NABARD Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 for Phase 1 & Phase 2 Exams

Particulars

Details

Organisation

National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development

Post Name

Grade A (Assistant Manager)

Category

Syllabus

Selection Process

Prelims, Mains, Interview

Type of Questions

Prelims – Objective

Mains – Objective & Descriptive

Duration

Prelims – 120 minutes

Mains – 90 minutes each paper

Negative Marking

Prelims & Mains – 0.25 marks

Official Website

www.nabard.org

S.No.

Name of Test

Questions

Marks

1

Test of Reasoning

20

20

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

Economic & Social Issues

40

40

8

Agriculture & Rural Development

40

40

Total

200

200

Paper

Grade A

Type of Paper

Total Questions

Total Marks

Duration

Remarks

Paper I

General English

Online Descriptive

3

100

90 Minutes

Descriptive Answers to be typed using a keyboard

Paper-II

Economic and Social Issues & Agriculture and Rural Development 

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 to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards)

Paper

Grade A

Type of Paper

Total Questions

Total Marks

Duration 

Remarks

Paper I

General English

Online Descriptive

3

100

90 Minutes

Descriptive Answers 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 keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards)

Name of Section

Topics asked

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.

Globalization 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. Urbanization 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 and scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

Positive Discrimination in favour of the underprivileged

1. Social Movements
2. Indian Political Systems
3. Human Development

Name of Section

Topics asked

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, 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 pertaining to 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 socio-economic 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 pertaining to 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, and 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, climate analysis
3. Distinguish between adaptation and mitigation
4. Climate change impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods
5. Carbon credit
6. IPCC, UNFCCC, 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 Globalization 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 Laborers, Artisans, handicrafters, 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 handlooms
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.

Subject

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