The RRB Group D syllabus, analysed

The RRB Group D syllabus is broad but school-level. Nothing in it is beyond a good Class 10 student. What makes the exam hard is the speed it demands and the one-third negative marking, not the depth of any topic.

That changes how you should use the syllabus. You do not need advanced books. You need to know every topic well enough to answer a school-level question correctly in under a minute.

The four sections

The full marking scheme is in our guide to the RRB Group D exam pattern.

General Science

The notice takes physics, chemistry and life sciences up to Class 10 (CBSE level).

Best source: NCERT Science books for Classes 9 and 10, and Classes 6–8 for any basics you have forgotten. Read the chapter, then answer its in-text questions without looking. That is roughly the level of the exam.

Mathematics

Where most marks lie: arithmetic. Percentage underpins profit and loss, interest and data questions, so learn it first. Our maths plan sets out an order.

General Intelligence and Reasoning

• Analogies, classification (odd one out), number and alphabet series
• Coding–decoding, mathematical operations
• Relationships (blood relations), directions, ranking
• Syllogism, Venn diagrams, jumbling
• Data interpretation and sufficiency
• Statements with conclusions, arguments and assumptions; decision making
• Puzzles and analytical reasoning

Most scoring: series, analogy, coding, directions and blood relations. They follow a small number of patterns, so practice pays off quickly.

General Awareness and Current Affairs

• Current affairs of national and international importance
• Science and technology, sports, culture, personalities
• Economics, politics and other subjects of importance

Tip: combine static GK (history, polity, geography, economy, railways) with the last 6–12 months of current affairs, revised weekly.

Solved samples from every section

These show the level. Each one should take you under a minute.

1. Science: Which lens corrects short-sightedness (myopia)?
   • A concave lens. In myopia the image forms in front of the retina, and a diverging lens pushes it back.
2. Maths: An item bought for ₹400 is sold for ₹460. Find the profit percentage.
   • Profit = 460 − 400 = 60. Profit % = 60 ÷ 400 × 100 = 15%.
3. Reasoning: Find the next number: 3, 6, 11, 18, 27, ?
   • Differences are 3, 5, 7, 9, so the next is +11. Answer: 27 + 11 = 38.
4. Reasoning: If CAT is written as DBU, how is DOG written?
   • Each letter moves one step forward: D→E, O→P, G→H. Answer: EPH.
5. General Awareness: In which state is Kaziranga National Park?
   • Assam.
6. General Awareness: India's first passenger train ran in 1853 between which two places?
   • Bombay (Bori Bunder) and Thane.

Priorities if time is short

1. Reasoning: 30 questions, fastest to improve.
2. General Science: 25 questions from NCERT books you can finish.
3. Arithmetic: the core of Maths.
4. General Awareness: daily reading, steady revision.

A topic tracker

Copy the whole syllabus into a notebook in this format. Tick each topic three times before the exam.

A topic is not "done" when you have read it. It is done when you can answer questions on it quickly and correctly.

Quick practice set

1. What is the chemical formula of common salt?
2. Find the simple interest on ₹5,000 at 8% a year for 3 years.
3. Find the odd one out: 9, 25, 49, 63, 81.
4. A train covers 144 km in 2 hours. What is its speed in metres per second?
5. Which gas do green plants take in for photosynthesis?

Answers:

1. NaCl (sodium chloride).
2. SI = 5,000 × 8 × 3 ÷ 100 = ₹1,200.
3. 63. The others are perfect squares (3², 5², 7², 9²).
4. 144 ÷ 2 = 72 km/h; 72 × 5/18 = 20 m/s.
5. Carbon dioxide.

What to do next

• Print or copy the syllabus from your CEN and build the tracker.
• Get NCERT Science for Classes 9 and 10.
• Follow the three-month plan to cover every topic once, then revise.