Checked 30 September 2026. The split and the LDCE rules are official; the 70% route's three-year service condition is reported only. Each route is notified separately per vacancy cycle, and the Board revises selection rules by letter. Checked against Board letters up to 31.08.2026.
Group B posts of AFA/ADFM are filled 70% by selection and 30% by Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE), both from Group C Accounts staff (IREM para 201.1). Both routes have a written test, a viva and an assessment of record of service. They differ in who may enter, how long the paper is, whether a wrong answer costs marks, how the panel is ordered, and how far SC/ST standards are relaxed. This guide sets them side by side and marks clearly which facts are official and which are only reported.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. We are not affiliated with Indian Railways, the Railway Board, RRB/Ajmer, NAIR Vadodara or any zonal railway. Every rule below is quoted or summarised from their published letters, and your zone's Accounts and Personnel offices decide every application.
Where other pages get this wrong
The service difference between the routes — three years for the 70% selection, five for the 30% LDCE — is only half official: the five years is printed in an ECoR notification; the three years we have seen only in a reproduction of the 2019 rules.
Commonly published instead: Most pages state "3 years for selection, 5 years for LDCE" as settled Gazette fact.
The five-year LDCE condition appears in East Coast Railway's notification of 23.12.2025, quoting the Recruitment Rules. For the 70% route we found no 2025-26 AFA selection notification and no Gazette copy; the three years comes from railwayrule.com's reproduction of GSR 206(E) (reported). IREM para 203.1 also gives three years for selections in general. Treat three years as very likely, but confirm it from your zone's 70% notification.
Side by side
| Feature | 70% selection | 30% LDCE | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of vacancies | 70% | 30% | official (IREM 201.1); reported for AFA in the RR |
| Service in Level 6+ in Accounts | 3 years | 5 years | 70%: reported; 30%: official (ECoR) |
| Appendix-3 pass | Required | Required | 70%: reported; 30%: official (ECoR) |
| Who enters | Eligible staff in the zone of consideration | Any eligible volunteer who applies | our reading of IREM and the notifications |
| Written test | CBT; the 2023 NAIR AFA paper had 110 questions in 2 hours | CBT; 175 questions, attempt 150, 3 hours | official papers; 110 is our count |
| Negative marking | Removed (RBE 93/2024) | Retained: −1/3 per wrong answer | 70%: reported; 30%: official |
| Official Language block (Accounts) | 15 marks | 15 marks | official (letter of 11.11.2022) |
| Supplementary CBT | Yes (e.g. 01.06.2025) | None | official (NAIR notice; letter of 28.06.2022) |
| Viva + record of service | 25 + 25; 30 with 15 in record | 25 + 25; 30 with 15 in record | official (IREM 204.1; ECoR para 6) |
| Panel order | Seniority among those who qualify (our reading of IREM Chapter II) | Merit | 30%: official (ECoR para 5) |
| SC/ST written standard | 50% in place of 60% | three fifths of the general mark (54 of 150, ours) | official (RBE 69/2026) |
| Best Amongst the Failed | Applies (minimum 20% per heading) | Does not apply | official (RBE 69/2026; letter of 24.08.2020) |
Sources are listed below. Where a cell is "our reading" or "our count", the documents do not print it in those words.
Check which route is open to you
Which AFA route is open to you?
Enter your regular service in Level 6 and above in the Accounts Department, counted up to the cut-off date of the cycle (01.01.2025 for 2025-26). The comparer applies the service condition of each route.
30% LDCE: five years, official in ECoR's notification of 23.12.2025 (quoting the RR). 70% selection: three years, reported only (railwayrule.com reproduction of GSR 206(E) of 09.03.2019). Appendix-3 for both routes: official for the LDCE (ECoR), reported for the 70% route. A self-check, not a decision.
| Your Level 6+ service in Accounts on the cut-off date | 70% selection (3 years, reported) | 30% LDCE (5 years, official) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years | Not yet | Not yet |
| 3 years to under 5 | Open | Not yet |
| 5 years or more | Open | Open |
| Any, without Appendix-3 | Not open | Not open |
The same logic as the comparer, as a table. Service is regular service in Level 6 and above (pre-revised grades included), counted to the cut-off date in the notification.
The written tests are not the same exam
The LDCE paper is the longer and harder instrument. It sets 175 questions for 150 answers in 3 hours, with a third of a mark lost for each wrong answer. NAIR's 70% selection paper for AFA of 19.02.2023 had 110 questions (our count) and a 2-hour slot on NAIR's page. The Board's pattern letter for 70% selections (07.10.2022) applies "in all departments except Accounts", and we found no Accounts-specific 70% letter, so the part-wise marks of the 70% AFA paper are not officially printed. RBE 93/2024, as reported by a staff-news site, removed negative marking in 70% selections and kept it in the LDCE.
The practical consequence (our reading): a candidate who is comfortable with the professional heads but tends to guess will find the 70% paper more forgiving, while the LDCE rewards candidates who know exactly which questions they can answer and leave the rest. Both papers carry the same 15-mark Official Language block in Accounts.
How each panel is ranked
In the LDCE the panel is on merit: ECoR's notification says so in terms, and its 21.08.2026 panel places seven candidates by panel position, one SC candidate among them against an unreserved vacancy. The 70% selection panel is formed from those who qualify, arranged by seniority — our reading of IREM Chapter II; we did not find a 2025-26 AFA 70% notification to quote. That difference is why the LDCE exists: it lets a junior but well-prepared employee overtake seniority for 30% of the posts, in exchange for more service years and a harder paper.
| Question | 70% selection | 30% LDCE |
|---|---|---|
| Can a junior employee overtake seniors? | Not within the panel, on our reading | Yes, by merit |
| Does a strong CBT score help after qualifying? | Only to qualify, on our reading | Yes, it counts in the merit total |
| Is there a second chance in the same cycle? | Supplementary CBT for those who miss the main one | No supplementary exam |
| How many are called for viva? | Not found for Accounts | Up to five times the vacancies, category-wise, in merit order (ECoR para 7) |
Timing: same vacancy cycle, different years
IREM and a 2013 Board letter say the LDCE should be held once every two years, in the same year as the 70% selection. In practice both now run once per two-year vacancy cycle, and in 2025-26 they were a year apart: the 70% selection CBT by RRB/Ajmer on 04.05.2025 and 18.05.2025 (supplementary 01.06.2025), the 30% LDCE CBT on 24.05.2026 and 31.05.2026. So an employee who crosses three years but not five before a cycle's cut-off can only take the 70% route in that cycle, and will usually wait for the next cycle for the LDCE.
Can you enter both routes in the same cycle? We found no rule in the AFA documents that forbids it, and none that says how a candidate empanelled on one route is treated in the other. Ask your Accounts establishment section before assuming either.
SC/ST standards on each route
| Rule | 70% selection | 30% LDCE |
|---|---|---|
| Written qualifying standard | 50% in place of 60% | three fifths of the general mark (90 × 3/5 = 54, ours) |
| Viva + record of service | as per RBE 69/2026 for selections | 18 in place of 30, with at least 15 in record of service |
| Best Amongst the Failed | Applies, minimum 20% per heading | Does not apply — the LDCE is "purely on the basis of merit" |
| Pre-promotional training | Required | Required (15-20 working days, at least 60 hours, per ECoR) |
Official: RBE 69/2026 of 31.08.2026, which concerns non-safety categories and names no posts. That AFA is non-safety is our reading. The 24.08.2020 letter first withdrew Best Amongst the Failed from LDCEs; panels finalised before then were left undisturbed.
Which should you prepare for?
Our reading, for three common situations
- Three to five years in Level 6 with Appendix-3: prepare for the 70% selection now; the LDCE is not open until you cross five years by a cut-off date.
- Five years or more and fairly senior: the 70% route may reach you on seniority; the LDCE is worth sitting if you want to move sooner or your position in the seniority list is far back.
- Five years or more and junior in the seniority list: the LDCE is the route where your rank depends on the paper rather than the list.
Our suggestions, not official advice. Each zone notifies its own vacancies, and a panel is subject to the rules in force when it is formed.
What is the difference between the 70% selection and the 30% LDCE for AFA?
Both promote Group C Accounts staff to AFA/ADFM. The 70% route needs fewer service years (three, reported), has a shorter paper without negative marking (reported) and a supplementary exam; the 30% LDCE needs five years, has a 175/150 paper with −1/3 marking, no supplementary exam and a merit panel.
How many years of service do I need for each route?
Five years of regular Level 6 and above service in Accounts for the LDCE (official in ECoR's notification). Three years for the 70% selection is reported from a reproduction of the 2019 rules.
Is Appendix-3 needed for the 70% selection too?
According to the reproduction of the Recruitment Rules, yes. For the LDCE it is official in the ECoR notification.
Is there negative marking in the 70% selection?
A staff-news site reports that RBE 93/2024 removed it for 70% selections and kept it for LDCEs. We have not read that letter directly.
Does Best Amongst the Failed apply to the AFA LDCE?
No. It has not applied to LDCEs since the letter of 24.08.2020, and RBE 69/2026 repeats that.
When were the 2025-26 CBTs?
The 70% selection CBT was held by RRB/Ajmer on 04.05.2025 and 18.05.2025 with a supplementary on 01.06.2025. The 30% LDCE CBT was held on 24.05.2026 and 31.05.2026.
How is the LDCE panel ordered?
On merit: CBT, viva and record of service, subject to qualifying in each. ECoR's notification states the panel is formed on merit.
More in this series
- Exam pattern and syllabus: 175 questions, attempt 150
- Eligibility: Level 6, five years and Appendix-3
- Pass marks: 90 in the CBT, 30 in viva and record of service
- CBT dates, results and history
- Appendix-3 IREM eligibility, nomination and the ladder to Sr. SO and AFA
- Appendix-3 IREM pass marks and exemption rules
- Appendix-3 IREM exam pattern and syllabus
- How 2026 LDCE scores were rescaled and normalised (AEN table)
- Railway Group B LDCE notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — Railway Board — IREM Vol I, Chapter II, paras 201-207 (Group B promotion; parts superseded by the CBT letters)
- official — Railway Board — RBA 15/2013, No. 2013/AC-II/20/Misc dated 24.06.2013 (Group B 70% selection / 30% LDCE to AAO/AFA)
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2022/2/4 dated 28.06.2022: centralised CBT for Group B from 01.01.2023, one paper, 175/150, −1/3, qualifying 90
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2022/2/4 dated 07.10.2022: 70% selection pattern for departments other than Accounts
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2022/2/4 dated 11.11.2022: Official Language questions carry 15 marks in Accounts, both routes
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2024/2/28 dated 22.10.2024: 70% selection, 2025-26 cycle
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2024/2/37 dated 12.02.2025: 70% selection CBT, 2025-26 cycle
- official — NAIR — CBT for Group B page (notice: RRB/Ajmer replaces NAIR from the 2025-26 cycle, Board letter 03.04.2025)
- official — NAIR — CBT for 70% selection 2023 page (AFA papers of 19.02.2023 and 05.03.2023)
- official — East Coast Railway, Office of the PFA — notification No. ECoR/ACCTS/BBS/ADMN/30% LDCE/2025-26/2232 dated 23.12.2025 (AFA/ADFM 30% LDCE, 8 posts, with the AFA syllabus)
- official — East Coast Railway — Office Order No. 1/38/2026 dated 21.08.2026: provisional AFA/ADFM panel, 30% LDCE 2025-26
- official — Railway Board — E(GP)2024/2/37 dated 02.04.2026: CBT on 24.05.2026 and 31.05.2026 with normalisation; revised calendar
- official — Railway Board — RBE 69/2026, No. 2022-E(SCT)I/25/14 dated 31.08.2026: SC/ST qualifying-mark relaxation, non-safety categories
- official — Railway Board — 2018-E(SCT)I/25/16 dated 24.08.2020: "Best Amongst the Failed" not applicable in LDCEs
- reported — railwayrule.com — Recruitment Rules for AFA / ADFM, GSR 206(E) dated 09.03.2019 (reported; we could not obtain the Gazette copy)
- reported — staffnews.in — RBE 93/2024: negative marking removed in 70% selections, retained in LDCE (reported)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
