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

R
Virat
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
11 MIN READ
The NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026 outlines the core requirements for Phase 1 and Phase 2. Candidates must excel in Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, ESI, ARD, English, and General Awareness. Access the most recent exam pattern, topic-specific syllabus, expert preparation strategies, and convenient PDF guides here.

NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2026

The NABARD Grade A 2026 examination follows a multi-tier selection process, with distinct subjects and formats for each stage. The selection process encompasses Phase 1 (Prelims), Phase 2 (Mains), and the final Interview. While Prelims feature objective-style questions, the Mains includes both objective and descriptive components. With a negative marking of 0.25 for incorrect answers, creating a well-structured study plan based on the official syllabus is vital for success.

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 Selection Process 2026

The recruitment process consists of three rigorous stages. Candidates qualify for Phase 2 based on their merit scores in the qualifying section of Phase 1. Final selection is determined by the cumulative performance in the Phase 2 exams and the interview round.

  1. Phase 1 (Preliminary Examination)
  2. Phase 2 (Main Examination)
  3. Interview

NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2026

We provide a comprehensive breakdown of both the Prelims and Mains structures. Phase 1 is purely objective (MCQ-based), whereas Phase 2 evaluates candidates through a combination of objective and descriptive assessments.

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

The official Grade A exam pattern for the Mains is detailed below. Explore the post-specific Mains structure, including marking schemes and time allocation.

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 post, a mastery of all key subjects is required. The NABARD Grade A Prelims syllabus focuses on Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Literacy, 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 span critical areas, including recent national and international appointments, accolades, sports updates, government initiatives, 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 stage demands both objective precision and descriptive proficiency. A robust time-management strategy is essential. Because the syllabus is highly specialized by stream, ensure you reference the stream-specific official syllabus provided 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

Download the subject-wise NABARD Grade A syllabus PDFs using the links in our table. Clicking these links will render the PDF directly in your browser. We recommend saving or printing these documents to serve as a constant reference during your study sessions.

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 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 Books

NABARD Grade A Preparation Strategy 2026

Follow this strategic preparation roadmap for the NABARD Grade A exam to improve your accuracy and maximize your chances of securing a position:

1. Prioritize ESI and ARD. These high-weightage sections are the deciding factors for your qualification in Phase 2.

2. Focus on 6 Months Current Affairs. Prioritize news related to economics and agriculture sectors over the last six months.

  • Agriculture
  • Rural Development
  • PIB
  • RBI Circulars
  • NABARD Reports

3. Practice Descriptive Writing Weekly. Focus on essay and report writing based on current agricultural and economic trends.

  • 2 essays per week
  • 2 precis per week
  • 2 agriculture-related answers per week

4. Solve Previous Year Papers. Regularly practice with mock tests and previous year question papers to internalize the exam format and difficulty level.

5. Read Government Reports. Stay updated with key publications, such as Economic Surveys and union budget highlights.

  • Economic Survey
  • NABARD Annual Report
  • RBI Annual Report
  • Agriculture Ministry Reports
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