| Conducting body | National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Assistant Manager Grade A (Rural Development Banking Service), General, Assistant Manager Grade A (RDBS), specialist disciplines such as CA, Finance, IT and Economics, Assistant Manager Grade A (Legal Service), Assistant Manager Grade A (Protocol & Security Service) |
| Qualification | For RDBS (General): a bachelor's degree in any subject with at least 60% (55% for SC/ST/PwBD), or a postgraduate degree or MBA/PGDM with at least 55% (50% for SC/ST/PwBD), or CA/CS/CMA/ICWA, or a PhD. Specialist disciplines and the legal post need the subject degrees and marks listed in the advertisement. Qualifications are counted as on 1 November 2025. |
| Age limit | 21–30 years on 1 November 2025 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Phase I: online preliminary exam → Phase II: online main exam → Phase III: psychometric test (compulsory) → Interview (50 marks) → Final selection on mains and interview marks together |
| Latest notification | Recruitment of Assistant Manager in Grade 'A' (RDBS/Legal/Protocol & Security) 2025 · 91 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About NABARD Grade A
NABARD recruits Assistant Managers in Grade A for its Rural Development Banking Service, legal service and protocol and security service. The 2025 advertisement listed 91 vacancies, 85 of them in RDBS across general and specialist disciplines. The exam leans heavily on the rural economy and agriculture, which sets it apart from other bank officer exams.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–30 years, counted on 1 November 2025.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 10 years
- Ex-servicemen: 5 years
- You must be born between 2 November 1995 and 1 November 2004 (RDBS and Legal).
- PwBD relaxation is 10 years for General, 13 for OBC and 15 for SC/ST.
- SC/ST relaxation applies where posts are reserved for them.
- Protocol & Security Service has a different limit of 25 to 40 years with no relaxation for any category.
Qualification
For RDBS (General): a bachelor's degree in any subject with at least 60% (55% for SC/ST/PwBD), or a postgraduate degree or MBA/PGDM with at least 55% (50% for SC/ST/PwBD), or CA/CS/CMA/ICWA, or a PhD. Specialist disciplines and the legal post need the subject degrees and marks listed in the advertisement. Qualifications are counted as on 1 November 2025.
Other conditions
- You can apply for only one discipline or post.
- Candidates must take the psychometric test to be considered for the interview.
Selection process
- Phase I: online preliminary exam
- Phase II: online main exam
- Phase III: psychometric test (compulsory)
- Interview (50 marks)
- Final selection on mains and interview marks together
Exam pattern
Phase I: Preliminary exam (RDBS/Legal)
Mode: Online, objective · Duration: 120 minutes composite time · Negative marking: 1/4 of the question's marks cut for each wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Test of Reasoning (qualifying) | 20 | 20 |
| English Language (qualifying) | 30 | 30 |
| Computer Knowledge (qualifying) | 20 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (qualifying) | 20 | 20 |
| Decision Making (qualifying) | 10 | 10 |
| General Awareness (merit) | 20 | 20 |
| Economic and Social Issues, with focus on rural India (merit) | 40 | 40 |
| Agriculture and Rural Development, with emphasis on rural India (merit) | 40 | 40 |
Phase II: Main exam (Generalist)
Mode: Online, descriptive answers typed plus objective · Negative marking: 1/4 of the question's marks cut for each wrong objective answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I: General English, descriptive (90 minutes) | 3 | 100 |
| Paper II: ESI and ARD, objective (30 minutes) | 30 | 50 |
| Paper II: ESI and ARD, descriptive, attempt 4 of 6 (90 minutes) | 4 | 50 |
Interview
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview (RDBS/Legal) | 50 |
NABARD Grade A syllabus
Prelims qualifying tests
- Reasoning
- English Language
- Computer knowledge
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Decision making
Economic and Social Issues
- Nature of the Indian economy and economic reforms
- Inflation, poverty alleviation and employment generation
- Population trends and policy
- Industry, labour policy and public sector enterprises
- Rural banking and financial sector reforms
- Globalisation, IMF, World Bank and WTO
- Social structure, education, health and social justice
Agriculture and Rural Development
- Agronomy, cropping systems and seed production
- Soil and water conservation, irrigation management
- Farm machinery and agro processing
- Plantation and horticulture
- Animal husbandry and poultry
- Fisheries and forestry
- Agricultural extension and KVKs
- Ecology and climate change
- Current state of Indian agriculture and rural development
Mains Paper I (English)
- Essay
- Précis writing
- Comprehension
- Business and office correspondence
What they ask
The prelims has 200 questions in 120 minutes, but only General Awareness, Economic and Social Issues and Agriculture and Rural Development count for the mains shortlist. The other five tests are qualifying. The mains is mostly descriptive: an English paper with three questions, and an ESI and ARD paper with 30 objective questions plus four long answers chosen from six. The calling ratio is up to 1:25 for the mains and 1:3 for the interview.
How to prepare
- Make ESI and ARD your main subjects. They carry 80 of the 100 merit marks in the prelims and the whole of Mains Paper II.
- Practise typing descriptive answers: Paper I has three questions in 90 minutes and Paper II has four long answers in 90 minutes.
- Use the ARD syllabus headings in the advertisement as a checklist, from soil conservation and irrigation to fisheries, forestry and climate change.
- Clear every qualifying test in the prelims; a miss in Decision Making or Computer Knowledge knocks you out even with a strong merit section.
- Keep up with rural and agricultural current affairs through daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise NABARD Grade A syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
NABARD Grade A FAQs
21 to 30 years on 1 November 2025 for RDBS and Legal posts. OBC get 3 more years, SC/ST up to 5 and PwBD 10 to 15. Protocol & Security posts have a 25 to 40 limit with no relaxation.
Sources
- NABARD advertisement: Assistant Manager Grade A (RDBS/Legal/Protocol & Security) 2025 ↗ (official, checked )
- NABARD careers notices ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.