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PFRDA Grade A Study Plan 2026, Check 3 Month Study Schedule

Updated on Mar 09, 2026 21:30 IST

Table of Content +

The journey to crack the PFRDA Grade A 2026 exam can feel overwhelming, especially with a vast syllabus and limited preparation time. But with the right approach, a clear study plan, and consistent effort, success is absolutely achievable. This guide provides a detailed 3-month roadmap to help you prepare efficiently, balance all subjects, and maximize your score.

 

What is the PFRDA Grade A exam pattern?

 

The PFRDA Grade A exam has three phases: Phase I (online test), Phase II (online test), and Phase III (interview). Phase I checks your basic skills like English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and General Awareness. Phase II focuses on professional knowledge in your chosen stream, and Phase III is the personal interview.

What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 1 paper 1 exam pattern?

 

Paper 1 is common for all streams and tests your basic knowledge and skills required for a career in the pension and financial sector. You get 60 minutes to answer all questions. Each section carries 25 marks.

SectionMarksQuestions
English Language2520
Quantitative Aptitude2520
Reasoning2520
General Awareness (including financial sector)2520
Total10080

What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 1 and paper 2 exam pattern?

 

Paper 2 is stream-specific and tests your professional knowledge. Each stream has 50 questions carrying 100 marks.

StreamMarksQuestions
General: Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics, Pension Sector10050
Specialized: IT, Finance & Accounts, Research (Economics), Legal, Official Language (Rajbhasha)10050

What is the PFRDA Grade A phase 2 exam pattern?

 

Phase II has two papers. Paper 2 (MCQs) has negative marking of 1/4 for wrong answers. Paper 1 (English descriptive) is evaluated only if you qualify Paper 2. This ensures that candidates with strong subject knowledge are assessed for writing and drafting skills.

PaperStream/SubjectMarksQuestionsDuration
Paper 1All Streams: English (Precis, Essay, Comprehension)100360 min
Paper 2General: Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Companies Act, Economics, Pension Sector1005040 min
Paper 2Specialized: IT, Finance & Accounts, Research (Economics), Legal, Official Language (Rajbhasha)1005040 min

 

Attempt Free PFRDA Grade A Mock Test 2026

 

What is the syllabus for the PFRDA Grade A exam?

 

The syllabus for Phase 1 is common for all streams, while Phase 2 is stream-specific. Here's a concise breakdown:

Phase 1 Syllabus:

SectionTopics
EnglishReading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Cloze Test, Fillers, Sentence Rearrangement, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Sentence Improvement
ReasoningBlood Relation, Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Direction & Distance, Input Output, Coding-Decoding, Syllogism, Alphanumeric Series, Inequality
Quantitative AptitudeData Interpretation (Bar, Line, Pie, Radar/Web, Caselet, Tabular), Number Series, Approximation & Simplification, Data Sufficiency, Arithmetic Problems (Profit & Loss, SI & CI, Ratio & Proportion, Work & Time, Speed & Distance, Probability, Permutation & Combination, Mensuration, Boats & Streams, Pipes & Cisterns, Mixture & Allegation, Averages)
General AwarenessCurrent Affairs, Finance Sector, Awards & Honours, Summits & Conferences, Indexes, Economic Affairs

Phase 2 Stream-wise Syllabus (Professional Knowledge):

StreamTopics
General (Commerce & Management & Finance)Accounting Standards, Fund & Financial Statement Analysis, Management & HR, Leadership, Motivation, Communication, Financial Markets, Derivatives, Costing Methods, Lean Systems, Companies Act 2013, Economics, Pension Sector (NPS, APY, Annuities)
Information TechnologyDatabase Concepts, SQL, Programming (Java/C/C++), Python/R Analytics, Algorithms, Networking, Cyber Security, Data Warehousing, Shell Programming
Research (Economics)Micro & Macro Economics, National Income, Inflation, Business Cycles, Balance of Payments, Statistics & Econometrics, Financial Markets & Institutions
LegalPFRDA Act, SEBI & IRDAI Acts, Constitution, Contracts, Criminal & Civil Law, Evidence, Torts, Arbitration, Corporate Law, Taxation
Finance & AccountsFinancial Statements, Ratio Analysis, Cost & Management Accounting, Corporate Accounting, Business Law, Income Tax, GST, Financial System & Markets, Derivatives, Inflation
Official Language (Rajbhasha)Translation (Hindi ↔ English), Legal Terminology, Pension & Administrative Vocabulary

 

How should you plan your 3-month preparation for PFRDA Grade A 2026?

 

A 3-month preparation plan balances Phase 1 and Phase 2 topics while including revision, practice, and mock tests. Here's a week-wise plan:

WeekPhase 1 TopicsPaper 2 Stream-wise Topics
Week 1Reasoning: Puzzles & Seating Arrangement, Syllogism
Quant: Number Series, Simplification & Approximation
English: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test
GA: Current Affairs (National & International), Banking, Economy
Decision Making: Interpreting Information
Computer Knowledge: Input–Output Devices, Networking
General: Accounting as a financial information system, Accounting Standards (Depreciation, Inventories, Revenue Recognition)
IT: Database Concepts – ER Model, Relational Model, Relational Algebra
Research (Economics): Demand & Supply, Market Structures, National Income Concepts
Legal: PFRDA Act 2013, Constitution of India – Preamble, Part I & III
Finance & Accounts: Basic Financial Statements, Trial Balance
Official Language: Official Language Policy, Hindi↔English translation
Week 2Reasoning: Data Sufficiency, Statement-Based Questions
Quant: Arithmetic – HCF, LCM, Percentages, Profit & Loss
English: Sentence Improvement, Spotting Errors
GA: Government Schemes, Science & Technology
Decision Making: Recognizing Assumptions
Computer Knowledge: DBMS, MS Office basics
General: Cash Flow & Fund Flow Statements, Financial Statement Analysis, Ratio Analysis
IT: SQL Queries – Select, View, Update, Joins, Aggregate Functions
Research (Economics): Consumption & Investment Functions, Multiplier & Accelerator, Demand & Supply for Money
Legal: Part III, Part IV of Constitution, Law of Contracts (Indian Contract Act Chapters I–VI)
Finance & Accounts: Income Statement, Break Even Analysis, IND AS
Official Language: Legal Terminology Hindi↔English
Week 3Reasoning: Inequalities, Coding-Decoding, Direction & Distance
Quant: Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Ratio & Proportion, Average
English: Filler, Phrase Replacement
GA: Awards & Honours, Summits & Conferences, Indices
Decision Making: Recognizing Inferences
Computer Knowledge: Networking – TCP/IP, LAN, OSI model
General: Accounting for Share Capital Transactions, Bonus & Right Shares, Employee Stock Options, Buy-Back of Securities
IT: Programming Concepts (Java/C/C++): Loops, Functions, Scope, Recursion, OOPS Basics
Research (Economics): IS–LM Model, Inflation & Phillips Curve, Business Cycles
Legal: Indian Partnership Act, Specific Relief Act, Criminal Law – IPC Chapters I–VI
Finance & Accounts: Cost Accounting Basics, Marginal Costing, Cost Sheet
Official Language: Pension & Banking Vocabulary Hindi↔English
Week 4Reasoning: Alphanumeric Series, Blood Relations, Syllogism Practice Sets
Quant: Work & Time, Pipes & Cisterns, Mixture & Allegation
English: Sentence Rearrangement, Cloze Test Practice
GA: Economic Affairs, Budget, Finance Commission
Decision Making: Decision Trees, Interpreting Information
Computer Knowledge: File Organization, Indexing (B/B+ Trees)
General: Preparation & Presentation of Company Final Accounts
IT: Programming: Classes, Objects, Constructors, Exception Handling
Research (Economics): Balance of Payments, Foreign Exchange Markets, Monetary & Fiscal Policy
Legal: Criminal Law – IPC Chapters IX, XVII–XXIII; Code of Criminal Procedure
Finance & Accounts: Forecasting, Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis, Management Accounting – Cost of Capital
Official Language: Administrative & Banking Terminology Hindi↔English
Week 5Reasoning: Puzzle & Seating Arrangement – Mixed Sets, Advanced Syllogism
Quant: Speed, Distance, Time, Boats & Streams, Trains
English: Error Detection, Sentence Improvement
GA: Recent Developments in Financial Sector, RBI Policies
Decision Making: Problem Solving Scenarios
Computer Knowledge: Transactions & Concurrency Control
General: Management: Nature & Scope, Management Processes, Planning, Organization, Staffing, Directing & Controlling
IT: Data Analytics Languages – Python/R: Regex, Lists, Dataframes, File Management
Research (Economics): Public Goods, Tax & Non-Tax Revenue, Fiscal Balance
Legal: Law of Evidence, Code of Civil Procedure (Parts I–V)
Finance & Accounts: Corporate Accounting, Business Law Basics, Sources of Finance
Official Language: Translation Practice: Legal & Pension Terms
Week 6Reasoning: Input-Output, Direction & Distance Advanced
Quant: Permutation & Combination, Probability, Mensuration
English: Vocabulary, Phrase Replacement
GA: Financial Inclusion, Alternate Finance Sources, Social Security Updates
Decision Making: Analytical Reasoning
Computer Knowledge: Shell Programming Basics, UNIX Commands
General: Leadership Styles, Human Resource Development, Motivation & Morale, Communication
IT: Data Mining, Charts & Graphs, Import/Export Data, Classes & Functions
Research (Economics): Public Debt, Budgeting, Foreign Trade & Balance of Payments
Legal: Administrative Law & Principles of Natural Justice, Jurisprudence
Finance & Accounts: Standard on Auditing, Management Accounting – Capital Structure & Budgeting
Official Language: Official Documents Translation, Pension/Administrative Terms
Week 7Reasoning: Syllogism Mixed Sets, Puzzle Revision
Quant: Mixture, Allegation, Ratio & Proportion, Average – Practice
English: Cloze Test & Reading Comprehension – Revision
GA: RBI & SEBI Updates, Stock Exchanges, Commodity Market
Decision Making: Case Studies
Computer Knowledge: Indexing, Transactions Practice
General: Accounting for Investments, Financial Analysis using Ratios
IT: Algorithms for Problem Solving – Sorting, Searching, Tree & Graph Traversals, Shortest Paths, Hashing
Research (Economics): Money, Credit & Capital Markets, Mutual Funds, Pension & Insurance Markets
Legal: Law of Torts, Consumer Protection Act, Arbitration & Conciliation Act
Finance & Accounts: GST, Income Tax Act Basics, Compliance of KYC Norms
Official Language: Hindi↔English Translation Practice
Week 8Reasoning: Advanced Puzzles & Seating Arrangement, Mixed Sets
Quant: Quadratic Equations, Data Sufficiency, Approximation
English: Sentence Rearrangement, Error Detection Practice
GA: Inflation – CPI, WPI Trends, Fiscal Policy Updates
Decision Making: Recognizing Assumptions & Inferences
Computer Knowledge: Shell Scripting, Loops, If Statement
General: Leadership Tasks, Effective vs Successful Leader, Incentive Systems
IT: Programming Advanced: Parameter Passing, Functional & Logic Programming, Inheritance, Exception Handling
Research (Economics): Economic Reforms, Globalization, Monetary Policy Updates
Legal: Transfer of Property Act – Chapters III–V, Law of Trusts – Parties & Duties
Finance & Accounts: Capital Budgeting, Cost Accounting Advanced Topics
Official Language: Advanced Vocabulary Practice
Week 9Reasoning: Mixed Sets – Full Syllabus Practice
Quant: Data Interpretation – Bar, Line, Pie, Tabular, Caselet
English: Mixed Practice – Reading Comprehension + Cloze + Grammar
GA: Summits, Awards, Finance & Banking Updates
Decision Making: Analytical Case Studies
Computer Knowledge: Networking Protocols, TCP/UDP, Application Layer
General: Human Resource & Communication – Barriers, Channels, IT Role in Communication
IT: Data Cleaning, Transformation, Data Loading, Data Warehousing Concepts
Research (Economics): Statistical Inferences, Hypothesis Testing, Regression & Panel Data Analysis
Legal: Corporate Law – Companies Act Chapters I–XVI, XXVII–XXIX
Finance & Accounts: Corporate Accounting Revision, Management Accounting Applications
Official Language: Pension & Banking Terminology Practice
Week 10Reasoning: Revision – Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Blood Relations, Inequalities
Quant: Revision – Arithmetic, Geometry, Mensuration, Probability
English: Revision – Grammar, Vocabulary, Sentence Improvement
GA: Revision – Economy, Banking, Current Affairs
Decision Making: Practice Cases
Computer Knowledge: Revision – DBMS, Networking, Shell Scripting
General: Revision – Accounting, Management, Finance Concepts
IT: Revision – SQL, Algorithms, Python/R Analytics, Programming Concepts
Research (Economics): Revision – Economic Policies, Markets, Fiscal & Monetary Policy
Legal: Revision – All Key Acts & Statutes
Finance & Accounts: Revision – Accounting, Auditing, Costing, GST, IT
Official Language: Revision – All Hindi↔English Vocabulary & Translation
Week 11Phase 1 Full Syllabus Mock Tests: 1–2 Tests Daily, Analyze & Revise Weak AreasPaper 2 Stream-wise Revision: Focus on Weak Topics & MCQs Practice
Week 12Phase 1 Full Syllabus Mock Tests: 2–3 Tests Daily, Time Management PracticePaper 2 Stream-wise Mock Tests: 1–2 Tests Daily, Solve Previous Year Questions
Week 13Final Revision: Quick Notes, Shortcut Formulas, GA Current Affairs Last Updates, English & Reasoning Quick TricksPaper 2 Final Revision: Stream-wise Key Concepts, Important Acts, IT & Finance Concepts, Pension Sector Updates

 

Explore PFRDA Grade A Online Coaching Classes

 

What common mistakes should you avoid during PFRDA Grade A preparation?

 

Avoiding common mistakes can greatly improve your chances of success in the PFRDA Grade A exam. Many aspirants unknowingly lose marks or waste time because of small errors in planning, practice, or revision. Being aware of these pitfalls and taking corrective steps can help you prepare efficiently and perform confidently on exam day.

  • Ignoring Current Affairs and Financial Awareness: Daily updates on national and international news, banking, and pension sector developments are important. Don't rely only on monthly summaries; start early and stay consistent.
  • Over-focusing on Strong Areas: While it's tempting to spend time on topics you enjoy, neglecting weaker subjects can reduce your overall score. Balance your preparation across all sections.
  • Skipping Regular Revision: Without revisiting topics, it's easy to forget what you've studied. Set weekly revision goals to reinforce your learning.
  • Neglecting Mock Test Analysis: Mock tests are useful only if you review mistakes. Track errors, time management, and weak areas to improve your performance.
  • Procrastinating Descriptive Paper Practice: Start practicing Phase 2 descriptive writing early. Focus on structured answers, clarity, and time management.
  • Ignoring the Exam Pattern and Syllabus: Understanding the full syllabus and exam pattern prevents last-minute surprises and ensures focused preparation.
  • Unrealistic Scheduling: Overambitious plans can lead to stress and burnout. Make a realistic timetable, allow flexibility, and include buffer days.

About the Author

Aditi Chakraborty Content Writer

Hi, I’m Aditi, a creative writer at Oliveboard and the voice behind the content you see here. I focus on making JAIIB, CAIIB, and UGC NET exam topics simple and easy to understand. My aim is to share helpful tips and clear guidance that can make your preparation less stressful and more effective. I am here to help you through the exam journey so you can feel confident and ready to take on the challenge. My focus is to support all aspirants by creating content that’s friendly, trustworthy, and designed to help you succeed with confidence.

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