from job-portal reports of Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) No. 09/2026: the Railway Recruitment Boards have released the detailed notification for Isolated Categories posts, applications run from 5 November to 4 December 2026, and the selection starts with a 100-mark Computer Based Test. Still pending: the exam date. We could not open the official notification PDF, so the syllabus below follows portal transcriptions of it, mainly Quick Sarkari’s post-wise page.
What is confirmed
RRBs issued an indicative notice for CEN 09/2026 on 21 October 2026 and, per portals, the detailed notification and the online form went live on 5 November. Applications close on 4 December 2026 at 11:59 PM on rrbapply.gov.in. No exam date has been announced.
The recruitment covers seven posts: Chief Law Assistant, Public Prosecutor, Senior Publicity Inspector, Junior Translator (Hindi), Staff and Welfare Inspector, Scientific Assistant (Training) and Lab Assistant Grade III (Chemist and Metallurgist). Selection is a single-stage CBT, a qualifying Translation Test for Junior Translator (Hindi) only, document verification and a medical examination.
191 posts or 195?
The indicative notice of 21 October was reported as 195 tentative vacancies. The detailed notification is reported by Careerpower, Karmasandhan, FreeJobAlert and others as 191 vacancies. Use 191, and expect small differences between sites that haven’t updated.
Karmasandhan’s post-wise split is: Chief Law Assistant 17, Public Prosecutor 21, Senior Publicity Inspector 8, Junior Translator (Hindi) 79, Staff and Welfare Inspector 27 and Scientific Assistant (Training) 3. The Lab Assistant Grade III figure is cut off in the text we saw. Subtracting gives 36, but that is our arithmetic, not a reported number.
Older pages titled “Ministerial and Isolated Categories” describe CEN 07/2024, a 1,036-post drive that included teaching and librarian-type posts and a different set of skill tests. One portal tracks the shrinkage: 1,036 posts in CEN 07/2024, 312 in CEN 08/2025 and about 195 now. Don’t use syllabus pages from those cycles for the Professional Ability section of this one, because it changes by post and by cycle.
Exam pattern at a glance
This pattern applies to every post except Junior Translator (Hindi).
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Ability | 50 | 50 |
| General Awareness | 15 | 15 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 15 | 15 |
| Mathematics | 10 | 10 |
| General Science | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
- Duration: 90 minutes, or 120 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe.
- Objective multiple-choice questions, one mark each.
- Negative marking: one-third mark for every wrong answer.
- Minimum qualifying marks: 40% for UR and EWS, 30% for OBC (NCL) and SC, 25% for ST. A 2-mark relaxation for PwBD candidates may apply in case of shortage.
Half the paper is Professional Ability, set separately for each post. For most candidates this is the section that decides the result.
Junior Translator (Hindi): a different paper
Junior Translator (Hindi) is the largest post, at 79 of 191 vacancies, which is about 41 percent, and its CBT is different:
| Section | Questions |
|---|---|
| Hindi Language | 30 |
| English Language | 20 |
| General Knowledge, General Intelligence, Simple Arithmetic and Basics of Computer | 50 |
| Total | 100 |
Language questions are not translated: Hindi questions are in Hindi only and English questions in English only. The difficulty is reported as 12th standard. Candidates equal to ten times the vacancies are called for the Translation Test, which is qualifying only, with 60 percent pass marks. The final merit list for this post is based on CBT marks only.
The language syllabus is built in blocks of equal weight. Hindi has ten topics at three questions each: synonyms, paryayvachi shabd, antonyms, pratyay, upsarg, sandhi vichchhed, idioms and proverbs, tatsam-tadbhav, one word for a phrase, and word or sentence correction. English has ten topics at two questions each: synonyms and antonyms, translation into Hindi, prefixes and suffixes, phrases and idioms, word sequencing, pronouns, verbs and tenses, articles, prepositions and conjunctions, adjectives and adverbs, question tags, and active and passive voice.
Common subjects (all other posts)
| Subject | Topics, as reported |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Number System, BODMAS, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, elementary statistics, square root, age calculations, calendar and clock, pipes and cistern |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | Analogies, alphabetical and number series, coding and decoding, mathematical operations, relationships, syllogism, jumbling, Venn diagrams, data interpretation and sufficiency, conclusions and decision making, similarities and differences, analytical reasoning, classification, directions, statement-arguments and assumptions |
| General Awareness | Current affairs, Indian geography, culture and history including the freedom movement, polity and Constitution, economy, environmental issues, sports, scientific and technological developments |
| General Science | Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences up to 10th standard CBSE |
These four sections add up to 50 marks, the same as Professional Ability by itself.
Professional Ability: Staff and Welfare Inspector (50 questions)
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Industrial Relations: Industrial Disputes Act 1947, Trade Union Act 1926, Standing Orders Act 1946 | 9 to 11 |
| Social Security: Workmen’s Compensation, EPF, ESI, Maternity Benefit | 9 to 11 |
| Wages: Minimum Wages, Payment of Wages, Bonus, Gratuity | 9 to 11 |
| Conditions of Work: Factories Act 1948, Mines Act 1952 | 7 to 10 |
| Basics of computers: input and output devices, MS Office | 3 to 5 |
| Right to Information Act | 2 to 4 |
| New Pension Scheme | 1 to 3 |
The four labour-law blocks alone are 34 to 43 of the 50 questions.
Professional Ability: Chief Law Assistant (50 questions)
The syllabus lists 20 topics with these ranges: Code of Civil Procedure 5 to 7; Indian Constitution 3 to 5; Labour Laws 3 to 5; Jurisprudence 3 to 4; Hindu Law 3 to 4. Administrative Law, Law of Torts, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, Indian Contract Act, Limitation Act, Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Transfer of Property Act and Company Law each get 2 to 3 questions. Specific Relief, Partnership, Consumer Protection, Protection of Human Rights and the Right to Information Act get 1 to 3 each.
The ranges add up to between 42 and 65 questions against a 50-question section, so each topic gets very few questions and almost none can be skipped.
Professional Ability: Public Prosecutor (50 questions)
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Legal concepts (person, property, ownership, possession, rights, State) | 3 to 4 |
| Criminology and penology | 3 to 4 |
| General principles of crime | 3 to 4 |
| General Exceptions under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita | 5 to 7 |
| Offences against the human body | 3 to 4 |
| Offences against property and other offences | 5 to 7 |
| Criminal justice administration | 5 to 7 |
| Principles of evidence (Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023) | 5 to 7 |
| Constitutional rights of the accused and arrested | 5 to 7 |
| Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita | 5 to 7 |
| RPF Act 1957, Railways Act 1989, Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966 | 5 to 7 |
Professional Ability: Senior Publicity Inspector (50 questions)
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Communication: history, tools, types, theories, process, forms | 12 to 15 |
| Mass communication: journalism, press codes and ethics, models, public opinion | 12 to 15 |
| Advertising: concept, brand management, campaigns, ethics and law, agencies, DAVP, INS, ISA, AAAI | 10 to 13 |
| Public relations: process, media relations, event and crisis management, PR laws, computer applications | 10 to 13 |
| Social media: blogs, Twitter, YouTube | 3 to 5 |
Professional Ability: Scientific Assistant (Training) (50 questions)
Basic psychological processes (7 to 8), psychology of personality (5 to 7), and 6 to 8 each for counselling and training, research methodology, test construction, statistical methods in psychology and applied psychology.
Professional Ability: Lab Assistant Grade III, Chemist and Metallurgist (50 questions)
The topics are mechanical testing (4 to 8), materials such as steel, cast iron, non-ferrous metals, rubber, plastics and composites (6 to 8), testing of rubber, wood, adhesives, PVC, plywood, foam and FRP (3 to 6), testing of oils, lubricants and grease (3 to 5), and 2 to 5 each on equipment, electroplating, radiography and several others. The list also covers estimation of elements in steel, painting schedules and paint defects in coaches, ROZ primer and PU paints, ultrasonic testing, and magnaflux and dye penetrant testing.
What the numbers imply
Guessing is neutral at best. With a one-third penalty, a blind guess on a four-option question has an expected value of exactly zero (0.25 minus 0.75 x 1/3). If you can remove one option, the expected value turns positive, about +0.11. That assumes four options, which the summaries don’t confirm. A guess is only worth taking when you can eliminate at least one option.
The criminal codes changed. Chief Law Assistant and Public Prosecutor both list the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, not the older criminal statutes. A candidate studying from a pre-2024 bare-act or guide will be revising the wrong sections.
Railway-specific law is its own block. For Public Prosecutor, the RPF Act, Railways Act and Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act together account for 5 to 7 questions. General criminal-law books don’t cover them, so get the Acts themselves.
Breadth beats depth in Chief Law Assistant. With 20 topics and 1 to 7 questions each, a candidate who knows five subjects deeply will lose more than one who knows twenty at moderate depth.
Lab Assistant is the most specialised. Its topics (coach painting, ROZ primer, radiography) come from railway workshop practice. Mainstream guides are unlikely to cover them, so the notification’s topic list is the primary study material.
Application details that affect when to start
Portals report an application fee of Rs. 500 for UR, OBC and EWS candidates (Rs. 400 refunded after appearing in the CBT) and Rs. 250 for SC, ST, PwBD, female, transgender, ESM, minority and EBC candidates (refunded in full after appearing). Age is counted as on 1 January 2027. The reported limits include 18 to 40 for Chief Law Assistant, 18 to 32 for Public Prosecutor and 18 to 33 for Staff and Welfare Inspector. The qualifications are post-specific. For example, Chief Law Assistant reportedly needs a law degree plus three years’ practice as a pleader, and Public Prosecutor a law degree plus five years as an advocate. Check each against the notification.
Preparing: a practical order
- Choose your post first, since it decides half the paper.
- Read your post’s Professional Ability list and mark the highest-weight topics.
- Spend about one-third of study time on the 50 marks of common subjects. Mathematics and reasoning are the most predictable.
- Practise in 90 minutes with the 1/3 penalty on, so that skipping becomes a habit.
- For Junior Translator (Hindi), practise Hindi and English language blocks equally, since the two sections are tested in separate languages.
| Description | Direct Link |
|---|---|
| RRB Isolated Categories Official Notification PDF | Click here |
| RRB Isolated Categories Apply Online | https://www.rrbapply.gov.in/ |
| RRB Official Website | https://rrb.indianrailways.gov.in/ |
| RRB Examination Updates | Check RRB Notifications |
Important Official Links:
- RRB Official Website: https://rrb.indianrailways.gov.in/
- RRB Apply Online Portal: https://www.rrbapply.gov.in/
FAQs
Is the Professional Ability section the same for every post? No. It is 50 marks in each CBT but is set separately for each post. Junior Translator (Hindi) has no Professional Ability section and uses a language-based paper instead.
How many posts are in CEN 09/2026, 191 or 195? The indicative notice of 21 October was reported as 195. The detailed notification is reported as 191. Use 191 until the official PDF says otherwise.
Is there negative marking? Yes, one-third of a mark per wrong answer in the CBT.
Do I need to prepare a different syllabus than the 2025 round? Check. The common subjects look the same, but the post-wise Professional Ability list changes by cycle. The current criminal law syllabus uses the new Bharatiya codes.
When is the exam? Not announced. Applications close on 4 December 2026.