Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB) have released the CBT 1 Answer Key for the Junior Engineer (JE), Depot Material Superintendent (DMS), and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA) recruitment (CEN 05/2025) on 5th March 2026. The CBT 1 exam was conducted on 19, 20 & 25 February 2026 for a total of 2,588 posts. Candidates can now download the answer key and submit objections through the RRB portal.

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CBT 1 is a screening stage only — marks scored here are not added to the final merit. However, candidates are shortlisted for CBT 2 in a 1:15 ratio based on CBT 1 scores, so your performance still matters significantly.

Key Dates

Event Date
CBT 1 Exam Date 19, 20 & 25 February 2026
Answer Key Released 5 March 2026
CBT 1 Result To be announced
CBT 2 Exam Date To be announced

How to Download the Answer Key

  1. Visit the RRB exam portal at rrb.digialm.com.
  2. Log in using your Registration Number and Date of Birth / Password.
  3. Select the JE CBT 1 – CEN 05/2025 exam.
  4. Your question paper with recorded responses and the official answer key will be displayed.
  5. Download or save it for your reference.
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CBT 1 has negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer. Deduct accordingly while estimating your score to get an accurate result.

How to Raise Objections

If you find any discrepancy in the published answer key, you can raise objections through the same RRB portal:

  1. Log in to the answer key portal using your credentials.
  2. Select the question(s) you wish to challenge.
  3. Provide valid supporting references or proof for each objection.
  4. Submit within the objection window (check the portal for exact deadline).
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Note: RRB typically provides a limited window of a few days for objections. Check the portal regularly so you don't miss the deadline.

Quick Recap – CBT 1 Exam Pattern

Section Questions Marks
Mathematics 30 30
General Intelligence & Reasoning 25 25
General Science 30 30
General Awareness 15 15
Total 100 100
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Duration: 90 minutes (120 minutes for PwBD candidates). Negative marking: 1/3 mark per wrong answer.

Minimum Qualifying Marks

Category Qualifying Percentage
UR / EWS 40%
OBC / SC 30%
ST 25%

What Happens Next?

After reviewing objections, RRB will publish the final answer key and then the CBT 1 result. Candidates shortlisted in the 1:15 ratio will be called for CBT 2 (Mains), which determines the final ranking. Here's a quick look at what to expect:

CBT 2 consists of 150 questions in 120 minutes with the same negative marking (1/3 mark). The major portion — 100 questions — covers Technical Abilities specific to your engineering branch. The remaining 50 questions cover General Awareness, Physics & Chemistry, Computer Basics, and Environment & Pollution Control.

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If your estimated CBT 1 score is above the qualifying threshold, start revising your branch-specific technical subjects immediately — Technical Abilities alone carry 100 out of 150 marks in CBT 2, and that's what determines your final ranking.
Description Link
Download CBT 1 Answer Key Click Here
RRB Official Website Click Here

Review the answer key carefully, file objections if needed, and use this time wisely to gear up for CBT 2.