Key takeaways
- CBT 1 of CEN 04/2026 is over (27 and 28 October, 2 November 2026, per the RRB notice of 10 November). No CBT 2 date was on the RRB website on 13 November.
- CBT 2 is 150 questions in 120 minutes, +1 for a right answer and −1/3 for a wrong one (CEN 04/2026, para 13.2).
- Technical Abilities is 100 of the 150 marks, and it is a different paper for each exam group. One mock for the whole batch does not work.
- On last cycle's official CBT 2 mock, the screen shows two section tabs on one clock, and Submit never opens before time is up. Practice on a screen with the same rules.
On 11 November 2026 the Railway Recruitment Boards opened the CBT 1 answer keys for CEN 04/2026, the Junior Engineer, DMS and CMA recruitment. For a railway-exam coaching center, that starts a familiar sum: who in this batch is likely to clear CBT 1, and what do they need for CBT 2?
This post turns the CBT 2 pattern into a plan for the mocks you run between now and then.
Where CEN 04/2026 stands
CEN 04/2026 timeline
What has happened so far
13 Aug 2026
CEN 04/2026 published (JE and DMS; CMA added by Corrigendum 1 on 18 Aug) (CEN 04/2026)
27, 28 Oct 2026
CBT 1 held. The 28 Oct paper was postponed at centers in four Andhra Pradesh cities (Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada) for a cyclone (Notice of 27 Oct)
2 Nov 2026
CBT 1 for the postponed candidates (Notice of 28 Oct)
4 Nov 2026
Corrigendum 2: vacancies raised from 4,029 to 4,487 (Corrigendum 2)
11–17 Nov 2026
CBT 1 answer keys open; objections close 17 Nov at 23:59 (Notice of 10 Nov)
Not announced
CBT 2 date (none on the RRB website on 13 Nov 2026)
RRB calls 15 times the community-wise vacancies to CBT 2, on normalized CBT 1 marks, and can change that number (CEN 04/2026, para 13.2). On the 4,487 vacancies of Corrigendum 2, that is roughly 67,000 candidates (our arithmetic).
CBT 2 in one table
RRB JE CBT 2 exam pattern
150 questions, 120 minutes, one paper
| Subject | Questions (= marks) | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 15 | Common to all |
| Physics & Chemistry | 15 | Common to all |
| Basics of Computers and Applications | 10 | Common to all |
| Basics of Environment and Pollution Control | 10 | Common to all |
| Technical Abilities | 100 | Your exam group's syllabus |
| Total | 150 | 120 minutes (160 for scribe-eligible candidates) |
+1 / −1/3
Right answer / wrong answer. A skipped question costs nothing.
40 / 30 / 25%
Minimum for UR and EWS / OBC (NCL) and SC / ST.
48 seconds
Average time a question: 120 minutes over 150.
Technical Abilities is two thirds of the paper, set from the student’s exam group. There are five:
A Civil student and an Electrical student share 50 questions and nothing else. One full mock for a mixed batch is two thirds wrong for most of the room.
Teaching more than one exam group? In a demo we will show you a branch-wise CBT 2 mock for each batch.
The exam screen, as the official mock shows it
The official CBT 2 mock from the last cycle (CEN 05/2025) is still online; the CEN 04/2026 CBT 1 mock is linked from the current notices. No CBT 2 mock for this cycle was out on 13 November, so we read last cycle’s CBT 2 mock settings. Four things matter:
It also has zoom buttons and a faint ID watermark. The notice confirms the virtual calculator for CBT 2 (para 13.2) and bans handheld ones.
If the real exam works like the mock, the last 20 minutes change. They go to marked questions, or to guesses that cost a third of a mark each. A student used to a Submit button has never had to choose.
Building CBT 2 mocks in Vacademy
Put each exam group in its own batch, then build the paper in two parts:
- General Abilities, once. The 50 common questions can be the same for every batch.
- Technical Abilities, per group. Upload an old paper as PDF or Word and Vacademy pulls out the questions, options and answer keys (if the file has them), or generate questions with AI from your notes.
Run it as a mock test (the 120 minutes lock once a student starts) or as an examination with fixed times for a Sunday batch mock. More in how Vacademy creates quizzes and assessments.
On the test’s first step, pick the Railway JE (RRB) style exam interface. Students get a screen laid out like the real computer-based test, with your logo and name in the header.
- Strict saving, on by default. An answer counts only after Save & Next or Mark for Review & Next. Jump away without saving and the pick is lost, as in the real exam.
- Submit locked until time is up. In strict mode the Railway JE (RRB) style keeps Submit closed for the full test.
Early on, practice-friendly mode saves every click and always allows Submit. For several branch batches at once, see managing multiple online batches; for results, see RRB JE negative marking.
Send us one old CBT 2 paper for your Civil or Electrical batch. We will set it up as a Railway JE (RRB) style mock and show you the student screen.
What Vacademy does not do
Two honest gaps. The exam shows questions in the candidate’s chosen language (English, Hindi or one of 13 regional languages) and in English. Vacademy’s screen has no switch between two languages, so a Hindi-medium batch needs its questions written in Hindi.
And the on-screen calculator that comes built in is on the GATE-style screen, not the Railway JE (RRB) style one (and it is Vacademy’s own calculator, not the exam’s layout). For a calculation drill, set the test to GATE style. Our GATE calculator post explains how students should train with one.
Vacademy copies the screen’s layout and rules only. It is not affiliated with RRB.
Self-check: are your mocks built for CBT 2?
- Your CBT 2 mock is one paper for Civil, Electrical and Mechanical students together.
- Students can finish early and leave, so they never practice the last 20 minutes.
- Mocks are on paper or a plain quiz app, not on a two-tab exam screen.
- Nobody has planned which section a student opens first.
One tick is worth fixing before CBT 2. Choosing a platform? See our LMS guide.
Questions institutes ask
What is the RRB JE CBT 2 exam pattern for CEN 04/2026?
150 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes (160 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates). General Awareness 15, Physics and Chemistry 15, Basics of Computers and Applications 10, Basics of Environment and Pollution Control 10, and Technical Abilities 100. Each correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer loses 1/3 of a mark. RRB calls the section split indicative.
When is the RRB JE CBT 2 exam date for CEN 04/2026?
On 13 November 2026, the RRB website had not published a CBT 2 date. CBT 1 was held on 27 and 28 October and 2 November 2026, and candidates could view their answer keys and raise objections from 11 to 17 November 2026. Watch the official RRB websites for the next notice.
Is a calculator allowed in RRB JE CBT 2?
Not a handheld one. The notice says a virtual calculator will be on the computer monitor during CBT 2 and that calculators may not be brought into the exam hall. CBT 1 has no on-screen calculator.
Can a student submit RRB JE CBT 2 early?
In the official RRB JE mock tests, the Submit button stays unavailable for the whole test and the paper submits itself when the clock reaches zero. Vacademy's Railway JE (RRB) style screen works the same way when strict saving is on.
How many students are shortlisted for RRB JE CBT 2?
The notice says 15 times the community-wise vacancies of each RRB, picked on normalized CBT 1 marks. Railways can raise or lower this number. After Corrigendum 2 of 4 November 2026, CEN 04/2026 has 4,487 vacancies.
Can we run RRB JE CBT 2 mock tests on Vacademy?
Yes. Pick the Railway JE (RRB) style exam interface for the test. Students get a screen laid out like the real computer-based test, with section tabs, a Time Left clock, the question palette, strict saving and Submit locked until time is up. It does not switch a question between Hindi and English, and the built-in on-screen calculator comes with the GATE-style screen, not this one.
Try Vacademy for your RRB JE batches
Branch-wise CBT 2 mocks on a Railway JE (RRB) style screen, with your logo on top and a report after every test.