SCRA Exam

You must be aware that the Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest railway networks and one of India’s biggest employers with around 1.4 million individuals as workforce. If you’re keen to learn, opportunities strike you all through your way. India’s premier central recruiting agency UPSC has taken an initiative to conduct the SCRA Exam for providing jobs to aspiring students in the Indian Railways. UPSC is responsible for appointments to and examinations for All India Services and Group A and Group B of Central Service, therefore guarantees handsome remuneration and security to students. But, what exactly is this SCRA Exam?This article is made for you to know everything about this examination.

Exam	Union Public Service Commission Special Class Railway Apprentices
Conducting Authority	Union Public Service Commission
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Mode of Exam	Offline
Application Mode	Online
Application Fee	Rs. 100/-
Exam Marks	Written Exam – 600Personality Test – 200
Level of Exam	National
Website	www.upsc.gov.in

What is the SCRA Exam?

Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) is an entrance examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year for selecting SCRA to Indian Railways. The program was started in 1927 and is one of the oldest in India. It aims to train students in the undergraduate program of 4 years in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), Jamalpur. Also, IRIMEE has signed an MoU with Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra and Ranchi for training.

The degree in Mechanical Engineering is recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a national-level council for technical education under the Department of Higher Education, India.

SCRA Exam Important Dates

The dates are tentative, UPSC SCRA has not released any official notification regarding the SCRA 2022 & we will update the dates as soon as it is available on the website:

Events	Dates
UPSC SCRA 2022 Notification release date	To be announced
Online UPSC SCRA 2022 Available from	To be announced
UPSC SCRA 2022 Last date	To be announced
UPSC SCRA 2022 Admit Card release date	To be announced
UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam Date	To be announced
Declaration of  UPSC SCRA 2022 Results	To be announced

SCRA Exam Benefits and Stipend

On successful completion of the 4 years of Mechanical Engineering course, graduates are posted as Assistant Mechanical Engineers (AME) in the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME). With a direct posting as a Group A officer, students can easily climb up the ladder to become senior administrators of Indian Railways. In fact, there are a total of 42 vacancies for posts offered through UPSC SCRA for the year 2022.

Along with training, students are paid a monthly stipend at the following rates along with daily allowance:

• First Year: ₹9100
• Second Year: ₹9100
• Third Year: ₹9400
• Fourth Year: ₹9400 (first six months) and ₹9700 (last six months)

Other special benefits for Special Class Railway Apprentice include:

• Leave on full stipend for a period of one month in any year of apprenticeship.
• Free medical attendance and treatment at railway hospitals and dispensaries on a similar scale like railways servants.
• Additional 2 sets of Pass and 6 sets of PTO (Privilege Ticket Orders) admissible per year valid from anywhere on Indian Railways.

Also Read:

• Job Oriented Courses for Mechanical Engineers
• Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
• SOP for Mechanical Engineering

SCRA Exam Syllabus

The standard of syllabus for SCRA exam is that of Class 12th (CBSE equivalent). We have formulated a list of topics covered in each subject which you should master to ace the exams.

• General Knowledge: This includes both general awareness and current affairs. Some of the important topics are the Evolution of Life, Solar System & the Earth, Man & Environment, Plants & Animals, Money and Taxation Price, History, Politics & Society in India and the Constitution of India and its features.

• Psychological Test: The test checks your basic intelligence and mental aptitude.

• Physics: Topics in Physics consists of Measurements of Time and Mass, Newton’s Law of Motion, Moment of a Force, Newton’s Law of Gravitation, Principle of Archimedes, Wave Motion, Reflection and Refraction of Light, Electric Charge, Electric Field, Ohm’s Law, Coulomb’s Law, Chemical effects of Current, Magnetic effects of Current, Electromagnetic Induction, Cathode Rays and many more.

• Chemistry: These include the following three disciplines:
  • Physical Chemistry: Atomic Structure, Energy Changes in a Chemical Reaction, Chemical Equilibrium, Solutions, Oxidation, Electro Chemistry, Natural & Artificial Radioactivity, Chemical Bonding, Electro-Valent, Covalent, Coordinate Covalent Bonds etc.
  • Inorganic Chemistry: Hydrogen, Group I, Group II, Group III, Group IV, Group V, Group VI, Group VII, Group O elements and Metallurgical Process.
  • Organic Chemistry: Alkanes, Alkenes and Alkyne, Halogen Derivatives, Hydroxy Compounds, Aldehydes and Ketones, Nitro Compounds Amines, Tetrahedral Nature of Carbon, Carboxylic acid, Ester, Polymers,  Amino Acids, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats and Lipids

• Mathematics: This includes, Algebra, Trigonometry, Differential Calculus, Integral Calculus & Differential equations, Vectors & its application, Statistics & Probability and Analytic Geometry (2-D).

SCRA Exam Pattern 

PART I: Written Examination carrying a maximum of 600 marks

Paper	Subjects	Time	Maximum Marks
Paper-I	General Ability Test – English, General Knowledge and Psychological Test (Mental Ability)	2 Hours	200
Paper-II	Physical Science – Physics and Chemistry	2 Hours	200
Paper-III	Mathematics	2 Hours	200

PART II: Personality Test carrying a maximum of 200 marks for those who are declared qualified on the results of the written examination.

The shortlisted students after the SCRA exam are called for an interview followed by a medical examination/test.

Note: There is no negative marking

SCRA 2022 Vacancy

The UPSC SCRA is held to fill Class I officer positions in the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineering. For the year 2022, there are 42 total openings for jobs provided through UPSC SCRA recruitment. SC/ST and OBC applicants would be eligible for reservations.

SCRA Exam Eligibility

Age Limit: The applicant should be within the age group of 17-21 years.

Upper Age Relaxation

• SC/ST: 5 years
• OBC: 3 years
• Jammu and Kashmir Residence: 5 years
• Candidates from Defence Services: 3 years
• Ex-serviceman/Military Services/ECOs/SSCOs: 5 years

Education Qualification

• The applicant should have passed Intermediate (10+2) or equivalent from a university or board approved by the Government of India.
• The applicant should have cleared 10+2 with First or Second Division.
• The applicant should have mathematics and at least one of the two subjects, i.e. Physics or Chemistry are compulsory to be eligible for the SCRA exam.

SCRA Exam Registration Process

• Visit the official website of UPSC to obtain the application form of the examination.
• There are two stages i.e. Part I and Part II in the SCRA exam online application form.
• Complete the application form on the website according to the instructions mentioned on the drop-down menus.
• General/OBC candidates are required to submit the registration fee of ₹100 either through bank deposit in any of the SBI branches or net banking facility of SBI/State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/State Bank of Patiala/State Bank of Hyderabad/State Bank of Mysore/State Bank of Travancore through any Master/Visa Credit or Debit Card.
• SC/ST candidates, females candidates and physically handicapped students are exempted from registration fee.

Note: Before filling the application form online, make sure that your latest passport-sized photograph and signature are scanned in .jpeg format.

All the applicants have to download the admit card. Without the admit card no application will be allowed to enter the examination hall. Here’s how you can download the admit card:

• Visit the official website of SCRA & click on the admit card notification.
• You will be redirected to another page, fill in your Log In details. 
• Login details are your username/Email ID & password that was provided at the time of registration.
• Applicants have the option of downloading admit card in two languages – English or Hindi
• Select the language, enter registration no. & password to proceed further.
• Admit cards will be displayed and you can download the admit card.
  • Make sure you get two copies of the admit card.
  • If there is any information wrong with the admit card, contact the concerned authority.

SCRA Application Fee

To complete the registration process all applicants have to pay the required application fee. Applicants can pay the application fee via credit/debit card or through net banking. The application fee amount based on the category applicants belongs to.

Category	Application Fee (in INR)
Unreserved/General/OBC	Rs. 100/-
SC/ST/PwD	No application fee

UPSC SCRA 2022- Results

• When the SCRA 2022 result is released, candidates can check it on the official website.
• If an applicant’s score is higher than the cut-off, they will be considered.
• Candidates are placed on a merit list depending on their performance in the written test.
• Candidates who have been shortlisted are asked to take the personality test.
• Candidates who must report for their personality exam on the same day must bring their authentic certificates for document verification.
• Final admissions are provided to applicants who pass the personality exam and properly verify their documentation.
• After two months, the UPSC reveals the results of the SCRA 2022 test.

SCRA Exam Centers

SCRA exam is held across the countries. Here are all the SCRA exam centers for 2022:

Gangtok	Agartala	Delhi	Chandigarh	Allahabad
Aizawl	Jaipur	Banglore	Imphal	Port Blair
Vishakapatnam	Kolkata	Jammu	Bareilly	Chennai
Raipur	Ranchi	Kochi	Kohima	Shimla
Panaji	Jorhat	Shillong	Itanagar	Cuttack
Dharwar	Sambalpur	Mumbai	Srinagar	Dispur
Madurai	Udaipur	Tirupati	Bhopal	Nagpur
Dehradun	Thiruvananthapuram	Ahmedabad	Patna	Hyderabad

Best Books for SCRA preparation

Markets & online stores are filled with plenty of books for SCRA examination. It is important to refer to the right books. With the help of these books, applicants can prepare & revise for the SCRA examination:

• Self Study Guide for SCRA by MK Agarwal
• Solved Papers F-2005 SCRA by Arihant Publication
• Special Class Railway Apprentices by R. Gupta
• Objective General English by RS Agarwal
• SCRA Previous Solved Papers By RPH Editorial Board
• The Pearson Guide to the SCRA Examination by Edgar Thorpe
• Special Class Railway Apprentices Entrance Exam Guide by Dr. Datason & Dr. D.V. Chopra & Dr. V.C. Garg

Important Tips for SCRA Exam Preparation

• Hunt for the relevant study material which covers the entire portion of the exam.
• Brush up your fundamental concepts of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry taught at 10+2 level.
• Read newspapers, magazines and national journals to increase your General Knowledge and Current Affairs.
• Practice and revise the basic rules of English grammar and vocabulary.

Also Read:

• Success Mantra for Competitive Exams
• How to Score Good Marks in Exam
• Exams to Study Abroad

We hope you are now familiar with the UPSC SCRA Exam and what the benefits offered to the shortlisted students. If you’re looking for the best ways on how to prepare for competitive exams like GMAT, GRE, IELTS or TOEFL, you may reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu and know the right way to go about these exams.