NABARD Grade A Syllabus: Phase I and Phase II Topics

The NABARD Grade A syllabus covers two kinds of subjects. Phase I tests general banking aptitude (reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English, computer knowledge, decision making and general awareness) along with two rural-economy subjects, Economic and Social Issues (ESI) and Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD). Phase II goes deeper into ESI and ARD and adds descriptive English. The interview has no fixed syllabus.

A note on sources: the official notification lists the papers and the broad subject areas, and the official website is https://www.nabard.org. The topic lists below are built from that structure and from the kind of questions asked in recent cycles. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list, and compare them with the notification of the cycle you are applying for. The 2026-27 notification was not confirmed on 22 October 2026, so the 2025-26 structure is used as the reference.

Table of Contents

• NABARD Grade A syllabus at a glance

• Key points to know before you start

• Phase I syllabus

• Phase II syllabus

• Overlap between Phase I and Phase II

• Interview and psychometric test

• How to cover the syllabus in phases

NABARD Grade A syllabus at a glance

The question counts above follow the pattern reported for recent cycles and should be confirmed in the latest notification.

Key points to know before you start

• Rural subjects carry the weight: ESI and ARD together account for 80 of the 200 Phase I marks and most of Phase II. They also decide Phase I shortlisting along with General Awareness.

• Five Phase I sections are qualifying: Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English, Computer Knowledge and Decision Making had to be cleared, but their marks did not count towards the merit list in the reference cycle.

• Descriptive skills are tested twice: English Paper I and the descriptive part of Paper II are both written.

• Specialist streams differ in Phase II: Candidates in disciplines such as Finance, Computer/IT or Agricultural Engineering may face a subject paper of their stream in place of the generalist ESI and ARD paper.

• Older pages can mislead: Some websites still show earlier patterns, so follow the current notification.

Phase I syllabus

Aptitude and qualifying sections

These five sections are short, but you cannot skip them. A candidate who scores very well in the rural subjects can still be dropped for a weak qualifying section, so build a steady base here before moving to full-length tests.

General Awareness

General Awareness mixes static and current topics, with a lean towards banking, finance and agriculture. Cover monthly current affairs, RBI and NABARD updates, the Union Budget and Economic Survey highlights, government schemes, appointments, awards, important reports and indices, and basic science and technology news. Keep a short monthly note, because the same news is often useful later in ESI and the interview.

Economic and Social Issues (ESI)

• Basic economic concepts: National income, growth and development, human development and sustainable development, and the main schools of economic thought.

• Indian economy: Pre-independence economy, 1947 to 1991, and the post-1991 reforms in agriculture, industry, services and the external sector.

• Public finance and macro policy: Public expenditure and receipts, public debt, fiscal policy, federal finance, inflation, taxation and planning.

• Social issues: Poverty, unemployment, population, health, education, gender, urbanisation and migration.

• Banking and development: The role of banks and the RBI, rural credit, microfinance, financial inclusion and international economic institutions.

Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD)

ARD is the most unfamiliar subject for non-agriculture graduates, so give it the longest runway. The topics are best studied as clusters.

Questions on schemes, institutions and recent policy are common, so tie your notes to the latest data and announcements rather than to static textbooks alone.

Phase II syllabus

Paper I: English (descriptive)

The paper tests writing, not grammar drills. Expect an essay, a precis and a letter, with word limits stated in the paper. Essay themes lean towards economy, agriculture, governance, technology, environment and ethics. For the precis, practise condensing a passage to roughly one-third of its length without losing the central argument. For the letter, learn the formal format and keep the tone direct and polite.

Paper II: ESI and ARD (generalist)

The objective part repeats the Phase I topic lists at greater depth, with more analytical and data-linked questions. The descriptive part asks you to answer four of six questions in writing, usually on policy issues, schemes, problems and solutions in rural development, agricultural finance or economic reforms. Structure each answer as an introduction, two or three points with examples, and a short conclusion.

Paper II: specialist streams

Candidates applying under specialist disciplines write a paper based on the subject of their discipline instead. The notification states the subject and level for each discipline. Treat those subject areas as separate syllabi and revise the degree-level concepts of your own field.

Overlap between Phase I and Phase II

This overlap is the main advantage of early preparation. Time spent on ESI and ARD for Phase I is not wasted, because it forms the base of Phase II marks as well.

Interview and psychometric test

There is no fixed syllabus for the psychometric test or the interview. The test assesses personality and decision-making, and the interview panel tends to ask about your application form, academic subjects, work experience, current affairs in agriculture and banking, NABARD's role and functions, and opinion-based questions on rural development. Prepare your own profile thoroughly and follow rural and financial news during the weeks before the interview.

How to cover the syllabus in phases

1. Weeks 1 to 6, foundation: Finish ESI and ARD basics from standard sources, and revise arithmetic, reasoning and grammar fundamentals. Start a daily newspaper habit.

2. Weeks 3 to 8, current affairs: Add 30 to 40 minutes a day for current affairs, with monthly notes linked to ESI and ARD.

3. Weeks 6 to 10, topic practice: Take topic-wise tests and short sectional tests. Begin weekly essay, precis and letter writing.

4. Weeks 10 to 14, full tests: Attempt full-length Phase I papers under the 120-minute limit, and review each within 24 hours.

5. Final phase, revision: Revise error logs and short notes, and practise Phase II descriptive answers against the clock.