Clerk and accounts posts in RRB NTPC

Indian Railways has over a million employees, thousands of contracts and accounts that run into lakhs of crores. Someone has to pay the salaries, check the bills, keep the service records and file the letters. Five RRB NTPC posts do most of this work, and together they usually make up a large share of NTPC vacancies.

Accounts posts: JAA and Accounts Clerk

The Junior Account Assistant and the Accounts Clerk work in the accounts department, which is the Railways' internal finance and audit arm. Its work includes:

• salaries, allowances and arrears of staff;
• checking and passing bills from contractors and suppliers;
• pensions and final settlement dues of retiring staff;
• checking that expenditure follows the rules and the sanctioned budget;
• keeping financial records and preparing accounts.

This work suits someone who is careful with numbers and does not mind rules. You do not need a commerce degree, but you will be expected to learn the Railways' accounts rules and codes, and the computer systems that go with them.

Worked example: a bill check. Suppose, hypothetically, a contractor's bill claims 1,250 units of an item at ₹84 per unit, and the bill total is written as ₹1,06,000.

1. Correct amount: 1,250 × 84 = ₹1,05,000.
2. The bill is ₹1,000 too high.
3. The accounts staff return it for correction, noting the difference.

Most mistakes caught in accounts offices are as simple as this. Catching them, every time, is the job.

Office clerk posts: Senior Clerk and Junior Clerk

Senior Clerks and Junior Clerks work in offices across departments: personnel, engineering, operating, commercial, stores and others. Their work includes:

• drafting letters and notes;
• keeping files and records up to date;
• data entry and record-keeping on railway computer systems;
• staff matters such as leave, service records and pay-related papers.

The Senior Clerk (Level 5) usually handles more complex files and may guide juniors. The Junior Clerk (Level 2) does similar work at an entry level.

Trains Clerk: the odd one out

The Trains Clerk belongs to the operating side, not the office side. The work is usually in yards and stations: keeping records of wagons, train formation and movements. Yards work round the clock, so this can mean shifts.

That is why it has no typing test but a stricter medical category, reported as A-3 (distant vision 6/9 in each eye, glasses allowed up to 2 dioptres, with colour vision tests). Do not list it as "the easy clerk post" without checking your eyes.

The Typing Skill Test

Four of these five posts need a Typing Skill Test on a computer:

It is qualifying: no marks are added to merit, but if you fail, you lose that post. As reported, the test is typed on a computer without editing tools or spell check, and you choose English or Hindi in advance. Our typing test guide covers the rules and practice methods.

Worked example: are you at the required speed?

Suppose, hypothetically, an aspirant types a 10-minute practice passage.

1. They type 270 words in 10 minutes. Speed = 270 ÷ 10 = 27 wpm. Short of 30 for English.
2. After two weeks of daily practice they type 330 words in 10 minutes: 33 wpm.
3. But suppose 25 of those words have errors. If errors are not counted, their effective speed is (330 − 25) ÷ 10 = 30.5 wpm, which leaves almost no margin.

The exact rule for counting mistakes is set by the notice. The lesson does not change: aim for a comfortable margin, say 35 wpm with few errors, not a bare 30.

Office life

Promotion

Clerical and accounts staff move up through promotions and departmental examinations. Accounts staff, in particular, can rise through internal exams to senior accounts posts. Those who learn the rules, the systems and the accounts codes well tend to move faster. Our salary and career guide explains promotions and financial upgradation.

Common mistakes by aspirants

• Listing typist posts without typing practice. Failing the typing test wastes a strong CBT 2.
• Assuming Trains Clerk is a desk job. It is operating work with an A-3 eyesight standard.
• Graduates ignoring the Level 5 posts. JAA and Senior Clerk pay considerably more than the Level 2 posts; aim for them first.
• Practising only on a phone. The test is on a computer keyboard. Practise on one.

Quick self-check

1. Which of the five posts needs no typing test?
2. How many words must you type in 10 minutes in Hindi at the required speed?
3. A bill claims 480 units at ₹65 each and totals ₹31,800. Is it correct?
4. Which two posts are at Level 5?

Answers: 1. Trains Clerk. 2. 250 (25 wpm × 10). 3. No: 480 × 65 = ₹31,200, so it is ₹600 too high. 4. Junior Account Assistant cum Typist and Senior Clerk cum Typist.

What to do next

• Take a 10-minute typing test today and note your words per minute and errors.
• Choose English or Hindi typing based on which you are faster and more accurate in.
• Practise daily until you are consistently above the required speed.
• Compare these posts with the commercial posts before ranking them.