IREL 2026 Tradesman Trainee CBT — four trades, separate merit, shared exam framework

Official CBT: 150 objective questions, 2 hours — not a generic ITI paper

Scoring: +1 per correct answer; zero negative marks for incorrect answers; no marks for unattempted questions. The paper is bilingual (Hindi/English), with the English version governing where the Hindi text contains a typo. IREL may withdraw defective questions during evaluation.

Crucial qualifying rule — each section separately: UR/EWS require at least 50/100 in Section I AND 25/50 in Section II. SC/ST/OBC-NCL require 45/100 AND 22.5/50, subject to advertised reservation/UR-standard conditions and any applicable IREL rounding instructions if published later. These numeric requirements are derived exactly as percentages of each section, not published merit cut-offs or guaranteed selection scores. A candidate with 115 total marks could still miss eligibility by falling below the required mark in one section. 45% of 50 = 22.5 mathematically; IREL has not explained any rounding convention in this advertisement.

The notification does not give separate General Knowledge versus Reasoning versus Quantitative versus English question counts, nor issue a chapter-weight table for Professional Knowledge. Do not claim an invented 15/15/10/10 split or an 'official detailed Fitter syllabus' where none is attached.

Official CBT exam centres (tentative): Mumbai/Nagpur; Bhubaneswar/Berhampur; Thiruvananthapuram ('Trivandrum')/Kochi; Bhopal/Indore; Chennai/Nagercoil; Visakhapatnam ('Vishakhapatnam')/Vijayawada. Two centre preferences may be entered; the company may allocate or change a centre. A CBT city is not the permanent posting location. No final centre allotment, date, reporting time or CBT admit-card release is printed (PDF pp. 7–8).

Every trade and its precise official paper scope

The 150-question structure does not mean 150 questions from an identical syllabus for all trades. Section I changes with the specific qualification; Section II's general categories are common. PDF Section 9 describes subject groups only. No authorised separate trade-topic marks distribution is supplied, so all optional preparation subjects below are merely editorial revision guidance.

Preparation suggestions, explicitly NOT official syllabus or expected question weight

Fitter

• Interpretation of mechanical drawings and fits/tolerances
• Tools, measurement and metrology; inspection practice
• Fasteners, mechanical assemblies, cutting and fitting fundamentals
• Workshop safety, maintenance discipline and trade calculations

Electrician

• Basic circuit interpretation and electrical measurements
• Electrical machines, power distribution and protection
• Wiring practice, industrial electrical maintenance and fault isolation
• Safe isolation, earthing and trade safety precautions

Instrumentation

• Measurement principles, sensors, transducers and instrument ranges
• Process signal measurement and basic calibration methods
• Control loops and instrument troubleshooting concepts
• Industrial installation practice, safe maintenance and testing

Attendant Operator (Chemical Plant)

• Process-industry operations and equipment awareness
• Foundational chemical-process measurements and safe handling
• Basic chemistry relevant to completed qualifying coursework
• Operating observations, preventive checks, quality and safety concepts

These suggested subject areas are broadly connected to each trade's professional curriculum; the employer may ask other valid content within the advertised professional-knowledge scope. Candidates using the 12th Science AOCP alternative must prepare for the AOCP professional paper, not a generic 12th Science-only paper.

Shortlisting, final CBT contribution and lifecycle rules

After CBT: Only candidates who qualify the prescribed Section-I and Section-II standards are considered for the qualifying Skill/Trade Test. IREL states a 1:5 call ratio, five CBT-qualified candidates per vacancy in merit order. This is a shortlisting ratio, not a promise that all eligible applicants will be called. The company may raise minimum screening standards to control numbers.

Skill Test: Trade Test or Computer Proficiency Test as applicable, according to the competent authority. Qualifying only; failing it excludes the candidate irrespective of CBT marks. No skill-test marks are added to final merit. The notice does not publish trade-wise practical exercises, skill-test duration or numerical qualifying score: do not invent them.

Merit is unit-wise, trade-wise and category-wise, based on CBT marks among skill-qualified candidates. Original-document verification takes place before offer letters: prescribed ITI/NAC or valid alternative proof, relevant experience certificates, identity/age, category claims, a valid Electrician licence when applicable, and NOC/relieving evidence for existing government/PSU personnel. Selection remains subject to IREL medical fitness, character/antecedent and experience verification. Unit-wise wait lists may be valid for one year, but their publication dates, individual ranks and actual cut-offs are not announced.

The 50/45% minimum is a CBT eligibility threshold, not the eventual unit-specific merit cutoff. UR-only Instrumentation slots and some one-seat units are decisive context: category-specific age/marks relaxations cannot be mechanically applied against UR seats without a corresponding notified category reservation.

Exam city versus posting unit

The notice lists 12 tentative exam cities in six states; two city preferences are requested. There are 6 posting units across five states; the location you choose for the job and your CBT city preference have distinct purposes. Candidates cannot change submitted centre preferences, but IREL may reallocate a centre. IREL will communicate subsequent test arrangements by email/site. Do not cite a future exam date or a download-ready hall ticket merely because the location list exists.

Applicant-ready checklist for the examination stage

• Before test: preserve the saved application, registration number, email and phone; wait for official CBT communication. Do not use third-party hall-ticket links.
• Before skill test: gather Aadhaar, birth/SSC, prescribed trade/education credential, original service certificates, appointment orders and pay slips; apply for NOC where relevant.
• Exam-day logistics: CBT has no reimbursed travel expense; a skill-test call may provide eligible up-and-down second-class sleeper reimbursement, subject to official terms and journey evidence.
• After CBT: no automatically assumed answer-key release, result date or published cutoff; check the employer for actual releases before creating a linked lifecycle page.

Application portal caveat (20 October 2026): Although the PDF originally schedules registration from 19 October, the official IREL Careers entry states that the application link will be made live on a revised date because of a technical issue. The PDF still prints 9 November, 18:00, but applicants must check the employer for a revised live opening date and any corrigendum; no amended deadline was established in the materials reviewed.

Official basis: IREL advertisement CO/HRM/36/2026, pp. 2–13. Official employer careers and updates. Jobs directory · Examination directory · Syllabus directory · ITI recruitment filter. The detailed appendix is an announcement for this recruitment, not a notification of a later CBT date or released answer key.