NABARD Grade A: Complete Guide to the Assistant Manager Exam
Last updated: 2026-11-12 · MockMentor
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) recruits Assistant Managers in Grade A every year, mainly in the Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS). Most aspirants apply for the General discipline. Selection runs in four stages: Phase I (Preliminary), Phase II (Mains), a psychometric test and an interview. The final merit list is based on Mains (200 marks) plus interview (50 marks).
NABARD Grade A 2026: the 2026 notification has not been announced yet. In the last cycle, applications opened on 8 November 2025, with Phase I on 20 December 2025 and Mains on 25 January 2026. This guide follows that 2025 advertisement until the next one is out.
NABARD Grade A at a glance (2025 recruitment)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Post | Assistant Manager in Grade A (RDBS, Legal, Protocol & Security) |
| Vacancies | 91 in total; 85 in RDBS, of which 48 in the General discipline |
| Age | 21 to 30 years for RDBS (as on 1 November 2025), with relaxations |
| Qualification (General) | Graduation with 60%, or post-graduation with 55% (relaxations for SC/ST/PwBD) |
| Selection | Phase I, Phase II (Mains), psychometric test, interview |
| Final merit | Mains (200) + interview (50) = 250 marks |
| Starting basic pay | ₹44,500 a month; gross about ₹1,00,000 a month |
| Application fee | ₹850 for General/OBC/EWS; ₹150 for SC/ST/PwBD (plus GST) |
How selection works
- Phase I (Preliminary): 200 marks in 120 minutes. Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making are qualifying only. Shortlisting for Mains is on the merit section alone: General Awareness (20), Economic and Social Issues (40) and Agriculture and Rural Development (40).
- Phase II (Mains): Paper I, General English, is fully descriptive (100 marks). Paper II, Economic and Social Issues and Agriculture and Rural Development (ESI and ARD), has 50 marks objective and 50 marks descriptive. 150 of the 200 Mains marks are descriptive, typed on a keyboard.
- Psychometric test: mandatory, but not part of the merit total.
- Interview: 50 marks.
See the full exam pattern.
How it compares with RBI Grade B
ESI is common to both exams, and both test descriptive writing typed on a computer. NABARD adds Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), while RBI Grade B has Finance and Management. Many aspirants prepare for both, and the two exams are held at different times of the year.
Prepare with MockMentor
Our NABARD Grade A Descriptive Writing Programme covers ESI, ARD and English descriptive answers with evaluation. If you are also preparing for RBI Grade B, the RBI + NABARD Descriptive Combo covers both exams in one programme.
Source: NABARD career notices: Advertisement No. 05/Grade A/2025-26, information handouts and cut-offs. We will update this guide when NABARD releases its next advertisement.
NABARD Grade A: all pages
Prepare with MockMentor
NABARD Grade A Descriptive Writing Program (₹4,000) – ESI, ARD and English descriptive papers with evaluation. 365 days validity.