NABARD Grade A & B 2021 Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Mock Tests, Books, and Preparation Strategy
Topics Covered: NABARD Grade A & B 2021 Selection Criteria, Phase 1 & Phase 2 Syllabus, Best Books, Mock Tests & Preparation Strategy
Getting selected for a government job is a very huge thing in the world and especially in India. Millions of people give government exams every year and a few thousand get selected.
I don’t think that it is any kid’s dream to be a government officer. It becomes your dream as you become an adult.
When my parents used to ask me about my dream at the age of 5, it was either an astronaut or an artist. Who knew that I will be helping millions of people around the country to fulfill their dream.
NABARD Grade A officer post is one such post that is a dream of a lot of people. You get to make policies for the backbone of the country “agriculture”.
You can look at the job profile of a NABARD Grade A Officer. It is really interesting.
The salary of a NABARD Grade A officer is good and its syllabus is similar to that of RBI & SEBI.
You can go through NABARD Grade A salary here.
Apart from salary, I have provided other important information in this blog, like important NABARD Grade A Books, NABARD Grade A & B Syllabus, the importance of NABARD Grade A mock test series, and NABARD Grade A & B preparation strategy, etc.
So, without wasting any time, let’s get going.
NABARD Grade A & B Selection Criteria, Syllabus, Mock Test Series, Books & Preparation
Let us start with the first thing and the most important part of the blog, the selection criteria of the NABARD Grade A Exam. To know more about NABARD Grade A & B Exam, You can go through my another blog NABARD Grade A & B complete information.
This will help you to know different levels, the number of questions asked and many more things.
NABARD Grade A & Grade B 2021 Exam Pattern (Phase-Wise)
NABARD Grade A and Grade B are one of the most renowned jobs in the country and it is equally difficult to get in.
I don’t want to scare you but it is not like any other exam in the country. Most of the exams in the country have 2 stages to clear the exam with a similar syllabus in both stages.
Well, guess what?
This is not the case with the NABARD Grade A & B exams. NABARD Grade A and B exams both have different stages with different syllabus in every stage. Here are the stages:
1. Preliminary Exam: Online Objective Test – Phase I
2. Mains Exam: Online Objective & Descriptive Test – Phase II
3. Interview – Phase III
Let us talk about each and every stage individually. This will let you know the amount of effort and time you need to give to each and every stage.
NABARD Grade A & B 2021 Selection Process – Preliminary Examination (Phase 1)
Both the NABARD Grade A and Grade B exams are similar when it comes to the Prelims papers, both have the same syllabus, and exam structure.
With that said note that both Phase 1 and 2 of both the exams are conducted online, so you do not get the satisfaction of scribbling on paper.
You will be assigned a center near your house. You will get a computer at that center and everything will stay online.
The important thing to know about the phase 1 exam is that it’s qualifying in nature and is meant to serve as a screening test.
This is good news as you shouldn’t focus on scoring very high marks. You should only be focused on clearing this exam.
But why?
This is because you have limited time and you don’t want to over-prepare a qualifying paper and give less time to Phase 2 which is more important.
Candidates who clear the cut off in the Preliminary Exam get a chance to give the phase 2 exam.
So, the marks secured in Phase I – Online preliminary examination will not be counted for final selection. This is one of the main reasons why you should be focusing more on just clearing this stage and not scoring very high.
Before moving to the Phase 2 exam, we should understand the number of questions asked in the NABARD Grade A and Grade B Phase 1 exam.
2 hours will be given to you to complete the exam so distribute your time accordingly between different sections. This will help you to understand the structure of the exam.
Let’s jump in.
NABARD Grade A & Grade B 2021 Exam Pattern (Phase I) is as follows –
As I have mentioned in the section above, the exam pattern for both, the NABARD Grade A and the NABARD Grade B prelims papers is exactly the same.
To demonstrate the info I have included a table about the same, below:
| S.No. | Name of the Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Reasoning Ability | Quafying Subjects | 20 | 20 |
| 2. | English Language | 30 | 30 | |
| 3. | Computer Knowledge | 20 | 20 | 4. | Quantitive Aptitude | 20 | 20 | 5. | Decision Making | 10 | 10 |
| 6. | General Awareness | Merit Subjects | 20 | 20 |
| 7. | Economics & Social Issues (with focus on Rural India) | 40 | 40 | |
| 8. | Agriculture & Rural Development (with focus on Rural India) | 40 | 40 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
Important to Note:
i) Reasoning Ability, English Language. Computer Knowledge, Decision Making & Quantitative Aptitude are just Qualifying in nature.
This means that you will not be shortlisted for Mains exam from the marks of these sections.
So i would recommend you to give more time to the other parts of Phase 1 and just qualify in these NABARD Grade A & Grade B subjects.
ii) Marks of General Awareness, Eco & Soc. issues (with emphasis on Rural India), Agriculture & Rural Development with focus on rural india will be taken in consideration while making the merit list.
This means that you be shortlisted for Mains exam from the marks of these sections.
So i would recommend you to give more time to these sujects of NABARD Grade A & Grade B Phase 1.
NABARD Grade A & Grade B 2021 Selection Process (Phase II) is as follows –
What are we waiting for?
Let’s move to the most important part of the exams of NABARD Grade A and Grade B both.
Yes, you heard it right. It is the most important and difficult part of the examinations.
If you will qualify and rank sufficiently high in Mains Exam, well above the cutoff, you will be called for appearing in the Interview.
The important thing to remember here is that the marks secured in Phase 2 – Online Mains examination will be counted for final selection. So Prepare very hard for this exam.
This is one of the main reasons why students focus on scoring high marks in this stage as this is taken into consideration while making the final list after the interview stage.
With that said, you should prepare a proper NABARD Grade A study plan to successfully prepare for the Prelims and Mains papers of the exam, and also do the same for the NABARD Grade B as well. To know more, read more about the same in the sections further down below.
Before moving to the final phase of the exam, let’s understand the number of questions asked in different sections of both, the NABARD Grade A, and Grade B exams.
That said, the Mains papers are almost similar for both the exams, apart from an extra paper in the case of the NABARD Grade B.
The difference between the Mains papers of the NABARD Grade A, and that of Grade B can be easily understood if you go through the exam pattern tables I have listed below.
This will help you to understand the amount of time that should be given to each question of every section.
Things to Remember:
The total Number of vacancies in NABARD Grade A (RDBS) are 148 and NABARD Grade B are 07.
NABARD has stated in the notification that approximately 3700 students will be selected for NABARD Grade A Mains exam and approximately 175 students will be selected for NABARD Grade B Mains exam.
It has also stated that approximately 444 students will be selected for Interview & approximately 21 students will be selected for NABARD Grade B Interview. You can read more about interview selection procedure here.
NABARD Grade A 2021 Exam Pattern (Phase II) is as follows –
| Paper | Grade A | Types of Paper | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General English | Online Descriptive | 3 | 100 | 90 Minutes | Descriptive Answers to be typed using keyboard |
| Paper 2 | Economic & Social Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development | Objective | 30 | 50 | 30 Minutes | |
| Descriptive Type | 6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions [2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each] | 50 | 90 Minutes | Descriptive Answers to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards) |
NABARD Grade B 2021 Exam Pattern (Phase II) is as follows –
| Paper | Grade A | Types of Paper | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General English | Online Descriptive | 3 | 100 | 90 Minutes | Descriptive Answers to be typed using keyboard |
| Paper 2 | Economic & Social Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development | Objective | 30 | 50 | 30 Minutes | |
| Descriptive Type | 6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions [2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each] | 50 | 90 Minutes | Descriptive Answers to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards) | ||
| Total | 100 | 120 minutes | ||||
| Paper 3 | Development Economics, Statistics, Finance and Management | Objective | 30 | 50 | 30 Minutes | |
| Descriptive Type | 6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions [2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each] | 50 | 90 Minutes | Descriptive Answers to be typed using keyboard either in English or Hindi (Remington and Inscript keyboards) | ||
| Total | 100 | 120 minutes | ||||
NABARD Grade A & B 2021 Selection Process: (Interviews) is as follows –
You are at the final stage of the selection and I am so excited to tell you about this stage. This is a very interesting stage.
NABARD tests your IQ and knowledge in the first two stages but they will test your personality in this stage.
They will try to analyze your decision-making power throughout the interview round.
NABARD Grade A & Grade B Interviews are held after you clear the second phase of the respective exams. The Interview is the third and last phase of the NABARD Grade A and B Exams. The initial two phases are the Prelims followed by the Mains Exam, the two of which are computer-based written tests.
That said, only the applicants who secure the minimum sectional cut offs and the overall cut offs, are permitted to show up for the NABARD Grade A/Grade B interview round.
To show up for the NABARD Grade A/B Interviews, candidates need to download the call letter which will be sent on the individual email of the applicants who have cleared the NABARD Grade A/Grade B Phase 2 Exams respectively.
The NABARD Grade A interviews hold a weightage of 50 marks, whereas the NABARD Grade B interviews hold a weightage of 75 marks. Just those applicants who will acquire sectional cut off, as well as the overall cut off, will be called for the interview rounds.
You have an option to choose the interview language, i.e., either in English or Hindi, before the NABARD Grade A/B interview rounds as per your convenience. All you have to do while appearing for the interview is be confident and stay calm.
You will have to face an interviewing panel who will mostly ask questions from your background.
The final merit list of both, the NABARD Grade A & Grade B exams will be based on the marks scored by the applicants in the mains and Interview round of them.
If you clear all three phases of including the Interviews in the case of both the exams, you will at that point be called to show up for the medical trial which will be the final hindrance between you and your dream of being a NABARD Grade A, or Grade B Officer.
Things to Remember:
The total Number of vacancies in NABARD Grade A (RDBS) are 148 and NABARD Grade B are 07.
It has stated that approximately 444 students will be selected for Interview & approximately 21 students will be selected for NABARD Grade B Interview. You can read more about the number of candidates that are going to get selected for Mains Exam.
NABARD Grade A & Grade 2021 B Final Selection
The final selection of the candidates for the NABARD Grade A/B Exams will be made by cumulating the marks secured by the candidate in the Phase II exam and the Interview.
So the more you score in the NABARD Grade A/B Mains Exam as well as the Interview round, the higher will be your chances of being selected as an officer.
The list of final selected candidates will be made available on the official NABARD website within 2-3 weeks after the NABARD Interviews get over.
Just imagine that you clear the Phase 2 exam and enter the interview level. Let’s understand different scenarios.
- If you and some other students have equal marks in total (Phase 2 examination + interview taken together), the candidate with higher marks in the Phase 2 Examination will be ranked higher and be selected as an officer. That is why Phase 2 is said to be the most important phase.
- In case you and the other candidate are having equal marks in the Mains Examination. Then the candidate with higher qualifications will be selected. Let’s imagine that both of you have a similar qualification, the candidate with higher marks in graduation will be ranked higher and be selected as an officer. In case of a further tie, the candidate senior in age will be ranked higher.
NABARD Grade A & Grade B Syllabus 2021
I hope that this blog helped you a lot to understand the selection criteria of the NABARD Grade A and Grade B exams, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t be enough.
We have to understand the NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2021 as well as the one for Grade B as well to do well in the exams. Knowing about the subjects, time and marks is not enough.
Right?
You can also go through the syllabi of the NABARD Grade A and the Grade B from the notifications but it’s very confusing. They use difficult words and it’s all messy.
I have sorted it out and lined up the topics to make it easier to read.
Before jumping into the syllabi of the NABARD Grade A and Grade B exams directly, let’s go back in time a little bit.
Do you remember the time when we didn’t have a lot of tuitions during our school time?
Well, I am not talking to those people who had rich parents. I am talking to people like me.
My mother used to teach me till 7-8th class. She used to sit with me for hours. It was her task to find the syllabus for me. Go through that syllabus first and help me out with my studies.
Well, whom am I kidding here?
My mother not just helped me, she did all the work.
Well, I am not saying that I can take your mother’s place to help you analyze the syllabus and study. But I will definitely try to help you in every way possible.
So let’s start with the NABARD Grade A 2021 syllabus for the phase 1 paper as the NABARD Grade B syllabus for phase 1 is also exactly the same:
NABARD Grade A & Grade B Syllabus: Phase 1
| Name of Section | Topics Asked |
|---|---|
| Reasoning Ability | Puzzles & Seating Arrangement Syllogism Data Sufficiency Statement Based Questions (Verbal Reasoning) Inequality Miscellaneous Questions Input - Output Blood Relations Coding - Decoding |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Data Interpretations Quadratic Equations Number Series Simplification/Approximation Data Sufficiency Arithmetic Questions Quantity Comparisons Mathematical Inequalities |
| English Language | Reading Comprehension Cloze Test Sentence Improvement Spotting the Errors Fill in the Blanks Sentence Rearrangement Para Jumbles New Pattern Questions |
| General Awareness | Questions based on Current Affairs, Banking, Economy, and Insurance. Current Affairs questions will be based on recent appointments, sports, awards, and honours, new schemes, international and national news, latest science and technological developments. |
| Decision Making | Interpreting Information, Recognising Assumptions, Situation-based question, Case Studies |
| Computer Knowledge | Topics like Input - Output devices, Networking, DBMS, MS Office, Internet, History of Computer & Generations, Shortcuts. |
NABARD Grade A 2021 Syllabus: Phase 1 & 2 – ARD
| Topic Name | Syllabus Detail |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Definition, Meaning and its Mranches Agronomy: Definition, Meaning, and Scope of Agronomy Classification of Field Crops Factors Affecting Crop Production Argo Climatic Zones Types of Cropping Systems and their Sefinitions Problems faced if land is dry - Seed Production & Processing, and Seed Village Meteorology: Weather Parameters, Crop-Weather Advisory Precision Farming System of Crop Intensification Organic Farming |
| Soil and Water Conservation | Major Soil Types Soil Fertility Fertilisers Soil Erosion Soil Conservation Watershed Management |
| Water Resource | Irrigation Management Types of Irrigation Sources of Irrigation Crop-Water Requirement Command Area Development Water Conservation Techniques Micro-Irrigation Irrigation Pumps Major, Medium and Minor Irrigation |
| Agri and Farm Engineering | Power and Machinery related to Farms Power Sources on the farm - animal, human, electrical, mechanical, wind, biomass and solar, biofuels Water Harvesting Structures Farm Ponds Agro Processing Modified & controlled storage, storage of perishable foods, bins, godowns, and grain silos. |
| Horticulture & Plantation | Meaning, Definition, and its Branchess Production Technology and Agronomic practices with respect to various horticulture and plantation crops. Value and supply chain management of Horticulture & Plantation crops, Post-harvest management of the same. |
| Animal Husbandry | Farm animals and their role in the Indian economy. Animal husbandry methods in India. Commonly used terminologies pertaining to the different species of livestock. Utility classification of breeds of cattle. Introduction to common fodders and feeds, their utility and classification. Introduction to the industry of poultry in India. Common terms pertaining to poultry production and management. Socio-Economic implications of mixed farming on the farmer in India and the concept of mixed farming. Livestock and Poultry production and their obligatory and complimentary relationship with that of agricultural farming. |
| Fisheries | Fisheries Resources Exploitation and management – marine water, freshwater, and brackish water. Aquaculture- Inland and Marine Biotechnology Post-Harvest Technology Importance of fisheries in India. Common terms pertaining to fish production. |
| Forestry | Basic concepts of Forest and Forestry Management, mensuration, and Economics regarding Forests, and the of Principles of silviculture. Concepts of agroforestry, social forestry, joint forest management. Legislation and Policies regarding forests in India, 2015 Report on the State of forests in India. Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate change Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change and Recent developments under them. |
| Agriculture Extensions | Its role and importance, evaluations methods of extension programmes. KVK’s (Krishi Vigyan Kendra) role in the dissemination of technologies based on Agriculture. |
| Ecology and Climate Change | Ecology and how it is its relevant to man, sustainable management and conservation of natural resources. Climate change and its causes, GHGs (green House Gases), countries emitting high amounts of GHGs, and climate analysis. Distinguish between adaptation and mitigation. Climate change and its impact on rural livelihoods and agriculture. Carbon credit IPCC, UNFCCC, CoP meetings Funding mechanisms for climate change projects Indian government initiatives like SAPCC, NAPCC, INDC. |
| Present Scenario of agriculture and allied activities in India | Trends of recent times Major challenges in agriculture measures to enhance. Viability of agriculture Factors of Production in agriculture Agricultural Finance and Marketing Globalization and its impacts on Indian Agriculture and the issue of food security. Concept and Types of Farm Management. |
| Rural Development | Concept of Rural Area Structure of the Indian Rural Economy. Rural sector of India and its importance and role. Social, Demographic, and Economic characteristics of the rural economy of India. Causes of Rural Backwardness. Rural population in India Occupational structure Agricultural Laborers, Handicrafts, Tribes/Forest dwellers, Farmers, Artisans, Traders and others in the rural parts of India. Changing trends in rural workforce and rural population in India. Problems and conditions of rural labour Issues and challenges in Hand-looms. Panchayati Raj Institutions – Functions and Working. NRLM, MGNREGA – Drinking Water Programmes in Rural India, Aajeevika, Swachh Bharat, Housing in Rural Area, PURA, and other programs related to rural development. |
The NABARD Grade A Syllabus 2021 of Phase 1 & 2 Economic & Social Issues (ESI) and Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD) are exactly the same, and it is the case with the NABARD Grade B exam as well.
The only difference between these two areas is the level of difficulty.
It is better that you attempt NABARD Grade B & Free NABARD Grade A Mock Tests on a daily basis to see the difference in the level and prepare in a better way.
I will be covering the Phase 1 & 2 syllabi of Economic & Social Issues below.
Another thing to note down is that the Phase 2 papers of NABARD Grade A and Grade B have exactly the same syllabus, except for an extra paper called “paper 3” in the NABARD Grade B phase 2 exam.
Paper 3 comprises of questions from the subjects of Development Economics, Statistics, Finance & Management.
I have mentioned the same in the table of the NABARD Grade B phase 2 syllabus below (after the table of Grade A phase 2 syllabus):
NABARD Grade A 2021 Syllabus: Phase 1 & 2 – ESI
| Topic Name | Syllabus Detail |
|---|---|
| Indian Economy and Its Nature | Institutional & Structural Features Economic Underdevelopment Opening Up the Indian Economy Globalization Economic Reforms in India Privatization |
| Inflation | Various trends regarding inflation and the impacts they have on Individual Income and National Economy |
| Employment Generation & Poverty Allevation in India | Urban & Rural Measurement of Poverty Poverty Alleviation Pragrammes of the Government. |
| Population Trends | Population Growth and Economic Development Population Policy in India. |
| Agriculture | Characteristics / Status Technical and Institutional changes in Indian Agriculture Agricultural performance Issues in Food Security in India Non-Institutional and Institutional Agencies in rural credit. |
| Industry | Industrial and Labour Policy Industrial Performance Regional Imbalance in India's Industrial Development Public Sector Enterprises. |
| Financial Institutions and Rural banking in India | Reforms in the Financial Sector / Banking. |
| Economic Globalization | International Funding Institutions and their roles IMF & World Bank WTO Regional Economic Co-operation. |
| Social Structure in India | Multiculturalism Demographic Trends Urbanization and Migration Gender Issues Joint Family System Social Infrastructure Education Health and Environment. |
| Education | Status & System of Education Socio-Economic Problems Associated with Illiteracy Educational Relevance and Educational Wastage Educational Policy for India. |
| Social Justice pertaining to the various castes and classes | Problems of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes Socio-economic programmes directed towards Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes, and Other Backward Classes. |
| Positive Discrimination or steps to favour the underprivileged classes | Social Movements Indian Political Systems Human Development |
As we already know that the NABARD Grade A and B Syllabus 2021 of Phase 1 & 2 are exactly the same except for one extra paper in the Phase 2 Exam of NABARD Grade B, i.e., Paper 3 (Development Economics, Statistics, Finance, and Management).
The only difference between these two areas is the level of difficulty.
NABARD Grade B Paper 3 comprises of questions from the subjects of Development Economics, Statistics, Finance & Management. I have mentioned the NABARD Grade B Paper 3 Syllabus below.
| Topic Name | Syllabus Detail |
|---|---|
| Development Economics | Measures of development Economic Underdevelopment Economic Development Models Rold of subsidies importance of savings and investment Importance of agriculture Terms of trade in agriculture Development issues in India – Post 2015 Agenda |
| Statistics | Basic statistical concepts Summarizing of data Frequency distribution Measures of Central Tendency Relative dispersion Elementary Probability Relative Frequency Approach sampling Axiomatic Approach Analysis of frequency distribution Correlation Regression Sampling Methods Time Series Analysis |
| Finance | Financial system in India Regulation of Banks & Financial Institutions Banking and financial Institutions in India financial system- features characteristics and issues Micro finance its significance and importance Union Budget Project finance- Assessment and Sources for block capital working capital Infrastructure financing- Risk Management in Banking Sector Sources of capital instruments and methods salient features Development finance- scope and needs of development finance Concept of project cycle management Private and Social Cost Benefit significance of development finance Financial Inclusion – Use of Technology Public Private Partnership |
| Management | its nature and scope; The Management Processes Planning Organisation Staffing Directing and Controlling The Role of a Manager in an Organisation |
| Leadership | The Tasks of a Leader Leadership Styles Leadership Theories A successful Leader versus an effective Leader |
| Human Resource Development | Concept of HRD Goals of HRD Performance Appraisal Potential appraisal and development Performance Counselling Career Planning Training and Development Rewards Employee Welfare Motivation Morale and ncentives Theories of Motivation How Managers Motivate Concept of Morale Factors determining morale Role of Incentives in Building up Morale |
| Communication | Steps in the Communication Process Communication Channels Oral versus Written Communication Verbal versus non-verbal Communication upward downward and lateral communication Barriers to Communication Role of Information Technology Corporate Governance Factors affecting Corporate Governance Mechanisms of Corporate Governance |
It’s great to see that you are still sticking around.
This blog will help you to understand each and every part of the exam.
Now it’s time to find out a way to cover this huge syllabus and clear its cut offs. To know more about NABARD Grade A cut offs you can check out my blog on the same.
I will be helping you out with the various books out there that you can use to cover the NABARD Grade A syllabus 2021.
There are hundreds of books out there but I have handpicked some for you to cover the syllabus. There is no single book to cover the NABARD Grade A syllabus.
Each subject has different books and it is most likely that you need to read 2-3 books for each subject. I know it is a lot but you get to clear the exam.
Right?
Before going forward, I would like to tell another story about my mom.
After clearing each class in school, we used to get new books. My mom used to get stickers to put my name on those books.
Do you remember those stickers?
What was your sticker about?
My sticker used to have cars on them. My whole summer vacation used to go by covering those books with the paper cover and putting a name sticker over it.
Now, you don’t need to put your name on your books but I just wanted to share this little story.
So let’s talk about NABARD Grade A Books.
It’s great to see that you are still sticking around.
This blog will help you to understand each and every part of the exam.
Now it’s time to find out a way to cover this huge syllabus and clear its cut offs. To know more about NABARD Grade A cut offs you can check out my blog on the same.
I will be helping you out with the various books out there that you can use to cover the NABARD Grade A syllabus 2021.
There are hundreds of books out there but I have handpicked some for you to cover the syllabus. There is no single book to cover the NABARD Grade A syllabus.
Each subject has different books and it is most likely that you need to read 2-3 books for each subject. I know it is a lot but you get to clear the exam.
Right?
Before going forward, I would like to tell another story about my mom.
After clearing each class in school, we used to get new books. My mom used to get stickers to put my name on those books.
Do you remember those stickers?
What was your sticker about?
My sticker used to have cars on them. My whole summer vacation used to go by covering those books with the paper cover and putting a name sticker over it.
Now, you don’t need to put your name on your books but I just wanted to share this little story.
So let’s talk about NABARD Grade A Books.
Best Books for NABARD Grade A – Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language
There are no specific NABARD Grade A Exam Books for Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language.
So, I used to recommend Arun Sharma, Banking Services Chronicles (BSC) books, and TIME or Career Launcher material for CAT as NABARD Grade A Phase 1 Preparation Books.
But the level of NABARD Grade A Examination is different from CAT and other examinations.
So, I myself wrote a book. This Book caters to the needs of the candidates aspiring for NABARD Grade A Examination & helps them for Phase 1 Preparation.
The book involves 850 Pages containing 2000+ MCQs covering a far-reaching and comprehensive inclusion of the complete syllabus of Phase 1 and Past Year Papers.
Answers with an explanation of every question have been given toward the finish of each question to help you understand the topic simultaneously.
Another advancement in the book is that every chapter is partitioned into 3 portions, for example, Simple, Medium, and Difficult to invigorate movement in the learning.
Phase I Questions & Past Years
2nd Edition- This Book caters to the needs of the candidates aspiring for RBI Grade B Examinations & helps them for Phase 1 Preparation.
- The book comprises 850 Pages containing 2000+ MCQs covering a comprehensive and holistic coverage of the complete syllabus of Phase 1 & Past Year Papers.
- Explanations have been given at the end of each question to help the students.
- Another innovation in the book is that each topic is divided into 3 segments i.e. Easy, Medium & Difficult to stimulate progression in the learning.
Best Books for NABARD Grade A – General Awareness
- Spotlight
- Financial Express or Livemint
- Monthly Magazines like Banking Services Chronicles
NABARD Grade A Preparation Books – Computer Knowledge
- Computer Awareness – Arihant Publication
- Objective Computer Knowledge and Literacy – Kiran Publication
Best NABARD Grade A Books – Economic and Social Issues (ESI)
- Indian Economy NCERT 11th
- Macroeconomics NCERT 12th
- Ramesh Singh- Indian economy
- Indian Economy- Uma Kapila (Performance and policies)
- Social problems in India- Ram Ahuja
- Indian Polity- Laxmikanth
- Economic survey for the year
- Union Budget
- Pratiyogita Darpan Indian Economy yearly version discharged after Union Budget
- NITI Aayog recent reports – selective
The NABARD Grade A Preparation Books I have mentioned above for ESI comprise of sources for both Phase 1 as well as Phase 2.
Best NABARD Grade A Books 2021 – Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD)
- Objective Agriculture – S.R. Kantwa – New Vishal Publications
- For Agricultural Field Officer IBPS-SO Book – Jain Brothers
- Agriculture Current Affairs – New Vishal Publications
- General Agriculture – Muniraj Singh Rathore – Jain Brothers
- A Competitive Book of Agriculture – Nem Raj Sundra
These were the Best NABARD Grade A Books 2021 for ARD Preparation (for Phase 1 & 2). Apart from these NABARD Grade A Exam Books for ARD, there are few other sources as well which students must cover in order to score maximum in the ARD Section.
- Agricultural Census provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.
- PIB Releases, i.e., Press Releases by Agriculture and Rural Department.
- Geographical knowledge of States and Soils present in those areas.
- Cover the Report provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
- Kurukshetra and Yojana Magazines with a focus on the Agriculture part in these Magazines.
- Cover the basics of ARD from the book by R.K. Sharma – Agriculture at a Glance.
- Go through the Reports provided by
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Ministry of Rural Development
- NABARD Website
- State of Forest Report which is provided Bi-annually by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The NABARD Grade A Preparation Books I have mentioned above for agriculture & rural development comprise sources for both Phase 1 ARD preparation.
These books will definitely help you out and you can easily find all of them on amazon.
I didn’t mention the links here as sellers keep on changing. So it’s today’s task. Go online and find these books. I can’t spoon-feed you everything.
NABARD Grade A 2021 Mock Test Series
Let’s move to the final part of the preparation. Practice. I know everyone says that you should practice daily to accomplish anything in life.
Want to cook? Practice daily.
Want to ride a bike? Practice daily.
Similarly, want to clear NABARD Grade A Exam? Practice Daily.
Regular tests are conducted on my telegram channel of NABARD Grade A.
I have also made some free comprehensive mocks that you should take before starting your preparation to analyze where you stand right now.
These NABARD mock test series not only help you practice but will give you an experience of the real exam.
The panel of these mocks is made exactly like the real exam.
You have the access to view all questions at once, see color difference of the questions you skipped, questions you haven’t opened, and the questions you have attempted.
But I don’t want to just give you the exact panel. I want to give you more. So my technical team has made a specialized analysis page for you. You will get that after you complete each mock test.
You will be able to see your rank, marks, solutions, time spent on each section compared to the topper, heat graph, etc.
There are so many things that I can’t even list all of them here. So let’s not wait anymore.
Here is the link to the free comprehensive NABARD mock test series.
Benefits of solving NABARD Mock Test Series
Solving NABARD Grade A Mock Test Series will be extremely vital for your success in the exam, and it shall not only be important before you are done with the syllabus but even after that.
To begin your NABARD preparation, you’d need to solve a few NABARD Grade A test series to gauge yourself on your strengths and weaknesses. Thus doing so, you’ll be able to know which areas of the NABARD syllabus you’d have to work extra hard on.
This is the way you can frame your preparation strategy as well. To know more about how to create a good NABARD preparation strategy, you might want to go through the section on the same, given down below.
Anyway, coming back to the point, solving NABARD Grade A Mock Test in the beginning of your preparations is not enough obviously, you’d also need to solve the NABARD Mock Test Series as regularly as possible while in the middle of your preparations as well.
That is because you’d want to regularly check on your weak areas and eliminate them as and when you can. This would help you rapidly progress in your preparations.
By the time you reach the end of your preparation, you can solve even more of the Free NABARD Grade A Mock Tests to sharpen your knowledge about the exams.
Doing so will help you gain an instinctive understanding of how to solve the entire NABARD paper well before the maximum exam time, and that too with the highest possible efficiency.
This will definitely boost your performance in the long run and help you ace your NABARD exam with ease.
Last but not the least, the NABARD Grade A and B exams have negative markings in both phases. Therefore solving all the NABARD mock test series will keep you from making silly mistakes in the actual exams as well.
How to Prepare for NABARD Grade A & B Exams?
Now, let us move to the final part of the blog and complete my Leh story too. Oh, just in case you want to know about each and every NABARD Grade A & B Exam related topics from a general standpoint, you can check the NABARD Grade A & B Complete Info Page.
People ask me, how did I get the courage to ride my bike, all the way, from Delhi to Spiti. I will not lie. It was a tough journey.
I would have failed in the middle if I haven’t had prepared for the trip beforehand. Also, I had 2 years’ practice in the city and I took the right gear too.
Well, I would like to recommend you the same thing for the NABARD Grade A Exam. Practice on a daily basis from my mock tests here and make a great strategy to clear the exam.
It becomes difficult for students to create a strategy so I have made one for you. Let’s directly dive into that.
I have provided this document as a personalized strategy to help you prepare for NABARD Examination.
The fact that you have reached here means that you have followed every step created by me to help you (and I) understand your preparation needs better.
I would like to congratulate you on sticking around and following all steps as asked by me. If you can be so patient with me, I know you have the fire in you to do it at any cost.
It is now my responsibility that you get the right strategy and the right guidance so that the day, you step into the examination hall, is not an anxious, nervous day but a confident, proud day for you.
If we consider life as a game and the hurdle of clearing your examination as an important stage that determines the further stages, then you need 2 things- intense fighting skills and the right ammunition to knock down your enemies and emerge victorious by the end of this stage.
Do not worry, I am that person who can teach you fighting skills and provide the right ammunition for your fight.
Let us now come out of our gaming zone and get right into the preparation.
Remember, it’s not easy but it’s worth it. Take a deep breath, tell yourself that you can do anything you want, and let us dive right into the next phase. Also, since we have already talked about mock test series, you should also look into the benefits of solving NABARD Grade A previous year papers as well.
I have a table below. It has been designed keeping in mind the following:
- Your academic qualification
- No. of hours you can dedicate for your preparation
Let us understand some basic points so that you can go through the table successfully:
- Your academic qualification has been used to classify you into one of the 2 categories:
Category 1
If you belong to the first category, you are either “Above average in phase 1 & new in phase 2”
Category 2
If you belong to the second category, you are “new in both phase 1 and phase 2”.
- Another classification has been made, based on the number of hours you can dedicate consistently. The division of your total hourly commitment per day into hours spent on phase 1 and hours spent on phase 2 has been made in the below table.
You can fall into any one of the following categories:
You can allocate
- Less than 3 hours a day
- 3 to 6 hours a day
- More than 6 hours a day
You might be good at some aspects of Phase 1 or Phase 2 but are assumed to be requiring improvement in some other factors. Keeping that in mind, time allocation has been made between Phase 1 and Phase 2 in your study plan.
Having understood the above points, let us now go through the table:
You finally know the number of hours you need to give to each phase based on your current preparation.
Let’s move to the important part of the preparation. What to study in the hours we have talked about above.
Click here to find the document of each and every area you need to cover for the NABARD Grade A Exam.
Conclusion:
So this was all about the Selection Procedure, Syllabus, Books of NABARD Grade A Examination, and how to prepare for NABARD Grade A & B exams. I hope this blog has cleared all your doubts related to the above topics.
All the Best!!
Keep Learning!!
About Anuj Jindal
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Anuj Jindal, the founder, is an ex-manager from SBI, with an M.Com from Delhi School of Economics. He also has a JRF in Commerce & Management and NET in HRM, along with more than 5 years of experience in the field of Education.
FAQs: NABARD Grade A Selection Criteria, Syllabus, Mock Tests, Books and Preparation
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Is the NABARD Grade A exam tough?
The NABARD Grade A exam is quite straightforward but seats being so few (Seats in Generalist UR category are a mere 60 in 2021) makes the exam one of the toughest in India. So, if you wish to ace this exam you’d not only need to work hard, but also work smart. To know more about how tough the exam really is you can check out the exam analysis that I have done of the previous exams and the PDFs of previous years’ question papers that I compiled for you. To do so you can check out my NABARD exam analysis blog that I have written.
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What should I study for the NABARD Grade A?
To make sure that you ace your NABARD Grade A exam, you need to prepare well, and to prepare well you’d need an excelling preparation strategy. To help you with the same I have written about the question of how to prepare for the NABARD Grade A in detail in the blog given above. Go through it. Furthermore, you can also know about the NABARD preparation strategy from the YouTube video that I have made on the same.
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What is the syllabus of NABARD Grade A?
The NABARD Grade A syllabus comprises the topics that candidates need to cover in prelims and mains exams. That said the NABARD Grade A syllabus is pretty vast, but if you manage your time efficiently and are hardworking, then the syllabus can be covered in a considerably short duration of time, say in a matter of months. To know more about the NABARD Grade A syllabus, you can read about it in this blog itself.
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Is there any negative marking in the exam?
Yes, there is negative marking in the exam. For every wrong answer you mark, you will lose 25 percent of the marks assigned for the question. So, suppose a question is of 2 marks, then answering it wrongly would set you back by .5 marks. Thus, prepare well in advance for the exam, and don’t forget to solve as many mock tests and previous year papers as you can. Doing so will definitely help you ace the exams, and keep you from making any silly mistake.
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What type of questions are asked in the mains exam?
Paper I of the mains exam is descriptive type. General English comprises questions from essay writing, comprehension, report writing, paragraph writing & letter writing. As far as paper 2 is concerned it contains objective-type questions from the subjects of Economics and Social Issues, and Agriculture & rural development. To know more about the selection process and exam pattern you can check it out on this blog itself.
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Which books are best for NABARD Assistant Manager Grade A?
Books are extremely important when it comes to NABARD Grade A exams, but not just books, but the right books are what you need to make it in the exam. For example, for General Awareness, books like “Spotlight” would help, then for Computer knowledge, “Computer Awareness- by Arihant Publication” is the best, so on and so forth.
Also, the utility of books is doubled if they contain questions from previous year question papers, and mocks.
However, only the mock test books and previous years’ paper compilations won’t be enough. You’d need several other books pertaining to the various subjects of the NABARD Grade A syllabus to prepare for the exam properly. To know more about the names of the NABARD Grade A books you can read about them in my blog on the same topic.
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How can I prepare for NABARD Grade B 2021?
To prepare for the NABARD Grade B 2021 exam, you’d need an excellent preparation strategy, good books, hard work, determination and right guidance. To know about how to prepare for the NABARD Grade B 2021 in detail you should read the preparation strategy section of the blog article that I have written above.
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How is NABARD Grade A different from NABARD Grade B?
Well, the NABARD Grade A and NABARD Grade B are two officer level posts of the organization of NABARD. The main difference between the NABARD Grade A and Grade B posts is that the Grade B post is a step higher than the Grade A. Also, that both have their own exams, the NABARD Grade B exam being a little tougher than the Grade A one.
From the standpoint of exam pattern the NABARD Grade A and NABARD Grade B exams are almost similar except for one extra paper in the Phase 2 exam of the NABARD Grade B recruitments. To know more about the exam pattern and syllabus of the two exams in detail read that blog article that is given above carefully. Furthermore, if you wish to know about the NABARD Grade A and Grade B in its entirety, check out the NABARD complete info blog that I have written.
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How to prepare for NABARD Grade A 2021 exam?
NABARD Grade A preparation includes a series of steps, the first being attempting a mock to find out your strengths and weaknesses. Then dividing the syllabus according to you’re the subjects you might be weak or strong at. After that you should prepare week-wise, strengthening your week points and honing your strong points further. Then you can attempt a mock again to identify remaining weaknesses. You should then repeat the process till you have no week points left.
Apart from the points I have mentioned above, try to understand the exam pattern, syllabus, right study materials, and effective study plan. To do so you can check out the NABARD preparation strategy blog that I have written above.
What will be the mains syllabus for Nabard Grade a agriculture or economics post.