Loading...
Loading...
The NABARD Grade A exam analysis provides candidates with structured insights into how each phase has been conducted, which topics carried the most weight, what the good attempt benchmarks are, and where preparation gaps are most commonly observed. Unlike competitive exams with larger candidate pools, NABARD Grade A has relatively fewer authoritative analysis sources, making it important to study the patterns carefully from the available data.
This page covers session-wise analysis for the 2025 and 2024 cycles, consolidated topic weightage trends across multiple years, and how to apply these insights to preparation.
For the complete exam overview, visit the NABARD Grade A main page.
| Topic Link | |
| NABARD Grade A Overview | NABARD Grade A Exam Guide |
| Exam Pattern | NABARD Grade A Exam Info |
| Syllabus | NABARD Grade A Syllabus |
| Cutoff Marks | NABARD Grade A Cutoff |
| Previous Year Papers | NABARD Grade A PYQ |
| Result | NABARD Grade A Result |
The Phase 1 exam for the 2025 cycle was held on 20 December 2025.
The overall difficulty of Phase 1 December 2025 was rated as Moderate by most candidates. The qualifying sections were at standard banking exam difficulty. The merit sections (ESI and ARD) had a mix of factual and analytical questions with moderate difficulty overall.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Seating Arrangement (linear, 2 rows) | 4 to 5 | Moderate |
| Puzzle (box-based or floor-based) | 3 to 4 | Moderate |
| Syllogisms | 2 to 3 | Easy |
| Blood Relations | 2 | Easy to Moderate |
| Inequalities | 2 | Easy |
| Direction Sense | 1 to 2 | Easy |
| Coding-Decoding | 1 to 2 | Easy |
Good Attempts: 14 to 17 out of 20
The Reasoning section in December 2025 had no unusually difficult questions. Candidates comfortable with standard seating arrangement and puzzle types found it manageable within 18 to 22 minutes.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Reading Comprehension (2 passages) | 10 to 12 | Moderate |
| Cloze Test | 6 to 7 | Easy to Moderate |
| Error Spotting | 4 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Para Jumbles | 4 to 5 | Moderate |
| Fill in the Blanks | 4 to 5 | Easy |
| Sentence Correction | 4 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
Good Attempts: 28 to 34 out of 40
Reading comprehension passages in December 2025 were on economic themes (rural banking policy and cooperative credit), which gave candidates who had studied ESI and ARD an added advantage in comprehension vocabulary.
Difficulty: Easy
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Cybersecurity basics | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| MS Office features | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| Networking and Internet | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| Hardware and Memory | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| Digital Payments | 2 to 3 | Easy |
| Number Systems | 1 to 2 | Easy |
Good Attempts: 16 to 18 out of 20
The Computer Knowledge section was straightforward. No unusual or advanced questions were reported.
Difficulty: Moderate
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Data Interpretation (table and bar chart) | 6 to 7 | Moderate |
| Quadratic Equations | 3 | Easy |
| Arithmetic (percentage, profit/loss, ratio) | 4 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Number Series | 3 | Moderate |
| Time and Work / Speed and Distance | 2 to 3 | Moderate |
Good Attempts: 13 to 16 out of 20
The DI set involved an agricultural production table with percentage calculations, consistent with NABARD's domain focus.
Difficulty: Moderate
Decision Making questions in December 2025 were scenario-based, presenting administrative or policy situations and asking candidates to identify the most appropriate course of action. Approximately 8 to 10 questions were based on financial or rural development scenarios.
Good Attempts: 14 to 16 out of 20
Difficulty: Moderate
| Topic Area Approximate Questions Key Areas Tested | ||
| NABARD-specific (schemes, annual report) | 4 to 5 | RIDF allocation, SHG linkage data, PODF |
| Banking and RBI | 4 to 5 | Repo rate, monetary policy, RBI guidelines |
| Government schemes | 4 to 5 | PM-KISAN, PMFBY, PMAY-G |
| Current affairs (last 6 months) | 3 to 4 | International summits, appointments |
| Economy data | 2 to 3 | GDP growth, inflation, fiscal deficit |
Good Attempts: 14 to 17 out of 20
NABARD-specific questions (4 to 5 questions) were the most differentiating. Candidates who had read the NABARD 2024-25 Annual Report were able to answer these confidently.
Difficulty: Moderate
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Banking and Financial Inclusion | 7 to 9 | Moderate |
| Indian Economy (GDP, fiscal policy) | 6 to 8 | Moderate |
| Social Sector (health, education, poverty) | 5 to 7 | Easy to Moderate |
| RBI and Monetary Policy | 4 to 5 | Moderate |
| Capital Markets and SEBI | 3 to 4 | Moderate |
| Government Welfare Schemes | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| International Economy | 2 to 3 | Moderate |
Good Attempts: 28 to 33 out of 40
ESI questions in December 2025 included questions on NBFC regulation, PM Jan Dhan Yojana progress, SHG-BLP statistics, and monetary policy transmission. These are topics where NABARD-specific preparation beyond standard economics study provides an edge.
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
| Topic Approximate Questions Difficulty | ||
| Government agricultural schemes | 8 to 10 | Moderate |
| Cooperative credit structure | 5 to 7 | Moderate |
| Agricultural credit and KCC | 4 to 6 | Moderate |
| Crop statistics and agronomy | 4 to 6 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Irrigation and water management | 3 to 5 | Moderate |
| SHG and rural development | 3 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| NABARD-specific schemes | 3 to 4 | Moderate |
| Animal husbandry and fisheries | 2 to 3 | Moderate to Difficult |
Good Attempts: 26 to 31 out of 40
ARD was the most differentiating section in December 2025. The crop statistics and agronomy questions (specific crop yields, HYV varieties, soil types) were harder for candidates from non-agriculture backgrounds. NABARD scheme questions (WADI, Tribal Development Fund, RIDF sector allocation) rewarded candidates who had read the NABARD Annual Report.
| Section Good Attempts Out of | ||
| Reasoning (Qualifying) | 14 to 17 | 20 |
| English (Qualifying) | 28 to 34 | 40 |
| Computer (Qualifying) | 16 to 18 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (Qualifying) | 13 to 16 | 20 |
| Decision Making (Qualifying) | 14 to 16 | 20 |
| General Awareness (Merit) | 14 to 17 | 20 |
| ESI (Merit) | 28 to 33 | 40 |
| ARD (Merit) | 26 to 31 | 40 |
| Merit Total | 68 to 81 | 100 |
The Phase 2 exam for the 2025 cycle was held on 25 January 2026.
Essay Topic Asked: "Role of Digital Technology in Transforming Agricultural Marketing in India" This topic combined digital economy (ESI) and agricultural marketing (ARD), requiring integrated knowledge.
Precis Passage: A passage on India's cooperative banking challenges and the need for recapitalisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).
Business Letter: Write a letter from a Regional Manager of NABARD to the Chairman of a State Cooperative Bank requesting a report on Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) above Rs. 10 lakh.
Observation: Candidates who had studied cooperative banking in their ARD preparation had a significant advantage in both the precis and the letter. This confirms that ESI and ARD study directly supports Paper 1 performance.
Objective Component (100 marks): Questions were at a higher analytical level than Phase 1. Application-based questions (given a scenario, identify the correct policy recommendation) were more prominent than in Phase 1.
Descriptive Component (100 marks): Questions asked in Phase 2 Paper 2 descriptive (January 2026):
Based on analysis across the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 cycles:
| ESI Topic Frequency in Phase 1 Frequency in Phase 2 Descriptive | ||
| Financial Inclusion and SHG-BLP | Very High | High |
| Banking System and RBI Monetary Policy | Very High | Moderate |
| Agricultural Credit and KCC | High | Very High |
| Priority Sector Lending | High | High |
| Indian Economy (GDP, Fiscal Policy) | High | Moderate |
| Social Sector (Health, Education, Poverty) | Moderate to High | Moderate |
| NABARD's Role and Schemes | High | Very High |
| Capital Markets and SEBI | Moderate | Low |
| International Economy | Moderate | Low |
| ARD Topic Frequency in Phase 1 Frequency in Phase 2 Descriptive | ||
| Government Agricultural Schemes | Very High | High |
| Cooperative Credit Structure | Very High | Very High |
| Agricultural Credit Flow and Statistics | High | High |
| SHG and Rural Development | High | High |
| NABARD Schemes (RIDF, PODF, WADI) | High | Very High |
| Irrigation and Water Management | High | Moderate |
| Crop Production and Agronomy | Moderate to High | Low |
| Animal Husbandry and Fisheries | Moderate | Low |
| FPO and Agricultural Marketing | Moderate | High |
| Agricultural Insurance (PMFBY) | Moderate | High |
In every Phase 1 cycle analysed, 5 to 8 questions specifically test knowledge of NABARD's schemes, Annual Report data, and institutional functions. These questions are almost never answered correctly by candidates who do not read the NABARD Annual Report. Each correct NABARD-specific question in the 40-mark ARD section or 20-mark GA section directly improves the merit score.
The cooperative credit structure (PACS, DCCB, StCB, NABARD supervision, computerisation, NPA problems) has appeared in Phase 2 descriptive in every cycle since 2021. This topic must be prepared in depth for Phase 2.
Candidates who wrote structured answers with an introduction, numbered points or subheadings, data citations, and a conclusion consistently outperformed candidates who wrote rambling prose with the same knowledge base. NABARD evaluators reward professional writing style.
From 2022 to 2025, the technical depth of ARD questions has increased marginally each cycle, with more specific questions on crop production data, irrigation scheme targets, and animal breed specifics. This trend suggests that candidates should study quantitative ARD data (crop production rankings, NABARD refinancing data, SHG linkage statistics) with greater precision.
The Phase 1 merit cutoff for the General (UR) category RDBS stream has increased from approximately 52 to 55 (out of 100) in 2021 to approximately 60 to 68 in 2024 and 2025. This upward trend reflects both higher candidate quality and the growing awareness of the exam's unique ESI/ARD focus.
Target 70+ in Phase 1 merit section. Based on analysis, scoring 70 or above out of 100 in the Phase 1 merit section (GA + ESI + ARD) provides a comfortable Phase 2 shortlist position in the General category. This translates to approximately 15+ in GA, 28+ in ESI, and 27+ in ARD.
Focus ARD preparation on institutional topics. Cooperative credit structure, NABARD schemes, SHG linkage, and government agricultural schemes together account for more ARD questions than technical agriculture topics. These institutional topics are more efficiently learnable and more frequently tested.
Prepare for cooperative credit as a mandatory Phase 2 topic. Given its consistent appearance in Phase 2 descriptive across multiple cycles, cooperative credit structure must be prepared deeply enough to write a 400-word structured answer without reference material.
Practice descriptive writing weekly. Exam analysis shows that the descriptive component (150 marks across Paper 1 and Paper 2) is the primary differentiator in Phase 2. Regular timed writing practice is the only way to build this skill.
Is the NABARD Grade A difficulty increasing each year? The merit section difficulty has modestly increased from 2021 to 2025, primarily through more specific ARD questions and more analytical ESI questions. The qualifying sections have remained broadly stable in difficulty.
Which section has the most impact on Phase 1 shortlisting? ARD (40 marks) and ESI (40 marks) together account for 80 of the 100 merit marks. ARD tends to be the most differentiating because many candidates from non-agriculture backgrounds are weaker in it, making strong ARD scores particularly valuable.
How long are the descriptive answers in Phase 2? Based on previous year patterns and the time available, effective Phase 2 descriptive answers range from 300 to 500 words for 20 to 30 mark questions. Quality and structure matter more than length. NABARD evaluators are experienced professionals who appreciate concise, well-organised responses over verbose answers.
For related pages, visit: