The provisional answer key and response sheet are live and the objection window is open until 25 October 2026, 11:55 PM (as reported from the RRB notice). The final answer key, CBT result, cut-off and CBAT dates have not been announced.
The CBT for CEN 03/2026 was held on 12 and 13 October. The answer key, question paper and recorded responses went live on 16 October 2026, and candidates can challenge answers until 11:55 PM on 25 October. That leaves six days, counting today and the deadline day. Most of this article is about using them well.
Dates at a glance
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CBT held | 12–13 October 2026 | Adda247, citing RRB notice |
| Answer key and objection link live | 16 October 2026 | Adda247, careerpower.in |
| Objection deadline | 25 October 2026, 11:55 PM | Adda247, citing RRB notice |
| Final key, CBT result, cut-off | Not announced | — |
| CBAT date | Not announced | — |
I could not open the RRB’s own answer-key notice. The objection dates above come from aggregator reports of it. Confirm them on your login page before planning around them.
Two Section Controller cycles are circulating
Search for this exam and you will find answer-key pages for two different recruitments. CEN 04/2025 had its CBT on 11–12 February 2026, and its key was released on 26 February. CEN 03/2026 is the current one. If your response sheet says CEN 03/2026, ignore anything dated February. Aggregators also disagree on the vacancy count for the earlier cycle (one tracker reports 368), and I have not verified that figure against an official source.
Scoring: how to read your own sheet
The official notification sets 100 questions in 120 minutes, with one-third of a mark deducted for each wrong answer. The structure is indicative: 60 questions on analytical and mathematical capability, 20 on logical capability, 20 on mental reasoning.
Raw score = correct − (wrong ÷ 3). As an illustration, 80 correct, 12 wrong and 8 unattempted gives 80 − 4 = 76.
That 76 is not the number the RRB will use. Marks are normalised when the CBT runs in multiple shifts. The tool that compares you with other candidates only works on normalised scores, so treat your raw score as a rough guide. The most common error is checking against the wrong shift. Make sure the paper on screen carries your date and shift before you start counting.
Objections: what to challenge and what to leave
The fee is ₹50 per question plus bank charges, and it is refunded (minus bank charges) if the objection is upheld. That price is small, but it adds up if you challenge a dozen questions on instinct.
A few habits separate useful objections from wasted ones:
- Challenge a question only when you can name a printed source for your answer, such as a standard textbook chapter or a published formula. “I feel option B is right” will not move a review panel.
- Note the Question ID before you click anything. Each objection is tied to that ID, and the same question can appear with options in a different order on another candidate’s paper.
- Translation problems are a real category. The CBT was available in English, Hindi and thirteen regional languages, and a wrongly rendered number or option in a regional paper is a legitimate ground.
- Save the payment confirmation and a screenshot of every objection you file. The portal can be slow in the last hours, and a missing receipt cannot be reconstructed later.
RRBs have historically not sent individual replies to objections, though the CEN does not say how they will handle them. Expect the outcome to show up only as a change in the final key.
What happens after the final key
Per the official CEN, the CBT is a screening test. For each community, within each RRB, 8 times the number of vacancies are shortlisted for the CBAT on CBT merit. The CBAT is qualifying in every test battery, with a minimum T-score of 42 and no relaxation for any category. There is no negative marking in it. Final merit is 70% CBT and 30% CBAT, and candidates equal to the vacancies are called for document verification.
Two practical consequences follow. First, the pool is local. With 119 vacancies spread across the RRBs, a single community in a single RRB may have only a handful of seats. An illustration, not a real figure: if a category had 4 seats in your RRB, about 32 candidates would be called for CBAT. Cut-offs will differ sharply between RRBs, so the all-India number you see on social media is the wrong benchmark. Second, the CEN says the choice of RRB is final and applying to more than one RRB leads to rejection of all applications. Nothing can be changed now, so your best comparison is your own RRB’s earlier results.
CBAT also has a paperwork trap. Shortlisted candidates must bring an original vision certificate in the prescribed format (Annexure VI or VI-A) to the CBAT, and without it they are not allowed to sit the test. The same notification says candidates who have had Lasik or another refractive surgery are not eligible for the post. A candidate who clears the CBT but cannot produce the certificate loses the stage, and no marks are involved.
Cut-off: nothing official yet
No CEN 03/2026 cut-off exists. For reference, the earlier cycle (CEN 04/2025) had its CBT result and cut-offs published RRB by RRB, and the Ahmedabad RRB’s official result PDF is on rrbahmedabad.gov.in. I am not reproducing figures from third-party “expected cut-off” tables. Any number you see before the result is a guess, and you should treat it that way. The one official cut-off rule is the minimum qualifying percentage:
| Category | Minimum qualifying marks (official CEN) |
|---|---|
| UR / EWS | 40% |
| OBC-NCL / SC | 30% |
| ST | 25% |
These are floors, not selection cut-offs. The actual CBAT shortlist line is set by merit in each RRB and community.
Vacancies, pay and eligibility, briefly
Vacancies. The official notice lists 119 posts, Level 6 in the 7th CPC pay matrix, with initial pay of ₹35,400. A third-party tracker splits them UR 50, OBC-NCL 29, SC 19, ST 12, EWS 9, which adds up to 119. The official table is Annexure B of the CEN. The same tracker puts in-hand salary at roughly ₹56,946–₹64,026, which is an unofficial estimate that depends on posting city and allowances.
Age and education. The age limit is 20 to 33 years as on 1 July 2026, with a university degree as the minimum qualification. Some aggregator pages print a different reference date, so use the one in the CEN. Relaxation is 3 years for OBC-NCL and 5 for SC/ST, with further relaxation for ex-servicemen, PwBD and certain railway employees.
Fee. The application fee was ₹500 (₹400 refunded after appearing in the CBT), or ₹250 for the concession categories, refunded after appearing. Applications closed on 14 August 2026, so there is nothing left to apply for in this cycle.
Syllabus. Mathematics (number system, percentages, time-speed-distance, basic geometry, probability), data interpretation and sufficiency, logical reasoning, English reading comprehension, and mental reasoning (analogy, series, coding-decoding, ranking).
Job profile. Section Controller is a safety-category traffic post. Job portals describe the work as directing train movement from a control office. That is a general description rather than a quote from the CEN. Per the notification, selected candidates go through training on a stipend, and requests for inter-railway transfer are not registered until 5 to 10 years of service are complete.
Documents for the later stages. The CEN asks for originals plus two sets of self-attested photocopies at DV. Certificates must be in the prescribed annexure formats. An OBC-NCL certificate must be issued on or after 1 April 2026, and EWS certificates must reflect financial year 2025–26. Keep a passport photo no older than two months and a valid original photo ID ready, along with the vision certificate described above.
important Links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Answer Key and Response Sheet Portal (Direct Login) | rrb.digialm.com |
| RRB Official Application Portal | rrbapply.gov.in |
| Ministry of Railways — RRB Official Website | rrb.indianrailways.gov.in |
| Official Answer Key Notice PDF (CEN 03/2026, dated 16.10.2026) | Click Here to Download PDF |
| Ministry of Railways Official Portal | indianrailways.gov.in |
| Indian Railways 5664 Posts Recruitment 2026 — Agrijob Guide | Indian Railways Recruitment 2026 |
| RRB Helpline Email | rrb.help@csc.gov.in |
| RRB Helpline Phone | 9592001188 / 01725653333 (10 AM–5 PM, working days) |
FAQs
Does my score from the answer key decide my selection?
No. It is an unnormalised estimate. The RRB shortlists on normalised marks, and the shortlist is made community-wise within each RRB.
Will I get my objection fee back if the key changes?
Only if your objection is accepted as valid, and then only after bank charges are deducted, to the account you paid from. The refund of the ₹400 or ₹250 application fee is a separate matter. It is paid to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account after you appear in the CBT.
Why do some sites say 368 vacancies and others 119?
They are different recruitments. CEN 03/2026 is the current one, with 119 posts per the official notice. The 368 figure belongs to CEN 04/2025 as reported by a third-party tracker.
I had Lasik. Can I still sit the CBAT?
The CEN says candidates who have undergone Lasik or another surgical correction for refractive error are not eligible for this post. A self-declaration in Annexure VI-B is also required at document verification.
Can I raise an objection after 25 October?
Nothing in the sources I checked suggests an extension. Treat the deadline as final unless your RRB’s website says otherwise.