Nabard Grade A Eligibility Criteria – Frequently Asked Questions

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development conducts NABARD Grade A exam for the position of Grade A (Assistant Manager) in the Rural Development Banking Services (RDBS). As an aspirant, you are required to know whether you fulfill the eligibility criteria for this exam.

Below we have answered some common queries which arise in the minds of the aspirants. Please note that we have extracted this information from NABARD 2018 notification and the criteria may or may not change this year. However, there is a high possibility of the eligibility criteria remaining as it is. So, you are requested to keep an eye on this year’s notification.

What is the age criteria?

Candidate must be between 21 and 30 years of age as on March 1 of the year of the release of notification (for Unreserved category).

Relaxations in upper age limit:

• For OBC applicants- 3 years
• For SC/ST applicants- 5 years
• For PWBD (General) applicants – 10 years
• For PWBD (OBC) applicants – 13 years
• For PWBD (SC/ST) applicants – 15 years

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What is the educational qualification required?

You need following educational qualification to be eligible for NABARD Assistant Manager Exam:

• Bachelor’s Degree in any subject from a recognized University

• minimum of 50% marks for general and OBC category
• a minimum of 45 % SC/ST/PWBD applicants

• Post Graduate degree from a recognized University

• minimum of 50% marks for general and OBC category
• minimum of 45 % SC/ST/PWBD applicants

• Ph.D
• Chartered Accountant / Cost Accountant / Company Secretary with Bachelor’s Degree
• Two years full-time P.G. Diploma in Management /full-time MBA degree from Institutions/Universities recognized by GOI / UGC with Bachelor’s Degree in any
  discipline.

Apart from General, what are the other disciplines under which one can apply? What is the educational qualification of these specialized fields?

You are eligible to sit for specialized streams too. Please check below educational criteria to be able to sit for different Nabard streams. Kindly note, you need to fulfill
criteria of minimum marks in each of the courses (50% marks for general and 45% for SC/ST)

Animal Husbandry

• Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Sciences/Animal Husbandry, or
• Post Graduate degree in Veterinary Sciences / Animal Husbandry

Chartered Accountant

• Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized University/Institution
• Membership of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

Economics

• Bachelor’s Degree with Economics/Agriculture Economics, or
• Post Graduate degree in Economics /Agriculture Economics
• Candidates with Economics as one of the main subjects at all years/semesters of the course will only be eligible.

Environmental Engineering

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering / Climate Change / Climate Change Adaptation, or
• Post graduate degree in Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering / Climate Change / Climate Change Adaptation

Food Processing/Food Technology

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Processing /Food Technology, or
• Post Graduate degree in Food Processing /Food Technology

Forestry

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, or
• Post Graduate degree in Forestry

Land Development (Soil Science) / Agriculture

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture / Agriculture (Soil Science/Agronomy), or
• Post Graduate degree in Agriculture / Agriculture (Soil Science/Agronomy)

Minor Irrigation (Water Resources)

• Bachelor’s degree in Hydrology/Applied Hydrology or Geology/Applied Geology with Hydrogeology /Irrigation /Water Supply & sanitation as one of the subjects, or
• Post Graduate degree in Hydrology/Applied Hydrology or Geology/Applied Geology with Hydrogeology /Irrigation /Water Supply & sanitation as one of the subjects.

Social Work

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, or
• Post Graduate degree in Social Work

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I have not completed 21 years of age, but I am a graduate. Can I apply for this exam?

No, you need to be a minimum of 21 years of age to apply. You need to fulfill both age and graduation criteria in order to be eligible.

What if in my Graduation degree there is no mention of percentage and the only CGPA is written?

If your degree doesn’t mention percentage but your University/ Institute has defined criteria for conversion of CGPA to a percentage, then the same will be accepted and you need to mention that while filling the application form. For example, if you have got a CGPA of 7 and your University/Institute has defined criteria for conversion of CGPA to Percentage as Percentage = CGPA*10, then your percentage comes out to be 70% and you need to mention that in an application form.

What if my University/Institute hasn’t defined any criteria for conversion of CGPA to Percentage and the only CGPA is given to students?

If your University/Institute hasn’t defined any criteria for conversion of CGPA to Percentage, then the following formula will be accepted-
Percentage = (CGPA – 0.75) * 10, i.e., if your CGPA is 6.75, then your percentage will be 60%.

I’m from General category and have scored 49.5% in graduation. Am I eligible?

No, for General category, you need exactly 50% or more than that. Rounding- off is not permitted.

I have 50% in graduation but scored 44% in 12th. Am I eligible?

Yes, you are eligible. Minimum 50% criteria is only for graduation and post graduation, not for 10th and 12th.

I have a gap of 1 year after my 12th. Am I eligible for NABARD exam?

Yes, you are eligible. However, you may be asked regarding this if you reach the interview stage. If you have taken a gap year for a personal, health issue, preparation of entrance exam etc., then you need to mention it honestly. You can also list out the activities you did, things you learned during that gap year which boosted your personality and had a positive impact on you.

I have a degree from an open university/correspondence course. Am I eligible to sit for this exam?

Yes, you are eligible provided your degree is recognized by Distance Education Council (DEC). In case of any confusion, you can consult your University regarding this to get the required information.

My degree has both CGPA and percentage written. What should I use?

While filling the application form, you should use your percentage marks.

I am working in PSU sector, will I get any preference in this exam?

No such preference will be given to persons working in PSU sector.

If I’m working in a PSU, what are the things I need to keep in mind while applying for this exam?

If you are working in a Govt. / Quasi-Govt. Organizations and Public Sector Banks/ Undertakings, you have to produce a “No Objection Certificate” from your employer at the time of interview.

I have been unemployed for the last 3 years. Am I eligible for this exam?

Yes, you are eligible to apply for this exam. However, questions will be raised regarding this during the interview process. So, you may be required to defend yourself.

In the interview, if they ask about my unemployment, how would I deal with this question?

If in the interview, they ask this question, then you need to be honest about it. Don’t try to lie or bluff them as the interviewers are knowledgeable people with years of experience. So, mention the real reason. If you are preparing for competitive exams, then tell them clearly about it. Additionally, you may also mention the skills gained by you during this time, like you read many books which widened your knowledge base, etc., The idea is to reflect honesty and optimism in your answer.

I’m eligible for both General Discipline as well as Chartered Accountant Discipline. Can I apply for both?

No, a candidate can apply for only one post, i.e., either for General discipline or for Specialised discipline. It is clarified that candidate applying for AM (RDBS)-General cannot apply for another discipline viz., Animal Husbandry/ Chartered Accountant/ Economics, etc., and vice a versa.

What will happen if I fill two forms and apply separately for both General Discipline and Specialized discipline?

In that case, the last application submitted by you will be considered valid and the previous applications will stand canceled. Also, the fees against all the other applications will be forfeited.

I don’t have any work experience. Am I eligible?

Yes, you don’t require any work experience for applying in the NABARD Grade -A.

I don’t have any Agriculture/Economics background. Can I sit for this exam?

Yes, you don’t require Agriculture/Economics background for General Discipline. If you fulfill the eligibility criteria mentioned above, you can write this exam.

I have a benchmark disability, will I get any preference in the exam?

Yes, 4% seats are reserved for persons suffering from any benchmark disability. The percentage break-up of the disability-

• Blindness and Low vision- 1%
• Deaf and Hard of hearing – 1%
• Locomotor disability – 1%
• Multiple disabilities -1%

Is there any compensatory time for visually impaired candidates?

Yes, visually Impaired candidates (who suffer from not less than 40% of disability) may opt to view the contents of the test in magnified font and all such candidates will be eligible for a compensatory time of 20 minutes for every hour or otherwise advised of examination.

How many candidates will be called for mains examination and interview?

Calling ratio for mains examination and interview is 1:25 and 1:5, respectively. It means that for 1 seat, 25 candidates will be called for writing mains exam and 5 candidates will be called for interview. Suppose, if the total vacancy is 10, then for mains exam around 250 candidates will be called and for an interview around 50 candidates will be called, in the order of merit.

What is the eligibility criteria to seek posting only in home state for NABARD Grade A Officer?

There is no such criteria. According to the official notification, all the selected candidates can be posted and transferred anywhere in India.

What is the eligibility criteria to seek posting only in the city for NABARD Grade A Officer?

Again, there are no such criteria. As a NABARD Grade A Officer, you are expected to serve anywhere in India

Is there any restrictions on the number of attempts for NABARD Grade A exam?

No, there is no such restriction on a maximum number of attempts for any category. Till the time you satisfy the age criteria, you can write this exam as many times.

Now that you are aware of all the basic information about this exam, it is time to gear up your preparation. Don’t wait for the notification to come as after the notification, you’ll hardly get time for planning proper strategy and preparing your level best. So, plan now, go through the syllabus, sort out the study materials and start your preparation in full throttle. Remember, that “success is 20% skills and 80% strategy”.