About the Exam
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the Special Class Railway Apprentices' Examination (SCRA), 2012 on January 29, 2012 for recruitment to the Special Class Apprentices in the Mechanical Department of Indian Railways. 

The selected candidates have to undergo a four-year rigorous training programme in Mechanical Engineering, for which there is an MoU with BIT, Mesra, Ranchi. The semester system of BIT, Mesra is followed, with workshop training sessions during the holidays at BIT, Mesra. The apprentices get a stipend in the scale of Rs. 4000-4400 with Dearness Allowance,making the final emoluments upto Rs. 7400, apart from medical benefits, privelege passes and PTOs.

After completing these 4 years of training, the candidates join as Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) Officers in the Indian Railways.

These SCRAs get a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering after their 4 years of training. This degree is recognised by the AICTE.

The SCRA examination will be held at various centers across the country.


How to Apply

Candidates are required to apply only through the online mode. No other mode for submission of application is allowed. Click here to apply online. The Online Application can be filled upto 21th November, 2011 till 11.59 PMafter which the link will be disabled.


Candidates applying  Online  (exceptingFemale/SC/ST/PH candidates who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 100/- (RupeesOne Hundred Only) either by remitting the money in any Branch of SBI by Cash, or by using net banking facility of SBI or by using Visa/Master Credit/Debit Card


Important Dates

Date of Notification:                           22nd Oct 2011
Last Date for Receipt of Applications:   21st Nov 2011
Date/Day of Commencement of SCRA Exam: 29th Jan 2012


Eligibility Criteria

(I) Nationality

A candidate must be either :—
(a) A citizen of India, or
(b) a subject of Nepal, or
(c) a subject of Bhutan, or
(d) a Tibetan refugee who came over toIndia before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India. or
(e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka,East African countries of Kenya, Uganda,The United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia,Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or from Vietnamwith the intention of permanently settlingin India.

Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) above shall bea person in whose favour a certificate ofeligibility has been issued by the Government of India.


A candidate in whose case a certificate ofeligibility is necessary, may be admitted tothe examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issuedto him by the Government of India.

(II) Age Limits

(a) A candidate must have attained the ageof 17 years and must not have attained theage of 21 years on 1st January, 2012, i.e.he/she must have been born not earlierthan 2nd January, 1991 and not later than1st January, 1995.

(b) The upper age limit is relaxable as follows :–


(i) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled or a Scheduled Tribe.

(ii) upto a maximum of three years inthe case of candidates belonging toOther Backward Classes who areeligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.‘‘The closing date fixed for the receipt of the application will be treatedas the date for determining the OBCstatus (including that of creamy layer)of the candidates.’’

(iii) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciledin the State of Jammu & Kashmirduring the period from the 1st January, 1980 to the 31st day of December, 1989.

(iv) upto a maximum of three years inthe case of Defence Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof:

(v) upto a maximum of five years in thecase of ex-servicemen  includingCommissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at leastfive years Military Service as on 1stJanuary, 2012 and have been released (1) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed withinone year from 1st January, 2012) otherwise than by way of dismissal ordischarge on account of misconductor inefficiency, or (2) on account ofphysical disability attributable to Military Service, or (3) on invalidment.

(vi) Upto a maximum of five years in thecase of  ECOs/SSCOs who havecompleted an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Serviceas on 1st January, 2012 and whoseassignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose casethe Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civilemployment and that they will be released on three month's notice onselection from the date of receipt ofoffer of appointment.

vii) Upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons.

(III) Educational Qualifications

For admission to the examination a candidate–

(a) must have passed in the first or second division, the Intermediate or an equivalent Examination of a University or Board approved by the Government of India with Mathematics and at least one of the subjects Physics and Chemistry as subjects of the examination.Graduates with Mathematics and atleast one of the subjects Physics and Chemistry as their degree subjects may also apply; or

(b) must have passed in the first or second divsion, the Higher Secondary(12 years) Examination under 10plus 2 pattern of School Education with Mathematics and at least one ofthe subjects Physics and Chemistryas subjects of the examination; or

(c) must have passed the first year Examination under the three year degree course of a university or the firstexamination of the three year diploma course in Rural Service of theNational Council for Rural HigherEducation or the third year Examination for promotion to the 4th year ofthe four year B.A./B.Sc. (Evening College) Course of the Madras University with Mathematics and at least oneof the subjects Physics and Chemistry as subjects of the examinationprovided that before joining the degree/diploma course he/she passedthe Higher Secondary Examinationor the Pre-University or equivalentexamination in the first or second division.Candidates who have passed thefirst/second year examination underthe three-years degree course in thefirst or second division with Mathematics and either Physics or Chemistry as subjects of the Examinationmay also apply; provided the first/second year  examinat ion  is conducted by a University; or

(d) must have passed in the first or second division the Pre-Engineering Examination of a University, approvedby the Government of India; or

(e) must have passed in the first or second division the Pre-Professional/Pre-Technological Examination ofany Indian University or a recognisedBoard, with Mathematics and at least,one of   the subjects Physics and Chemistry as subjects of the examination conducted one year after theHigher Secondary or Pre-Universitystage; or

(f) must have passed the first year examination under the five year Engineering Degree Course of a University : Provided that before joining theDegree Course, he/she passed theHigher Secondary Examination orpre-University or equivalent Examination in the first or second division.Candidates who have passed the firstyear Examination of the five-year Engineering Degree Course in the firstor second division may also applyprovided the first year Examinationis conducted by a University; or

(g) must have passed in the first or second division the Pre-Degree Examination of the Universities of Keralaand Calicut with Mathematics and atleast one of the subjects Physics andChemistry as subjects of the Examination.



(IV) Physical Standards

Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission toSpecial Class Railway Apprentices, Examination, 2012 as per Regulations given in Appendix-II of the rules for the SpecialClass Railway Apprentices, Examination,2012 published in Gazette of India dated 22nd October, 2011


To know the scheme of the SCRA exam, syllabus of the exam etc. click here.

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