NABARD Syllabus

NABARD Grade A & B — Syllabus

NABARD Grade A & Grade B — Syllabus (Phase 1 & Phase 2)

Phase I — Exam Pattern (Summary)

Parameter	Details
No. of Questions	200 objective questions
Total Marks	200
Duration	120 minutes (2 hours)
Marking Scheme	+1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong
Sections	Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, Decision Making, General Awareness, Economics & Social Issues (ESI), Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD)
Qualifying vs Merit	Reasoning, English, Computer, Quant, Decision Making — qualifying. General Awareness, ESI, ARD — merit (shortlisting based on merit sections).

Phase I — Section-wise Syllabus

Section	Topics
Reasoning Ability	Puzzles & Seating Arrangement Syllogism, Statement-Assumption, Blood Relations Input-Output, Coding-Decoding, Inequalities Data Sufficiency, Miscellaneous reasoning
Quantitative Aptitude	Data Interpretation (tables, charts) Simplification/Approximation, Number Series Quadratic Equations, Arithmetic (Percent, Ratio, Mixture, Time & Work, Time & Distance, Profit & Loss) Data Sufficiency, Inequalities
English Language	Reading Comprehension Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement Para Jumbles, Sentence Rearrangement, Fill in the blanks
Computer Knowledge	Basics of Computer: Hardware & Software Operating systems, MS Office, Shortcuts Networking basics, DBMS concepts Internet, Cybersecurity basics
Decision Making	Case studies, Situation-based judgment Interpreting information, Recognizing assumptions
General Awareness	Current Affairs (national & international) Banking & Financial sector updates, Insurance Economic developments, Government schemes
Economics & Social Issues (ESI)	Indian Economy: structure, institutional features, reforms Inflation, Employment, Poverty & Welfare schemes Population trends, Education, Health, Human Development Financial Institutions, Rural banking, Globalisation Social structure, Gender issues, Social justice
Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD)	Agronomy: cropping systems, seeds, crop production factors Soil & Water conservation, Fertility, Erosion Irrigation types, Micro-irrigation, Watershed management Horticulture, Plantation crops, Post-harvest management Animal husbandry, Fisheries, Forestry, Agroforestry Agricultural extension, KVKs, Rural development programs (MGNREGA, NRLM, etc.) Climate change, Ecology, Carbon credit, Government initiatives

Phase II — Exam Pattern (Summary)

Paper	Type / Key Details
Paper 1 — General English	Descriptive (typing). 3 questions. 100 marks. 90 minutes.
Paper 2 — ESI & ARD	Objective: ~30 questions (30–50 marks) — 30 minutes. Descriptive: 6 questions (attempt 4) — 50 marks — 90 minutes. Descriptive may include 15-mark & 10-mark questions.
Paper 3 — (Grade B only)	Development Economics, Statistics, Finance & Management. Objective + Descriptive pattern similar to Paper 2; total marks vary (typically 100 per paper).

Marks obtained in Phase II + Interview form the basis of final selection. Phase I is a screening stage (merit sections determine shortlisting).

Phase II — Detailed Syllabus (ARD & ESI)

Subject	Topics (Representative & Exhaustive Areas to Cover)
Agriculture (ARD)	Crop production & management: major field crops, cropping systems, seed production Soil science: types, fertility, nutrient management, fertilizers Water: irrigation systems, micro-irrigation, water-use efficiency, watershed management Farm machinery & post-harvest technology, storage systems Horticulture & plantations: production technologies, value chain, post-harvest Animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, fisheries — production systems & economics Forestry, agroforestry, social forestry, forest policy Agricultural extension, KVKs, transfer of technology Climate-smart agriculture, precision farming, organic farming Agricultural finance, credit flow, crop insurance, MSP, commodity markets
Economic & Social Issues (ESI)	Macroeconomics & growth: GDP, inflation, fiscal & monetary policy Structure of Indian economy, reforms, globalization, trade policy Poverty, unemployment, human development indicators, welfare schemes Financial sector reforms, banking structure, NABARD role, rural credit Public finance: Union Budget, taxation, subsidies Social issues: education, health, gender, scheduled castes & tribes Sustainable development, environment policy, climate change impacts on rural economy International institutions: IMF, World Bank, WTO and their role

Grade B — Paper 3 Syllabus (Development Economics, Statistics, Finance & Management)

Area	Topics
Development Economics	Measures of development, growth models, structural change Role of agriculture in development, terms of trade, subsidies Development issues in India, Sustainable Development Goals, post-2015 agenda
Statistics	Descriptive statistics: mean, median, mode, dispersion Probability, distributions, sampling, hypothesis testing Correlation, regression, time-series analysis, index numbers
Finance	Financial system & institutions in India, regulation Microfinance, financial inclusion, NBFCs, development finance institutions Project finance basics, working capital, infrastructure finance Union Budget, fiscal policy, public debt
Management	Principles of management, planning, organising, staffing Leadership, HRD, performance appraisal, motivation theories Corporate governance, communication, project management basics

Interview & Selection — Key Points

Item	Details
Interview Weightage	Grade A: 50 marks. Grade B: 75 marks (varies by notification).
Language	English or Hindi (candidate's choice).
Focus Areas	Personal background, conceptual knowledge (ESI/ARD/Finance), current affairs (agriculture, rural economy), leadership & reasoning skills.
Tie-breaker Rules	Higher Phase II marks > Higher qualification marks > Higher graduation marks > Seniority by age.

This page contains the consolidated syllabus topics for NABARD Grade A & Grade B (Phase 1 & Phase 2). Use this as a checklist — for each topic, practice objective questions and, for Phase II descriptive, practice structured answer writing (ESI/ARD).