NABARD is one of the best organizations that works for rural development and is an apex financial institution. It is headquartered in Mumbai and works majorly in the rural and agricultural field. It conducts an online examination to recruit eligible candidates for the post of Grade A Officer. The major highlights of the exam are given below:
Conducting Body
NABARD
Mode of Exam
Online
Phases
3 (Preliminary, Main, and Personal Interview)
Negative Marking
1/4th marks
Time Duration
2 hours for Prelims and 3 hours for Mains
Maximum Marks
200 for both Prelims and Mains
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is an apex development financial institution in India headquartered at Mumbai with regional offices all over India. The Bank has been entrusted with "matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India". Every year NABARD releases vacancies for various categories. This year too, it has released the vacancies for the post of Assistant Manager in Grade ‘A’ in the Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS). Candidates will be required to fill the application as soon as the vacancies are released.
The ‘NABARD Grade A’ is one of the most awaited notifications of all times. NABARD tests its candidates through a fair pattern and it is a process containing 3 phases where a candidate needs to qualify in each of these phases step-by-step to be able to reach the final destination. The ‘NABARD Grade A’ exam tests a candidate on various parameters examining his/her skills with respect to various subjects. A candidate needs to qualify in his first phase in order to be able to appear in the second phase. A minimum cut-off would be declared on the basis of which the selection would be made and those who manage equal or more than the cut-off score will get a seat in the second phase and then subsequently in the third phase. The structure of the exam is as follows:
Phase I
Preliminary Examination (Online Exam)
Phase II
Main Examination will be online and will be a mix of MCQ and descriptive pattern
Phase III
Interview
NABARD Grade A Phase I:
The Nabard Grade A Exam Phase I is an objective type test, that will test the candidates on the basis of their knowledge and skills in various kinds of subjects like - Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, Computer Knowledge, General Awareness, Economic and Social Issues, English Language, Agriculture & Rural Development. The main motive of the examiner is to test a candidate by how well does he/she manage to fare in all the different sections, maintaining the speed & time simultaneously. The details of NABARD Grade A Phase I exam pattern are as follows:
Test Name
No. Of Questions
Quantitative Aptitude
20
Composite time of 120 minutes
Reasoning Ability
Computer Knowledge
General Awareness
English Language
40
Agriculture & Rural Development
Economic and Social Issues
Total
200
2 Hours
NABARD Grade A Phase II:
NABARD Grade A Phase II exam is a bit different than Phase I with respect to the number of sections / phases in this case. Phase II itself consists of two different papers with individual timings of 90 minutes each, where the exam pattern is a bit different than Phase I. Phase II has General English in the descriptive format whereas the other paper is of objective type as in Phase I, except that here both the sections hold equal marks and have equal time allocated to them. Paper II will contain questions from Economic& Social Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development with special stress on Rural India for General post and for all other specific posts Paper II will be based on respective discipline .
Exam
Name of Test
Type & Number of Questions
Duration
Paper I
General English
(Descriptive) Essay, Precis,Questions on the Precis/para,Report/Letter writing
100
90 Min
Paper II
General Post: Economic and Social Issues and Agriculture and Rural Development(with focus on Rural India)
For all other posts: Paper on related discipline
(Objective) Multiple Choice based 65 Questions(35 of 2 Marks each 30 of 1 Mark each)
NABARD Phase III Interview
The applicants who manage to qualify in the NABARD Grade A Phase-II Examination and secure a sufficiently high rank in merit will be shortlisted for the third phase of ‘interview’. The maximum marks allocated to the Interview stage are 25. The applicants to be called for interview will be in the ratio of 1:5 respectively.
NABARD Grade A Exam is a tough level examination and it also consists of variable marking in the tests. Some of the questions carry 1 mark and some of the questions carry 2 marks. The negative marking for the questions will also be applied differently. The questions carrying 1 mark will have a negative marking of 0.25 marks and the questions carrying 2 marks will have a negative marking of 0.50 marks. The marking scheme for NABARD Grade A 2019 and penalty for wrong answers (Applicable to both Preliminary and Main Examinations) is as follows:
NABARD Grade A Marking Scheme
For correct answers
1 Mark or 2 Marks
For wrong answers
For 1 Mark question: Negative Marking of 0.25 MarksFor 2 Mark question: Negative Marking of 0.50 Marks
For not attempted
0 (no marks)
Both the Objective and Descriptive Tests are conducted online. Kindly note, all questions (in both Preliminary and Main Examination, except the Test of English), are available bilingually in English and Hindi.
An exam notification is always followed by some nervousness, excitement, fear of failure, panic etc. To prevent oneself from experiencing all these, a candidate needs to ensure that he /she is well informed and well aware of all the subjects/topics that are expected to be asked in the NABARD Grade A 2019 examination. Knowing the syllabus with each and every detail of it, is the main step of your preparation that would kick-start your preparation on a strong note.
Whenever a notification is released, the first important step should be ensuring if a candidate is eligible to appear in the respective examination and if he/she fulfils all the requirements of the specific job position. So, before moving on to other exam details, it is extremely necessary to gather all the details related to the eligibility criteria as specified below:
Educational Criteria
Educational Criteria All candidates need to follow a certain educational criteria when it comes to the application for NABARD Grade A examination as follows:-
Stream
Eligibility Criteria
General
Bachelors Degree in any subject from a recognized University with a minimum of 50% marks (SC/ST/PWD applicants 45%) in aggregate or Post Graduate degree with a minimum of 50% marks (SC/ST/PWD applicants 45%) in aggregate or Ph.D
OR
Chartered Accountant /Cost Accountant / Company Secretary with Bachelors degree
Two year full time P.G. Diploma in Management / full time MBA degree from institutions recognized by GOI / UGC with Bachelors Degree in any discipline.
Animal Husbandry
Bachelors Degree in Veterinary Sciences / Animal Husbandry from any recognized University with a minimum of 50% marks (SC applicants 45%) in aggregate or Post Graduate degree in Veterinary Sciences /Animal Husbandry with a minimum of 50% marks (SC applicants 45%) in aggregate.
Chartered Accountant
Bachelors degree in any discipline with Membership of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
The Membership of ICAI must have been obtained on or before 01 March 2018.
Economics
Bachelor’s Degree with Economics with 50% marks (SC/ST/PWD applicants - 45%) in aggregate or Post Graduate degree in Economics/Agriculture Economics with a minimum of 50% marks (SC/ST/PWD applicants - 45%) in
aggregate from a recognized university. Candidates with Economics as one of the main subjects at all years/semesters of the course, will only be eligible.
Environmental Engineering
Bachelors degree with Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering as a subject with 50% marks in aggregate or Post graduate degree in Environmental Engineering or Environmental Science with 50% marks in aggregate from a recognized University/Institution.
Food Processing / Food Technology
Bachelors degree in Food Processing /Food Technology with 50% marks in aggregate (ST applicants 45%) or Post graduate degree in Food Processing /Food Technology with 50% marks in aggregate (ST applicants 45%) from a recognized University/Institution.
Forestry
Bachelors degree in Forestry from a recognized University/Institution with 50% marks in aggregate or Post graduate degree in Forestry with 50% marks in aggregate
Minor irigation ( Water Resources )
Bachelors degree in Hydrology/Applied Hydrology or Geology/Applied Geology with Hydrogeology / Irrigation / Water Supply & sanitation as one of the subjects with
50% marks (SC/ST applicants 45%) in aggregate or Post Graduate degree in Engineering/ Hydrology/Applied Hydrology or Geology/Applied Geology with Hydrogeology / Irrigation / Water Supply & sanitation as one of the subjects with 50% marks in aggregate (SC/ST applicants 45%) from a recognized University.
Social Work
Bachelors degree in Social Work with 50% marks in aggregate or Post Graduate degree in Social Work with 50% marks in aggregate from a recognized University.
Age Criteria
All the candidates need to meet up a certain criteria wrt age. The minimum age of an applicant at the time of application should be 21 years and maximum age should be 30 years. There are some exceptions to the age criteria where certain relaxations are provided according to various categories as mentioned below:
S. No
Category
Age Relaxation
A
Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe candidates
5 years
B
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates
3 years
C
Ex-servicemen and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/ SSCOs who have rendered at least 5 years military service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within the next one year from the last date for receipt of application) other than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or on account of physical disability attributable to military service or on being declared as invalid
D
All persons who have ordinarily been domiciled in the state of J & K during 01.01.1980 and 31.12.1989
E
Persons affected by 1984 riots
F
Persons with Disabilities (PWD)
PWD(SC-ST)–15years
PWD(OBC)–13years
PWD (Gen) –10 years
One of the reasons behind choosing any kind of job is the reward that you will get after serving in any job position from the monetary aspect. Rewards may largely include other allowances, perks and benefits also, but the main thing is the salary that is received at hand. NABARD can be counted among the best paying jobs in India.
A ‘NABARD Grade A’ officer receives a basic salary of Rs, 28,150 pm/- in the scale of 28150-1550(4) -34350-1750(7) – 46600 –EB - 1750(4)- 53600-2000(1)-55600 applicable to Officers in Grade 'A' and they will be eligible for Dearness Allowance, Local Compensatory Allowance, House Rent Allowance, and Grade Allowance as per rules in force from time to time. At present, initial monthly gross emoluments are approximately Rs. 55587/.
NABARD releases a good number of vacancies for the post of ‘Assistant Manager’ in Grade ‘A’ category. This year NABARD has released 79 vacancies for Grade A officers under various streams including 1 vacancy under Backlog. All the eligible and interested candidates can start applying for the same.
Sr. No.
Name of the Discipline Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS) - Assistant Manager in Grade ‘A’
No. of Vacancies
1
41
2
5
3
Finance
7
4
Economics & Agricultural Economics
6
8
Land Development (Soil Science)
9
Plantation & Horticulture
Backlog Vacancy
Total-RDBS
The application is the first step in an examination process, once the notification of any exam gets released. It is one of the most important parts of the procedure and therefore you need to be well aware of the complete application process. As the notification for NABARD Grade A has been released, you should start applying immediately without wasting a second to avoid last minute rush.
NABARD 2019 Step by Step Application Process -
The online application process for NABARD Grade A will not be considered complete until you pay the fees. You are required to pay the fees in online mode. The fee details according to the various categories are as follows:
Fees
Rs. 750
SC/ST/OBC Grade
Rs. 100
Various exam centres are allocated for the examination, all-over India in different states. Once you choose your respective exam centre, no request to change it will be entertained later. NABARD reserves the right to cancel any of the centres or add new at its discretion. It also reserves the right to allocate any exam centre to the candidate, other than the one opted by him/her.
Once the application process is completed, all details related to the centre of examination, venue address, date and time for both Online Preliminary and Online Main examinations and interview shall be intimated in the respective ‘call letter’. A candidate will be required to download his/her call letter from the authorised website by entering his/ her details i.e. Registration Number and Password/Date of Birth. No hard copy of the call letter/ Information Handout etc. will be sent by post/ courier.
The notification for NABARD Grade A 2019 Exam has been released and NABARD has specified the respective dates for the complete examination process there. The Phase I Examination will be held on 15th and 16th June 2019. The dates for Phase II will be announced later on by NABARD. All aspirants should buck up and start preparing for this major exam.
Events
Exam Dates (Tentative)
Online Registration and Payment of Online Fees/Intimation Charges
10th May 2019 to 26th May 2019
Last date for submission of online Applications
26th May 2019 (Time 23.59 hours)
Download of Phase I (Preliminary Exam) Admission Letters
Updated soon
Phase I (Preliminary Exam) – Online Examination
15th & 16th June 2019
Phase II (Mains Exam) – Online Examination
Updated Soon
Result Declaration Date
Preparing for NABARD Grade A or any other examination not just involves deep study and practice, but also gathering details regarding the pattern of the examination all the years through. Scanning the pattern of previous examinations will help to a great extent in your preparation process. Thus, knowing the Nabard Grade A previous year cut-off is an important detail that gives a complete idea of what to expect in the current year and how much efforts should you be putting in to reach close to that score and maybe more. The previous year cut-off for the year 2018 is as follows:
NABARD Preliminary Cut off 2018
The table given below shows the previous year cut-off for NABARD Grade A Prelims 2018:
Discipline
SC
ST
OBC
UR
HI
LD
MD
VI
99.75
94.75
105.25
116.50
51.50
88.50
34.00
90.75
19
-
55.00
64.75
53
34.50
74.50
61.75
67.50
90.50
68.75
Food Processing/Food tech.
25.50
69.25
86.00
28.75
57.00
77.75
Land Development (Soil Science)/Agriculture
76.00
62.25
79.25
91.50
Minor irrigation
35.25
29.25
46.25
59.75
23.50
39.25
70.75
NABARD Mains Cut off 2018
To get more idea about NABARD Grade A Mains 2018, refer to the previous year cut-off given below:
113.75
117.75
124.00
104.75
106.75
128.25
130.25
134.00
108.00
131.25
142.25
102.00
128.00
120.25
127.00
98.50
111.50
121.75
141.50
139.75
145.25
124.25
132.50
136.75
93.00
85.75
103.25
121.25
128.50
137.75
NABARD Sectional Cut off 2018
NABARD conducts online examination in different phases which consist of various sections. Refer to the table given below for the sectional cut-offs for NABARD Grade A 2018 Exam.
RE
EL
CK
GA
ES
AR
QA
GENERAL
SC,ST, OBC,PWBD
(HI,LD,MD,VI
1.75
8.75
2.50
1.25
2.00
UNRESERVED
4.50
13.25
4.00
5.75
All Other Discipline
1.00
3.00
7.25
NABARD Grade A officer enjoys a comfortable work profile as compared to other jobs. Needless to say that NABARD is an apex institution and a regulator so you won't regret joining/working for NABARD. The perks and remunerations are at par with RBI. After a good amount of experience as a manager, you might (or might not) get a district-level posting as a DDM (District Development Manager). Office-cum-residence to a District Development Manager is provided by the NABARD itself. ‘Office Timings’ of a Nabard Grade ‘A’ officer would be : 9:30 AM to 5.30 PM, 5 days a week.
Good preparation should start with a good note of optimism, focused attention, enthusiasm, strong will and determination. You should keep few basic things in mind:
Once you are confident enough of your preparation for both Phase I & Phase II, it would be important to also gather some information related to Phase III - Interview stage. You can refer to the below-mentioned blog and collect some useful information:
To be in a position to score well in the final stages, to ensure your success, you need a set of good books to refer, learn and eventually qualify. Some good books with their authors, recommended for NABARD Grade A preparation are mentioned below:
Paper
Subject
Book
Indian Economy
Uma Kapila or Mishra Puri
Ramesh Singh
Sociology
CN Shankar Rao
Agriculture at a Glance
R K Sharma and S K Bhoi
Rural Development
GPH Panel of Experts
Quicker Mathematics
BSC Publications
RS Agarwal
Class Notes
SS Bharti
A modern approach to verbal & Non-verbal reasoning
R.S. Agarwal
Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning
S.Chand
Arihant Publication
English Grammar
Wren & Martin
Made Easy for English
Norman Lewis
Descriptive General English
SP Bakshi
Lucent GK Knowledge
Lucent Publication
The decision to apply and prepare for a particular examination is always a calculated move by any serious aspirant. A serious aspirant would always move step-by-step to make sure that no stone is left unturned in the preparation process. Therefore, the most important thing in an exam preparation would be appropriate guidance to walk you through the way of success.
Considering this important requirement of all aspirants, ixamBee has brought together a comprehensive ‘Online Learning Course- ‘NABARD Online Course’ for the preparation of NABARD Grade ‘A’ 2019 Exam. This extremely helpful and precise ‘Online Course’ is designed by Mr. Chandraprakash Joshi (ex-RBI GR B, MBA-Finance, PhD) and Ms. Arunima Sinha (Coach for Banking exams for 6 years, Ex-Manager SIDBI, Ex-Bank PO). The course contains:
A preparation process broadly consists of three main stages:
To make sure you are well prepared for the upcoming examination, it is very important to revise the knowledge you have gained which should further be followed by regular practice that will help in testing the newly gained knowledge and which gets ingrained well in your mind. To let you practice and identify your strong and weak areas, ixamBee provides Free Mock Tests for NABARD Grade A/B with updated exam level and pattern. Practicing these mock tests will help improve your score as well as your speed and analyze your performance with every mock test.
Nabard Grade 'A' Exam can be counted among all such exams which consist of good level questions with varying levels of difficulty. Although, we cannot expect the pattern of the exam to remain the same each year, but we can surely take an idea from the previous years' examinations , so that we already have a picture in mind and we would know closely what level to expect from the exam. Therefore, going through the previous years' papers , provided below will be helpful in analyzing the level of the examination.
NABARD 2017 Memory Based Paper - Quantitative Aptitude
NABARD Previous Year Question Paper 2017 (Agriculture & Rural Development)
Nabard Previous year Paper -Computer section solved
English - NABARD 2017 Memory Based Paper
Nabard Grade A Question Paper 2017 (Agriculture & Rural Development
NABARD Grade A : Previous year solved Questions of ESI - Part 1
NABARD Grade A : Previous year solved Questions of ESI - Part 2
NABARD Grade A : Previous year solved Questions of ESI - Part 3
Question. Can those students who are appearing in Final year of Graduation apply for any post in NABARD Grade ‘A’ recruitment?
Answer. Yes. Those who are in the final year of their Graduation / Semester may also apply provisionally, subject to the condition that, if called for Document Verification they will have to produce proof of having passed the Graduation examination on or before 1st March.
Question: In NABARD Grade A exam, can I choose Hindi language as the exam language?
Answer Yes, NABARD Grade A exam is bilingual (i.e, Hindi & English) exam. You can choose your preferred language either Hindi or English.
Question: Is the NABARD Grade ‘A’ examination in ONLINE or OFFLINE mode?
Answer. NABARD Grade A 2019 exam will be in online mode.
Question: Is there any sectional CUT-OFF in NABARD Grade A Exam?
Answer. Yes. NABARD Grade A exam will have sectional cut-off along with the overall cut off.
Question: Is NABARD Grade A Officer Job transferable?
Answer: Yes, but only after completing the initial 5 years of posting. You are liable to be posted anywhere in India but you may get at least one/two postings in your own state.
Question: How many attempts are there in NABARD Grade ‘A’?
Answer: There is no restriction on the number of attempts in NABARD Grade ‘A’ Exam.
Question: What is the age limit for the NABARD Grade ‘A’ post?
Answer: The minimum age of the candidates must be 21 years & maximum age limit is 30 years as on 1st March 2019.
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