RRB ALP eligibility criteria: age, qualification and medical

RRB ALP eligibility in one table

Age limit and relaxation

For unreserved and EWS candidates, recent ALP notices set the age band at 18 to 30. The table shows the main relaxations as they appear in railway recruitment rules. The exact reference date and any one-time relaxation are printed in each notice.

Relaxations are not added on top of each other unless the notice says so. You get the single highest one you qualify for.

Qualification: ITI trades and engineering routes

The usual route is class 10 plus an ITI recognised by NCVT or SCVT, in one of these trades:

• Armature and coil winder, electrician, electronics mechanic, fitter, heat engine
• Instrument mechanic, machinist, mechanic diesel, mechanic motor vehicle
• Millwright maintenance mechanic, mechanic radio and TV, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic
• Tractor mechanic, turner, wireman

If you finished an Act Apprenticeship in one of the same trades, that is treated the same as ITI. If you hold a 3 year diploma in mechanical, electrical, electronics or automobile engineering, or a combination of these, it is accepted in place of ITI. A degree in those branches also qualifies. Final year students cannot apply on the strength of an expected result.

Medical standard A-1: the stage many people miss

ALP needs the highest railway medical category, A-1, because you will be reading signals at speed. The rules ask for distance vision of 6/6 in each eye without glasses, good near vision, and passing tests for colour vision, binocular vision, field of vision, night vision and mesopic vision. Spectacles and contact lenses are not allowed for this standard, and anyone whose eyesight was corrected by LASIK or another operation is ruled out.

Get a private eye check, including a colour vision test, before you apply. If you fail A-1 after clearing all the exams, the board does not offer you the ALP post.

Attempts, language and other rules

Attempts are unlimited. As long as your age fits, every new ALP cycle is open to you. You may apply to only one RRB in a cycle, and multiple applications can lead to rejection. You choose the language of your CBTs on the form. Fees are partly refunded after you appear in CBT 1, with a full refund for certain categories, as described in the notice.

Papers you will need at verification

• Your matriculation certificate, which the board uses to confirm your birth date, and its mark sheet
• ITI, apprenticeship, diploma or degree certificate and mark sheets
• SC or ST certificate in the format used for central jobs, OBC non-creamy layer certificate or EWS certificate, as applicable and valid on the dates the notice fixes
• Ex-servicemen discharge papers, if you claim that relaxation
• A government photo ID and recent photographs matching the ones you uploaded

Names and dates must match across all documents. Fix spelling mismatches before applying, since document verification follows the exams closely.

What to read next

Once you know you qualify, plan your study with the ALP syllabus, look at score trends on the ALP cut off page, and work through the ALP previous papers guide. The RRB technician eligibility page covers a closely related post, and our eligibility checker helps you compare several exams.