Which is better RBI Grade B vs NABARD Grade A?

It’s always been a heavy debate between the two exams. Both the entry level jobs have good things to offer from multiple perspectives. Be it salary, or career growth. But let’s see how relevant or desirable these jobs really are if we look at them from the 2021 perspective. Let’s find out the winner of RBI Grade B vs NABARD. Both jobs can provide stable careers but other parameters do matter as well.

RBI Grade B vs NABARD Grade A

Parameters	RBI Grade B	NABARD Grade A
Post Offered	Manager	Assistant Manager
Organization	Reserve Bank of India	National Bank for Rural & Agriculture Development
Mode of Examination	Online	Online
Selection Procedure	Three-stage process I. Phase 1 II. Phase 2– Paper 1, Paper 2 & Paper 3 III. Interview	Three-stage process I. Phase 1 II. Phase 2 – Paper 1 & Paper 2 III. Interview
Eligibility Criteria	Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline.	Bachelor’s Degree in any subject with a minimum of 60% marks.
Salary Offered	Gross monthly emoluments are Rs 83,254/-approx.	Gross monthly gross emoluments are Rs.70000/- approx.
Probation Period	There is probation for 2 years from the time of joining.	There is probation for 2 years from the time of joining.
Job Responsibilities	The very first department you shall be given would be “The Issues and Banking Department.” Such a department will primarily focus on making you learn basic banking, know-hows, etc. 2. Grade B officers are posted across various departments and the work profile varies as per the department they are posted in.	1. Work on various policies and programs mandated by Central/State Governments related to Agricultural & Rural Development.
Career Prospects	The career progression is as follows: Manager ↓ Asst. General Manager ↓ Deputy General Manager ↓ Chief General Manager ↓ Principal Chief Manager ↓ Executive Director ↓ Deputy Governor	The career progression is as follows: Assistant Manager ↓ Manager ↓ Assistant General manager ↓ Deputy General Manager ↓ General Manager ↓ Chief General Manager ↓ Executive Director

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Employee Transfer Policy

RBI	NABARD
You can get transferred at the interval of every three years depending upon the requirements at different offices. However, it’s not a thumb rule to transfer every employee after a three-year period.	They don’t have any specific transfer policy. You might work at a particular office for 5-6 years.

Exam Pattern Compared

NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern

S. No.	Subjects	Maximum Marks
1.	Test of Reasoning	20 Marks
2.	English Language	30 Marks
3.	Computer Knowledge	20 Marks
4.	General Awareness	20 Marks
5.	Quantitative Aptitude	20 Marks
6.	Decision Making	10 Marks
7.	Economic & Social Issues (with focus on Rural India)	40 Marks
8.	Agriculture & Rural Development (with focus on Rural India)	40 Marks
Total Marks	200 Marks

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern Prelims

Serial Number	Section Asked	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
1.	General Awareness	200	200	Composite time of 2 hours
2.	Quantitative Aptitude
3.	English Language
4.	Reasoning

NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern (General)

Subjects	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Paper-I (Descriptive Test)	3	100 Marks	90 Minutes
Paper-II: Objective	30	50 Marks	30 Minutes
Descriptive (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]	4	50 Marks	90 Minutes
Total	37	200 marks	3 hours 30 min

RBI Grade B Mains Exam Pattern

Name of the Paper	Type of the Paper	Duration	Marks
Paper I Economic & Social Issues	50% Objective + 50% Descriptive	30 Minutes + 90 Minutes = 120 minutes	50+ 50=100
Paper-II English (Writing Skills)	Descriptive Type	90 minutes	100
Paper III Finance & Management	50% Objective + 50% Descriptive	30 Minutes + 90 Minutes = 120 minutes	50+50=100

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Recent changes in NABARD makes it less attractive – RBI Grade B vs NABARD

Changes made in the exam pattern by NABARD for the 2021 exam

A decision-making section has been introduced for the very first time in the phase-1 paper.
Qualifying and merit sections concept is also being introduced this year. The candidate will be shortlisted on the marks scored in the sections (GA, ESI, and ARD.)
A descriptive section will also be added for the phase-2 paper of ESI and ARD.
The interview round would now carry 50 marks.
The calling ratio to qualify for the mains examination and interview would be a maximum of 1:25 and 1:3, respectively. The ratio may be suitably reduced at the discretion of the bank.

The attraction towards NABARD did decline this year. The exam has become too unique which asks for too much dedication and focus only on just NABARD exam. One might find it hard to prepare for any other exam simultaneously. However, RBI exam still has relevance if we look at common elements with other banking exams. So, in that scenario RBI does get more points than NABARD.