NABARD Grade A Syllabus: Prelims, Mains Subjects and Exam Pattern

Particulars

Details

Exam Stages

Phase 1 (Prelims) and Phase 2 (Mains)

Prelims Subjects

Reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Knowledge, Decision Making, General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues (ESI), and Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD)

Mains Papers

Paper I – General English (Descriptive); Paper II – Economic & Social Issues (ESI) and Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD) (Objective + Descriptive)

Question Types

Objective and Descriptive (Mains)

Language

English and Hindi (except the English Language paper)

Selection Process

Phase 1, Phase 2, Psychometric Test (Qualifying), and Personal Interview

NABARD Grade A Prelims Syllabus 2026

Section

Topics

Test of Reasoning

1. Input-Output

2. Coding-Decoding

3. Number and Alphabet Series

4. Puzzles & Seating Arrangement

5. Syllogism

6. Data sufficiency

7. Statement-based questions (Verbal reasoning)

8. Inequality

9. Miscellaneous Questions

10. Blood relations

English Language

1. Reading Comprehension

2. Cloze test

3. Spotting the errors

4. Sentence improvement

5. Fill in the blanks

6. Sentence rearrangement

7. Para Jumbles

8. One Word Substitution

Computer Knowledge

1. Networking

2. Input-output devices

3. DBMS

4. MS Office

5. Internet

6. History of computers & generations

7. Shortcuts

8. Computer Hardware

Quantitative Aptitude

1. Data Interpretations

2. Quadratic Equations

3. Number Series

4. Simplification/ Approximation

5. Data Sufficiency

6. Arithmetic Questions

7. Quantity Comparisons

8. Mathematical Inequalities

Decision Making

1. Analytical Reasoning

2. Situation-based Questions

3. Decision-Making Scenarios

4. Problem-solving Skills

General Awareness

1. Current Affairs (National & International)

2. Banking, Economy, and Insurance Awareness

3. Awards and Honors

4. Sports

5. Important Government Schemes

6. Recent Appointments

7. Science & Technology

Economic & Social Issues (focus on Rural India)

1. Nature of Indian Economy

2. Inflation

3. Poverty Alleviation & Employment Generation

4. Population Trends

5. Rural Banking & Financial Institutions

6. Globalization

7. Social Structure in India

8. Education & Social Justice

9. Positive Discrimination for Underprivileged

Agriculture & Rural Development (focus on Rural India)

1. Agriculture: Agronomy, Cropping Systems, Seed Production, Meteorology, Soil Conservation, Water Resources, Farm Engineering, Plantation & Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture Extensions, Ecology & Climate Change

2. Rural Development: Concepts, Rural Development Programs, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Credit, SHGs, NGOs.

NABARD Grade A Economic & Social Issues Topics

Name of Section

Topics

Nature of 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 Programs 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 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 programmes 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

NABARD Grade A Agriculture & Rural Development Topics

Name of 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 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 pertaining to 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 related 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 2021

5. Recent developments under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Agriculture Extension

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 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 handlooms

12. Panchayati Raj Institutions - Functions and Working.

NABARD Grade A Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Sl. No.

Section

Questions

Marks

Duration

1.

Test of Reasoning

20

20

120 minutes

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 (focus on Rural India)

40

40

8.

Agriculture & Rural Development (focus on Rural India)

40

40

Total

200

200

NABARD Grade A Mains Exam Pattern 2026

Paper

Subject

Type

Questions/Tasks

Marks

Duration

Remarks

Paper I

General English

Online Descriptive Test

3 Questions (Essay, Precis Writing, etc.)

100

90 minutes

Descriptive Answers to be typed using a keyboard

Paper II

Economic & Social Issues & Agriculture & Rural Development

Objective Type

30**

50

30 minutes

Descriptive Test

6 questions (Candidates need to attempt 4 questions)

50

90 minutes

Answers to be Typed in English or Hindi (Remington/Inscript KB)

**(Some questions carry 2 marks each and some questions carry 1 mark each)