National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Grade A exam is for applicants interested in becoming an officer-level assistant manager under the disciplines of Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS). 

Dates for the three exams are yet to be announced. This comes after the notification for 162 vacancies (Inclusive of Grade B RDBS vacancies) went live on 15th July, following which registrations opened on the 17th of July (and will remain active until 7th August only). 

Here’s an overview of the NABARD Grade A Exam: 

Organization Name:	National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Name of Exam:	NABARD Grade A 2021
Application Medium:	Online
Application Fee:	ST/SC/PWD Category = ₹150/-For all others Categories = ₹800/-
Job Profile:	Grade A (Asst. Manager) for RDBS, Rajbhasha and P&SS
Job Location:	All across India
Job Category:	Government
Age Limit:	21 years – 30 years (as on 1st July, 2021)
Eligibility Criteria:	NationalityAge LimitEdu. Qualification
Salary:	Grade A (Asst. Manager) = ₹ 28,150/- P.M. across 14 disciplines
Selection stages (after eligibility):	Preliminary ExamMains ExamPersonal Interview
Exam Mode:	Online
Exam Dates:	Last week of August/First week of September (tentative)
Payment via:	Debit Card, Credit Card & Net Banking
Official website:	www.nabard.org

NABARD Grade A Assistant Manager in RDBS Selection Process 2021

The recruitment process for NABARD Grade A requires the applicant to clear three stages: the prelims, the main exam and personal interview. The selection process will depend on which stream/discipline the applicant will be eligible for across 14 streams. 

The Preliminary Exam is a 200 marks, MCQ based online examination that acts as a screening test. Phase 1 will quiz the applicant on computer knowledge, logical reasoning, decision making, general awareness, quantitative aptitude, economic and social issues in India with prime focus on agriculture and rural development in rural India. The exam duration is 120 minutes. 

If the applicant doesn’t meet the cut-off, they will not be selected for the next stage of examination. 

Phase 2 of the selection process is the Main Exam that has three papers. Paper 1 is a General English, descriptive test for 100 marks for 1½ hours. It is a common and mandatory test for both the other two papers and is descriptive. 

Paper 2 and Paper 3 vary on the basis of the applicant’s educational qualification and selected disciplines for general and specific posts. These papers are also a mix of Objective and Descriptive tests. Paper 1 is common for all Grade A positions, but after that, it gets divided like the following: 

• Paper 2 (RDBS) – For General Disciplines (Economic & Social Issues and Agriculture & Rural Development (with focus on Rural India)) and Specialized Disciplines, a paper on related discipline 
• Paper 3 (Legal Services) – For stream based selection of disciplines and interpretations of laws, and drafting of various documents 
• Other (Rajbhasha) – for translating from English to Hindi and vice versa to test the drafting and analytical ability of the candidate

Once the applicant meets the desired cut-off for the various exams that they give, they will be selected for a personal interview. This makes up the Phase 3 of the selection process for NABARD Grade A 2021. 

The allotment of the posts will be done after the candidate has cleared phases 2 and 3, and has achieved satisfactory results in them. When selected, the officer must undergo two years of probation for the Grade A post, and it can be extended at the Bank’s discretion. Selected candidates are also posted and transferred to any place in India. 

A few notable points to remember during the recruitment and selection process: 

• There is a 25% negative marking for wrong answers given during MCQ tests. 
• All the papers are 1½ / 120 minutes long. 
• Candidates need to score above the listed cut-off scores. 

Admit cards, exam dates and other announcements are due to be updated as the registration closes.