The PFRDA Grade A Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2026 have seen some important changes, especially in the General Stream Paper 2 syllabus. While the overall three-stage selection process remains the same, the General Paper 2 syllabus has expanded significantly with the addition of areas such as the PFRDA Act, 2013, Union Budget and Economic Survey, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Media, and Marketing & Communication.
At the same time, the number of questions in Phase 1 Paper 1 has increased from 80 to 90, while the exam duration remains 60 minutes. Candidates preparing for PFRDA Grade A 2026 should therefore understand both the revised exam pattern and the detailed syllabus before starting their preparation.
What is the PFRDA Grade A exam pattern?
The PFRDA Grade A exam pattern 2026 consists of three stages Phase 1 (Online Screening Examination), Phase 2 (Online Exam), and Phase III (Interview). Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 have 2 papers of 100 marks each. Phase 1 Paper 1 has 90 questions from English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and General Awareness, while Paper 2 has 50 stream-specific questions.
The Phase 2 consists of a descriptive English Paper 1 and a 50-question professional knowledge Paper 2. Phase 1 is only for shortlisting, while Phase 2 carries 85% and the Interview carries 15% weightage in the final selection.
What has been changed in the PFRDA Grade A exam pattern 2026?
The PFRDA Grade A exam pattern 2026 has been revised mainly in Phase 1 Paper 1 and the stream structure. The number of questions in Paper 1 has increased from 80 to 90, with Reasoning now having 30 questions instead of 20, while the total marks and duration remain unchanged.
What is the PFRDA Grade A officer syllabus?
The PFRDA Grade A syllabus covers common subjects in Phase I and stream-specific subjects in Paper 2. Phase 1 Paper 1 includes English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and General Awareness. Paper 2 focuses on professional knowledge related to the selected stream. Phase 2 includes Descriptive English and Professional Knowledge, followed by the Interview in Phase 3.
| Phase | Paper | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | Paper 1 | English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, General Awareness |
| Phase I | Paper 2 | Stream-specific Professional Knowledge |
| Phase II | Paper 1 | Descriptive English |
| Phase II | Paper 2 | Stream-specific Professional Knowledge |
| Phase III | Interview | Knowledge, skills and communication |
What is the PFRDA Grade A selection process 2026?
The PFRDA Grade A 2026 selection process consists of 3 stages Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 Interview. Phase 1 is a screening examination and is used only to shortlist candidates for Phase 2. Phase 2 is the main online examination, while the final stage is the Interview. The final selection is based on the marks obtained in Phase 2 and the Interview.
| Stage | Examination | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | Online Screening Examination | Shortlisting for Phase II |
| Phase II | Online Examination | Shortlisting for Interview |
| Phase III | Interview | Final selection |
When will the PFRDA Grade A Phase 1 and Phase 2 exams be conducted?
The PFRDA Grade A 2026 exam dates have been released along the PFRDA Grade A Notification PDF. Phase 1 will be conducted on 15 October 2026, while Phase 2 will be held on 20 November 2026. Candidates shortlisted for Phase 2 will receive a separate call letter.
| Examination | Date | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 15 October 2026 | Online |
| Phase 2 | 20 November 2026 | Online |
| Interview | To be announced | Hindi/English |
What is the PFRDA Grade A Phase 1 exam pattern?
Phase I is an online Screening Examination consisting of two papers. Paper 1 is common to all streams, while Paper 2 tests the stream-specific syllabus. Both papers carry 100 marks.
What is the PFRDA Grade A Phase 1 Paper 1 pattern?
Phase I Paper 1 is common to all streams and contains questions from English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Test of Reasoning and General Awareness. In 2026, the total number of questions has increased from 80 to 90, while the duration remains 60 minutes. The entire increase comes from the Reasoning section, which now contains 30 questions instead of 20.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 20 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 25 |
| Test of Reasoning | 30 | 25 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 25 |
| Total | 90 | 100 |
The paper carries ¼ negative marking for every incorrect answer. Candidates have to meet both the paper-wise and aggregate cutoffs. The aggregate cutoff is decided by PFRDA based on the number of vacancies and candidate performance.
What has changed in PFRDA Grade A Phase 1 Paper 1 in 2026?
The most noticeable change in Phase 1 Paper 1 is the increase in the number of questions. Candidates will now have to attempt 90 questions in 60 minutes, compared with 80 questions in the previous pattern.
| Particular | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 20 questions | 20 questions |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 questions | 20 questions |
| Reasoning | 20 questions | 30 questions |
| General Awareness | 20 questions | 20 questions |
| Total | 80 questions | 90 questions |
What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 1 paper 2 exam pattern?
Paper 2 is stream-specific and focuses on professional knowledge in your chosen stream. This paper evaluates your understanding of specialized subjects related to your career domain.
| Streams / Subject | Maximum Marks | No. of Questions |
| General Stream: MCQs on subjects Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics, and Pension Sector | 100 | 50 |
| Specialized Streams: MCQs on subjects related to Research, Actuary and Official Language (Rajbhasha) | 100 | 50 |
What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 2 exam pattern?
In the PFRDA Grade A Phase 2 exam, negative marking of 1/4th marks applies only to Paper 2 for wrong answers. Paper 1 (descriptive English) is evaluated only for candidates who qualify in Paper 2. This ensures that only those with good stream knowledge are assessed for their writing skills.
| Papers | Streams/ Subject | Maximum Marks | No. of Questions | Duration |
| Paper 1 | All Streams: English (Descriptive Test) to test the drafting skills {Precis/Essay/Comprehension} | 100 | 3 | 60 minutes |
| Paper 2 | General Stream: MCQs on subjects Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics and Pension Sector. | 100 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Paper 2 | MCQs on Specialised subjects related to stream: Information Technology, Finance and Accounts Research (Economics), Legal and Official Language (Rajbhasha) | 100 | 50 | 40 minutes |
Has the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 exam pattern changed in 2026?
No. The major change is in the syllabus, not the basic Paper 2 examination structure. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 Paper 2 continue to have 50 questions, 100 marks and 40 minutes.
This makes the syllabus expansion important because candidates now have more areas to prepare without receiving additional questions or examination time.
What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 3 exam pattern?
Phase 3 of the PFRDA Grade A exam is the Interview round. Candidates who clear Phase 2 are shortlisted for this stage, where their communication skills, subject knowledge, and suitability for the role are evaluated. The interview can be conducted in Hindi or English as per the candidate’s choice.
- Weightage: Phase 2 marks contribute 85% to the final selection, while the interview carries 15% weightage.
- Focus Areas: Domain knowledge, understanding of the pension and financial sector, analytical thinking, and clarity of expression.
- Objective: To evaluate the candidate’s personality, problem-solving approach, and readiness for the professional role.
The interview is the final stage of the selection process and plays an important role in determining the candidate’s overall score for final selection.
Free practice quiz for PFRDA Grade A exam exam
PFRDA Grade A preparation becomes easier with regular quizzes and downloadable PDFs. These resources help in revising pension regulation, MSME finance, and important banking concepts in a structured manner.
| Exam | Practice Quiz Link |
| PFRDA Grade A Practice Quiz | Download Now |
What are the topics covered under PFRDA Grade A syllabus?
For the professional knowledge, the stream wise syllabus is common for both phases. Similarly, the syllabus for Paper 1 of Phase 1 is common for all streams. Check out the detailed syllabus below:
What is the PFRDA Grade A syllabus for the English section?
Check out the PFRDA Grade A English Syllabus below:
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Cloze test
- Fillers
- Sentence rearrangement
- Error detection
- Phrase replacement
- Sentence improvement
What is the PFRDA Grade A syllabus for the Reasoning section?
Check out the PFRDA Grade A Reasoning Syllabus below:
- Blood Relation
- Puzzles
- Seating Arrangement
- Direction & distance
- Input output
- Coding decoding
- Syllogism
- Alphanumeric series
- Inequality
What is the syllabus for the Quantitative Aptitude section?
Check out the PFRDA Grade A Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus below:
- Data Interpretation (Bar Graph, Line Chart, Tabular, Caselet, Radar/Web, Pie Chart)
- Inequalities (Quadratic Equations)
- Number Series
- Approximation and Simplification
- Data Sufficiency
- Miscellaneous – Arithmetic Problems (HCF and LCM, Profit and Loss, SI & CI, Problem on Ages, Work and Time, Speed Distance and Time, Probability, Mensuration, Permutation and Combination, Average, Ratio and Proportion, Partnership, Problems on Boats and Stream, Problems on Trains, Mixture and Allegation, Pipes and Cisterns.
What is the PFRDA Grade A syllabus for General Awareness section?
Check out the PFRDA Grade A General Awareness Syllabus below:
- Current affairs
- Questions related to Finance Sector
- Awards & honours
- Summits & conferences
- Index
- Economic affairs
What is the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 syllabus for General Stream?
The General Stream Paper 2 syllabus is common to both Phase I and Phase II. It covers a wide range of subjects related to commerce, finance, economics, management, pension and other areas mentioned in the official syllabus.
| Section | Major Topics |
|---|---|
| A: PFRDA Act | PFRDA Act, 2013 and amendments |
| B: Union Budget & Economic Survey | Budget concepts, approach, broad trends and Economic Survey |
| C: Commerce & Accountancy | Accounting system, Accounting Standards, depreciation, inventories, revenue recognition, fixed assets, foreign exchange transactions, investments, cash flow, fund flow, financial statement analysis, ratio analysis, share capital, bonus shares, rights shares, ESOP, buy-back and company final accounts |
| D: Management | Nature and scope of management, management processes, planning, organisation, staffing, directing, controlling, leadership, HRD, motivation, morale, incentives and communication |
| E: Finance | Financial system, regulatory bodies, financial markets, derivatives, financial inclusion, alternate sources of finance, PPP, taxation, GST, Finance Commission, fiscal policy, FRBM and inflation |
| F: Costing | Cost and management accounting, methods of costing, standard costing, marginal costing, budgeting, JIT, Kaizen, 5S, TPM, Six Sigma and BPR |
| G: Companies Act | Companies Act, 2013: Chapters III, IV, VIII, X, XI, XII and XXVII |
| H: Economics | Demand and supply, market structures, national income, classical and Keynesian approaches, consumption, investment, multiplier, accelerator, money, IS-LM, inflation, Phillips Curve, business cycles, BoP, forex, monetary and fiscal policy, NBFCs |
| I: Pension Sector | Pension sector in India, retirement schemes, NPS, Atal Pension Yojana, annuity plans and basics of investment |
| J: Artificial Intelligence/ML | Machine Learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, data preprocessing, model evaluation, NLP, sentiment analysis, overfitting, underfitting, LLMs, Agentic AI, Responsible AI, cross-validation and reinforcement learning |
| K: Media | Micro-targeting, consumer behaviour, media convergence, VR/AR, digital divide, audience reception, cultural representation, digital entertainment platforms, social media algorithms, market trends, global practices and negotiation skills |
| L: Marketing & Communication | Marketing management, marketing research, marketing planning and strategies, marketing types, product management, pricing, distribution, promotion mix, sales, brand management, digital marketing, financial literacy, active listening, body language, verbal clarity, written etiquette, conflict resolution, feedback, public speaking, emotional intelligence, verbal tone and pitch |
What are the major changes in the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 syllabus of General Stream?
The PFRDA Grade A General Stream Paper 2 syllabus has been significantly expanded in 2026. While the earlier syllabus covered seven major areas Commerce & Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics, and Pension Sector the revised syllabus adds five new areas: PFRDA Act, 2013 & amendments, Union Budget & Economic Survey, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Media, and Marketing & Communication. The existing seven subjects continue to remain part of the syllabus, so candidates preparing from the previous syllabus can retain their preparation while adding these new areas.
What is the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 syllabus for the Research Stream?
The Research Stream syllabus focuses on Probability, Statistics, Statistical Inference, Economics and related quantitative areas. The syllabus is common to both Phase 1 and Phase 2.
- Probability Theory
- Descriptive Statistics
- Probability Distributions
- Statistical Inference
- Sampling Techniques
- Testing of Hypothesis
- Economic Statistics
- Time Series Analysis
- Operations Research
- Statistical Quality Control
- Statistical Computing
Candidates should build strong conceptual understanding and practise numerical problems regularly because the stream requires both theoretical and quantitative knowledge.
What is the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 syllabus for the Official Language stream?
The PFRDA Grade A Official Language (Rajbhasha) syllabus covers questions related to the Government of India’s Official Language Policy, translation, legal terminology, and important pension, administrative, banking, capital market, economics, and social security terminology.
- अंग्रेजी से हिन्दी – पेंशन / प्रशासनिक / बैंकिंग / पूंजी बाजार / अर्थशास्त्र / सामाजिक सुरक्षा शब्दावली (Pension / Administrative / Banking / Capital Market / Economics / Social Security Terminology)
- भारत सरकार की राजभाषा नीति (Official Language Policy of the Govt. of India) से संबंधित प्रश्न
- हिन्दी से अंग्रेजी अनुवाद [शब्द / वाक्यांश / वाक्य / Terms / Phrases / Sentences]
- अंग्रेजी से हिन्दी अनुवाद [शब्द / वाक्यांश / वाक्य / Terms / Phrases / Sentences]
- हिन्दी से अंग्रेजी – विधिक शब्दावली (Legal Terminology)
- अंग्रेजी से हिन्दी – विधिक शब्दावली (Legal Terminology)
- हिन्दी से अंग्रेजी – पेंशन / प्रशासनिक / बैंकिंग / पूंजी बाजार / अर्थशास्त्र / सामाजिक सुरक्षा शब्दावली (Pension / Administrative / Banking / Capital Market / Economics / Social Security Terminology)
What is the PFRDA Grade A Paper 2 syllabus for the Actuarial Stream?
The Actuarial Stream syllabus is divided into two broad parts Insurance and Management.
| Part | Syllabus |
| Part 1: Insurance | • History of Indian Insurance • Principles of Insurance • Risk and Uncertainty • Pooling and Diversification of Risk • Indemnity • Insurable Interest • Legal Foundations of Insurance • Group Insurance • Health Insurance • Pensions • Role of Intermediation in Mobilising Savings • Evolution of Insurance Types • Bancassurance in India • Product Design • Pricing • Distribution • Underwriting • Claims • Investment • Reinsurance • Superannuation Funds • Life Insurance • Annuities • Health Insurance • Liability Risks and Insurance • Valuation and Solvency Requirements • Specialist Insurance Lines • Reinsurance and GIC of India • Compulsory/Reinsurance Sessions and Retention of Risk within India |
| Part 2: Management | • Nature and Scope of Management • Planning • Organisation • Staffing • Directing • Controlling • Role of a Manager • Leadership • Leadership Styles • Leadership Theories • Human Resource Development • Career Planning • Training and Development • Performance Appraisal • Potential Appraisal • Feedback and Performance Counselling • Rewards • Employee Welfare • Motivation • Morale • Incentives • Communication • Communication Channels • Verbal and Non-verbal Communication • Upward, Downward and Lateral Communication • Barriers to Communication • Role of Information Technology • Corporate Governance |
FAQs
Paper 1 has 90 questions for 100 marks to be completed in 60 minutes.
Paper 1 covers English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and General Awareness.
The General Stream syllabus now includes PFRDA Act, Union Budget and Economic Survey, AI/ML, Media, and Marketing & Communication along with the earlier core subjects.
Yes, one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for an incorrect answer in objective papers.
The four streams are General, Research, Actuary, and Official Language (Rajbhasha).
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