NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager): Mock Tests, Pattern & Syllabus
Prepare for NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager, RDBS) with full-length mock tests built on the latest official pattern: a 200-mark prelims, then descriptive English and ESI & ARD in the mains, with section-wise analysis to sharpen your merit score.
- Selection stages
- 4
- Mock tests
- Soon
- Key dates
- 6 listed
- Category
- Regulatory
What is NABARD Grade A?
NABARD Grade A is the direct recruitment exam for Assistant Managers at the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, India's apex development bank for agriculture and the rural economy. Most posts fall under the Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS). In the 2025 cycle, 85 of the 91 vacancies were RDBS, 48 of them in the General discipline. Officers appraise and monitor rural credit, refinance and development projects, work with state governments, cooperative and regional rural banks, and help shape policy for farm and non-farm livelihoods. The bank also recruits Assistant Managers in specialist RDBS disciplines (such as CA, Finance, IT, Agriculture Engineering, Fisheries and Economics), in the Legal Service, and in the Protocol & Security Service, and each of these has its own eligibility rules.
Selection stages
For RDBS and Legal, the 2025 notification set out four stages:
- Phase I (Preliminary): a 200-question, 200-mark objective test with a combined time of 120 minutes. Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making are qualifying only. General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues (ESI) and Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD) are the merit sections, and only these decide who is shortlisted for the mains.
- Phase II (Mains): Paper I is descriptive English (essay, précis, comprehension, business correspondence) typed on screen. For the General stream, Paper II covers ESI and ARD and has an objective part and a descriptive part.
- Phase III (Psychometric Test): a compulsory MCQ-based test lasting 90 minutes.
- Interview: 50 marks. The final merit list combines Mains and Interview marks.
Wrong answers in the objective tests cost one quarter of the marks for that question.
Who should apply?
The exam suits graduates aged 21 to 30 who care about rural finance, agriculture and development policy. The General RDBS post accepts a degree in any subject with 60% marks (55% for SC/ST/PwBD), or a postgraduate degree or MBA/PGDM with 55% (50% for SC/ST/PwBD), or CA/CS/CMA or a Ph.D. Agriculture and economics backgrounds help, but plenty of successful candidates come from engineering and commerce.
How to prepare with mock tests
The prelims rewards accuracy in the merit sections, so treat ESI, ARD and General Awareness as your scoring core and aim only to clear the cut-offs in the qualifying sections. Take full-length timed mocks to practise splitting the shared 120 minutes, then go through the section-wise analysis to find weak ARD topics such as irrigation, soil science, animal husbandry or rural schemes. Because of negative marking, track how many of your attempts are right and leave out pure guesses. For the mains, write timed practice answers on a keyboard: one essay or précis a day, and 15-mark and 10-mark ESI/ARD answers built on recent government schemes and data. Aim for steady scores across several mocks before the exam, not one good result.
NABARD Grade A exam pattern
Phase 1 (Preliminary)
| Paper | Section | Questions | Marks | Time (min) | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Test of Reasoning (qualifying) | 20 | 20 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | English Language (qualifying) | 30 | 30 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Computer Knowledge (qualifying) | 20 | 20 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Quantitative Aptitude (qualifying) | 20 | 20 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Decision Making (qualifying) | 10 | 10 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | General Awareness (merit) | 20 | 20 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Economic & Social Issues, focus on Rural India (merit) | 40 | 40 | — | 1/4 of marks |
| Objective (composite 120 min) | Agriculture & Rural Development, emphasis on Rural India (merit) | 40 | 40 | — | 1/4 of marks |
Phase 2 (Mains)
| Paper | Section | Questions | Marks | Time (min) | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General English (online descriptive, typed) | 3 | 100 | 90 | Not applicable (descriptive) |
| Paper II | ESI & ARD: Objective (some questions 1 mark, some 2 marks) | 30 | 50 | 30 | 1/4 of marks |
| Paper II | ESI & ARD: Descriptive (6 asked, attempt 4: two of 15 marks and two of 10 marks) | — | 50 | 90 | Not applicable (descriptive) |
Phase 3
| Paper | Section | Questions | Marks | Time (min) | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychometric Test | MCQ-based psychometric assessment (mandatory, not separately scored in merit per notification) | — | — | 90 | Not specified |
Interview
| Paper | Section | Questions | Marks | Time (min) | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interview | Personal interview (RDBS/Legal) | — | 50 | — | Not applicable |
NABARD Grade A syllabus
Reasoning (Prelims)
- Puzzles and seating arrangement
- Syllogism
- Inequalities
- Blood relations
- Direction sense
- Coding-decoding
- Input-output
- Data sufficiency
English Language (Prelims)
- Reading comprehension
- Cloze test
- Error spotting
- Sentence improvement
- Para jumbles
- Vocabulary and fillers
Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims)
- Data interpretation
- Simplification and approximation
- Number series
- Quadratic equations
- Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed and distance
Computer Knowledge (Prelims)
- Computer fundamentals and hardware
- Software and operating systems
- MS Office basics
- Internet and networking
- Cyber security basics
- Abbreviations and shortcuts
Decision Making (Prelims)
- Situational judgement
- Case-based managerial decisions
- Ethical and administrative scenarios
General Awareness (Prelims)
- Current affairs (national and international)
- Banking and financial awareness
- Government schemes
- Static GK
- Appointments, awards, reports and indices
Economic & Social Issues (Prelims and Mains Paper II)
- Nature and structure of the Indian economy; reforms, globalisation, privatisation
- Inflation trends and impact
- Poverty measurement, poverty alleviation and employment generation
- Population trends and policy
- Industrial and labour policy, regional imbalance, public sector enterprises
- Rural banking, financial institutions and sector reforms
- IMF, World Bank, WTO and regional economic co-operation
- Social structure, demographic trends, urbanisation, migration, gender issues
- Education policy, health and environment
- Social justice and programmes for SC/ST/OBC; social movements; Indian political system; human development
- Current economic and social issues
Agriculture (ARD, Prelims and Mains Paper II)
- Agronomy, field crops, agro-climatic zones, cropping systems, dryland farming
- Seed production, agro-meteorology, precision and organic farming
- Soil and water conservation, watershed management
- Irrigation management and micro-irrigation
- Farm machinery, farm power, agro-processing and storage
- Plantation and horticulture, post-harvest and supply chain
- Animal husbandry, feeds and fodder, poultry, mixed farming
- Fisheries and aquaculture
- Forestry, social and agroforestry, forest policy
- Agricultural extension and role of KVKs
- Ecology and climate change: GHGs, IPCC, UNFCCC, NAPCC/SAPCC, carbon credits
- Agricultural finance, marketing, food security and farm management
Rural Development (ARD, Prelims and Mains Paper II)
- Concept and structure of the rural economy; causes of rural backwardness
- Rural population, occupational structure and rural labour
- Handlooms, artisans and tribal livelihoods
- Panchayati Raj Institutions
- MGNREGA, NRLM (Aajeevika), Swachh Bharat, rural housing and drinking water, PURA and other rural programmes
Descriptive English (Mains Paper I)
- Essay writing
- Précis writing
- Reading comprehension
- Business and office correspondence (letters, emails, reports)
Mock Baba is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The logo is shown only to identify the exam and belongs to its owner. Exam details are compiled from official notifications; always confirm on the official website before applying.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for NABARD Grade A?
In the 2025 notification, candidates had to be 21 to 30 years old on 1 November 2025. The upper limit is relaxed by 3 years for OBC, 5 years for SC/ST and 10 to 15 years for PwBD candidates, as per the notification.
What qualification do I need for the RDBS General post?
You need a bachelor's degree in any subject with at least 60% (55% for SC/ST/PwBD), or a postgraduate degree or MBA/PGDM with 55% (50% for SC/ST/PwBD), or CA/CS/CMA/ICWA or a Ph.D. Specialist disciplines have their own degree requirements.
Is there negative marking in NABARD Grade A?
Yes. In both Phase I and the objective part of Phase II, one quarter of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. The descriptive answers carry no penalty.
Which prelims sections decide my rank for the mains?
Only the merit sections count: General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development (100 marks combined). Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making are qualifying, so you just need to clear their cut-offs.
How is the final selection made?
For RDBS and Legal, the final merit list combines Phase II (Mains) marks and the 50-mark interview. You must appear in the mandatory psychometric test to be considered for the interview.
Can I write the mains in Hindi?
Paper I (English) has to be answered in English. In the 2025 notification, the General stream's Paper II descriptive answers could be typed in English or Hindi using Remington or Inscript keyboards.
How many vacancies were there in the last NABARD Grade A cycle?
The 2025 notification listed 91 posts: 85 Assistant Manager (RDBS), including 48 in the General discipline, 2 Legal and 4 Protocol & Security. NABARD may revise the numbers within a cycle.
How many mock tests should I take before the prelims?
Most aspirants do well with 15 to 25 full-length timed mocks, plus sectional tests for ESI and ARD. What matters more is analysing every test and tracking your accuracy in the merit sections.
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