NABARD Development Assistant Exam Pattern 2026
The full NABARD Development Assistant exam pattern for 2026 — 2 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Then take a free NABARD Development Assistant mock in the real pattern below.
Stage I — Preliminary Examination (qualifying, online objective)
- Mode
- Online computer-based test (CBT), conducted at IBPS-managed centres across India
- Sections
- Reasoning · English Language · Numerical Ability — 3 sections (standard clerical-tier prelims structure)
- Questions
- 100 multiple-choice questions split across sections: Reasoning 35, English 30, Numerical Ability 35
- Marks
- 100 marks (1 mark per question)
- Duration
- 60 minutes composite (some cycles use 20 minutes sectional timing — verify the notification)
- Negative marking
- 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer (0.25 marks per wrong question)
Stage I is qualifying only — marks do NOT carry forward to merit. Sectional and overall cutoffs apply. Approximately 20 times the vacancies are shortlisted from Stage I for Stage II. The DA Stage I paper is shorter than the Grade A Phase I paper (100 questions vs 200) and excludes ESI / ARD / Computer / GA / Decision Making — those sections appear in Stage II.
Stage II — Main Examination (merit-counting, online objective + descriptive)
- Mode
- Online — objective sections + descriptive English (on-screen typing)
- Sections
- Reasoning · English Language (objective + descriptive component) · Computer Knowledge · General Awareness · Quantitative Aptitude · Economic & Social Issues + Agriculture & Rural Development (combined section) — 6 sections in total
- Questions
- 200 multiple-choice objective questions across sections (indicative split: Reasoning 30, English objective 30, Computer Knowledge 40, GA 50, Quant 30, ESI+ARD 20) PLUS a descriptive English component (essay + letter writing) for 30-50 marks per the year's notification
- Marks
- 200 marks objective + 30-50 marks descriptive English = approximately 230-250 marks total Stage II
- Duration
- 120 minutes for objective + 30 minutes for descriptive English (indicative — verify the year's notification)
- Negative marking
- 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer for objective sections; not applicable to descriptive English
Stage II marks DO determine final merit. There is NO interview stage — final merit list is generated from Stage II scores alone. Descriptive English typically asks for one essay (200-300 words) and one letter (formal or informal) — both on rural development, banking, social or current-affairs themes. Final merit is calculated category-wise and state-wise per the notification's reservation matrix.
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