Applications closed · CBT-1 from 3 November 2026

RRB ALP 2026 — CBT-1 Dates Out for 11,127 Assistant Loco Pilot Posts

Published 28 September 2026 · Last updated 28 September 2026, 6:00 PM IST · By the DC Job editorial desk · Compiled from RRB notices for CEN 01/2026

Where the recruitment stands

At 11,127 posts this is a noticeably larger intake than the 2025 cycle, which carried 9,970. Roughly 3.5 lakh candidates are reported to have applied.

Who was eligible

Matriculation plus ITI, a diploma, an apprenticeship or an engineering degree, with age 18 to 30 as on 1 July 2026. The fee was ₹500 for general candidates and ₹250 for reserved categories.

One condition caught people out: candidates awaiting the result of their qualifying examination were not eligible. Several railway recruitments allow a pending result; this one did not.

Selection stages

1. CBT-1 — 3 to 5 November 2026, screening only.
2. CBT-2 — two parts, Part A scoring and Part B qualifying on trade.
3. CBAT — Computer Based Aptitude Test, specific to ALP.
4. Document verification and medical examination.

The CBAT is what makes ALP different from every other railway recruitment. It tests psychological aptitude for driving duties, it cannot be prepared for the way a syllabus can, and it is qualifying with no re-attempt in the same cycle. Candidates who treat it as a formality after clearing two CBTs lose the post there.

Medical standard A-1 applies, with strict vision requirements including colour perception. Check yours before CBT-2 rather than at the medical.

Your score will not be your raw score

CBT-1 runs across three days in multiple shifts, so candidates sit different papers. Scores are normalised for paper difficulty, and the normalised figure decides selection. A candidate with a lower raw mark from a harder shift can finish above one with a higher mark from an easier shift.

Our guide on how results are calculated covers what that changes.

What to do between now and 3 November

• Watch for the city intimation slip, due about ten days before your date, and book travel as soon as it appears.
• Download the e-Call Letter from 31 October. Only that admits you to the hall, not the city slip.
• Check the photograph and signature on both. Errors take longer to fix than the four-day call letter window allows.
• Start CBAT familiarisation now. It is the stage most ALP candidates underestimate.

Official links

Questions