NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026

NABARD Grade A : The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) fills Assistant Manager in Grade ‘A’ posts through a three-stage process: Phase 1 (Prelims), Phase 2 (Mains) and an Interview. Knowing the NABARD Grade A syllabus together with the exam pattern tells you what to study, how many marks each section carries and which sections only qualify you. This article covers the selection process, stage-wise pattern, subject-wise syllabus, preparation tips and FAQs.

Key Highlights – NABARD Grade A Syllabus

Particulars	Details
Conducting Body	National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
Post Name	Assistant Manager in Grade ‘A’ (Rural Development Banking Service)
Selection Stages	Phase 1 (Prelims), Phase 2 (Mains), Interview
Phase 1 Pattern	Online objective test, 200 questions, 200 marks, 120 minutes
Phase 2 Pattern	Two papers: Paper I (General English, descriptive) and Paper II (objective and descriptive)
Phase 1 Language	English and Hindi
Negative Marking	Phase 1: one-fourth of the marks for each wrong answer. Phase 2: Not confirmed, check the official notification
Interview	50 marks (previous cycle pattern)
Official Website	www.nabard.org

NABARD Grade A Syllabus Selection Process 2026

Candidates have to clear all three stages, one after the other.

Phase 1 (Prelims): An online objective test of 200 marks. Five sections (Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making) are qualifying in nature. Three sections (General Awareness, Economic and Social Issues, and Agriculture and Rural Development) are merit sections. Shortlisting for Phase 2 is done on the marks in the merit sections only.
Phase 2 (Mains): Two papers. Paper I is a descriptive General English test. Paper II is Economic and Social Issues plus Agriculture and Rural Development for generalist candidates, or a stream-specific paper for specialist candidates.
Interview: Candidates who clear Phase 2 are called for an interview carrying 50 marks, which can be taken in Hindi or English.

In the previous cycle’s pattern, the final merit list was prepared on the marks scored in Phase 2 and the Interview. Confirm this once the 2026 notification is out.

NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2026

NABARD Grade A Phase 1 Exam Pattern

Test	Questions	Marks	Nature
Test of Reasoning	20	20	Qualifying
English Language	30	30	Qualifying
Computer Knowledge	20	20	Qualifying
Quantitative Aptitude	20	20	Qualifying
Decision Making	10	10	Qualifying
General Awareness	20	20	Merit
Economic and Social Issues (with focus on Rural India)	40	40	Merit
Agriculture and Rural Development (with emphasis on Rural India)	40	40	Merit
Total	200	200	120 minutes

NABARD Grade A Phase 2 Exam Pattern

Generalist posts

Paper	Subject	Type	Questions	Marks	Duration
Paper I	General English	Online descriptive	3	100	90 minutes
Paper II	Economic and Social Issues, and Agriculture and Rural Development	Objective	30	50	30 minutes
Paper II	Economic and Social Issues, and Agriculture and Rural Development	Descriptive (attempt 4 of 6: two of 15 marks and two of 10 marks)	6	50	90 minutes

Specialist posts – NABARD Grade A

Paper	Subject	Type	Questions	Marks	Duration
Paper I	General English	Online descriptive	3	100	90 minutes
Paper II	Stream-specific paper	Objective	30	50	30 minutes
Paper II	Stream-specific paper	Descriptive (attempt 4 of 6: two of 15 marks and two of 10 marks)	6	50	90 minutes

NABARD Grade A Interview

The interview carries 50 marks and has no fixed syllabus. Questions usually come from NABARD’s role and schemes, economy, finance and banking with a rural focus, current affairs linked to agriculture and rural development, your DAF or biodata, work experience if any, and situational or opinion-based questions.

Also Read : CCE Group – A Mains Exam Date (Divyang)

NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026

The syllabus below covers Phase 1, Phase 2 and the stream-specific paper. The Economic and Social Issues and the Agriculture and Rural Development syllabus is common to Phase 1 and Phase 2; only the question type and difficulty change.

1. Reasoning Ability

Puzzles and Seating Arrangement
Syllogism
Data Sufficiency
Statement-based Questions (Verbal Reasoning)
Inequality
Input-Output (Machine Input and Output)
Blood Relations
Coding-Decoding
Alphanumeric Series
Order and Ranking
Direction and Distance
Miscellaneous Questions

2. Quantitative Aptitude

(A) Arithmetic

Percentage
Ratio and Proportion
Profit, Loss and Discount
Simple and Compound Interest
Average and Age
Mixture and Alligation
Time and Work
Time, Speed and Distance

(B) Other Topics

Data Interpretation
Number Series
Quadratic Equations
Simplification and Approximation
Quantity Comparison and Data Sufficiency
Mathematical Inequalities
Mensuration

3. English Language (Phase 1)

(A) Question Types

Reading Comprehension
Cloze Test
Gap Fillers and Double Fillers (Fill in the Blanks)
Error Spotting
Sentence Rearrangement and Para Jumbles
Idioms and Phrases
Word Swapping
Misspelled Words and Inappropriate Word Usage
Sentence Improvement
One Word Substitution

(B) Grammar Topics Tested Across These Questions

Subject-Verb Agreement
Parts of Speech
Tenses
Articles
Conditional Sentences
Modals
Active and Passive Voice

4. Computer Knowledge

Input-Output Devices
Networking
DBMS
MS Office
Internet
History of Computers and Generations
Shortcuts
Computer Security
Hardware and Memory

5. Decision Making

Basics and Types of Decision Making
Types of Problems in Decision Making
Factors Affecting Decision Making
Interpreting Information and Recognising Assumptions
Situation-based Questions and Case Studies

6. General Awareness

Questions come from Current Affairs, Banking, Economy and Insurance. Current Affairs can include recent appointments, awards and honours, sports, new schemes, national and international news, and the latest developments in science and technology.

7. Economic and Social Issues (ESI)

Topic Area	Topics
Nature of Indian Economy	Structural and institutional features, economic underdevelopment, opening up of the Indian economy, globalisation, economic reforms in India, privatisation
Inflation	Trends in inflation and their impact on the national economy and individual income
Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation	Rural and urban poverty, measurement of poverty, government poverty alleviation programmes
Population Trends	Population growth and economic development, population policy in India
Agriculture	Characteristics and status, technical and institutional changes, agricultural performance, food security issues, institutional and non-institutional agencies in rural credit
Industry	Industrial and labour policy, industrial performance, regional imbalance in industrial development, public sector enterprises
Rural Banking and Financial Institutions	Reforms in the banking and financial sector
Globalisation of the Economy	Role of international funding institutions, IMF and World Bank, WTO, regional economic cooperation
Social Structure in India	Multiculturalism, demographic trends, urbanisation and migration, gender issues, joint family system, social infrastructure, education, health and environment
Education	Status and system of education, socio-economic problems of illiteracy, educational relevance and wastage, educational policy for India
Social Justice	Problems of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, socio-economic programmes for SCs, STs and other backward classes
Positive Discrimination in Favour of the Underprivileged	Social movements, Indian political system, human development

8. Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD)

Topic Area	Topics
Agriculture	Definition, meaning and branches; agronomy; classification of field crops; factors affecting crop production; agro-climatic zones; cropping systems; dryland problems; seed production, processing and seed village; meteorology (weather parameters, crop-weather advisory); precision farming; System of Crop Intensification; organic farming
Soil and Water Conservation	Major soil types, soil fertility, fertilizers, soil erosion, soil conservation, watershed management
Water Resource and Irrigation	Types and sources of irrigation, crop-water requirement, command area development, water conservation techniques, micro-irrigation, irrigation pumps, major, medium and minor irrigation
Farm and Agri Engineering	Farm machinery and power sources (human, animal, mechanical, electrical, wind, solar, biomass, biofuels), water harvesting structures, farm ponds, agro-processing, controlled and modified storage, godowns, bins and grain silos
Plantation and Horticulture	Definition and branches, agronomic practices and production technology, post-harvest management, value and supply chain management
Animal Husbandry	Role of farm animals in the Indian economy, animal husbandry methods in India, common livestock terms, utility classification of cattle breeds, feeds and fodders, poultry industry in India, poultry production terms, mixed farming, complementary nature of livestock, poultry and farming
Fisheries	Fisheries resources, management and exploitation (freshwater, brackish water, marine), inland and marine aquaculture, biotechnology, post-harvest technology, importance of fisheries in India, common terms
Forestry	Basic concepts of forest and forestry, silviculture, forest mensuration, management and economics, social forestry, agroforestry, joint forest management, forest policy and legislation, India State of Forest Report, recent developments under MoEFCC
Agriculture Extension	Importance and role of extension, methods of evaluating extension programmes, role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
Ecology and Climate Change	Ecology and natural resource management, causes of climate change, greenhouse gases and major emitters, adaptation versus mitigation, impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods, carbon credit, IPCC, UNFCCC, CoP meetings, funding mechanisms, NAPCC, SAPCC, INDC
Present Scenario of Indian Agriculture and Allied Activities	Recent trends, major challenges and measures, viability of agriculture, factors of production, agricultural finance and marketing, impact of globalisation, food security, concept and types of farm management
Rural Development	Concept of rural area, structure of the rural economy, role of the rural sector, causes of rural backwardness, occupational structure (farmers, agricultural labourers, artisans, handicrafts, traders, forest dwellers and tribes), trends in rural workforce, problems of rural labour, handloom issues, Panchayati Raj Institutions, MGNREGA, NRLM, rural drinking water, Swachh Bharat, rural housing, PURA and other rural development programmes

9. Descriptive English (Phase 2, Paper I)

Essay Writing: economic and financial issues, social and contemporary developments, governance and public policy, technology and society, environmental concerns, ethical or abstract themes, and agriculture-related developments
Precis Writing: a long passage to be condensed to roughly 120 to 180 words, without adding personal opinions
Letter Writing: choose one of three topics and write a structured letter of roughly 200 to 220 words

10. Stream-Specific Paper (Specialist Posts)

About NABARD Grade A Syllabus : The Information Technology topics are listed below. Topic-wise syllabus for the other specialist streams is not covered here, so refer to the official notification for NABARD Grade A Syllabus

Introduction to Software
Data Structure through C and PASCAL
Elements of Systems Analysis and Design
Numerical and Statistical Computing
Data Communication and Networks
Object-Oriented Computer Architecture
Object-Oriented Systems
Computer Fundamentals
File Structure and Programming in COBOL
Database Management Systems
Software Engineering
Accounting and Finance on Computers
Operating Systems
Intelligent Systems
Relational Database Management Systems

About NABARD Grade A Syllabus : In Phase 1, Economic and Social Issues and Agriculture and Rural Development carry 40 questions each, the highest of any section in the paper for NABARD Grade A Syllabus.

Also Visit : CCE 2026 Details Syllabus: Group A And Group B

How to Prepare for NABARD Grade A Exam 2026

Start with the pattern: Note which five Phase 1 sections are qualifying and which three decide your shortlisting, then split your time accordingly – NABARD Grade A Syllabus
Give ESI and ARD the most time: They carry 40 questions each in Phase 1 and form Paper II of Phase 2 for generalist candidates.
Prepare one syllabus for two formats: Study each ESI and ARD topic for MCQs first, then practise writing short descriptive answers on the same topic for Phase 2. for NABARD Grade A Syllabus.
Practise descriptive English early: Write essays, precis and letters within the word limits, since Paper I is a 100-mark descriptive test.
Follow current affairs with a rural lens: Track agriculture, rural schemes, banking and economy updates, which also help in General Awareness and the interview.
Test yourself regularly: Attempt mock tests and previous year papers to check timing and to find weak topics for revision, including Decision Making and Reasoning sets NABARD Grade A Syllabus.