RRB NTPC 2026 UG Answer Key Released: How to Download and Raise Objections

The Railway Recruitment Boards have released the RRB NTPC 2026 Undergraduate answer key for CBT 1 exam under CEN 07/2025. This is a significant moment for thousands of candidates who appeared for the exam between May 7 and June 20, 2026. The answer key is now available on both official and regional RRB portals.

Candidates can download their response sheet, question paper, and answer key using their registration ID and password. The objection window remains open until July 5, 2026 at 11:55 PM, giving candidates enough time to review and challenge any answers they believe are incorrect.

What Documents Are Available for Download?

The Railway Recruitment Boards have made four important documents available to candidates:

• Answer key for CBT 1
• Question paper
• Response sheet showing your marked answers
• Objection tracker

These documents help you calculate your probable score and identify any discrepancies in the provisional answer key.

Steps to Download Your Answer Key

Getting your hands on the answer key is simple. Here's what you need to do:

1. Visit your region-specific RRB website (like rrbcdg.gov.in or rrbchennai.gov.in)
2. Look for the link that says 'RRB NTPC Answer Key, Response Sheet, Objection Tracker, and Question Paper CEN 07/2025 (NTPC-UG)'
3. Click on the link to open the login page
4. Enter your user ID, password, and captcha code
5. Download the answer key PDF and save it

The server might run slow due to heavy traffic. If your page is not loading, wait for some time and try again. Make sure you enter your login credentials correctly to avoid the 'invalid login' message.

How to Challenge the Answer Key

Found an error in the answer key? You can raise objections, but you need to follow the proper process. The objection fee is Rs. 50 per question or answer. The good news is that this fee gets refunded if your objection turns out to be correct.

When raising an objection, you must provide a valid reason along with documentary proof. Simply disagreeing with an answer won't work. Your challenge should be backed by credible sources or references that prove your point.

To submit an objection:

1. Log in to the RRB portal
2. Click on the 'Objection' tab
3. Select the question ID
4. Choose your preferred language for submitting the objection
5. Upload documentary proof supporting your claim
6. Pay the objection fee of Rs. 50
7. Submit your objection

Understanding the Scoring System

The RRB NTPC exam follows a clear marking scheme. You get one mark for each correct answer. For every wrong answer, one-third of the mark gets deducted. This means if you answered 80 questions correctly and got 12 wrong, your calculation would look like this:

Raw Score = 80 - 12 - (12 × 1/3) = 64 marks

The total marks for CBT 1 are 100. But remember, the final scores undergo normalisation since the exam is conducted across multiple sessions with different difficulty levels. The normalisation process uses the equi-percentile method to ensure fairness across all shifts.

Expected Cut-Off Marks

Based on the exam pattern and difficulty level, here are the expected cut-off marks for different categories:

• General (UR): 70 to 85 marks
• OBC: 65 to 80 marks
• SC: 55 to 75 marks
• ST: 50 to 70 marks
• EWS: 60 to 80 marks

These are tentative figures. The actual cut-off depends on various factors including the number of candidates, overall performance, and the number of vacancies.

Minimum Qualifying Marks

Apart from the cut-off, you also need to secure minimum qualifying marks to clear CBT 1:

• General and EWS categories: 40 percent
• OBC and SC categories: 30 percent
• ST category: 25 percent

Meeting the qualifying marks is the first hurdle. Then your normalised score determines whether you make it to the final merit list.

What Happens After the Objection Window Closes?

Once the objection window closes on July 5, the Railway Recruitment Boards will review all submissions. Valid objections will be considered, and a final answer key will be prepared. This final answer key gets released along with the CBT 1 result.

The RRB NTPC UG CBT 2 exam is tentatively scheduled for September 17, 2026. Candidates who clear CBT 1 will receive their admit cards for the second stage.

Posts and Pay Scale

The RRB NTPC recruitment covers various posts with different pay scales. The positions include Junior Clerk cum Typist, Accounts Clerk cum Typist, Junior Time Keeper, Trains Clerk, and Commercial cum Ticket Clerk.

Most positions start at Level 2 with an initial pay of Rs. 19,900. The Commercial cum Ticket Clerk position starts at Level 3 with Rs. 21,700 as the initial pay. These positions also come with promotion opportunities that can take you to senior positions like Deputy Station Master, Station Master, and even Divisional Operations Manager over time.

Common Issues and Solutions

If you forgot your password, click on the 'Forgot Password' option on the login page to retrieve it. Make sure you have access to the email ID or mobile number you used during registration.

The answer key page might show errors or load slowly during peak hours. This happens because thousands of candidates try to access it at the same time. Try accessing the portal during off-peak hours for a smoother experience.

Some candidates report that their question paper is not displaying properly. In such cases, try using a different browser or clear your browser cache before trying again.

Tips for Calculating Your Score

Download your response sheet and the answer key. Compare them question by question. Mark the correct answers, wrong answers, and unattempted questions separately. This gives you a clear picture of your raw score.

Remember that the final score will be normalised. So your raw score might differ from the final score that appears on your result. The normalisation process adjusts for the difficulty level across different exam sessions.

Keep your downloaded documents safe. You might need them later for verification or reference purposes. Take screenshots of important pages as backup.