UPSC SCRA Exam 2022: Latest News, Eligibility, Salary & Vacancies

About UPSC and SCRA Exam

The abbreviation UPSC SCRA stands for Union Public Service Commission Special Class Railway Apprentices. The UPSC is a representative authority for several recruitment exams for civil servants in India. Railway service recruitment is the primary purpose of conducting this exam. Therefore, candidates aspiring to work in the central government sector can appear for this examination. There are three stages carried out for the recruitment for this exam. Stage one is a written exam. Candidates shortlisted based on the written exam scores are allowed to qualify for Stage 2. It is a personality test. The last stage of the recruitment process is a Personal Interview. Prospects who succeed at this stage will get offer letters.

What is the UPSC SCRA Examination?

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) organizes the Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) exam at a national level for selecting candidates for the undergraduate program in mechanical engineering. The program takes place at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur.

UPSC also conducts some other major exams, Civil Services, Engineering Services, CDS, and NDA. Moreover, the aspirant must have completed the 10+2 means of education to apply for the test. Candidates possessing a graduation degree from a recognized university can also apply for this examination.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) have their headquarters located at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi- 110069. UPSC SCRA Exam helps to employ skilled graduates for the Class I officer post in the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineering.

The following table shows relevant information about the UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam.

Exam Name	Union Public Service Commission Special Class Railway Apprentice (UPSC SCRA)
Level of the Exam	National
Mode of test	Offline
Frequency	Once every year
Eligibility	Aspirants should clear the 10+2 qualification from a recognized board or institute.
Organizing Authority	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Total Score (written exam)	600 Marks
Total Score (personality test)	200 marks
Negative Marking	No negative deductions
Age Limit	17-21 years
Official site	www.upsc.gov.in

UPSC SCRA Highlights

• Before applying for the exam, candidates must verify their eligibility criteria for admissions.
• The application form, admit card, result, etc. to be released in online mode only.
• No need to send hard copies of the application form etc., documents to the UPSC office.
• Students who cleared both the written and the personality tests are eligible for admissions.
• Based on the document verification and eligibility criteria fulfillment, enrolment is finally determined.

UPSC SCRA Exam Notification

The Union Public Service Commission releases an official notification for the SCRA Exam. For the current year, UPSC is yet to announce the SCRA 2022 Notification. Aspirants who wish to build their careers in the governmental department can check all the essential information about the UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam notification once it is released. It includes eligibility criteria, age limits, application form details, the application process, and the number of vacancies for the year. UPSC SCRA Examination will provide candidates with decent remuneration and job security. Candidates should regularly check the official website of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for updates. The UPSC SCRA 2022 Notification can probably come out in October 2022. Since 2015, UPSC discontinued this exam, with no further information provided about conducting it in the future.

Following are the tentative dates for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Recruitment.

Events	Dates/Information
Name of the Organization	Union Public Service Commission
Name of the Post	Special Class Railway Apprentice
Applying Mode	Online
UPSC SCRA 2022- Notification	October 2022 (Estimate)
Online form for UPSC SCRA 2022 availability	October 2022 (Estimate)
Last date for UPSC SCRA 2022 application	November 2022 (Estimate)

The actual dates for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Recruitment are as follows.

Events	Dates/Information
Name of the Organization	Union Public Service Commission
Name of the Post	Special Class Railway Apprentice
Applying Mode	Online
UPSC SCRA 2022- Notification	Yet to be released
Online form for UPSC SCRA 2022 availability	Yet to be released
Last date for UPSC SCRA 2022 application	Yet to be released

UPSC SCRA 2022- Exam Date

The official website for the UPSC SCRA does not have exam dates published. The exact dates will get updated upon the release of the official notification.

• When the registration portal opens, aspirants can begin filling the UPSC SCRA application form on the website. Aspirants should take great caution filling it before the last date of registration.
• Offline mode will be the mode of conduct for the UPSC Special Class Railway Apprentice 2022 examination.

Estimated dates for upcoming UPSC SCRA 2022 events:

Events	Tentative Date
The release date for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Notification	October 2022
UPSC SCRA 2022 Online Application Form Availability	October 2022
UPSC SCRA 2022 Last date to apply	November 2022
UPSC SCRA 2022 Admit Card release date	December 2022
UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam Date	Yet to be released
Result declaration for UPSC SCRA 2022	Yet to be released

The commission decides when to schedule the UPSC SCRA Exam every year. Candidates should know the dates of the following events related to the UPSC SCRA Exam.

Events	Date
The release date for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Notification	Yet to be released
UPSC SCRA 2022 Online Application Form Availability	Yet to be released
UPSC SCRA 2022Last date to apply	Yet to be released
UPSC SCRA 2022 Admit Card release date	Yet to be released
UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam Date	Yet to be released
Result declaration for UPSC SCRA 2022	Yet to be released

Know More – UPSC SCRA Important Date & Notifications

UPSC SCRA 2022- Application Fee

Candidates have to pay the Application Fee using any available online means such as debit card, credit card, net banking, etc. Additionally, aspirants can use challan to pay offline.

Different categories of candidates need to pay/ are exempt from paying the application fees.

Category	Fee
General, OC, and OBC Category	INR 100/-
SC, ST, PWD, and Female	Exempt

Fees may or may not change over time. Hence to update themselves with the latest changes, candidates should check the official Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) website from time to time. Candidates can also pay their fees on the www.upsc.gov.in website.

UPSC SCRA 2022- Eligibility Criteria

• Educational Qualifications
• Prospects should clear the 10+2 stage from a recognized Board/University.
• Aspirants should have chosen Mathematics as one subject along with Physics/Chemistry as a compulsory subject.
• Recruits need a minimum score of 2nd division in their 10+2.
• Prospects have scored a minimum of 2nd division to clear their first year of their three-year graduation.
• Aspirants should clear their pre-engineering level with a minimum of the 2nd division grade.
• The candidate must score at least 45% in 12^th grade.

Nationality

Candidates who wish to apply must either be:

• An Indian Citizen, a subject of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan
• A refugee from Tibet, who came to India before 1st January 1962, intends to settle permanently in India.
• A person of Indian Origin who migrated from Burma, Sri Lanka, East African Countries of Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, intends to settle permanently in India.

Age Limit

• Prospects should be at least 17 years old as of 1st January 2022.
• Candidates should not be older than 21 years as of 1st January 2022.

Age Relaxation

Candidates belonging to some categories have age relaxation. UPSC states these relaxations as follows:

Category	Age Relaxation
SC/ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
Residence in Jammu and Kashmir	5years
Defense Services Candidates	3years
Ex-Serviceman/Military Services/ECOs/SSCOs	5 years

UPSC SCRA Vacancies

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Special Class Railway Apprentices (SCRA) Exam to recruit candidates for the Class I officers posts in the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineering. In other words, it offers a total of 42 vacancies for positions through the SCRA 2022 recruitment. SC/ST and OBC category candidates can apply for reservations within this vacancy. These vacancies may differ from what the several ministries require.

UPSC Vacancy List (Overall)

For the past few years, the following are the UPSC Vacancies:

UPSC Vacancy	Year
712	2021
796	2020
896	2019
782	2018
980	2017
1079	2016
1164	2015
1364	2014
1228	2013

UPSC SCRA 2022- Salary

Special Class Railway Apprentices (SCRAs) get recruited after clearing their 10+2 through the UPSC SCRA Exam.

Students who had Physics, Chemistry, and Maths as their subjects can appear for the SCRA Exam. Candidates clearing the Online written exam and the interview can attend a four-year training program with a stipend. It is said to vary every year.

For the 1st and 2nd years, it will be INR 9100/- per month. In the 3rd year, it will be INR 9400/- per month. During the 4th year, for the first half, the stipend will be INR 9400/- and for the next half, it will be INR 9700/-.

Additionally, candidates are entitled to leave for a month with a stipend for the same period. They also get medical facilities free of cost in railway hospitals and traveling facilities by providing passes and privilege tickets. The table below shows the same data more accurately:

Period	Salary/Stipend
First Year	INR 9100/- per month
Second Year	INR 9100/- per month
Third Year	INR 9400/- per month
Fourth Year (First Half)	INR 9400/- per month
Fourth Year (Second Half)	INR 9700/- per month

UPSC SCRA Syllabus

Prospects should prepare from the topics of the entire syllabus to fare well in the exam.

The following list shows which topics the UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam syllabus includes.

Subjects	Topics
General Ability	Vocabulary, History, English language, General knowledge, etc.
Physical Science	Current, Electromagnetic induction, Electricity, Biochemistry, Polymer, etc.
Mathematics	Matrices, Trigonometry, Calculus, Algebra, Probability, Determinants, etc.

• General Ability
• English Language: Candidates are evaluated based on their understanding and their command of the language.
• General Knowledge: Candidates are evaluated based on their general awareness of their surroundings and how it applies to the society.
• Constitution of India and its characteristics
• Politics, History, and Society in India.
• Social disorganization in India
• Money
• Physical Sciences
• Physics: Length measurements using vernier, screw gauge, spherometer, and optical lever. Measurement of time and mass. Moment of a force, couple. Law of Gravitation by Newton. Escape velocity, acceleration due to gravity. Microscopes and telescopes, defects of vision. Prisms, deviation, and dispersion, Minimum deviation, Visible spectrum, etc.
• Chemistry: Chemical Bonding, electrovalent, covalent, coordinate covalent bonds. Bond Properties, sigma and Pie bonds, simple molecule shapes like water, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and ammonium chloride. Energy changes in a chemical reaction. Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions. Application of First Law of Thermodynamics, Law of constant heat summation by Hess.
• Mathematics
• Algebra: Concept of a set, Union and Intersection of sets, Complement of a set, Null set, Universal set and Power set, Venn diagrams, and simple applications. Representation of real numbers on a line. Complex numbers: Modulus, Argument, Algebraic operations on complex numbers.
• Trigonometry
• Analytic Geometry (two dimensions)
• Differential Calculus
• Vectors and their applications
• Statistics and probability

UPSC SCRA Exam Pattern

The UPSC SRCA Exam Pattern helps candidates prepare for the exam more efficiently.

• Students need to appear for the exam through online means.
• Each subject of the SRCA Exam consists of 200 marks each with a 2-hour duration.
• Prospects score a mark per correct answer.
• Negative marking takes place for every wrong answer.
• The interview phase comes after the written examination if candidates can clear the latter.

UPSC SCRA Phase I:

This phase consists of subjects such as Physical Science, Mathematics, and General Ability Test.

Subjects	Duration	Weightage
Physical Sciences	2 hours	200 marks
Mathematics	2 hours	200 marks
General Ability	2 hours	200 marks

UPSC SCRA Phase II:

Prospects who pass the written test qualify for a personality test. However, this phase weighs in total to 200 marks compared to the total 600 mark phase I.

Subjects	Duration	Weightage
Personality Test	2 hours	200 marks

Know More – UPSC SCRA Syllabus

UPSC SCRA Admit Card

• The admit card will be available to download by the conducting authority on the official website.
• The Candidates can do so from the official website as it will get released 15-20 days before the examination.
• Candidates need to input their application number, password, and date of birth to download the admit card.
• It will consist of the details of a candidate and the venue of the examination.

The applicant needs to carry the admit card to the venue and some ID proof with them. Those without the admit card will not be allowed to give the examination. Candidates should keep their Admit Cards safe throughout the examination process.

Know More – UPSC SCRA Admit Card and Interview call letter
 

UPSC SCRA 2022- Results

• Candidates can check their SCRA result from the official website when it will get announced.
• Applicants will qualify if they score more than the prescribed cut-off.
• A merit list of the candidates is prepared based on the marks obtained in the written exam.
• Shortlisted candidates get invited to take part in the personality test.
• Candidates who need to report for their personality test must carry their original certificates for document verification on the same day.
• The applicants who clear the personality test and who verify their documents successfully get offered final admissions.
• UPSC announces the SCRA results after two months of the examination.

Know More – UPSC SCRA Result & Cut-off Marks

How to Apply?

Prospects interested in enrolling for the SCRA exam need to fill the UPSC SCRA Application Form. They should fill the form with correct, authentic information and filling in all the mandatory fields. Candidates aspiring for UPSC SCRA 2022 need to fill the latest application form accordingly.

Candidates need to follow the given steps to fill the application form.

• Prospects need to visit the UPSC official website using the ‘upsc.gov.in’ link.
• The link directs candidates to the homepage. Here, they need to click on the “UPSC SCRA Registration form” tab.
• They also have to communicate the necessary details to complete the registration process.

Fields to fill in UPSC SCRA Application Form

UPSC SCRA Registration form Part-I:

1. Personal Detail Section: Aspirants need to fill in their Name, Gender, Date of Birth, Father’s Name, Mother’s Name, Nationality, Marital Status, Physically challenged, Community, etc. Candidates have to mention their name, which is also present on their HSC or matriculation certificates.
2. Qualification details: Students should select their educational qualifications from the drop-down box in the form.
3. Address Section: Prospects have to enter their House/Building No, Street Name, City, District, State, Pincode, Mobile Number, Email ID in the form. They need to mention their active Email ID for helping the center to communicate with them.
4. Click ‘Continue’ to commence with the Part-II of the registration form.

UPSC SCRA Registration Part-II:

Students can begin filling the Part-II registration form only after completing the first part. Candidates need to log in before filling the Part-II registration form. Registration Part-II consists of three subparts:

1. UPSC SRCA- Application Fee payment: Students need to pay their application fees through any available online payment modes such as debit card/credit card/net banking and offline mode by using challan. Candidates who belong to the OC/OBC or general category need to pay the application fee of INR 100/-, candidates belonging to the SC/ST/PWD/Female category are exempt from paying the application fee.
2. UPSC SRCA- Exam Center: Prospects need to choose their exam center as they prefer. Those who are can not get their preferred exam centers due to the ceiling should choose from the remaining available exam centers on the portal.

• Students need to accept the given declaration only after they read it.
• Tap on the ‘Submit’ Option to finish the UPSC SCRA Application form.

FAQs

Q. When will UPSC release the SCRA application form?

UPSC has yet to announce the dates for releasing the SCRA application form. Candidates can expect them to arrive with the release of the UPSC SCRA 2022 notification.

Q. When will UPSC conduct the SCRA examination for the year 2020-21?

Candidates are waiting for UPSC to reveal the key dates in their notifications. Tentative dates state the exam to be in December 2022.

Q. Did UPSC release any updates regarding the SCRA examination in 2020?

Since UPSC discontinued the exam in 2015, there were no updates relating to the SCRA examination in 2020. Students should regularly check the official website for the latest updates.

Q. Can students appearing for their 11^th grade apply for the SCRA Examination?

The eligibility criteria for the SCRA examination require the candidate to clear 10+2 grades to apply for it. Hence a student appearing for their 11^th grade cannot apply for the SCRA Examination.

Q. Do the female category candidates need to pay their application fee?

Students from the SC/ST/PWD and female category do not need to pay for their applications. UPSC exempts them from doing so.

Recently Asked Questions

Q. Can students who opted for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology during their 10+2 grade apply for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Exam?

The only eligible candidates who can apply for the UPSC SCRA 2022 exam are those who opted for Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Q. What is the duration of the Online written test for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Examination?

Students have to appear for three subjects which have a duration of 2 hours each. Combining all these subjects, Phase I of the SCRA exam consists of 600 marks of questions. These questions should be attempted and 6 hours of duration in total.

Q. Can students who cleared their first graduation year apply for the UPSC SCRA Exam?

The educational qualification criteria state that the prospect must have completed their freshman year of graduation with a score of at least 2nd division in the examination.

Q. Is there any relaxation for age limits for reserved categories of candidates to apply for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Examination?

Candidates who wish to apply for the UPSC SCRA 2022 Examination should have their age fall between the limit of 17-21 years. Some candidates who belong to the reserved categories are eligible to get relaxation in their age limits.

SC/ST- 5 years

OC/OBC- 3 years

Defence service personnel: 3 years.

Q. What is the UPSC SCRA examination? How is it beneficial?

It is an entrance exam that the UPSC organizes to assess interested candidates and shortlist them for positions within the railway department. It is a golden opportunity for candidates seeking to build their careers in the railway industry. They are entitled to many privileges. Some of these privileges are one month of paid leave, travelling privileges, decent remuneration, etc.