📢 ALL ABOUTNABARD GRADE-A EXAMS 2026 | AGROACADEMY
NABARD Grade A Recruitment 2025-26
RDBS / Legal / Protocol & Security
Complete guide to NABARD Assistant Manager recruitment — vacancies, eligibility, exam pattern, age limit, syllabus and everything you need to crack this exam.
91
Total Vacancies
85
RDBS Posts
2
Legal Posts
4
Protocol & Security
21–30
Age Limit (Yrs)
4
Selection Phases
🔔 Aspirants Note: NABARD Grade A is one of the most prestigious banking/finance jobs in India — directly under the Government of India. This guide covers the 2025-26 official notification and also provides tentative timelines for the upcoming 2026 cycle to help you plan ahead.
1
About the Exam – What Is NABARD Grade A?
NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) is India's apex development bank, wholly owned by the Government of India. It plays a critical role in rural credit, agricultural finance, and rural infrastructure development.
The Grade 'A' Assistant Manager recruitment is conducted to induct young professionals across multiple disciplines into NABARD's Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS), Legal Service, and Protocol & Security Service. It is considered equivalent in prestige to RBI Grade B — a dream role for anyone passionate about rural India, agriculture, and development economics.
🏛️ Conducting Body
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), wholly owned by Govt. of India
📌 Post Name
Assistant Manager in Grade 'A' – RDBS / Legal / Protocol & Security Service
🌐 Apply Mode
Online only at www.nabard.org — no offline mode accepted
📂 Advertisement No.
05 / Grade A / 2025-26
⚠️ Important: A candidate can apply for ONLY ONE post/discipline. Multiple applications within Grade A (RDBS) will result in only the last application being considered valid, with fees forfeited for all others.
2
Important Dates / Timelines
📅 NABARD Grade A 2025-26 – Official Schedule
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Online Application Opens | 08 November 2025 | Closed |
| Last Date to Apply Online | 30 November 2025 | Closed |
| Phase I – Prelims (RDBS / Legal / Protocol & Security) | 20 December 2025 | Completed |
| Phase II – Mains (RDBS / Legal) | 25 January 2026 | Completed |
| Phase III – Psychometric Test | To Be Announced | Awaited |
| Phase IV – Interview | To Be Announced | Awaited |
🔮 NABARD Grade A 2026 – Tentative Schedule (Next Cycle)
Disclaimer: The following dates are tentative projections based on previous year patterns. NABARD has not officially announced the 2026 cycle yet. Check www.nabard.org for official updates.
| Event | Tentative Date (2026) |
|---|---|
| Notification Release | October – November 2026 |
| Online Application Window | November 2026 (approx. 3 weeks) |
| Phase I – Preliminary Exam | December 2026 |
| Phase II – Main Exam | January – February 2027 |
| Phase III – Psychometric Test | March 2027 |
| Phase IV – Interview & Final Selection | April – May 2027 |
3
Vacancy Details – Discipline & Category Wise
A total of 91 vacancies have been notified across three services. The largest pool is in RDBS with 85 posts spanning 14 disciplines.
| Post / Discipline | UR | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM (RDBS) – General | 20 | 7 | 4* | 13 | 4 | 48 |
| Chartered Accountant | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 4 |
| Company Secretary | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| Finance | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 5 |
| Computer / IT | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Agriculture Engineering | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Plantation & Horticulture | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| Fisheries | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 2 |
| Food Processing | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2 |
| Land Development & Soil Science | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| Civil Engineering | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 |
| Electrical Engineering | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 2 |
| Media Specialist | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Economics | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2 |
| AM (RDBS) Total | 35 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 8 | 85 |
| AM (Legal) | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| AM (Protocol & Security) | 3 | – | 1 | – | – | 4 |
| Grand Total | 40 | 14 | 9 | 20 | 8 | 91 |
* Includes 02 ST backlog vacancies. 07 PWBD vacancies reserved horizontally across RDBS posts. NABARD reserves the right to increase/decrease vacancies.
4
Eligibility Criteria – Educational Qualification
📅 Cut-off Date: All educational qualifications must be completed and results declared on or before 01 November 2025. Candidates whose final year results were declared after this date are NOT eligible.
📘 AM (RDBS) – General
- Bachelor's Degree (any subject) with minimum 60% marks (SC/ST/PWBD: 55%)
- OR Post Graduate Degree / MBA / PGDM with minimum 55% marks (SC/ST/PWBD: 50%)
- OR CA / CS / CMA / ICWA
- OR Ph.D from GoI/UGC recognised institutions
📘 AM (Legal)
- Bachelor's Degree in Law (LLB) recognized by UGC & Bar Council of India with minimum 60% aggregate across all semesters
- OR LLM Degree with minimum 55% aggregate
📘 Specialist Disciplines – Quick Reference
| Discipline | Required Qualification | Min. Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Chartered Accountant | Any Bachelor's + ICAI Membership (by 01-11-2025) | – |
| Company Secretary | Any Bachelor's + ICSI Associate/Fellow Membership | – |
| Finance | BBA/BMS (Finance) OR MBA Finance OR ICAI/ICMAI membership OR CFA/FRM | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Computer / IT | 4-yr B.E./B.Tech in CS/IT/Electronics/AI-ML OR PG in related streams OR Graduate + DOEACC 'B' Level | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Agriculture Engineering | B.E. / B.Tech (Agriculture Engineering) OR PG | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Plantation & Horticulture | B.Sc. Horticulture OR PG Horticulture | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Fisheries | B.F.Sc. OR PG Fisheries Science | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Food Processing | B.Sc. Food Processing / Food Tech / Dairy Tech OR PG | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Civil / Electrical Engineering | B.E./B.Tech in respective stream OR PG | 60% UG / 55% PG |
| Media Specialist | PG in Mass Media / Mass Communication / Journalism | 55% PG |
| Economics | PG in Applied Economics (Economics must be main subject in all semesters) | 55% PG |
CGPA Conversion: If your university awards CGPA instead of percentage — 6.75/10 = 60%, 6.25/10 = 55%, 5.75/10 = 50%. If CGPA is on a scale other than 10, it will be normalized proportionally.
5
Indicative Roles & Responsibilities by Discipline
| Discipline | Nature of Work |
|---|---|
| Computer & IT | Security, Analytics, Database Administration, Application Development, Server/Network Management |
| Finance / CA / CS | Treasury Management, Risk Management, Regulatory & Statutory Compliance for public issues and retail bonds |
| Agriculture, Fisheries, Civil, Electrical, Economics & others | Resource mapping, credit-linked planning, State Focus Papers, DPR preparation, advisory to entrepreneurs and govt. departments, liaison with ICAR/State Universities, representation on technical committees, policy advocacy |
| Media Specialist | Content writing, social media strategy, branding collaterals, captions, hoardings, film-making, post-production, visual and graphic designing |
| Legal | Legal opinions on NABARD Act / RBI Act / Companies Act; drafting pleadings; briefing counsel; appearing before Labour Courts & Tribunals |
💡 Student Tip: Specialist officers may also be assigned general banking work based on administrative requirements. Knowing the nature of work helps you craft better answers in the interview phase.
6
Age Limit (as on 01 November 2025)
📌 General Age Limit: Minimum 21 years | Maximum 30 years
Born between: 02 November 1995 and 01 November 2004 (both dates inclusive)
Born between: 02 November 1995 and 01 November 2004 (both dates inclusive)
| Category | Age Relaxation |
|---|---|
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 3 years (max. age 33 years) |
| SC / ST (on reserved posts) | 5 years (max. age 35 years) |
| Ex-Servicemen (with 5+ years service) | 5 years |
| Children/family of 1984 riot victims | 5 years |
| PWBD – General | 10 years |
| PWBD – OBC | 13 years |
| PWBD – SC/ST | 15 years |
❌ No Age Relaxation for the post of Assistant Manager (Protocol & Security Service). Also, cumulative age relaxation under multiple categories is NOT permitted.
7
Selection Procedure – All 4 Phases Explained
Phase I
Preliminary Exam
200 Marks | 120 Minutes
Online Objective
Online Objective
Phase II
Mains Exam
Paper I + Paper II
Objective + Descriptive
Objective + Descriptive
Phase III
Psychometric Test
MCQ Based | 90 Minutes
Mandatory but not scored
Mandatory but not scored
Phase IV
Interview
50 Marks
RDBS / Legal only
RDBS / Legal only
📝 Phase I – Preliminary Exam Structure
Subject Questions Marks Type Test of Reasoning 20 20 Qualifying English Language 30 30 Qualifying Computer Knowledge 20 20 Qualifying Quantitative Aptitude 20 20 Qualifying Decision Making 10 10 Qualifying General Awareness 20 20 Merit Economic & Social Issues (Rural Focus) 40 40 Merit Agriculture & Rural Development 40 40 Merit Total 200 200 120 Minutes
🎯 Key Strategy: Shortlisting for Mains is based only on Merit Section marks (General Awareness + ESI + ARD = 100 marks). The Qualifying sections must be passed but don't count in your Prelims rank. Focus maximum preparation time on ESI and ARD.
📝 Phase II – Mains Exam (Generalist / Specialist / Legal)
Paper Type Marks Duration Paper I – General English Descriptive (typed on keyboard) 100 90 minutes Paper II – ESI & ARD / Stream-Specific (Objective) Objective (30 questions)** 50 30 minutes Paper II – ESI & ARD / Stream-Specific (Descriptive) Descriptive – 4 out of 6 questions (2×15 + 2×10) 50 90 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test of Reasoning | 20 | 20 | Qualifying |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | Qualifying |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 | 20 | Qualifying |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 | Qualifying |
| Decision Making | 10 | 10 | Qualifying |
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 | Merit |
| Economic & Social Issues (Rural Focus) | 40 | 40 | Merit |
| Agriculture & Rural Development | 40 | 40 | Merit |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 120 Minutes |
| Paper | Type | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I – General English | Descriptive (typed on keyboard) | 100 | 90 minutes |
| Paper II – ESI & ARD / Stream-Specific (Objective) | Objective (30 questions)** | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Paper II – ESI & ARD / Stream-Specific (Descriptive) | Descriptive – 4 out of 6 questions (2×15 + 2×10) | 50 | 90 minutes |
** Some questions carry 2 marks, some carry 1 mark. Descriptive answers can be typed in English or Hindi (Remington/Inscript keyboard).
🧠 Phase III – Psychometric Test
MCQ-based test, 90 minutes duration. This test is mandatory — candidates who do not appear in the Psychometric Test will NOT be considered for the interview. However, it is not used for merit ranking.
🎤 Phase IV – Interview
Carries 50 marks and is applicable for RDBS and Legal posts only. Final merit is computed as a combined score of Phase II (Mains) + Interview.
⚠️ Penalty for Wrong Answers
Negative Marking: 1⁄4th of the marks allotted to a question will be deducted for every wrong answer — applicable in both Phase I and Phase II.
8
How Scores Are Calculated
- Corrected Score: Raw score after applying 1⁄4 negative marking penalty for wrong answers
- Equated Score: Scores normalized across exam sessions to account for minor difficulty variations
- Calling Ratio: Maximum 1:25 for Mains shortlisting and 1:3 for Interview — ratios may be reduced at NABARD's discretion
- Merit List: Prepared discipline-wise, not combined across disciplines
- Tie-breaking: Higher Mains marks → Higher qualification → Higher graduation marks → Senior age (in that order)
- Cut-offs: Applied at two levels — individual test scores AND total score
9
Syllabus Overview
The syllabus is indicative, not exhaustive. Current affairs, latest Acts, and policy developments relevant to each subject must also be covered.
Paper I – General English (All Disciplines)
Essay Writing, Précis Writing, Reading Comprehension, Business/Office Correspondence. Designed to test writing skills, expression clarity, and topic understanding.
Paper II – Economic & Social Issues + Agriculture & Rural Development (RDBS General)
Key ESI topics: Indian Economy structure, Globalization, Inflation, Poverty Alleviation, Population, Agriculture, Industry, Rural banking, Social Justice, Education & Health. ARD topics cover: Agronomy, Soil & Water Conservation, Farm Engineering, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Forestry, Extension Services, Ecology & Climate Change, and current agriculture policy challenges.
📥 Download the Official NABARD Grade A Syllabus PDF
Access the complete, subject-wise syllabus directly from NABARD's official website for the most accurate and up-to-date content.
📄 Download Syllabus PDF 🌐 CLICK Here to Download10
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I apply for both RDBS – General and RDBS – Computer/IT?
No. You can apply for only ONE post/discipline. Applying for RDBS – General means you cannot apply for any specialist RDBS discipline, and vice versa.
Is NABARD Grade A tougher than RBI Grade B?
Both are prestigious exams. NABARD Grade A has a stronger focus on Agriculture, Rural Development and ESI. RBI Grade B is more finance/economics-heavy. If you have an agricultural background, NABARD may offer you a strategic advantage.
Does the Psychometric Test affect my final rank?
No, the Psychometric Test is mandatory but its scores are not used to compute the final merit list. However, not appearing will disqualify you from the interview stage.
What is the final selection basis?
For RDBS and Legal: combined score of Phase II Mains + Interview (50 marks). For Protocol & Security: selection is based on Phase I Prelims score only (no Mains/Interview).
Is there a scribe facility for PWBD candidates?
Yes. Visually impaired candidates and those with permanent writing difficulty can arrange their own scribe. The scribe cannot be appearing in the same exam. Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour is provided.
Can OBC Creamy Layer candidates avail reservation?
No. OBC candidates falling under the Creamy Layer are NOT eligible for OBC reservation. They must apply under the Unreserved (General/UR) category.