NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern: Marks, Time and Marking Scheme

The NABARD Grade A exam pattern has three phases for Assistant Manager (RDBS) and Legal candidates: an online Phase I (Prelims), a Phase II (Mains) with objective and descriptive papers, and Phase III, which includes a psychometric test and an interview. Protocol and Security Service candidates follow a shorter route. Knowing the exact structure matters because several Phase I sections are only qualifying, and a lot of Phase II marks come from writing.

The figures below follow the 2025-26 cycle and earlier notifications, since the 2026-27 notification was not confirmed on 22 October 2026. Details such as question counts, sectional rules and negative marking are marked where they should be re-checked against the new notification on https://www.nabard.org.

Table of Contents

• NABARD Grade A exam pattern at a glance

• Phase I pattern

• Phase II pattern

• Marking scheme and negative marking

• What the pattern means for you

• Phase III: psychometric test and interview

• Protocol and Security Service route

• Final merit calculation

• Time management and exam-day strategy

NABARD Grade A exam pattern at a glance

Phase I pattern

Phase I is conducted online and has 200 multiple-choice questions for 200 marks. The paper has eight sections, and the time limit of 120 minutes applies to the whole paper. Reports of the reference cycles mention that candidates could move across sections, but confirm any sectional timing rule in the notification.

The qualifying sections carry 100 marks, and the merit sections carry the other 100. Candidates must reach the cut-off in the qualifying sections, and then they are ranked on the merit sections for shortlisting to Phase II. The qualifying and merit cut-offs are published by NABARD after the result.

Phase II pattern

Phase II is held for RDBS and Legal candidates and carries 200 marks. The generalist structure reported for recent cycles is below.

Specialist candidates have the same total marks, but the second paper is based on their discipline. Some questions in the objective part carry more than one mark, so check the marks printed against each question. The descriptive papers are written in English, and the notification states whether Hindi is allowed for any part. Secondary sources differ on the exact paper-wise time split, so rely on the notification and admit card instructions.

Marking scheme and negative marking

• Correct answer: Marks as printed against each question.

• Wrong answer: A deduction of one-fourth of the marks has been applied to objective questions in Phase I and in the objective part of Phase II in earlier notifications. Verify this in the latest notification.

• Unattempted question: No penalty has been reported.

• Descriptive papers: Marked by evaluators on content, structure, language and relevance. There is no negative marking.

What the pattern means for you

• Marks per question are one in Phase I: Each wrong answer costs 0.25, so guessing without elimination is a net loss. Attempt a question when you can remove at least two options.

• Merit sections decide the shortlist: ESI, ARD and General Awareness together are 100 marks and are the sections where a few extra correct answers move your rank.

• Qualifying sections are a gate: A strong merit score does not help if you miss the sectional cut-off in Reasoning, English, Computer, Quantitative Aptitude or Decision Making. Aim for comfortable accuracy in each.

• Phase II rewards writing: Half of the 200 marks come from written answers, so practise essays and answers under time limits.

Older pages may still show earlier patterns (for example without the qualifying and merit split), so follow the latest notification.

Phase III: psychometric test and interview

Candidates who clear Phase II are called for the psychometric test and the interview. The interview carries 50 marks and checks subject knowledge, communication, motivation and suitability for rural development banking. The psychometric test assesses personality, behaviour and decision-making. Reports differ on whether it is scored, so check the notification. Both are conducted at an announced venue, and documents are verified at this stage.

Protocol and Security Service route

In the reference cycle, Protocol and Security Service candidates took an online objective test and then an interview of 50 marks.

Final merit calculation

For RDBS and Legal, the final select list in 2025-26 was published with cut-offs out of 250 marks, which matches Phase II (200 marks) plus the interview (50 marks). Phase I marks are used only to shortlist. The exact method for combining marks, and whether the psychometric test adds marks, should be confirmed in the latest notification.

A simple example shows why both stages matter. If a candidate scores 140 out of 200 in Phase II and 35 out of 50 in the interview, the total is 175 out of 250. Compare that with the General category final cut-off of 173.25 reported for 2025-26, which is only a benchmark and may differ next time.

Time management and exam-day strategy

Phase I

Plan about 12 to 15 minutes each for Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Computer Knowledge, about 15 minutes for English, and the largest block of time for ESI and ARD. A workable order is General Awareness first, then ESI and ARD, then the aptitude sections. Choose the order that suits you in mocks and then stick to it on exam day.

Phase II

Write the objective part carefully within its limit, then split the descriptive time evenly across the four questions. For English, write the essay first when you are fresh, keep the precis tight and finish with the letter. Always leave five minutes to re-read.