Exam Pattern
RPF Constable Exam Pattern
Railway Protection Force: Constable
The 120 marks on this page are the only ones that rank you. The CBT screens for RPF and RPSF constable posts, and what follows it, the Physical Efficiency Test and the Physical Measurement Test, is qualifying only: both can remove you and neither adds to your score, with Document Verification and a Medical Examination after them. General Awareness is the largest section at 50 of the 120 questions, ahead of Arithmetic and General Intelligence and Reasoning at 35 apiece, so the section carrying the most marks is the one that cannot be worked out on the day.
CBT
Official CEN No. RPF 02/2024 pattern| Questions | 120 |
| Total marks | 120 |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.333 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Arithmetic, General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness |
| Test | Qs | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 35 | 35 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 35 | 35 |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
Timing: Single 90-minute timer for all three sections combined (no sectional lock).
The CBT is a common screening stage for RPF Constable, RPF/RPSF. Candidates shortlisted on CBT performance proceed to a Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and Physical Measurement Test (PMT), both qualifying only, followed by Document Verification and a Medical Examination.
Official source · checked 5 August 2026The RPF Constable CBT exam pattern is 120 questions carrying 120 marks, to be answered in 90 minutes. That works out to about 45 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are Arithmetic, General Intelligence and Reasoning and General Awareness. General Awareness carries the most, 50 marks of the 120 or about 42%, against 35 marks for General Intelligence and Reasoning. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
RPF Constable CBT marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.333 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 25% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. That is exactly what a blind guess between four options returns, so guessing at random neither gains nor loses marks over a long paper. The moment you can rule out even one option, it starts paying.
- Worked example: attempt 96 of the 120 questions and get 72 right and 24 wrong, and you score 64.01 out of 120.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 45 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free RPF Constable mock test to see where your time actually goes.
RPF Constable exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in RPF Constable?
RPF Constable deducts 0.333 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in RPF Constable?
RPF Constable has 120 questions. That leaves about 45 seconds per question in RPF Constable.
What are the total marks in RPF Constable?
RPF Constable is out of 120 marks, which works out at 1 mark a question.
How long is the RPF Constable exam?
RPF Constable runs for 90 minutes.
Does RPF Constable have a sectional time limit?
No. RPF Constable runs every section on one composite timer of 90 minutes, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.