The RRB Group D Marking Scheme is one of the most important steps for any candidate preparing for the upcoming exam scheduled from 27 November 2025 to 16 January 2026. Every mark matters in this highly competitive recruitment, and even a slight clarity gap in the marking rules can impact your final score, percentile, and merit position. This is why candidates must know exactly how marks are awarded, deducted, and normalised across shifts.
The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) follow a carefully structured system to ensure fairness and transparency for every candidate appearing in the Computer-Based Test (CBT). The RRB Group D Marking Scheme is designed to maintain accuracy and reduce the impact of difficult or easy exam shifts. This article explains the marking pattern, negative marking, percentile-based calculation, qualifying marks, and base shift concepts.
RRB Group D Marking Scheme 2025
The RRB Group D Marking Scheme 2025 is officially prescribed by the Railway Recruitment Boards to ensure uniform evaluation for all candidates. Whether you appear in the morning shift or the evening shift, your marks undergo the same scientific process. The scheme clearly defines how much you gain for choosing the right answer and how much penalty applies if you select the wrong one.
Candidates are awarded one mark for every correct answer under the RRB Group D Marking Scheme, which forms the basis of raw scoring. Along with awarding marks, the marking system also incorporates a penalty structure. 1/3rd of the marks are deducted for every wrong answer. This ensures that guessing answers randomly does not benefit candidates.
RRB Group D Negative Marking 2025
RRB Group D Negative marking is a crucial that every aspirant must understand it before entering the exam hall. Many candidates lose marks not because they lack knowledge but because they mistakenly attempt questions blindly. The goal of the RRBs is to ensure that only sincere attempts earn rewards.
Under the RRB Group D negative marking rule of the marking scheme:
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1 mark is awarded for each correct answer
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1/3 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer
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No marks are deducted for unattempted questions
This deduction system plays a vital role in determining the final score. Even a few wrong answers can significantly reduce your total marks, percentile, and overall merit ranking. Candidates are always advised to avoid unnecessary risks and attempt only those questions for which they are confident.
Understanding this part of the RRB Group D Marking Scheme helps candidates form a solid exam strategy, increases accuracy, and reduces careless mistakes in the CBT.
RRB Group D Qualifying Marks 2025
Apart from scoring well, candidates must achieve the minimum qualifying criteria to be considered for final shortlisting. The RRB Group D Marking Scheme clearly outlines category-wise qualifying marks, ensuring fairness across different sections of society.
Below is the official qualifying marks requirement:
| Category | Qualifying Marks (%) |
| UR | 40% |
| EWS | 40% |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 30% |
| SC | 30% |
| ST | 30% |
A 2% relaxation is given to PwBD candidates, reinforcing inclusivity in the recruitment process.
However, qualifying marks alone are not enough. Candidates must also secure marks higher than the cutoff released after normalization. The combination of qualifying marks, cutoff trends, and the RRB Group D Marking Scheme determines whether a candidate proceeds to the Physical Efficiency Test (PET).
RRB Group D Percentile-Based Normalisation
The exam is conducted in multiple shifts, and question difficulty varies from shift to shift. The RRBs use a scientific technique called percentile-based normalisation to maintain fairness. This section of the RRB Group D Marking Scheme is extremely important because normalised scores, not raw scores, decide the rank and merit.
How Percentile Works in the RRB Group D Marking Scheme?
Percentile calculation compares your performance with other candidates in the same shift. It does not mean percentage of marks. Instead, it shows the percentage of candidates scoring equal to or less than your raw score.
For example: If your percentile is 90, it means you scored equal to or above 90% of the candidates in your shift.
The topper of each shift automatically receives a percentile score of 100. Every other score is converted proportionally.
Formula for Percentile Score (As per RRB Rules)
Percentile Score = (Number of candidates in the shift scoring equal to or less than your raw score ÷ Total candidates in that shift) × 100
The RRB Group D Marking Scheme also states that percentile scores will be calculated up to 5 decimal places to avoid ties caused by similar marks.
Because the exam is conducted over many days, with different difficulty levels, normalization ensures no candidate is unfairly treated. It helps eliminate shift bias and ensures equal opportunity for every applicant.
After calculating percentiles for all shifts, all scores are merged to create RRC Scores, which are finally used to prepare the merit list.
What Is ‘Base Shift’ in RRB Group D?
Another essential component of the RRB Group D Marking Scheme is the concept of the Base Shift. The base shift is the shift that becomes the reference point for all other shifts during normalization.
According to the RRB guidelines, the base shift is selected as follows:
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It must have the highest average marks (mean) among all shifts
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It must have at least 70% candidate presence
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If two shifts have equal mean, the one with highest individual marks becomes the base shift
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If both mean and individual top scores are same, the shift with highest attendance becomes the base shift
Once the base shift is identified, all raw marks from other shifts are interpolated and converted accordingly. This ensures uniformity regardless of question paper difficulty.
The RRB Group D Marking Scheme uses this scientific method to eliminate unfair advantages and ensure fair results for every candidate.
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How the RRB Group D Marking Scheme Impacts Final Merit?
The final merit list position depends entirely on the scores calculated through the RRB Group D Marking Scheme. Every step determines the ranking from raw marks to percentile to normalisation and base shift comparison.
If two candidates get the same normalized percentile, merit is decided as follows:
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Older candidate gets higher rank
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If age is also same, alphabetical order of name (A to Z) breaks the tie
This shows how detailed and transparent the RRB Group D Marking Scheme is in ensuring fairness and accuracy.
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