RRB ALP previous year question paper: how to use past CBTs

Pattern you will see in the papers

Section counts can shift a little between cycles, so read the instructions page of each old paper before you score yourself. For the full current layout, see the RRB ALP syllabus page.

Patterns that show up in old ALP papers

• Maths: quick sums on percent, ratios, work rates, trains and boats, and interest, plus a handful of mensuration, geometry and simplification items. Most can be done in under a minute with practice.
• Reasoning: series, coding-decoding, analogies, directions, blood relations, syllogisms and mathematical operations, with occasional Venn diagram and data sufficiency questions.
• General science (CBT 1): class 10 physics, chemistry and biology, with straightforward definitions, units and simple numericals.
• Technical basics in Part A: engineering drawing views, SI units, density, simple machines, heat, basic electricity, workplace safety and computer basics.
• Trade paper (Part B): theory from the national ITI syllabus of your trade: tools, materials, measuring instruments, machines and safety.

We have not done a question-by-question count, so treat this as a description of style rather than official weightage.

A practice routine for each RRB ALP previous year question paper

1. First paper, no timer: solve one CBT 1 paper slowly and note every topic you could not attempt.
2. Fix the gaps: spend a week on those topics only.
3. Timed rounds: then solve one paper every three days in exactly 60 or 90 minutes.
4. Score honestly: subtract one third for each wrong answer. If wrong answers take away more than four marks, you are guessing too much.
5. Keep a mistakes notebook: one line per error, revised weekly.

Sample questions in the ALP style

These are our own questions, written to match the level of past papers.

1. A 240 m long goods train crosses a signal post in 12 seconds. Find its speed in km per hour. Options: 60, 72, 80, 90. Correct: 72, because it covers 20 metres every second, and 20 × 18/5 = 72.
2. MOTOR is written as NPUPS in a code. Using the same rule, ENGINE becomes: FOHJOF, FOHJOE, FNHJOF or GOHJOF? Correct: FOHJOF, because each letter is replaced by the one after it in the alphabet.
3. The pascal is the SI unit of which quantity: force, pressure, energy or power? Correct: pressure.
4. Where does the top view go in first angle projection: above the front view, below it, to its left or to its right? Correct: below the front view.
5. In a wheelbarrow the load sits between the fulcrum and the effort. Which order of lever is this: first, second, third or compound? Correct: second order.

Previous papers in Hindi and other languages

Every ALP CBT is shown in English and the language you picked on the form, so an alp previous year paper in Hindi is simply the same paper viewed in Hindi. Those choosing Hindi for the exam should also solve old papers in Hindi, because technical terms in basic science and engineering (such as प्रक्षेपण for projection or घनत्व for density) take time to read quickly.

Where to get ALP papers officially

RRBs do not sell papers. When a board releases the provisional answer key after a CBT, every candidate can log in, see their own question paper with the responses they marked and the board's key, and raise objections. Download and save your paper during that window, because the link closes after a few days. Notices, keys and results stay in the notices section of your regional RRB website, for example rrbsecunderabad.gov.in.

Next steps: check the RRB ALP cut off trends, confirm the RRB ALP eligibility rules, or see the RRB technician previous papers, which share many Part A style questions.