Study Material — 15 PYQs (2023–2023) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
RRB NTPC Course of Action is a frequently tested subtopic — 15 previous year questions from 2023–2023 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
15 questions from actual RRB NTPC papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12023Previous Year Pattern
A hospital is facing a critical shortage of beds during peak patient admission hours. The emergency ward is overcrowded, and patients are waiting for hours. Which of the following is the most appropriate course of action?
A city hospital is facing a critical shortage of blood units in its blood bank. The hospital receives emergency calls for blood transfusions daily, but the current stock is insufficient to meet demand. The blood bank director has identified that many eligible donors in the city are unaware of the donation process and have misconceptions about blood donation safety.
Which of the following should be the FIRST course of action to address this problem?
Exam Q 32023Previous Year Pattern
A company's production unit has noticed a 30% increase in defective products over the last month. Quality checks are being bypassed due to time pressure. What should be the immediate course of action?
Exam Q 42023Previous Year Pattern
A school's attendance rate has dropped to 65% due to students skipping classes. Teachers report that students find the curriculum outdated and irrelevant. What is the most appropriate course of action?
Exam Q 52023Previous Year Pattern
A bank's customer service team is receiving numerous complaints about long waiting times. Investigation reveals that the online appointment booking system is frequently down, forcing customers to visit in person. What should be the primary course of action?
Exam Q 62023Previous Year Pattern
A manufacturing plant has experienced a 15% increase in workplace accidents over the past quarter. Safety audits reveal that workers are not following established safety protocols due to lack of awareness and inadequate training. What is the most appropriate course of action?
Exam Q 72023Previous Year Pattern
A university has noticed that student attendance in morning classes (8-10 AM) has dropped to 35%, while afternoon classes (2-4 PM) maintain 85% attendance. The administration is considering solutions. Which course of action would be MOST EFFECTIVE in addressing this issue?
Exam Q 82023Previous Year Pattern
A software company's customer retention rate has dropped from 92% to 78% over the past year. Exit surveys show that 60% of departing customers cite poor after-sales support, while 25% cite high pricing, and 15% cite product features. The company has budget to address only ONE major issue. Which course of action should be PRIORITIZED?
Exam Q 92023Previous Year Pattern
A city's public transportation system is experiencing overcrowding during peak hours (7-9 AM and 5-7 PM), causing delays and passenger discomfort. The transport authority has identified that 40% of peak-hour passengers are office workers with flexible schedules. Which course of action would be MOST PRACTICAL to implement immediately?
Exam Q 102023Previous Year Pattern
A city hospital is facing a critical shortage of blood donors. The blood bank has only 2 weeks of O-negative blood supply left, and demand has increased by 40% due to a recent accident. Which of the following should be the MOST IMMEDIATE course of action?
Exam Q 112023Previous Year Pattern
A manufacturing plant has discovered that 15% of its products have defects due to outdated machinery. The plant manager must decide on a course of action. The company has limited budget and can either: upgrade all machinery immediately OR train workers better to minimize defects with current machinery. Which course of action should be MOST APPROPRIATE?
Exam Q 122023Previous Year Pattern
A manufacturing company faces declining productivity due to outdated machinery and low worker morale. The management has identified that 40% of equipment is beyond repair, maintenance costs have tripled, and employee turnover is at 35% annually. Which course of action should be prioritized?
I. Immediately replace all machinery with the latest models regardless of budget constraints.
II. Conduct a comprehensive audit of equipment condition and create a phased replacement plan.
III. Implement immediate wage increases and skill development programs for existing workers.
IV. Outsource production to reduce overhead costs and workforce requirements.
Which of the following is the most logical sequence?
Exam Q 132023Previous Year Pattern
A software company's customer support team has a 48-hour average response time, with 35% of tickets marked 'unresolved' after first contact. Customer satisfaction scores have dropped from 8.2 to 6.1 in six months. Analysis reveals: (a) 60% of support staff lack advanced technical training, (b) ticket routing system is manual and error-prone, (c) no escalation protocol for complex issues, and (d) support team works 8-hour shifts with no overlap between shifts.
I. Hire additional support staff immediately to reduce per-person workload.
II. Implement automated ticket routing and priority classification system.
III. Establish formal escalation protocol with senior technical staff on-call.
IV. Introduce 24-hour shift rotation with 4-hour overlap between shifts.
V. Conduct intensive 2-week technical training for existing staff.
Which sequence of actions will most efficiently restore customer satisfaction?
Exam Q 142023Previous Year Pattern
A hospital's emergency department has a 6-hour average wait time for non-critical patients, with 22% of patients leaving without being seen (LWBS). Staff surveys reveal: (a) 50% of ED staff are fatigued due to 12-hour shifts with minimal breaks, (b) triage process is manual and takes 15-20 minutes per patient, (c) 35% of ED admissions are for conditions treatable in primary care, and (d) imaging and lab result turnaround time is 90-120 minutes.
I. Hire additional ED physicians and nurses to increase staffing capacity.
II. Implement automated triage system using standardized protocols.
III. Establish fast-track clinic for minor injuries and primary-care-treatable conditions.
IV. Introduce mandatory 8-hour shifts with structured breaks to reduce staff fatigue.
V. Upgrade imaging and lab equipment to reduce turnaround time.
Which sequence of actions will most efficiently reduce wait times and LWBS rates?
Exam Q 152023Previous Year Pattern
A city's public transportation system experiences chronic overcrowding during peak hours (7-9 AM, 5-7 PM), with 60% of buses operating at 150% capacity. Passenger complaints cite long wait times, missed buses, and safety concerns. The transport authority has limited budget for new buses but can implement operational changes within 3 months.
I. Increase ticket prices during peak hours to reduce demand.
II. Introduce staggered work timings for major employers to spread passenger load.
III. Add express routes during peak hours using existing buses.
IV. Reduce frequency of off-peak services to fund additional peak-hour buses.
Which combination addresses the problem most effectively within constraints?
Concept Notes
Course of Action— Rules & Concept
💡
Core Concept
Read this first — the foundation of the topic
→CORE CONCEPT
A Course of Action is a proposed step or action to solve a problem or improve a situation
→Your job is to
Understand the problem clearly
2. Judge if the proposed action logically solves or improves the problem
3. Decide if it is practical and immediately doable
4. Eliminate actions that are too vague, harmful, or illogical
KEY RULES:
- Action must be DIRECTLY related to the problem
- Action must be PRACTICAL and IMMEDIATE (not long-term dreams)
- Action must be SAFE and ETHICAL
- Action should NOT create new problems
- Multiple actions can be correct — select the MOST LOGICAL one
- Avoid actions that are too cautious or too extreme
📊
Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks:
- "Which of the following courses of action should be taken?"
- "What should be done to solve this problem?"
- Questions with 2-4 proposed actions (judge each as "Alone sufficient", "With others", or "Not necessary")
- Real-world scenarios: traffic, corruption, education, health, environment
SHORTCUT/TRICK:
"The Golden Rule" — Always ask yourself: "Does this ACTION directly FIX the PROBLEM, right now, safely?"
If YES to all three → It's a strong answer
If NO to any → Eliminate it
✏️
Worked Example
Solve this step-by-step before moving on
Situation: "Many students are sleeping in class. Teachers complain they cannot teach effectively."
Proposed Actions:
A) Expel all sleeping students
B) Make classes more engaging and reduce class duration
C) Punish students with extra homework
D) Close the school
SOLVING:
- Action A: Too extreme, unethical, doesn't solve root cause → REJECT
- Action B: Directly addresses the problem (boredom/fatigue), practical, safe → ACCEPT ✓
- Action C: Creates more problems (more work = more sleep loss) → REJECT
- Action D: Illogical and extreme → REJECT
Answer: B is the BEST course of action.
COMMON MISTAKE:
Students pick actions that SOUND good but are NOT practical.
Example: "Provide free world tours to all poor children" — sounds nice, but not IMMEDIATELY doable.
Always ask: "Can this be done NOW with available resources?"
Another mistake: Confusing "helpful" with "necessary". A helpful action might not be the BEST course of action in the moment.
Key Points to Remember
Course of Action must directly solve or improve the stated problem — not just sound nice
Judge actions on three points: Direct relevance, Practicality NOW, and Safety/Ethics
Eliminate actions that are too extreme, too vague, or create new problems
In multi-action questions, one action can be sufficient alone, or multiple together might be needed
Statement: A large number of students in a government school are found to be suffering from malnutrition, which is affecting their concentration and academic performance.
Which of the following courses of action should the school administration take?
I. Immediately inform the parents and the local health department to arrange medical check-ups for the affected students.
II. Close the school until the government provides funds to set up a nutrition programme.
60-Second Revision — Course of Action
Remember: CoA = What SHOULD be done to solve the problem LOGICALLY and PRACTICALLY, not what COULD be done
Filter: Does it directly fix the problem? Is it doable NOW? Is it safe/ethical? All YES = strong answer
Trap: Avoid solutions that sound moral or helpful but are NOT practical or create new problems
Pattern: SSC often uses education, health, corruption, and environment scenarios — expect real-world context
Rule: Extreme actions (expel, close, ban all) are almost always wrong — look for balanced, practical solutions
Check: If multiple actions are offered, judge EACH separately — one might be enough, or combinations might be needed
Timing: You have 1.5-2 minutes per CoA question — use the Golden Rule to eliminate 2-3 options quickly