Country edition: India
Student Journey Blueprint

How to become a Loco Pilot — your road, class by class

Class 8 to working life ·Last checked 25 Oct 2026

The one-line route: Class 10 + ITI in a listed trade (or a 3-year engineering diploma), then RRB ALP: CBT-1 → CBT-2 → CBAT, and the A-1 medical. [1]

Pick your class and the road below starts where you stand.

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01 Your road, stage by stage

What to do from your class onward

  1. You are here Class 8 · Class 9

    Build the maths the CBT actually asks

    • The CBT maths syllabus is school maths: number system, BODMAS, fractions, LCM/HCF, ratio, percentages, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, interest, profit and loss, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and elementary statistics. [1]
    • Learn these from your own board's maths textbook (NCERT for CBSE). Coaching is not needed at this stage.
  2. You are here Class 10

    Pass Class 10 — and get your certificate details right

    • Class 10 (Matriculation / SSLC) is the school base for ALP. The CEN 01/2025 qualification table sets no minimum percentage for it. [1]
    • Your name, date of birth and Class 10 roll number, certificate number and date entered in the RRB form cannot be changed later. Check spelling on your Class 10 certificate now. [1]
  3. You are here Class 10 · Class 11 · Class 12

    Pick the technical route: ITI or a 3-year diploma

    • ITI (NCVT/SCVT) in one of the listed trades — Fitter, Electrician, Instrument Mechanic, Millwright/Maintenance Mechanic, Mechanic (Radio & TV), Electronics Mechanic, Mechanic (Motor Vehicle), Wireman, Tractor Mechanic, Armature & Coil Winder, Mechanic (Diesel), Heat Engine, Turner, Machinist, Refrigeration & AC Mechanic — or a Course Completed Act Apprenticeship in those trades. [1]
    • Or a 3-year diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering (or a combination of these). [1]
    • Class 11–12 is not required. If you are already in Class 11 or 12, you can still join an ITI or polytechnic after it — check each admission notice for its own rules.
  4. You are here In college · Graduated

    Already in engineering? Your degree counts

    • A degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering is accepted in place of the diploma. [1]
    • Watch the age limit: 18–30 years (as on 1 July 2025 for CEN 01/2025), with relaxations by category. The corrigendum that extended the 2025 application dates kept this age date unchanged. [2]

Your school board

CBT-1 and CBT-2 come in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages; the CBAT is only in English and Hindi. [1]

CBSE, CISCE and state-board certificates count the same for every national exam on this page. Notes for particular state boards are under State rules below.

02 Exam anatomy

The exam, stage by stage

RRB Assistant Loco Pilot — CEN 01/2025 · Railway Recruitment Boards

Posts (all RRBs)
9,970 [1]
Pay at entry
Level 2 · ₹19,900 initial pay [1]
Age
18–30 years (as on 1 Jul 2025) [1]
Medical
A-1 [1]
RRB Assistant Loco Pilot — CEN 01/2025 stages
StagePaperMarkingPass rule
CBT-1 (screening)75 questions · 75 marks · 60 min−1/3 per wrong answerUR/EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25%; marks not used in the final list
CBT-2 Part A100 questions · 90 min−1/3 per wrong answerSame minimums as CBT-1; these marks decide merit
CBT-2 Part B (trade)75 questions · 60 min−1/3 per wrong answer35% for every category; qualifying only
CBAT (aptitude)Psychometric test batteries, English/HindiNo negative markingT-score of 42 in every battery

Stage table source [1]

  • Final merit = 70% CBT-2 Part A + 30% CBAT. Up to 15 times the vacancies of each RRB are called to CBT-2. [1]
  • Exam fee: ₹500, of which ₹400 comes back after you sit CBT-1. ₹250 for SC, ST, ex-servicemen, women, transgender, minority and EBC candidates — refunded in full after CBT-1. [1]
  • The RRBs do not publish pass or fail percentages in the notice, so we do not print one.
Open the full exam guide
03 State rules

Rules for all of India — and your state

  • You apply to one RRB only, and CBT-2 shortlisting is done among candidates who chose the same RRB — so your choice of RRB decides whom you compete with. [1]
  • A-1 medical includes near vision Sn 0.6 without glasses plus colour, binocular, field, night and mesopic vision tests. Fail it and you cannot be appointed, whatever your marks. [1]

State notes we have checked (4 states / UTs)

Gujarat3 notes
  • In CEN 01/2025, RRB Ahmedabad listed 497 ALP posts for Western Railway. [1]
  • GSEB — Gujarat State Board: The CBT-1 and CBT-2 papers are offered in Gujarati, but the CBAT is only in English and Hindi — practise aptitude tests in one of those two. [1]
  • CBSE — studying in Gujarat: You may take CBT-1 and CBT-2 in English, Hindi or Gujarati; the CBAT is only in English and Hindi. [1]
Gujarat exam & career cockpit
Maharashtra1 note
  • MSBSHSE — Maharashtra State Board: Your SSC is the Class 10 base for ALP. CBT-1 and CBT-2 are offered in Marathi, but the CBAT is only in English and Hindi — practise aptitude tests in one of those two. [1]
Maharashtra exam & career cockpit
Uttar Pradesh1 note
  • UPMSP — Uttar Pradesh Board: Your High School certificate is the Class 10 base for ALP. CBT-1 and CBT-2 come in Hindi as well as English; the CBAT is only in English and Hindi. [1]
Uttar Pradesh exam & career cockpit
West Bengal1 note
  • WBBSE / WBCHSE — West Bengal boards: Your Madhyamik is the Class 10 base for ALP. CBT-1 and CBT-2 are offered in Bengali, but the CBAT is only in English and Hindi — practise aptitude tests in one of those two. [1]
West Bengal exam & career cockpit

Not in this list? The national route above applies — we found nothing in this career's official rules that changes in your state.

04 Career multiverse

Where this path can take you next

Running line

Assistant Loco Pilot → Senior ALP → Loco Pilot (Shunter / Goods) → Passenger → Mail/Express → Loco Inspector, by seniority and departmental tests.

Explore →

Same ITI, other railway jobs

RRB Technician and Group D posts take the same ITI trades.

Explore →

Apprenticeship first

A Course Completed Act Apprenticeship in a listed trade also qualifies you for ALP — and pays a stipend while you train.

Explore →

Upskill

Diploma holders can move to a B.Tech through lateral entry and aim for railway or PSU engineer jobs later.

Explore →
05 Money help

Scholarships, stipends and fee help

Government schemes, professional-body scholarships and paid training on this path. Pick your class above and schemes you have already passed are hidden.

Scholarship Open to you now From Class 8

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS)

Ministry of Education, through your state

₹1,000 a month, Class 9 to 12 [3]

Who
Class 8 students of government schools who passed Class 7 with 55% (50% SC/ST, as in Nagaland's notice) and clear the state's NMMSS test. Family income limit: see the scheme rules on the National Scholarship Portal.
How
Your state's SCERT announces the test in Class 8; renewals are on scholarships.gov.in.
Scholarship Open to you now From Class 11

Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, through your state

Compulsory non-refundable fees (tuition included) plus a yearly academic allowance — the college cannot ask you to pay the fee first [4]

Who
SC students after Class 10 (ITI, diploma, degree and CA/CMA/CS courses count), family income up to ₹2.5 lakh. Separate post-matric schemes exist for ST, OBC and minority students on the same portal.
How
Your state scholarship portal or scholarships.gov.in. The printed guidelines cover 2020-21 to 2025-26; check the 2026-27 rules on the portal.
Stipend Open to you now From Class 10

Act apprenticeship stipend — ITI pass

Employer, under the Apprenticeship Rules

At least ₹9,600 a month, +10% in year 2 and +15% more in year 3 [5]

Who
ITI pass-outs (National or State certificate) training as apprentices — including railway apprenticeships, which also qualify you for ALP.
How
apprenticeshipindia.gov.in or the railway's apprentice notice.
Stipend Open to you now From Class 10

Act apprenticeship stipend — diploma holder

Employer, under the Apprenticeship Rules

At least ₹10,900 a month [5]

Who
Diploma holders training as technician apprentices.
How
apprenticeshipindia.gov.in.
Fee help Open to you now From Class 10

RRB exam fee back after CBT-1

Railway Recruitment Boards

₹400 of ₹500 refunded; the ₹250 fee is refunded in full [1]

Who
Everyone who sits CBT-1. The ₹250 fee applies to SC, ST, ex-servicemen, women, transgender, minority and EBC candidates.
How
Give correct bank details in the RRB form — wrong details mean no refund.
State scheme Open to you now From Class 10Gujarat only

Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana (MYSY)

Government of Gujarat

Who
Gujarat students joining a diploma or degree course on merit: it pays part of the tuition fee and, in some cases, a hostel grant for students who must study away from home. [6]
How
mysy.guj.nic.in. We could not open the official portal on 24 Oct 2026, so we print no amounts or cut-offs — read them in the current year's resolution on the portal.
06 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every number on this page comes from the official files below. Lines with no number are Margdarshan guidance. Rules change every year — open the current notice before you apply.

  1. Railway Recruitment Boards — CEN 01/2025 (ALP), detailed notice (opens in a new tab) 9,970 posts, RRB Ahmedabad (WR) 497, Level 2 / ₹19,900, age, ITI trades and diploma/degree rule, CBT-1/CBT-2/CBAT pattern, minimum marks, 70:30 merit, fee and refund, languages, A-1 vision tests · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  2. Railway Recruitment Boards — CEN 01/2025 Corrigendum-1 (10 May 2025) (opens in a new tab) extended application dates; age still reckoned on 1 Jul 2025 · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  3. SCERT Nagaland — NMMSS Examination 2027 advertisement (27 Jul 2026) (opens in a new tab) Class 8 eligibility, 55% / 50% Class 7 marks, ₹1,000 a month from Class 9 to 12 (one state's notice of the central scheme) · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  4. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment — Post Matric Scholarship for SC students, guidelines 2020-21 to 2025-26 (copy hosted by Goa Social Welfare) (opens in a new tab) ₹2.5 lakh income limit, fees + academic allowance, no pre-payment of fees, CA/ICWA/CS students covered · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  5. Gazette of India — Apprenticeship (Amendment) Rules, 2025, G.S.R. 610(E) (opens in a new tab) minimum stipend ₹9,600 (ITI) and ₹10,900 (diploma) from 11 Sep 2025, yearly increase · Last checked 23 Oct 2026
  6. Government of Gujarat — MYSY scholarship portal (opens in a new tab) scheme portal; could not be opened on 24 Oct 2026, so no amounts are printed here

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and we will update it.