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NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026: Exam Pattern, Detailed Topics & PDF Guide

R
Virat
Updated: Aug 4, 2026
31 MIN READ
Streamline your preparation with the comprehensive NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026. Access the latest Phase 1 and Phase 2 exam patterns, in-depth breakdowns for ARD, ESI, English, Reasoning, Quant, and General Awareness, alongside descriptive writing tips and downloadable syllabus PDFs.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026

The NABARD Grade A 2026 examination is structured across multiple tiers, each designed to test specific competencies. The selection process encompasses Phase 1 (Prelims), Phase 2 (Mains), and a Personal Interview. While the Prelims focus on objective assessments, the Mains combine objective tests with descriptive papers. Please note that a negative marking penalty of 0.25 applies to all objective sections.

Mastering the official syllabus, section-specific weightage, marking criteria, and exam format is essential for building a strategic study plan and increasing your competitive edge.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026

Particular Details
Exam Conducting Body National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
Posts Name Grade A
Selection Process Prelims, Mains, Interview
Types of Questions Prelims- Objective
Mains- Objective & Descriptive
Duration Prelims- 120 minutes
Mains- 90 minutes for each paper
Negative Marking Prelims- 0.25 Marks
Official website www.nabard.org

NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2026

We provide a detailed breakdown of the exam structure for both stages. The NABARD Grade A Prelims consist exclusively of objective-type MCQs, while the Mains (Phase 2) demand a hybrid approach, featuring both objective questions and a descriptive writing component.

NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

  1. Qualifying sections: Covers computer knowledge, reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English language proficiency, and decision-making.
  2. General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues, and Agriculture & Rural Development, with a particular focus on Rural India, are portions that are seen as important.
  3. Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)
NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern: Phase 1
S.No.  Name of the Test Questions Marks Version Total Time
1 Test of Reasoning 20 20 Bilingual – Hindi and English, except for tests in the English language Composite time of 120 Minutes for all the tests together
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 a 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

Navigate the specific requirements for the Mains Exam with our detailed overview. Review the stream-specific Mains exam pattern and the corresponding marking schemes provided here.

Paper Grade A Type of Paper Total Questions Total Marks Duration Remarks
Paper I General English Online Descriptive 3 100 90 Minutes Descriptive Answers are 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 are to be typed using a keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards)

NABARD Grade A Prelims Syllabus 2026 [Phase 1]

To succeed in your chosen stream, you must have a solid grasp of the core subjects. The NABARD Grade A Prelims syllabus covers critical areas including Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Knowledge, Reasoning Ability, and General Awareness.

Subjects Syllabus
Reasoning Ability Syllabus
  1. Puzzles and 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
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
  1. Data Interpretations
  2. Quadratic Equations
  3. Number Sehonoursries
  4. Simplification/ Approximation
  5. Data Sufficiency
  6. Arithmetic Questions
  7. Quantity Comparisons
  8. Mathematical Inequalities
English Language Syllabus
  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
General Awareness Syllabus The questions in this test will be from Current Affairs, Banking and Economy, and Insurance.

General Awareness questions typically target current events, including national and international news, recent appointments, high-profile awards, sports updates, government policy shifts, and advancements in science and technology.

Computer Knowledge Syllabus This section covers topics from various topics like Networking, Input-output devices, DBMS, MS Office, Internet, the History of computers & generations, and Shortcuts.

NABARD Grade A Mains Syllabus 2026 [Phase 2]

The Mains Exam requires a balanced focus on objective and descriptive skills. Efficiency in time management and a targeted study approach are vital. As the syllabus varies by stream, please refer to the official, stream-wise curriculum outlined below.

Economic and Social Issues Syllabus

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

Agriculture & Rural Development Syllabus

Section Topics
Agriculture
  1. Definition, meaning, and its branches
  2. Agronomy: Definition, meaning, and scope of agronomy.
  3. Classification of field crops.
  4. Factors Affecting Crop Production
  5. Agro Climatic Zones
  6. Cropping Systems: Definition and types of cropping systems.
  7. Problems of dry land – Seed production, seed processing, seed village
  8. Meteorology: weather parameters, crop-weather advisory
  9. Precision Farming
  10. System of Crop Intensification
  11. Organic farming
Soil and Water Conservation
  1. Major soil types
  2. Soil fertility
  3. Fertilizers
  4. Soil erosion
  5. Soil conservation
  6. Watershed management
Water Resource
  1. Irrigation Management
  2. Types of irrigation
  3. Sources of irrigation
  4. Crop-water requirement
  5. Command area development
  6. Water conservation techniques
  7. Micro-irrigation
  8. Irrigation pumps
  9. Major, medium, and minor irrigation.
Farm and Agri Engineering
  1. Farm Machinery and Power
  2. Sources of power on the farm- human, animal, mechanical, electrical, wind, solar and biomass, biofuels
  3. Water harvesting structures
  4. Farm Ponds
  5. Agro-Processing
  6. Controlled and modified storage, perishable food storage, godowns, bins, and grain silos.
Plantation & Horticulture
  1. Definition, meaning, and its branches
  2. Agronomic practices and production technology of various plantation and horticulture crops
  3. Post-harvest management, value, and supply chain management of Plantation and Horticulture crops.
Animal Husbandry
  1. Farm animals and their role in the Indian economy
  2. Animal husbandry methods in India
  3. Common terms about different species of livestock
  4. Utility classification of breeds of cattle.
  5. Introduction to common feeds and fodders, their classification, and utility.
  6. Introduction to the poultry industry in India (past, present, and future status)
  7. Common terms about poultry production and management
  8. The concept of mixed farming and its relevance to the socioeconomic conditions of farmers in India
  9. Complementary and obligatory nature of livestock and poultry production with that of agricultural farming.
Fisheries
  1. Fisheries resources
  2. Management and exploitation – freshwater, brackish water, and marine
  3. Aquaculture- Inland and marine
  4. Biotechnology
  5. Post-harvest technology
  6. Importance of fisheries in India
  7. Common terms about fish production.
Forestry
  1. Basic Concepts of Forest and Forestry
  2. Principles of silviculture, forest mensuration, forest management, and forest economics
  3. Concepts of social forestry, agroforestry, joint forest management
  4. Forest policy and legislation in India, India State of Forest Report 2015
  5. Recent developments under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Agriculture Extensions
  1. Its importance and role, methods of evaluation of extension programs
  2. Role of Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s (KVK) in the dissemination of Agricultural technologies.
Ecology and Climate Change
  1. Ecology and its relevance to man, natural resources, sustainable management, and conservation
  2. Causes of climate change, Greenhouse Gases (GHG), major GHG-emitting countries, and climate analysis
  3. Distinguish between adaptation and mitigation
  4. Climate change impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods
  5. Carbon credit
  6. IPCC, UNFCCC, and CoP meetings
  7. Funding mechanisms for climate change projects
  8. Initiatives by Govt of India, NAPCC, SAPCC, INDC.
Present Scenario of Indian Agriculture and Allied Activities
  1. Recent trends
  2. Major challenges in agriculture measures to enhance
  3. Viability of agriculture: Factors of Production in agriculture
  4. Agricultural Finance and Marketing
  5. Impact of Globalisation on Indian Agriculture and Issues of Food Security
  6. Concept and Types of Farm Management.
Rural Development
  1. Concept of Rural Area
  2. Structure of the Indian Rural Economy
  3. Importance and role of the rural sector in India
  4. Economic, Social, and Demographic Characteristics of the Indian rural economy
  5. Causes of Rural Backwardness.
  6. Rural population in India
  7. Occupational structure
  8. Farmers, Agricultural Labourers, Artisans, Handicrafts, Traders, Forest dwellers/tribes, and others in rural India
  9. Trends of change in rural population and rural workforce
  10. Problems and conditions of rural Labour
  11. Issues and challenges in Hand-looms
  12. Panchayati Raj Institutions – Functions and Working.
  13. MGNREGA, NRLM – Aajeevika, Rural Drinking Water Programmes, Swachh Bharat, Rural Housing, PURA, and other rural development programs.

Information Technology Syllabus

Section Topics
Information Technology
  1. Introduction to Software
  2. Data Structure through ‘C’ and ‘PASCAL’
  3. Elements of Systems Analysis and Design
  4. Numerical and Statistical Computing
  5. Data Communication and Networks
  6. Object-Oriented Computer Architecture
  7. Object-Oriented Systems
  8. Computer Fundamentals
  9. File Structure and Programming in COBOL
  10. Database Management Systems
  11. Software Engineering
  12. Accounting and Finance on Computers
  13. Operating Systems
  14. Intelligent Systems
  15. Relational Database
  16. Management Systems

Legal Services Syllabus

Section Topics
Legal Services The paper will be based on proficiency in interpreting various Laws,
  1. Banking
  2. Negotiable Instruments
  3. Company, Industrial, and Cooperative Laws
  4. Cyber laws, Commerce/Property transactions
  5. Rural non-life insurance
  6. Direct financing
  7. Staff matters
  8. Good experience in drafting various types of documents

NABARD Grade A Syllabus PDF

You can download the subject-specific NABARD Grade A Syllabus PDFs via the links in the table below. Simply click your required subject to access the file; we recommend printing or saving these PDFs to keep your preparation organized and goal-oriented.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus PDF
General Download PDF
General Agriculture Download PDF
Agriculture Engineering Download PDF
Animal Husbandry Download PDF
Finance Download PDF
Forestry Download PDF
Horticulture-Plantation Download PDF
Land Development- Soil Science Download PDF
Water Resources Download PDF
Information Technology Download PDF

NABARD Grade A Interview 2026

Candidates who qualify after the Phase 2 stage will proceed to the Interview round. Key interview discussion topics usually include:

  • Agriculture
  • Rural Development
  • Current Affairs
  • NABARD Functions
  • Banking Awareness
  • Educational Background
  • Work Experience
  • Government Schemes

How to Prepare for NABARD Grade A Exam?

Unlike standard banking exams, the NABARD Grade A Phase 1 contains eight subjects, yet only General Awareness, ESI, and ARD are critical for clearing the Phase 2 cutoff. Adopt a specialized strategy to prioritize these high-weightage sections.

Section Type Subjects
What It Decides
Qualifying Only Reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Knowledge, Decision Making
Candidates only need to secure the minimum qualifying cut-off. Marks obtained in these sections are not considered for Phase 2 shortlisting.
Merit Sections General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues (ESI), Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD)
Marks scored in these sections are counted for merit and determine shortlisting for the Phase 2 (Mains) examination.

Phase 1 (Prelims) Preparation Tips

  • Prepare 6 months of current affairs, especially agriculture, rural economy, and government schemes.
  • Study ESI and ARD topic-wise and focus on conceptual understanding.
  • Practice Decision Making questions regularly to understand the exam pattern.
  • Since there is 0.25 negative marking, prioritize accuracy over guesswork.

Phase 2 (Mains) Preparation Tips

  • Revise ESI and ARD in greater depth, as these topics carry forward from Phase 1.
  • Practice Descriptive English (essay, précis, comprehension, and letter writing) regularly.
  • Specialist stream candidates should also focus on their stream-specific subjects along with ESI/ARD

NABARD Grade A Books 2026

Subject Books
Test of Reasoning
  • Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
  • A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal.
  • Tricky Approach to Competitive Reasoning: Verbal and Non-Verbal by Kiran Publications
English Language
  • Objective General English by SP Bakshi
  • High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
Computer Knowledge
  • Objective Computer Awareness by Arihant Experts
Quantitative Aptitude
  • Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams by R.S. Agarwal
  • Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Arihant Experts
Decision Making
  • Decision Making & Problem-Solving and Interpersonal Skills by Farhan Rehman
  • Comprehension, Decision Making & Problem-Solving by Disha Experts.
General Awareness
  • Advanced Objective General Knowledge by S. Chand
  • Current Affairs by Lucent
Economic & Social Issues (with a focus on Rural India)
  • Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
  • Indian Social System by Ram Ahuja
Agriculture & Rural Development (with Emphasis on Rural India)
  • NABARD and its Significance in Agriculture by SK Chowdhury
  • Agricultural Finance in India: The Role of NABARD by Prabhakar Rajkumar
  • Rural Development: Indian Context by GPH Book
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