PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024, Phase 1 & 2 Exam Pattern

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Grade A exam is an important step for candidates to join the regulatory body. Understanding the exam pattern and syllabus is fundamental to planning a successful preparation strategy for Phase 1 and 2. In this article, we are providing the PFRDA Grade A Exam Syllabus and a comprehensive guide for the candidates to tackle this challenging exam.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024

The PFRDA syllabus is divided into two Phases as per the paper pattern, which is divided into two papers in each phase. Having basic knowledge of the exam syllabus will not only give you better clarity but will also give you good marks. Follow blog to know more regarding PFRDA Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024 Overview

The first thing before starting the exam preparation is understanding the PFRDA Grade A syllabus for 2024. Why? Because it clarifies the topics and subjects that will be covered in the exam. Candidates can give priority to their study efforts on the basis of the syllabus. They can, this way, better create a good structured study plan and timetable, and so they can allocate time smartly to cover all related topics. The syllabus serves as a blueprint for candidates’ preparation process. Here are some important highlights of the PFRDA Grade A exam for 2024.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024 Overview
Conducting Body	Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
Post Name	Grade A Officer (Assistant Manager)
Total Number of Posts	Will be Notified Soon
Selection Process	Phase 1, Phase 2, and Interview
Exam Pattern of Phase 1	Paper 1: 80 MCQs / 100 Marks, Paper 2: Paper 2: General Stream – 50 MCQs / Post Specific – 50 MCQs / 100 Marks
Exam Pattern of Phase 2	Paper 1: 3 Descriptive Questions, Paper 2: General Stream – 50 MCQs / Post Specific – 50 MCQs / 100 Marks
Negative Marking	1/4 Mark
PFRDA Official Website Link	www.pfrda.gov.in

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024

The first Phase of the PFRDA Grade A examination is the Phase 1 Exam. The purpose of this Phase is to shortlist the candidates for the next round. The preliminary exam consists of multiple choice questions (MCQs) covering subjects like General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. It is important to familiarize yourself with the weightage of each section for effective time management during the exam.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024 for Phase 1

Candidates who qualify for the preliminary examination proceed to the main examination, which is more intensive and comprehensive. The main examination consists of both objective and descriptive sections. The objective paper covers subjects like economic and social issues, English language and finance and management, while the descriptive paper assesses the writing skills of the candidates. It is important to understand the nuances of each section for thorough preparation. Given below is the PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Paper I of Phase 1 Syllabus:

Quantitative Aptitude	Reasoning & Computer Aptitude	English	General Awareness
Vedic Maths	Inequalities	Noun	Evolution of Banking in India
Number System	Blood Relation	Pronoun	Know Your Central Bank (RBI)
Simplification	Directions	Verb	Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
Approximation	Rankings	Adjectives	International Financial Institutions
Quadratic Equations	Alpha Numeric Series	Adverbs	Types of Accounts, ATMs, Cheques
Number Series (Missing and Wrong)	Miscellaneous Reasoning (Prelims)	Preposition	Payment Systems in India
Ratio and Proportion	Coding-Decoding	Conjunction	Currency Management
Partnership	Syllogisms	Subject verb agreement	Money Market & Capital Market
Problem on Ages	Puzzles	Tenses	Shares and Debentures
Percentage	Seating Arrangements	Active-Passive	PSL and Types of Risk in banking
Profit and Loss	Data Sufficiency	Direct and Indirect	Miscellaneous
Averages	Input and Output	Error Detection
Simple and Compound Interest	Miscellaneous Reasoning (Mains)	Reading Comprehension
Time Speed and Distance (Boats and Stream; Trains)	Computer Aptitude	Cloze test
Time and Work (Pipes and Cistern)	Critical reasoning	Sentence completion
Probability		Phrase Correction
Permutation and Combination		Para Completion
Mensuration		Connectors
Data Sufficiency		Para Jumbles
Data Interpretation		Descriptive (Letter and Essay)
Quantity Comparison

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024, Phase 1 & Phase 2 for Paper 2

Paper 2 topics are commonly asked in Phase 1 and 2 exams post-wise. Candidates can check list of topics prepared in detailed format for PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024 for Phase 1 and 2.

1. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus For Commerce & Accountancy

• Accounting as a financial information system;
• Accounting Standards with specific reference to Accounting for Depreciation, Inventories, Revenue Recognition, Fixed Assets, Foreign Exchange Transactions, Investments.
• Cash Flow Statement, Fund flow statement, Financial statement analysis; Ratio analysis;
• Accounting for Share Capital Transactions including Bonus Shares, Right Shares.
• Employees Stock Option and Buy-Back of Securities.
• Preparation and Presentation of Company Final Accounts.

2. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus For Management

• Management: its nature and scope; The Management Processes; Planning, Organization, Staffing, Directing and Controlling;
• The Role of a Manager in an Organization. Leadership: The Tasks of a Leader;
• Leadership Styles; Leadership Theories; A successful Leader versus an effective Leader.
• Human Resource Development: Concept of HRD; Goals of HRD;
• Motivation, Morale and Incentives: Theories of Motivation; How Managers Motivate; Concept of Morale; Factors determining morale; Role of Incentives in Building up Morale.
• Communication: Steps in the Communication Process; Communication Channels; Oral versus Written Communication; Verbal versus non-verbal Communication; upward, downward and lateral communication; Barriers to Communication, Role of Information Technology.

3. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Finance 

1) Financial System

• Role and Functions of Regulatory bodies in Financial Sector.

2) Financial Markets

• Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc.), functions, instruments, recent developments.

3) General Topics

• Basics of Derivatives: Forward, Futures and Swap
• Recent Developments in the Financial Sector
• Financial Inclusion- use of technology
• Alternate source of finance, private and social cost-benefit, Public-Private Partnership
• Direct and Indirect taxes; Non-tax sources of Revenue, GST, Finance Commission, Fiscal Policy, Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM),
• Inflation: Definition, trends, estimates, consequences, and remedies (control): WPI, CPI – components and trends.

4. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Costing

1. Overview of Cost and Management Accounting – Introduction to Cost and Management Accounting, Objectives and Scope of Cost and Management Accounting.

2. Methods of Costing – Single Output/ Unit Costing, Job Costing, Batch Costing, Contract Costing, Process/ Operation Costing, Costing of Service Sectors.

3. Basics of Cost Control and Analysis – (i) Standard Costing, (ii) Marginal Costing, (iii) Budget and Budgetary Control.

4. Lean System and Innovation:-

• Introduction to Lean System
• Just-in-Time (JIT)
• Kaizen Costing
• 5 Ss
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
• Cellular Manufacturing/ One-Piece Flow Production Systems
• Six Sigma (SS)
• Introduction to Process Innovation and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR).

5. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Companies Act

• The Companies Act, 2013 – Specific reference to Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter VIII, Chapter X, Chapter XI, Chapter XII and Chapter XXVII.

6. PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Economics

• Demand and Supply, Market Structures, National Income: Concepts and Measurement, Classical & Keynesian Approach Determination of output and employment, Consumption Function, Investment Function, Multiplier and Accelerator, Demand and Supply for Money, IS–LM, Inflation and Phillips Curve,
• Business Cycles
• Balance of Payments, Foreign Exchange Markets, Inflation, Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Non-banking Financial Institutions.

PFRDA Grade A Exam Pattern 2024 for Phase 1

The first round of selection process is PFRDA Grade A Phase 1 exam. There are 80 questions carrying value of 100 marks. Candidates get 60 minutes time to face 80 questions from English, Reasoning, General Awareness, and Quantitative Aptitude.

Section	Number Of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time Duration
English Language	20	25	60 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	20	25
Reasoning	20	25
General Awareness	20	25
Total	80	100

Paper 2 Exam Pattern:

There are two papers in Phase 1. In paper 2, candidates have to stream-wise questions of 100 marks and time 40 minutes. Check the exam pattern of Paper 2.

Section	Number Of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time Duration
General Stream: MCQs on subjects Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics and Pension Sector.	50	100	40 Minutes
Other Streams: MCQs on Specialized subject related to stream	50	100	40 Minutes

PFRDA Grade A Exam Pattern 2024 for Phase 2

There are two papers in PFRDA Grade A Phase 2. Paper 1 is English Descriptive to test language and drafting skills of candidates. A total of 50 questions of 100 marks asked in this section. The paper 2 covers stream-wise objective-based questions of 100 marks and time 40 minutes.

Paper	Streams/ Subject	Maximum Marks	No. of Questions	Duration
Paper 1	All Streams: English (Descriptive Test) to test the drafting skills	100	50	60 minutes
Paper 2	General Stream: Multiple choice questions on subjects Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics and Pension Sector.Information Technology, Finance and Accounts Research (Economics), Legal and Official Language (Rajbhasha) Streams: Multiple choice questions on Specialised subject related to stream.	100	50	40 minutes

PFRDA Grade A Exam 2024 Selection Process

Candidates should understand the PFRDA Grade A exam selection process and then only start their preparation process effectively.

• It is important and involves three stages: Screening, Online, Interview. The first stage includes a preliminary or prelims exam.
• Phase 1: This exam is conducted to test candidates’ knowledge on general topics. Those candidates who clear the Phase 1 exam proceed to the next stage. The next stage is called the Phase 2 exam.
• Phase 2: The Phase 2 exam goes into more detail about the specific subjects related to the PFRDA Grade A post. After the Phase 2 exam, selected candidates are called for an interview. This stage tests the candidates’ communication skills and their suitability for the job.
• Interview: The final selection judges the candidates’ performance in all stages of the selection process. Therefore, candidates should prepare well to face each stage of the selection process successfully.  And for a successful performance, candidates need to stay focused, They need to be disciplined, and remain confident of their success throughout the exam preparation and the selection process.

PFRDA Grade A Exam 2024 Key Benefits

When candidates prepare for the PFRDA Grade A Exam 2024, they can understand difficult financial rules and management ideas more easily. This helps them address the problem of pension funds. After clearing the PFRDA Grade A Exam 2024 candidates can enjoy several benefits. Some of them are as follows:

1. More Chances of Job: Candidates, after clearing the exam, get more chances for jobs. Many recruiters look for good workers in this field, so the successful candidates find a job they like.

2. Getting Better at Work: Clearing the PFRDA Grade A Exam is a big step in a candidate’s professional life. It makes others trust them more. Why? Because the recruiters look for the employees who have a good knowledge about pension funds. Therefore, this newly-acquired trust helps them grow in their job. Plus, they get better at what they do.

3. Acquiring the Knowledge: Candidates, as we discussed above, learn a lot about pension funds while preparing for the PFRDA Grade A exam. So, they get a deep knowledge about money markets, investment ways, laws, and the knowledge about dealing with risks involved in the investment process. And this is what makes them really good at their job.

4. Growing as a Professional: Studying for the PFRDA Grade A Exam isn’t just about doing a full-time job. It also helps a candidate grow as a person. They learn about how to think about tough problems. They learn to solve problems and make smart choices. And this is what makes them better at handling things in their life also, not just at work. Thus, they grow professionally.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus 2024 FAQs