NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026 & Exam Pattern: Prelims and Mains Guide

NABARD recruits eligible candidates for Assistant Manager positions through a rigorous three-stage selection process: Prelims, Mains, and an Interview. Mastering the NABARD Grade A syllabus is the essential first step toward success. Banking aspirants must qualify across all three stages to secure a prestigious Grade A Officer post. This article provides a comprehensive breakdown of the official syllabus.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026

A thorough understanding of the NABARD exam pattern and syllabus is vital for building a winning strategy. Candidates aspiring for NABARD Grade A 2026 Assistant Manager roles should familiarize themselves with the marking scheme and exam structure early on. Below, we provide a detailed summary of the syllabus and pattern for both the Preliminary and Mains examinations.

NABARD Syllabus 2026- Overview
Organisation	National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
Posts Name	Grade A
Category	Syllabus
Selection Process	Prelims, Mains, Interview
Types of Questions	Prelims- Objective Mains- Objective & Descriptive
Duration	Prelims- 120 minutes Mains- 90 minutes each paper
Negative Marking	Prelims & Mains- 0.25 Marks
Official website	www.nabard.org

NABARD Grade A Mains Result 2026 Out - Click to Check

NABARD Grade A Selection Process 2026

To be recruited as an Assistant Manager (Grade 'A') in the Rural Development Banking Service, candidates must successfully clear all three selection stages: Prelims, Mains, and the final Interview.

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination

Stage 2: Main Examination

Stage 3: Personal Interview

NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2026

The NABARD Grade A Prelims is a 2-hour online objective test featuring 200 questions. The Mains exam consists of two papers (I and II), each lasting 90 minutes. A negative marking scheme applies, with a deduction of 1/4th of the assigned marks for every incorrect answer in both Phase-I and Phase-II. Review the detailed exam pattern here.

NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

The detailed NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2026 is outlined below.

1. Qualifying Section- Test of Reasoning, English Language, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making sections are qualifying in nature.
2. Merit Section- General Awareness, Eco & Soc. Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development with Emphasis on Rural India sections are merit sections.
3. Shortlisting of candidates for Mains exam will be based on the marks obtained in the Merit Section Only.
4. Duration of exam- 120 minutes.
5. Language- NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam 2026 will be held in English and Hindi Language.

NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
S.No.	Name of Test	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Total Time
1.	Test of Reasoning	20	20	120 minutes
2.	English Language	30	30
3.	Computer Knowledge	20	20
4.	Quantitative Aptitude	20	20
5.	Decision Making	10	10
6.	General Awareness	20	20
7.	Eco & Soc. Issues (with focus on Rural India)	40	40
8.	Agriculture & Rural Development with Emphasis on Rural India	40	40
Total		200	200

NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2026

The NABARD Grade A Mains examination is divided into two parts: Paper I, a descriptive test in General English, and Paper II, which consists of post-specific objective-type questions.

NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2026 for Generalist Post
Paper	Grade A	Type of Paper	Total Questions	Total Marks	Duration	Remarks
Paper I	General English	Online Descriptive	3	100	90 Minutes	Descriptive Answers to be typed using a keyboard
Paper-II	Economic and Social Issues & Agriculture and Rural Development	Objective	30	50	30 minutes
		Descriptive Type	6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions [2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each]	50	90 Minutes	Descriptive  Answers to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards)

NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2026 for Specialist Post
Paper	Grade A	Type of Paper	Total Questions	Total Marks	Duration	Remarks
Paper I	General English	Online Descriptive	3	100	90 Minutes	Descriptive Answers to be typed using a keyboard
Paper-II	Stream Specific Paper	Objective	30	50	30 Minutes
		Descriptive Type	6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions [2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each]	50	90 Minutes	Descriptive @Answers to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards)

NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026

The following table provides the comprehensive NABARD Grade A 2026 syllabus. Developing a thorough understanding of these topics is the foundational step for any effective preparation strategy.

NABARD Grade A Prelims Syllabus 2026

The syllabus for the NABARD Grade A Prelims is segmented by subject. Candidates are advised to align their study plan with the latest NABARD Grade A Prelims Syllabus 2026.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus for Reasoning Ability

1. Puzzles & Seating arrangement
2. Syllogism
3. Data sufficiency
4. Statement based questions (Verbal reasoning)
5. Inequality
6. Miscellaneous Questions
7. Input-Output
8. Blood relations
9. Coding-Decoding

NABARD Grade A Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude

1. Data Interpretations
2. Quadratic Equations
3. Number Sehonoursries
4. Simplification/ Approximation
5. Data Sufficiency
6. Arithmetic Questions
7. Quantity Comparisons
8. Mathematical Inequalities

NABARD Grade A Syllabus for English Language

1. Reading Comprehension
2. Cloze test
3. Sentence improvement
4. Spotting the errors
5. Fill in the blanks
6. Sentence rearrangement
7. Para Jumbles
8. New pattern questions

NABARD Grade A Syllabus for General Awareness

The objective test features questions covering Current Affairs, Banking, Economy, and Insurance.

In the Current Affairs section, expect questions regarding recent appointments, awards, sports, government schemes, national/international events, and advancements in science and technology.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus for Computer Knowledge

This section covers a wide range of essential topics, including:

1. Networking
2. Input-output devices
3. DBMS
4. MS Office
5. Internet
6. History of computers & generations
7. Shortcuts

NABARD Grade A Mains Syllabus 2026

Refer to the subject-wise Mains Exam Syllabus for NABARD Grade A Officer posts below:

NABARD Grade A- Economic and Social Issues Syllabus 2026

NABARD Grade A- Economic and Social Issues Syllabus 2026
Name of Section	Topics asked
Nature of Indian Economy	Structural and Institutional features Economic Underdevelopment Opening up the Indian Economy Globalization Economic Reforms in India Privatization.
Inflation	Trends in Inflation & their Impact on National Economy and Individual Income.
Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India	Rural and Urban Measurement of Poverty Poverty Alleviation Programmes of the Government
Population Trends	Population Growth and Economic Development Population Policy in India
Agriculture	Characteristics / Status Technical and Institutional changes in Indian Agriculture Agricultural performance Issues in Food Security in India Non-Institutional and Institutional Agencies in rural credit
Industry	Industrial and Labour Policy Industrial performance Regional Imbalance in India's Industrial Development Public Sector Enterprises
Rural banking and financial institutions in India	Reforms in the Banking/ Financial sector.
Globalization of Economy	Role of International Funding Institutions IMF & World Bank WTO Regional Economic Cooperation
Social Structure in India	Multiculturalism Demographic trends Urbanization and Migration Gender Issues Joint family system Social Infrastructure Education Health and Environment
Education	Status & System of Education Socio-Economic Problems associated with Illiteracy Educational relevance and educational wastage Educational Policy for India.
Social Justice	Problems of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes Socio-economic programmes for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and other backward classes.
Positive Discrimination in favour of the underprivileged	Social Movements Indian Political Systems Human Development

NABARD Grade A- Agriculture & Rural Development Syllabus 2026

NABARD Grade A- Agriculture & Rural Development Syllabus 2026
Name of Section	Topics asked
Agriculture	Definition, meaning and its branches Agronomy: Definition, meaning, and scope of agronomy. Classification of field crops. Factors affecting crop production Agro Climatic Zones Cropping Systems: Definition and types of cropping systems. Problems of dry land - Seed production, seed processing, 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	Irrigation Management Types of irrigation 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 of power on the farm- human, animal, mechanical, electrical, wind, solar and biomass, biofuels Water harvesting structures Farm Ponds Agro-Processing Controlled and modified storage, perishable food storage, godowns, bins, and grain silos.
Plantation & Horticulture	Definition, meaning, and its branches Agronomic practices and production technology of various plantation and horticulture crops Post-harvest management, value, and supply chain management of Plantation and Horticulture crops.
Animal Husbandry	Farm animals and their role in the Indian economy Animal husbandry methods in India Common terms pertaining to different species of livestock Utility classification of breeds of cattle. Introduction to common feeds and fodders, their classification, and utility. Introduction to the poultry industry in India (past, present, and future status) Common terms pertaining to poultry production and management The concept of mixed farming and its relevance to socio-economic conditions of farmers in India Complimentary and obligatory nature of livestock and poultry production with that of agricultural farming.
Fisheries	Fisheries resources Management and exploitation - freshwater, brackish water, and marine Aquaculture- Inland and marine Biotechnology Post-harvest technology Importance of fisheries in India Common terms pertaining to fish production.
Forestry	Basic concepts of Forest and Forestry Principles of silviculture, forest mensuration, forest management, and forest economics Concepts of social forestry, agroforestry, joint forest management Forest policy and legislation in India, India State of Forest Report 2015 Recent developments under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Agriculture Extensions	Its importance and role, methods of evaluation of extension programs Role of Krishi Vigyan Kendra's (KVK) in the dissemination of Agricultural technologies.
Ecology and Climate Change	Ecology and its relevance to man, natural resources, sustainable management, and conservation Causes of climate change, GreenHouse Gases (GHG), major GHG emitting countries, climate analysis Distinguish between adaptation and mitigation Climate change impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods Carbon credit IPCC, UNFCCC, CoP meetings Funding mechanisms for climate change projects Initiatives by Govt of India, NAPCC, SAPCC, INDC.
Present Scenario of Indian Agriculture and Allied activities	Recent trends Major challenges in agriculture measures to enhance Viability of agriculture Factors of Production in agriculture Agricultural Finance and Marketing Impact of Globalization on Indian Agriculture and issues of Food Security Concept and Types of Farm Management.
Rural Development	Concept of Rural Area Structure of the Indian Rural Economy Importance and role of the rural sector in India Economic, Social and Demographic Characteristics of the Indian rural economy Causes of Rural Backwardness. Rural population in India Occupational structure Farmers, Agricultural Laborers, Artisans, Handicrafts, Traders, Forest dwellers/tribes and others in rural India Trends of change in rural population and rural workforce Problems and conditions of rural labour Issues and challenges in Hand-looms Panchayati Raj Institutions – Functions and Working. MGNREGA, NRLM – Aajeevika, Rural Drinking water Programmes, Swachh Bharat, Rural Housing, PURA, and other rural development programs.

NABARD Grade A- Information Technology Syllabus 2026

NABARD Grade A- Information Technology Syllabus 2026
Subject	Topics
Information Technology	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

NABARD Grade A Interview Round

Candidates who clear both the Prelims and Mains are invited for an interview. This round evaluates a candidate's subject knowledge, current affairs awareness, and critical thinking through situational questions. A merit list is determined by NABARD based on performance in the Mains and Interview. The interview carries 50 marks. Candidates may choose to conduct the interview in either Hindi or English. Qualifying candidates will then proceed to document verification.

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