-Call Letter: 4 days before the exam date mentioned in the city/date intimation
This information is approaching its next editorial review. Confirm the latest instructions on the official destination.
- Last verified
- 24 Aug 2026
- Next review
- 27 Aug 2026
- Recorded deadline
- 17 Sept 2026
Transparency record
Updates and corrections
Material changes are recorded so you can see how this information evolved.Update history
- 2026-08-24: Published under verification from the supplied RRB schedule notice image. The exact 24 August notice PDF URL had not yet been independently located on the official RRB pages checked.
- 2026-08-24: Expanded with the official CBT-II pattern, practical city-slip/e-call-letter guidance, stronger source transparency and synchronized Bengali/Hindi editions.