Knowing the NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2025, is already half way through your preparation. It is the right time to begin your preparation, if you haven’t already, since the NABARD Grade A notification 2025 is also around the corner with the conclusion of the current exam cycle. This prestigious exam demands an in-depth understanding of the syllabus, and exam pattern. The NABARD Grade A exam will be held in four stages- Prelims, Mains, Psychometric Test and Interview. Only the scores obtained in the merit section will be considered for making the merit list. In the following blog, you can find the details of the exam pattern of NABARD Grade A for the Prelims and Mains.
NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern
There are a total of 8 subjects that form one single exam in NABARD Grade A Phase 1.
The eight subjects are : Reasoning Ability, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, Decision Making, General Awareness, Economic and Social Issues, and Agriculture and Rural Development.
The 8 subjects are divided into two categories: Non-merit Subjects & Merit Subjects.
- The starting 5 subjects fall under the non-merit category, for which you need to clear the minimum cut-off for every subject.
- The other three subjects are the merit subjects, for which in addition to clearing the minimum cut-off for every subject, the total marks you score in these subjects must be more than the overall cut-off.
Having a brief idea about how many marks and time are assigned for each section, along with the number of questions, help in creating a focused and effective preparation strategy.
Number of Questions of NABARD Grade A
| Reasoning | 20 questions |
| English | 30 questions |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 questions |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 questions |
| Decision Making | 10 questions |
| General Awareness | 20 questions |
| Economic and Social Issues | 40 questions |
| Agriculture and Rural Development | 40 questions |
A total of 200 questions are there in the NABARD Grade A Prelims paper.
Maximum Marks of NABARD Grade A
| Reasoning | 20 marks |
| English | 30 marks |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 marks |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 marks |
| Decision Making | 10 marks |
| General Awareness | 20 marks |
| Economic and Social Issues | 40 marks |
| Agriculture and Rural Development | 40 marks |
The maximum marks for the NABARD Grade A Prelims exam is 200.
Duration of NABARD Grade A Exam
The candidates get a total of 120 minutes to answer all the questions. As of now, there is no section-wise time limit in the NABARD Grade A Prelims exam.
| NABARD Grade A Exam PatternPrelims2025 | ||
| Subject | Questions | Maximum Marks |
| Non-Merit or Qualifying Sections | ||
| Reasoning | 20 | 20 |
| English | 30 | 30 |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 |
| Decision Making | 10 | 10 |
| Merit Sections | ||
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 |
| Economic and Social Issues | 40 | 40 |
| Agriculture and Rural Development | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
Additional Details of NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
Above we have discussed the basic details about the NABARD Grade A PrelimsExam Pattern 2025 along with the syllabus. Let’s now discuss some additional things.
| Mode of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A Prelims exam is objective in nature and it will be conducted via a computer screen. |
| Nature of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A exam is qualifying in nature. |
| Paper Structure of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A Prelims exam consists of objective-type multiple-choice questions (MCQs). |
| Language of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A exam is available in two languages—Hindi and English. However, the English Language paper can only be taken in English. |
| Marking of NABARD Grade A | NABARD Grade A Prelims exam involves negative marking i.e., 1/4th or 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect choice you make. |
| Cut-Off Marks of NABARD Grade A | The overall and sectional cut-off marks are decided based on the calling ratio. |
NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2025
Candidates who qualify the NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam, start preparing for the Mains exam, and similarly it’s important to know the NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2025.
| Subjects of NABARD Grade A | Paper 1: General EnglishPaper 2: ESI & ARD |
| Number of Questions of NABARD Grade A | Paper 1 (General English): 3 descriptive questionsPaper 2 (ESI & ARD): 30 objective and 6 descriptive questions out of which 4 have to be attempted |
| Type of Question of NABARD Grade A | Paper 1 (General English):Descriptive questionsPaper 2 (ESI & ARD): 50% Objective and 50% descriptive questions |
| Maximum Marks of NABARD Grade A | Paper 1 (General English): 100 marksPaper 2 (ESI & ARD): 100 marks |
| Time(minutes) of NABARD Grade A | Paper 1 (General English):90Paper 2 (ESI & ARD):30 for objective and 90 for descriptive |
This concludes that it will be a total of 200 marks.
Additional Details of NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2025
| Mode of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A Mains exam is conducted online. You can answer the objective questions by selecting the right options on your computer screens. For the descriptive questions, you have to type the answers using the keyboard. |
| Paper Structure of NABARD Grade A | NABARD Grade A Mains exam includes both objective-type MCQs and descriptive questions. |
| Language of NABARD Grade A | The NABARD Grade A Mains exam is available in two languages, Hindi and English. However, the English Language exam can only be taken in English. |
| Marking of NABARD Grade A | For every wrong answer you mark in the objective part, 1/4th of the total allotted marks per question will be deducted. This means that there will be a deduction of:0.25 marks for questions worth 1 mark.0.50 for questions worth 2 marks. |
| Cut-Off Marks of NABARD Grade A | Cut-off marks are decided based on the calling ratio. |
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NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2025 FAQs
The entire NABARD Grade A selection process takes around 6 months, from the release of the official notification to the final results. For instance, the notification for the NABARD Grade A 2023 exam was released on 2 Sep 2023, and the final results were out on 21 Feb 2024: approximately 6 months
Generally, the NABARD Grade A exam is conducted once every year.
While there is no official information about the dress code for the NABARD Grade A interview, it’s always recommended that you dress professionally.
For instance, male candidates can wear a dark-colored blazer, a light shirt, a tie (optional), matching pants, and formal socks & shoes. Females, on the other hand, can go for a simple cotton saree or blazer outfit just like their male counterparts.
Here’s what will happen:
– If multiple candidates manage to score the same aggregate marks, the one with the higher marks in the Mains examination will be ranked higher.
– If candidates scored equal marks in the Mains examination as well, the one with higher educational qualifications will be ranked higher.
– If the educational qualifications also come out to be the same, the candidate who’s older will be ranked higher.
Based on the official notification from NABARD, the interview may be conducted at some of the locations that served as examination centers for the Phase 1 or Phase 2 exam. However, the final location will be mentioned in the interview call letter.
To be eligible for the NABARD Grade A exam, candidates must be citizens of India. They should be between the ages of 25 and 32 years. They must also have a post graduate degree with a minimum of 60% marks. Additionally, to be eligible for the NABARD Grade B exam, candidates must have at least three years of work experience in related sectors like banking and finance.
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