RRB ALP CBT-1 2026 Reactions: Easy-to-Moderate Paper, Maths Time-Consuming

The verdict

"The overall paper was Easy to Moderate, with Reasoning being the easiest section. Mathematics required careful calculation and ate into time, but nothing was out of syllabus. General Science had some tricky conceptual questions in certain shifts." — Aspirants across 13th–18th Feb shifts, based on feedback collated by coaching institutes

As per student reviews, the overall RRB ALP Shift 1 exam paper was moderate to hard, with a balanced mix of easy and concept-based questions across sections. However, candidates who attempted the 1st and 2nd shift reviewed that the exam was of an Easy to Moderate level, with the Mathematics section of Moderate level. The overall level of the exam held in the first shift was Moderate.

A total of 45 lakh candidates appeared for this RRB ALP recruitment exam. The ALP CBT 1 Exam was conducted on 13th, 16th, 17th and 18th February.

Topic-wise difficulty

Subject	Difficulty	Top complaint
Mathematics	Moderate	Calculation-intensive; time-consuming despite straightforward formulas
General Intelligence & Reasoning	Easy to Moderate	Most scoring section; familiar patterns from previous railway exams
General Science	Moderate	Conceptual Physics and Chemistry questions tricky in some shifts
General Awareness & Current Affairs	Moderate	Broad coverage required thorough revision of recent events and static GK

The overall difficulty level of the RRB ALP CBT 1 Exam 2026 ranged from easy to moderate, although the level varied slightly across examination dates and shifts. Mathematics was comparatively time-consuming because several questions required detailed calculations.

General Intelligence and Reasoning emerged as the most scoring section, with familiar questions based on standard railway examination patterns. While the Mathematics and General Science sections required careful calculation, the Reasoning section provided a good scoring opportunity for well-prepared aspirants.

General Science was moderate in most shifts, but candidates in some sessions found the conceptual Physics and Chemistry questions challenging. The General Science section was moderate, with questions largely based on school-level Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Section-wise breakdown

Mathematics

The Mathematics section remained calculation-based but not overly lengthy. Most questions were asked from Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Simplification, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, and Simple & Compound Interest. On 13th February, the maths section was comparatively easier, focusing more on direct formula-based questions. The 16th February shifts introduced slightly trickier arithmetic word problems, increasing the time required per question.

Reasoning

General Intelligence and Reasoning was one of the easiest and most scoring sections of the RRB ALP 2026 question paper. Most questions followed familiar patterns commonly seen in previous-year railway examinations.

General Science

Candidates who had studied Class 9 and Class 10 NCERT Science concepts found the section manageable.

Expected cutoff

Note: These are aspirant predictions based on exam difficulty and previous trends, NOT official cutoffs.

Category	Aspirant predicted (out of 75)	2026 Official CBT-1
General / EWS	40% (30 marks) qualifying	Released June 2026*
OBC-NCL	30% (22.5 marks) qualifying	Released June 2026*
SC	30% (22.5 marks) qualifying	Released June 2026*
ST	25% (18.75 marks) qualifying	Released June 2026*

*Candidates who appeared in the exam waited for the RRB ALP CBT 1 Result 2026 which was officially released on 12th June. The result has been published in PDF format on regional RRB websites along with zone-wise cut-off marks. RRB has released the merit list for RRB ALP CBT 1 Exam notifying 158,705 candidates shortlisted for CBT 2 Exam.

Minimum qualifying cutoffs apply (UR & EWS – 40%, OBC (NCL) – 30%, SC – 30%, ST – 25%). Actual zone-wise cutoffs vary based on vacancies and normalization.

Answer-key trackers

The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) released the answer key and response sheet for CBT 1 of the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP 2026) on 20 March 2026 for CBT Stage 1 candidates. To download the RRB ALP 2026 answer key, candidates have to enter their valid registration number, password, and security code.

Coaching institutes including Testbook, Career Power, Adda247, and PracticeMock released unofficial answer keys and exam analysis immediately after each shift based on candidate feedback.

Objection window: Candidates could raise objections on the provisional answer key. Candidates can raise objections by March 26.

What actually happened

Shifts 1 and 2 of the RRB ALP Exam 2026 were conducted successfully, and the candidates who appeared in the exam reported that there were major changes in the exam this year as compared to the previous year. However, contrary to some expectations, as per the student's feedback, it was reported that the RRB ALP Exam Pattern for 13th February Exam has been changed from the official.

Overall difficulty level of the exam in the 1st shift was "Easy to Moderate", and the maximum number of questions was from the Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude sections.

Overall, the paper was balanced, but speed and accuracy played an important role because candidates had to answer 75 questions within 60 minutes.

Pattern changes to note

For the newer CEN 01/2026 notification (for future cycles), General Awareness and Current Affairs section has been removed from the CBT 1 ALP Syllabus. Now, the Stage 1 Exam consists of only three sections. RRB has revised the CBT 1 exam pattern by removing the General Awareness section. The examination will now consist of three subjects only: Mathematics, Mental Ability, and General Science.

However, the February 2026 exam (CEN 01/2025) still followed the four-section pattern with General Awareness included.

What to do this week

If you qualified for CBT-2

• It is expected that the RRB ALP CBT 2 Exam Date 2026 will be on 28th July 2026 in two shifts. Start preparing for the more technical Part B based on your trade (Electrician, Fitter, Mechanic, etc.).
• CBT-2 Part A covers Mathematics, Reasoning, Basic Science & Engineering—revise CBT-1 topics and go deeper.
• Both CBT 1 and Paper 2 of CBT 2, along with the CBAT (Psycho Test), are qualifying in nature. CBT 1 marks are used only for shortlisting candidates for CBT 2 and are not considered for final merit ranking.

If waiting for final results

• Don't obsess over score comparisons—cutoffs are zone-wise and normalized across shifts.
• Keep documents ready: Candidates should keep all necessary documents ready during the application, exam, and document verification stages for smooth verification.
• Download your scorecard once available; RRB ALP CBT 1 Scorecard 2026 was released on 12th June 2026 on the official website.

General prep advice

• Practice with question papers from CBT 1 conducted on 13th, 16th, 17th, and 18th February 2026 if preparing for future cycles.
• Focus on speed drills for Maths—calculation accuracy under time pressure was the difference-maker.
• For CBT-2 aspirants: Start ITI/trade-specific revision early; Part B is fully qualifying but technical.

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Vacancy snapshot: The Railway Recruitment Board conducted the RRB ALP CBT 1 examination for Assistant Loco Pilot recruitment to fill 10,970 revised vacancies. A total of 10,03,719 candidates appeared for the CBT 1 exam.

Next milestone: The Railway Recruitment Board conducted RRB ALP CBT 2 Exam on 28th July 2026 for candidates who qualified in CBT 1 Examination. A total of 1,58,705 candidates appeared for the exam making it competitive.