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RRB Section Controller answer key 2026: objections till 25 Oct, ₹50 fee, score calculator and RRB-wise CBAT shortlist

The RRB Section Controller answer key 2026 (CEN 03/2026) is live on rrb.digialm.com, with objections open until 25 October, 11:55 PM, at ₹50 per question. Here's how to check it, what your raw score means against the 40/30/25% qualifying marks, and how many people your RRB will call to the aptitude test.

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Published · Updated · 5 min read

TL;DRThe short version

  • RRB Section Controller answer key 2026 is out. The question paper, your response sheet and the provisional key for the 12–13 October CBT (CEN 03/2026, 119 posts) went live on 16 October, 4 PM. Objections close Sunday 25 October, 11:55 PM.
  • Objections cost ₹50 per question plus bank charges; RRB refunds the fee, minus bank charges, for objections it accepts. TOI says about four lakh candidates appeared and the result is expected in the fourth week of November.
  • Score it yourself: +1 for a right answer, minus 1/3 for a wrong one, nothing for a blank. To be eligible you need 40% (UR, EWS), 30% (OBC-NCL, SC) or 25% (ST). Only about 8 times the vacancies, RRB-wise and category-wise, go on to the aptitude test (CBAT). Our calculator below does all three.
  • Log in with your registration number and password or date of birth, check your response sheet and raise objections before 25 Oct, 11:55 PM: rrb.digialm.comUse only the official portal or your regional RRB website. Ignore 'direct link' pages that ask for your password.

Key facts

Exam
RRB Section Controller CBT, CEN 03/2026, held 12 and 13 Oct 2026
Posts
119 (UR 50, OBC-NCL 29, SC 19, ST 12, EWS 9); Level 6, starting pay ₹35,400
Answer key released
16 Oct 2026, 4:00 PM, with question paper and response sheet
Objections close
25 Oct 2026, 11:55 PM
Objection fee
₹50 per question + bank charges; refunded (minus bank charges) if the objection is accepted
Marking
100 questions, 1 mark each, 120 minutes; 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer; scores normalised across shifts
Minimum to be eligible
UR 40%, EWS 40%, OBC-NCL 30%, SC 30%, ST 25% (may be relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD if seats go unfilled)
Next stage
Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT): about 8× vacancies RRB-wise; T-score of 42 needed in every test battery, no relaxation, no negative marking
Final merit
70% CBT + 30% CBAT, then document verification and medical (A-2 standard)
Result
Expected in the fourth week of November 2026 (TOI); not officially dated

Short answer: the RRB Section Controller answer key 2026 is live on rrb.digialm.com. You have until Sunday 25 October, 11:55 PM to check your responses and challenge any question, at ₹50 a question. Before you pay for objections, work out where you stand. With only 119 posts and roughly four lakh candidates, the number that matters isn't the qualifying mark. It's how many people your RRB will call to the aptitude test.

Objection window closes · 25 Oct 2026, 11:55 PM IST

– days– hrs– min– sec

How to check the RRB Section Controller answer key 2026

  1. Open rrb.digialm.com (also linked from your regional RRB website).
  2. Pick the link for CEN 03/2026, Section Controller, and log in with your registration number and password or date of birth.
  3. You'll see the question paper, the option you marked for each question and RRB's provisional answer. Download or save it. The link closes with the objection window.
  4. Count your right, wrong and unattempted answers, then put them into the calculator below.

Score check: raw score, qualifying mark and your RRB's CBAT list

Leave out questions you didn't attempt. They score zero.

The calculator runs in your browser and uses only the rules in CEN 03/2026: 100 questions of 1 mark, a 1/3 deduction per wrong answer, the category-wise minimums in para 16.1 and the RRB-wise vacancy table in Annexure-B. ExSM posts (5 in all) are counted inside the community figures, as in the CEN.

Why the qualifying mark isn't the real cut-off

The CEN sets two separate filters, and most candidates only look at the first.

  1. Eligibility: UR and EWS candidates need 40 marks, OBC-NCL and SC need 30 and ST needs 25. PwBD candidates can get up to 2 marks of relaxation if their reserved seats would otherwise go unfilled.
  2. The CBAT shortlist: RRB calls candidates "to the extent of 8 times the vacancies (RRB-wise)" from each community, by CBT merit. The ratio can change, but that's the plan on paper.

That second rule is what makes this exam so harsh. Seats are spread very thinly across RRBs:

RRB Posts UR SC ST OBC-NCL EWS
Ranchi 14 5 3 2 3 1
Ahmedabad 11 5 2 1 2 1
Chennai 9 2 3 2 2 0
Bengaluru 8 4 2 0 2 0
Kolkata 8 4 1 1 1 1
Malda 7 3 1 0 3 0
Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Patna 6 each 1–5 0–2 0–1 1–2 0–2
Gorakhpur, Secunderabad, Siliguri 5 each 1–4 0–1 0–1 1–2 0–1
Bilaspur, Prayagraj, Thiruvananthapuram 4 each 2 0 0–2 0–2 0–1
Muzaffarpur 3 0 1 1 1 0
Ajmer, Guwahati 1 each 0–1 0–1 0 0 0
Jammu-Srinagar 0 0 0 0 0 0
All RRBs 119 50 19 12 29 9

Source: CEN 03/2026, Annexure-B (zones under the same RRB added together). Pick your RRB in the calculator for its exact split.

So a UR candidate at RRB Ranchi or Ahmedabad is competing for about 40 CBAT slots. At RRB Ajmer, the only post is an SC post, so a UR, OBC-NCL, ST or EWS candidate there has no Section Controller vacancy at all in this CEN. Nobody can tell you the cut-off yet, because it depends on normalised scores across both days. But if you're at an RRB with one or two seats in your category, assume the bar sits far above 40.

Should you spend ₹50 on an objection?

Challenge a question only when you can back it up: a printed source, a textbook answer or a clear error in the question or its options. Note the question ID and the option you marked before you start. Two practical points:

  • The fee is per question, so five challenges cost ₹250 plus bank charges. You get it back, minus bank charges, only for objections RRB accepts.
  • One mark counts for more here than in most exams. With 8 shortlist places per vacancy, a single changed answer can move you past dozens of candidates. If you're sure about a question and close to your RRB's likely shortlist line, the ₹50 is worth it.

01

Myth If my raw score crosses 40, I'm through to the next round.

Fact No. 40% (or 30%/25% for reserved categories) only makes you eligible. RRB then calls about 8 times the vacancies in each category at each RRB to the CBAT, by merit. At an RRB with one or two posts in your category, that's 8 or 16 people.

02

Myth My raw score is my final CBT mark.

Fact Not quite. The CEN says marks are normalised for CBTs held in more than one shift, and this one ran over two days. Your raw score is the right number for checking the key, not the number on the merit list.

03

Myth Raising an objection is free, and the fee is lost if I'm wrong.

Fact It costs ₹50 per question plus bank charges. If RRB accepts the objection, the fee is refunded after deducting bank charges; if it rejects it, the fee is not returned.

04

Myth The CBAT has negative marking and reserved-category relaxation, like the CBT.

Fact Neither. The CEN says there's no negative marking in the CBAT, and everyone needs a T-score of at least 42 in each test battery, with no relaxation for any category.

What happens after the answer key

  1. 12–13 Oct 2026

    Single-stage CBT for CEN 03/2026, Section Controller.

  2. 16 Oct 2026, 4:00 PM

    Question paper, response sheet and provisional key go live; objection window opens.

  3. 25 Oct 2026, 11:55 PM

    Viewing, objections and fee payment close.

  4. 4th week of Nov 2026 (expected)

    CBT result and CBAT shortlist (TOI; not officially dated).

  5. To be announced

    CBAT, then document verification and medical exam.

After the CBT result, shortlisted candidates take the Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT), in English and Hindi. You'll need to bring a vision certificate in the prescribed format (Annexure VI/VIA), in original, or you won't be allowed to sit the test. You need a T-score of 42 in every test battery. The final list is drawn at 1:1 with vacancies, on 70% CBT and 30% CBAT marks, followed by document verification and an A-2 medical.

Watch out for

  • Fake 'direct links'. Answer-key season brings pages that copy the RRB login form. Use rrb.digialm.com or your regional RRB site, and never enter your password anywhere else.
  • 'Expected cut-off' lists. Any number you see now is a guess. RRB hasn't published category-wise cut-offs, and the RRB-wise, category-wise shortlist means there won't be one national cut-off anyway.
  • The deadline is a Sunday night. Payment gateways get slow in the last hours, so file objections a day early.

More exams with open windows this week are in our answer keys and admit cards tracker.

Trend Monitor

Searches for the key peaked on 16–17 October, the two days after it was released, and are climbing again as the objection deadline nears. In the four hours to about 9:45 AM IST on 19 October, 'rrb section controller answer key link' was up +29,250% among rising 'answer key' searches in India, and over the past week 'rrb section controller answer key 2026 link' rose +34,900% (Google Trends, India; KyunTrend scans).

  • rrb section controller answer key 2026 link+34,900% (past 7 days, seed 'answer key', geo=IN, 19 Oct morning scan)
  • rrb section controller answer key link+29,250% (past 4 hours, seed 'answer key', geo=IN, ~9:45 AM IST 19 Oct)
  • rrb section controller answer keyInterest over time 98 on 16 Oct and 100 on 17 Oct (30-day scale), 24 early on 19 Oct

Google Trends, India, rising queries, 30 days

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