NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2025: Prelims & Mains Pattern, Timetable

The NABARD Grade A exam is one of the most sought-after banking exams in India. Every year, thousands of aspirants compete for a limited number of officer-level positions. If you’re planning to appear in 2025, understanding the exam pattern, syllabus, and timetable is crucial. This guide breaks down everything—Prelims, Mains, interview process, marking scheme, and key preparation strategies. Plus, we’ll share real-life success stories and expert tips to help you crack it!

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Key Highlights 💡

Aspect	Details
Organization Name	NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)
Exam Level	National
Posts Offered	Grade A (Assistant Manager)
Selection Stages	Prelims → Mains → Interview
Prelims Mode	Online (Objective)
Mains Mode	Online (Descriptive + Objective)
Negative Marking	Yes (0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer)
Official Website	nabard.org

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NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern 2025 📝

The selection process has three stages:

1. Preliminary Exam (Objective)
2. Mains Exam (Objective + Descriptive)
3. Interview

Let’s break them down.

1. Preliminary Exam Pattern

This is the first elimination round. The exam is 100 marks, divided into:

Section	No. of Qs	Marks	Duration
Reasoning Ability	20	20	120 mins
English Language	30	30
Quantitative Aptitude	20	20
General Awareness	20	20
Economic & Social Issues	10	10

🔹 Total → 100 questions, 100 marks, 2 hours
🔹 Cut-off → Varies each year (usually 60-70 marks for general category)

2. Mains Exam Pattern

Only those who clear Prelims move to Mains. It has two papers:

Paper 1 (General English – Descriptive)

Section	Marks	Duration
Essay Writing	40	90 mins
Precis Writing	30
Comprehension	20
Report/Letter Writing	10

Paper 2 (Economic & Social Issues + Agriculture)

Section	Marks	Duration
Economic & Social Issues	50	90 mins
Agriculture & Rural Development	50

🔹 Total → 200 marks
🔹 Qualifying Nature → Paper 1 is qualifying (minimum 25/100), Paper 2 is merit-based.

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NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2025 📚

Prelims Syllabus

Subject	Topics
Reasoning	Puzzles, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding
Quantitative Aptitude	Data Interpretation, Number Series
English	Grammar, Vocabulary, Comprehension
General Awareness	Banking, Current Affairs, Govt Schemes
Economic & Social Issues	Inflation, Poverty, RBI Policies

Mains Syllabus

Subject	Topics
Economic & Social Issues	Rural Banking, Climate Change
Agriculture	Crop Science, Agri-Tech, Rural Development

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NABARD Grade A Preparation Tips 🚀

1. Study Plan & Timetable 🗓

Here’s a 30-day study plan for Prelims:

Day	Task
1-5	Reasoning & Quant Basics
6-10	English Practice + Vocabulary
11-15	Current Affairs (Last 6 Months)
16-20	Economic & Social Issues
21-25	Full-Length Mock Tests
26-30	Revision & Weak Areas

2. Expert-Recommended Books 📖

Subject	Book	Author
Quantitative Aptitude	Quantum CAT	Sarvesh Sharma
General Awareness	Lucent GK	Dr. Binay Karna
Economic & Social Issues	Indian Economy	Ramesh Singh

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Real-Life Success Stories 🌟

✅ Rahul Mehta (2024 Topper) – Focused on daily current affairs and solved 10+ mock tests weekly.
✅ Priya Sharma (2023 Qualifier) – Strengthened descriptive writing by practicing essays daily.

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Final Thoughts

The NABARD Grade A exam is tough but crackable with the right strategy. Stick to the exam pattern, follow a structured timetable, and keep practicing. Best of luck! 🎯