RRB ALP Psycho Test (CBAT): the five tests, the T-Score 42 rule, and how to prepare

What the CBAT is and when it comes

Candidates call the CBAT the psycho test or the aptitude test. RRB holds it after CBT 2 for the candidates it shortlists for Assistant Loco Pilot. The RDSO guideline fixes the five tests, their order and the kinds each test can take. RDSO is the Research Designs and Standards Organisation of Indian Railways. The names of the five tests say what each one checks: memory, following directions, depth perception, observation and speed.

Three facts matter. First, it is qualifying. You need a T-Score of 42 or more in each of the five tests. Second, it is not only qualifying. The CBAT carries 30% weight in the final ALP merit, and CBT 2 Part A carries 70%. A higher T-Score lifts your rank, so 42 is the floor, not the goal. Third, there is no negative marking in the CBAT, so a blank answer can only lose. The screens and the questions come in Hindi and English together. Language is not a barrier; speed and attention are.

The five tests, as the guideline numbers them

The RDSO guideline numbers the five tests in this order. Test 1, the Memory Test: you study a map, pairs or shapes while a clock runs, then answer from memory. Test 2, the Following Directions Test: a table of letters or numbers, or a watch-like circle, stays on screen. Each question is a direction to follow across it. Test 3, the Depth Perception Test: a pile of bricks or blocks drawn in three dimensions. You count the ones touching a lettered brick, or the ones hidden on every side. Test 4, the Power of Observation Test: compare two numbers, find a digit among groups, or spot moved figures. Speed is everything. Test 5, the Perceptual Speed Test: one figure on the left, five on the right, find the match. The railway's mock link for CEN 01/2025 runs them as Memory, Depth Perception, Power of Observation, Following Directions and Perceptual Speed; the test numbers on this site follow the RDSO guideline, and the free Full Mock sits them in the mock's order.

Each test has several kinds, 20 in all, and the hall gives only one kind of each test. You do not know in advance which kind, so prepare every kind. The table on this page lists every kind. In the last exam (CEN 01/2024) the hall gave Figure Find, Watch Table, Hidden Cube, Figure Placement and Same Figure Tests. That is what the institute's records show, not a promise for next time. For CEN 01/2025 the railway's own mock link shows the kind of each test: Vehicle & Signal Position (1f), Watch Table (2b), Brick (3a), Figure Placement (4d) and Octagonal (5b), marked ★ in the table. Practise those five first. The kinds of one test share a skill, but each has its own screen and its own trap. The count and clock are not the same for every kind.

T-Score 42: what it means

Your result in each test is a T-Score, not a count of right answers. The T-Score compares you with everyone who sat the same paper. On this scale 50 is the average candidate, and every 10 points is one standard deviation. So 60 means clearly better than most of the group, and 40 clearly worse. That puts 42 a little below the average candidate. To qualify, you need to be near the middle of the group, not at the front. But you must do this in all five tests separately. A 60 in the Memory Test does not rescue a 40 in the Depth Perception Test.

Because the score is relative, nobody can say in advance how many right answers make 42. It depends on the rest of the group. So the portal reports a T-Score, not a percentage, after every practice paper and every Full Mock. Kautilya Classes sets a target of T-Score 60 in every test; 42 is only the pass bar. Aiming at 60 leaves a margin for a hard paper or a slow start. The Full Mock scorecard is out of 30 and shows the T-Score of each test. One look shows which test holds you back.

How the hall screen works

Every test opens with an instruction screen in Hindi and English. It shows a worked example, which tells you the kind. Read it even after much practice: the example confirms which kind the hall has chosen. Then the test starts and its own Time Left clock begins. You answer and press Save & Next to move on. When the clock reaches zero the screen submits for you, finished or not. In a Full Mock a short break with a summary comes between tests, then the next instruction screen. In the Memory Test, study parts come before test parts, each with its own clock.

The portal's screen is built to behave the same way, as per the RDSO pattern. Its instruction screen allows 5 minutes and can be skipped once you know the kind. Every practice paper has the hall's count and clock, and Save & Next works the same. One difference matters. The hall is a desktop with a mouse. The portal runs on a phone, but there the figures are smaller and you tap instead of clicking. Sit your papers and Full Mocks on a laptop or desktop whenever you can.

How to prepare in 30 days

Thirty days go a long way if every day has a job. Start with measurement, not practice. Sit the free Full Mock on the first day and read the scorecard. It tells you which of the five tests is below 42 and which is below 60. Then spend most of the month on practice papers of the kinds in your weakest two tests. A paper allows up to 3 attempts, and the highest T-Score of the attempts counts. So a second attempt after reviewing the solutions is worth more than a new paper done blind. Review every wrong answer and every blank. In the last week return to Full Mocks in the hall's order, so five tests in a row feel familiar. These come with the Full Mock package or the Combo.

Exam day

Read every instruction screen to the end, even when you know the kind at a glance. In the Memory Test, use the whole study part, even if you feel ready. When a test part starts, work in order and press Save & Next after every answer. Keep one eye on Time Left. If the clock is about to run out, answer the remaining questions quickly: a blank is a sure zero. Use the moment before the next test to breathe, not to replay the last one. Each test gets its own T-Score. Treat each test as a fresh start.

Two habits from practice carry into the hall. First, the mouse. Your hand should already know the path from the option to Save & Next, because you practised on a desktop. Second, the rhythm. Every kind has its own pace, fast in the Yes or No Test and slower in the Hidden Cube Test. If you have sat each kind with the hall's clock, your body keeps that pace on its own. When a question stumps you, give your most likely answer and move on. Lingering on it costs more than it earns.