If you are preparing for NABARD Grade A (Assistant Manager) and searching for:

• NABARD Grade A 2025 exam analysis
• NABARD Grade A 2024 prelims questions asked
• NABARD Grade A 2023 trend comparison
• NABARD Grade A Safe Attempts 2025
• NABARD Grade A cutoff official
• NABARD Grade A ARD ESI weightage trend

This is a student-first, last-3-year trend analysis (2023–2025) with official links + reliable exam-review sources + cut-off references.

OFFICIAL & AUTHORITY BACKLINKS (Clickable)

• NABARD Official Website: https://www.nabard.org/
• Official 2025 Advertisement PDF (Grade A):
  https://www.nabard.org/auth/writereaddata/CareerNotices/1011251859Final%20Advertisement%20Grade%20A%20%28RDBS%2C%20Legal%2C%20P%26SS%29%202025.pdf
• Online Application Portal (IBPS-hosted): https://ibpsreg.ibps.in/nbardamoct25/
  

• PIB: https://pib.gov.in/
• MOSPI: https://mospi.gov.in/
• RBI: https://www.rbi.org.in/
• NITI Aayog: https://www.niti.gov.in/
• FAO: https://www.fao.org/
• World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/

• NABARD Grade A & B Exam Hub (with cutoffs & overview):
  https://www.mahendras.org/exams/nabard-grade-a-b
• Upcoming Govt Exams 2026–27 (official sites list incl. NABARD):
  https://www.mahendras.org/blogs/upcoming-government-exams-2026-27-complete-list-of-bank-ssc-railways-upsc-teaching-and-state-exams-2026-27-complete-list-of-bank-ssc-railways-upsc-teaching-and-state-exams
  (Use this as a “trust page” for official links.)
  
  In the first 60 seconds: what this “3-year trend” really tells you

Across 2023 → 2024 → 2025, NABARD Grade A stayed conceptually consistent (Phase-1 screening + Phase-2 depth), but the paper evolved in three predictable ways:

1. ESI + ARD became more “applied” (not just definitions; policy + data points + implications).
2. GA/Professional awareness became a make-or-break differentiator in Phase-1.
3. Decision Making remained a high-ROI scoring area if you practice the pattern (because it’s not calculation-heavy).

For 2025, the official exam timeline and recruitment details are stated in NABARD’s advertisement.

NABARD Grade A is a premium exam because it blends banking aptitude + rural/agri policy awareness + applied decision-making. You can’t rely only on generic bank-prep here—because ESI + ARD are specialized.

This article breaks the exam into:

• Phase-1: speed + accuracy + coverage
• Phase-2: depth + writing + data-backed answers
• Cutoff logic: why “safe attempts” must include buffer

It means:

• What repeated most in 2023, 2024, 2025
• Which sections stayed easy/moderate but still decide cutoffs
• Which topics keep coming in ARD, ESI, GA
• How to use official cutoffs as benchmarks (not as guarantees)

Typically: Phase-1 → Phase-2 → Interview (and for 2025, the advertisement includes Phase-wise schedule and stages).

The 2025 advertisement shows:

• Phase-1 exam date: 20 Dec 2025
• Phase-2 (Mains) date(s): 25 Jan 2026 (for streams mentioned)
  
  NABARD Grade A Exam Pattern (Phase-1 + Phase-2)
  

Total: 200 Questions | 200 Marks | 120 Minutes (2 Hours)

• Shortlisting for Phase-2 is based only on “Merit sections” marks: GA + ESI + ARD (qualifying sections must be cleared, but merit is calculated using these 3).

Total: 200 Marks | Total time ≈ 3 Hours 30 Minutes (Paper-1 + Paper-2)

3 Questions | 100 Marks | 90 Minutes

Typical tasks include:

• Essay (40 marks)
• Precis (20 marks)
• Comprehension (20 marks) (as commonly listed in Phase-2 pattern explainers)

This paper is a mix of:

• Objective: 30 questions → 50 marks → 30 minutes
• Descriptive: 6 questions (attempt any 4) → 50 marks → 90 minutes

• Attempt 4 out of 6
• Typically includes 2×15 marks (higher difficulty) + 2×10 marks

After Phase-2, shortlisted candidates appear for interview; final merit is based on Phase-2 + Interview (as explained across standard selection criteria references).

Multiple analysis sources described the overall 2025 Phase-1 difficulty as moderate, with section-wise variability (ESI sometimes rated moderate to difficult).

• Seating arrangement sets
• Puzzles (floor/box/linear variations)
• Syllogism / inequality / direction-type questions
  (Reported in major shift reviews.)

• DI sets (time-sensitive)
• Arithmetic mix (ratio, work, time-speed, profit-loss, SI/CI)
• Approximation/simplification (where included by shift)

• RC, cloze test, error spotting, fillers
  (Reported by shift analyses.)

• Current affairs + rural development + agriculture policy flavor
• ESI asks concept + application style questions (why/how impact)

2024 analysis pages (Testbook/BankersAdda/Edutap etc.) reported a moderate paper overall with a heavy role of ESI/ARD/GA in deciding marks.

Key 2024 repeat observation: puzzles/seating remained dominant in reasoning; ESI/ARD were not “easy freebies” and needed conceptual clarity.

A detailed 2023 analysis lists reasoning topics like puzzles, syllogism, direction, data sufficiency etc.
Another 2023 review listed quant topics like time & work, boat & stream, ratio, SI/CI, wrong number series, pie chart DI.

• Reasoning: Puzzles + seating remain high-frequency (every year).
• Quant: Arithmetic + DI keeps deciding time management; DI slowly becomes more calculation-sensitive by shift.
• GA/ESI/ARD: These are the “NABARD differentiators” vs bank PO exams; they decide who clears cutoff.
• Decision Making: Remains a scoring segment if practiced (low-calculation).

• Cutoffs/scorecards are released through official NABARD career notices and related portals (by cycle). The Mahendras NABARD hub also compiles cutoffs by year and stream, which helps you benchmark.
• For 2024 cutoff release timing (phase-wise) many exam portals summarized it (released in 2025 for 2024 cycle).

• You stop guessing “what to study” and focus on repeat zones
• You understand which sections can swing difficulty (Quant/ESI)
• You build a stable “safe target” mindset using cutoffs + buffer

• Bank PO exams are mostly Quant/Reasoning/English/GA.
• NABARD Grade A adds ARD + ESI + Decision Making as serious scoring areas, so specialization matters.

1. Treating ARD/ESI as “read once” topics
2. Ignoring decision making practice
3. Over-attempting DI and losing time
4. Doing GA without weekly revision (low recall on exam day)
5. Not aligning prep to Phase-2 writing requirements early

Practical Tips / Strategy (Student-first, actionable)

• Reasoning: do 1 easy puzzle set + sit arrangements first; then inequality/syllogism
• Quant: pick the easiest DI set first; solve arithmetic you can do in 60–75 seconds
• GA/ESI/ARD: prioritize “high-repeat areas” + daily revision + weekly mini tests
• Decision Making: practice patterns; avoid overthinking (choose the most ethical/practical option)

Phase-2 requires structured answers (ESI/ARD) and clear writing.
Use authority sources for data points: PIB/MOSPI/NITI/RBI/FAO/World Bank (links above).

Result: you may still miss cutoff because NABARD rewards specialization.
Fix: daily ARD/ESI micro-revision + weekly practice MCQs.

Result: negative marking hurts, especially in moderate paper.
Fix: attempt fewer but cleaner questions; DM and English can stabilize score.

• Build ARD + ESI as your “rank boost”
• Keep GA on a weekly revision loop
• Use DI selection strategy (easy-first)
• Practice DM patterns (scoring edge)
• Start Phase-2 style prep early (answer frameworks + data points)
  

1. When was NABARD Grade A Phase-1 conducted in 2025?
   Phase-1 was scheduled on 20 Dec 2025 as per the official advertisement.
2. When was Phase-2 scheduled for the 2025 cycle?
   Phase-2 (mains) date(s) include 25 Jan 2026 for streams noted in the advertisement.
3. What was the overall difficulty of NABARD Grade A 2025 prelims?
   Many reviews described it as moderate.
4. Which sections dominate NABARD Grade A vs bank PO exams?
   ARD + ESI + Decision Making are the differentiators.
5. Do puzzles repeat every year?
   Yes—puzzles/seating remain recurring in reasoning.
6. What came in Quant in NABARD Grade A 2023?
   Topics like time & work, SI/CI, number series, and pie chart DI were reported.
7. What came in Reasoning in 2023?
   Puzzles, syllogism, direction, data sufficiency etc.
8. Is Decision Making scoring?
   Often yes, because it’s less calculation heavy; practice matters.
9. How do I find the official advertisement PDF?
   From NABARD career notices; the 2025 PDF is publicly hosted on nabard.org.
10. Where is the online application hosted?
    IBPS registration portal link was used for 2025.
11. Is GA important for NABARD Grade A?
    Yes—major reviews rate GA moderate and important for overall score.
12. How many months current affairs should I cover?
    Commonly 5–6 months, with weekly revision (for recall).
13. Is ARD more important than Quant?
    For NABARD, ARD can be a decisive scoring area because it’s specialized.
14. Is ESI difficult in 2025?
    Some reviews rated ESI moderate to difficult.
15. What’s the safest way to plan attempts?
    Aim for clean attempts and avoid guessing in moderate sections.
16. Is the paper shift-wise variable?
    Yes; difficulty and “good attempts” vary by shift.
17. Where can I check cutoffs quickly in one place?
    Mahendras NABARD Grade A/B hub compiles cutoffs by year/discipline.
18. Is NABARD Grade A interview there?
    The recruitment process includes interview as per widely reported process; check official advertisement for stages each cycle.
19. How to improve ARD quickly?
    Make topic-wise notes: crops, soils, irrigation, agri schemes, animal husbandry basics.
20. Best data sources for ESI answers?
    PIB, MOSPI, NITI, RBI reports, World Bank/FAO (links above).