The NABARD Grade A Phase 1 and Phase 2 exam dates 2026 are expected to be released soon along with the official notification PDF. As per the last exam cycle, the Phase 1 exam is expected to be held within 45 days of the notification release, followed by the Phase 2 exam, which is expected to be conducted around 30 days after Phase 1. Candidates who clear both Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be shortlisted for the final stage, which includes the Psychometric Test and Interview.
In this blog, we have provided the expected NABARD Grade A Phase 1 and Phase 2 exam dates along with the detailed exam schedule for the upcoming examination.
When is the NABARD Grade A phase 1 exam scheduled?
The NABARD Grade A Phase 1 exam 2026 is expected to be held 45 days after the release of the notification PDF.
When is the NABARD Grade A phase 2 exam scheduled?
The Phase 2 exam is expected to be held around 30 days after the Phase 1 exam is conducted.
Attempt NABARD Grade A Mock Test
When is the NABARD Grade A Interview exam scheduled?
For the 2026 cycle, the interview schedule is expected to be released after the declaration of Phase 2 results. Candidates who qualify Phase 2 will be called for the final stage, which includes the Psychometric Test followed by the Interview round.
Also Check: NABARD Grade A Phase 2 Exam Analysis
NABARD Exam Date Overview
The NABARD Grade A Exam 2026-27 follows a three-stage selection process, including Phase 1 (Preliminary), Phase 2 (Mains), and Phase 3 (Psychometric Test), followed by the Interview. The official schedule for the new cycle has not been released yet, but the previous cycle gives a general idea of the timeline. Candidates can refer to the table below to check important dates such as application period, exam stages, and interview details related to NABARD.
| Event | 2026-27 Dates | 2025-26 Dates |
|---|
| Online Application & Fee Payment | TBA | 8th November to 30th November |
| Phase I (Preliminary Exam) – RDBS / Legal / Protocol & Security | 45 days after the notification PDF is released | 20th December |
| Phase II (Mains Exam) – RDBS / Legal | 30 days after the Phase 1 exam | 25th January |
| Phase III (Psychometric Test) | TBA | To be Notified |
| Interview | TBA | To be notified after the Psychometric Test |
| Note: NABARD reserves the right to change or modify the examination dates if necessary. |
What is the selection process for NABARD Grade A?
The NABARD Grade A selection process differs slightly depending on the post. For RDBS and Legal posts, the recruitment involves four stages: preliminary exam, mains exam, psychometric test, and interview. However, for the Protocol & Security Service (P&SS) post, candidates are selected through an online examination followed by a psychometric test and interview.
What is the NABARD Grade A (RDBS/Legal) selection process?
The selection process for NABARD Grade A (RDBS/Legal) Exam includes multiple stages to assess a candidate's knowledge and suitability for the role. It starts with Phase 1, an objective exam covering subjects like Reasoning, English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, ESI, and ARD. Candidates who will clear Phase 1 will move to Phase 2, which includes both objective and descriptive papers based on the chosen stream. After this, a Psychometric Test is conducted to assess behavioral and cognitive skills. The final stage is the Interview, where candidates are evaluated on communication skills, subject knowledge, and overall suitability by NABARD.
| Phase | Details | Type / Mode | Marks / Duration | Important Points |
|---|
| Phase I | 8 Sections: Reasoning, English, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, Decision Making, General Awareness, Economic & Social Issues (focus on Rural India), and Agriculture & Rural Development (focus on Rural India). | Objective | 200 Marks / 120 Minutes | - Qualifying Sections: Reasoning, English, Computer, Quant, Decision Making.
- Merit Sections: General Awareness, ESI, ARD.
- Shortlisting for Mains based on marks scored in Merit Sections. |
| Phase II | Conducted separately for Generalist, Specialist, and Legal streams. | Descriptive + Objective | Total 200 Marks | Paper I – General English: Descriptive (3 Qs – 100 Marks – 90 mins)
Paper II –
• Generalist: ESI & ARD
• Specialist: Stream-Specific
• Legal: Stream-Specific
Includes Objective (30 Qs – 50 Marks – 30 mins) + Descriptive (4 Qs – 50 Marks – 90 mins). |
Phase III (Psychometric Test) | Mandatory test assessing behavioral and cognitive abilities. | MCQ Based | 90 Minutes | Must be attempted to qualify for the Interview stage. |
Phase IV (Interview) | Final interaction round assessing overall suitability for the role. | Face-to-Face / Online | 50 Marks | Conducted in English or Hindi (as opted by the candidate). |
What is the NABARD Grade A (Protocol & Security Service) selection process?
NABARD Grade A P&SS Cadre selection process is conducted in 3 stages to assess a candidate's knowledge, behaviour, and overall suitability for the role. It starts with an online exam covering reasoning, English, general awareness (banking focus), and professional knowledge. Candidates who qualify move to the Psychometric Test, which evaluates behavioural and cognitive skills. The final stage is the Interview, where candidates are assessed on personality, experience, and overall fit for the role.
| Phase | Stage | Details | Type / Mode | Marks / Duration |
|---|
| Phase I | Online Examination | Consists of four sections:
1. Test of Reasoning – 50 Qs (50 Marks)
2. English Language – 50 Qs (25 Marks)
3. General Awareness (with special reference to Banking Industry) – 50 Qs (50 Marks)
4. Professional Knowledge – 50 Qs (75 Marks) | Objective | Total 200 Marks / 120 Minutes |
| Phase II | Psychometric Test | Assessment of behavioral and cognitive traits. | MCQ Based | 90 Minutes |
| Phase III | Interview | Conducted to evaluate personality, experience, and suitability for the role. | Face-to-Face / Online | 50 Marks |
Note:
NABARD reserves the right to increase the minimum experience criteria for shortlisting P&SS candidates for the Interview.
No descriptive paper is conducted for the P&SS post.
Additional information for all posts
Some important details for candidates preparing to appear for the NABARD Grade A exam are as follows:
- Negative Marking: ¼ mark will be deducted for each wrong answer in Objective Papers of both phase I and II.
- Language Options: All exams and interviews can be attempted in English or Hindi (except the English Language section).
- Shortlisting Ratios: For mains, candidates are shortlisted up to a 1:25 ratio based on preliminary Exam results, and for the Interview, up to a 1:3 ratio based on Mains results.
- Final Merit List: Prepared based on combined marks of mains (phase II) and Interview (phase IV) for RDBS/Legal, and Online Exam + Interview for P&SS.
What is the tie-breaking rule for the NABARD Grade A exam?
In case of a tie, candidates with higher marks in the mains examination are given preference. If the tie still persists, the candidate with a higher educational qualification or higher graduation marks is ranked higher. If a tie continues even after these criteria, the older candidate is placed higher in merit.
Attempt NABARD Grade A Previous Year Papers
NABARD Grade A Admit Card
"The NABARD Grade A interview is expected to be announced soon, and the hall ticket will be released shortly after the results are declared. Candidates are advised to keep an eye on this article for the latest updates on the NABARD Grade A admit card release.
NABARD Grade A Exam Centre List
The NABARD Grade A 2026 notification lists all exam centres for Phase 1 and Phase 2. When filling the application, candidates must pick one centre for each phase, which cannot be changed later. Centres are given on a first-come, first-served basis, so if a centre is full, another must be chosen. Phase 2 centre can be different from Phase 1. NABARD may change centres if needed. Exam dates and final centre details will be in the official notification and admit card.
NABARD Grade A prelims exam centre list
As per the previous year's notification PDF, the details of the exam centre list for the NABARD Grade A Prelims exam are as follows:
| State/UT | Exam Cities |
|---|
| Andaman & Nicobar | Port Blair |
| Andhra Pradesh | Srikakulam, Guntur/Vijayawada, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Vishakhapatnam, Tirupati, Kakinada, Vizianagaram |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Naharlagun |
| Assam | Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur |
| Bihar | Arrah, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh-Mohali |
| Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur, Durg-Bhilai, Raipur |
| Goa | Panaji |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Anand, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara |
| Haryana | Hisar, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Sonipat, Ambala |
| Himachal Pradesh | Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan, Mandi, Kangra |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Samba, Jammu, Srinagar |
| Jharkhand | Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ranchi |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru, Belgaum, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore, Shimoga, Udupi |
| Kerala | Alappuzha, Ernakulam/Kochi, Kannur, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam |
| Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain, Sagar, Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Satna |
| Maharashtra | Aurangabad, Amravati, Kolhapur, Mumbai/Navi Mumbai/Thane/MMR, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Chandrapur, Solapur, Dhule, Ratnagiri |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| Delhi | Delhi-NCR |
| Odisha | Balasore, Berhampur (Ganjam), Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Rourkela |
| Puducherry | Puducherry |
| Punjab | Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala |
| Rajasthan | Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur, Hanumangarh, Bharatpur |
| Sikkim | Gangtok-Bardang |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Erode, Virudhunagar |
| Telangana | Hyderabad/Secunderabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Mahbubnagar |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Uttar Pradesh | Agra, Aligarh, Prayagraj, Bareilly, Faizabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Varanasi |
| Uttarakhand | Roorkee, Dehradun, Haldwani |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Durgapur, Hooghly, Kalyani, Kolkata/Greater Kolkata, Siliguri |
Explore NABARD Grade A Courses
NABARD Grade A mains exam centre list
Candidates appearing for the mains exam must be aware of their allotted NABARD Grade A Mains exam centre well before the NABARD Grade A Exam Date. Centres are assigned based on the candidate's preference and availability, and complete details will be provided on the admit card.
| S.No. | City | S.No. | City |
|---|
| 1 | Ahmedabad / Gandhinagar | 12 | Lucknow |
| 2 | Bengaluru | 13 | Mumbai / Navi Mumbai / Thane / MMR |
| 3 | Bhopal | 14 | Delhi - NCR |
| 4 | Bhubaneswar | 15 | Patna |
| 5 | Chandigarh - Mohali | 16 | Pune |
| 6 | Chennai | 17 | Raipur |
| 7 | Guwahati | 18 | Ranchi |
| 8 | Hyderabad / Secunderabad | 19 | Shillong |
| 9 | Jaipur | 20 | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 10 | Jammu | 21 | Srinagar |
| 11 | Kolkata | - | - |
If you're preparing for the NABARD Grade A exam, it's essential to stay updated about the exam dates and your chosen centre. Knowing your exam location early can help you plan better.
Key Takeaways
Here's a Key Takeaway Table for the NABARD Grade A exam date 2026 are as follows:
| Key Points | Details |
|---|
| Application Start Date | TBA |
| Last Date to Apply | TBA |
| Application Mode | Online only via official NABARD website |
| Application Fee | ₹850 (General/OBC/EWS) ₹150 (SC/ST/PwBD) – non-refundable |
| Documents Required | Passport-size photo, scanned signature, left thumb impression, handwritten declaration, valid photo ID proof |
| Handwritten Declaration Format | Candidate must write in their own handwriting (text will be provided in notification) |
| Pre-Exam Training | Available for SC/ST/OBC candidates on request; application to be submitted separately before deadline |
| Phase 1 (Prelims) Exam Date | TBA |
| Phase 2 (Mains) Exam Date | TBA |
| Interview Date | TBA |
| Admit Card Release | 7–10 days before respective exam dates |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Number of Phases | - Phase 1 (Prelims)
- Phase 2 (Mains)
- Psychometric test and Interview
|
| Negative Marking | 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer in objective tests |
| Apply Online Link | Activated |
