Table of Contents
The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) recently rolled out over 160 vacancies for Assistant Manager in Grade ‘A’ to invite prospective candidates to apply for the job. NABARD is an all-India Apex Organisation and one of the most sought-after organisations to work in India. According to the official notification for the NABARD Grade A Mains Exam, the exam is scheduled for November 16, 2021.
So, we are sharing a few strategies to help you prepare for the NABARD Grade A Mains 2021 exam. If you are planning to appear for the NABARD Grade A-mains, this article will help you guide through helpful tips and books to prepare for the descriptive paper. You can also join BYJU’s Exam Prep for thorough preparation and help from the experts.
Candidates who successfully qualified for the NABARD Grade A Prelims held on September 18, 2021, must now brace themselves for a descriptive type paper for the Mains.
NABARD Grade A Mains Exam
The NABARD Grade A Mains Exam will consist of two phases:
Paper 1 – Descriptive English
Paper 2 – Agriculture & Rural Development and Economic & Social Issues (Objective and Descriptive)
Tips to Prepare for the NABARD Grade A Mains Exam
Below are a few tips and strategies to help you prepare for both the sections of the Grade A Mains exam:
1. SWOT Analysis
A solid strategy to begin preparation for the NABARD exam is to conduct a SWOT or strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis. A thorough understanding of the syllabus, in the beginning, will help you analyse your strengths and weaknesses.
2. Create a timetable
Since the exam syllabus is so vast, a realistic timetable will help you chart your preparation strategy. One of the best tips is allocating more time to complex topics and working on them at once. A reasonable timetable should also have a few hours to solve previous year papers and revise old subjects.
3. Descriptive English
It is essential to improve your reading and writing skills in the English language to score high marks in the first phase of the Mains Exam. One of the critical ways to proceed is cultivating reading habits like going through newspapers and magazines daily.
More specifically, you must practice essay writing by dividing it into 3-4 sections to shape your essay comprehensively. Reading articles on current affairs, social and political issues can significantly benefit in writing essays.
The exam will also require the candidate to write a precis, a summary of any given passage. Besides practising precis writing, candidates should also practise answering questions to unseen comprehension passages and letter writing.
A crucial strategy to score well in the Descriptive English exam is to practice typing on a keyboard to get a good practice of keyboard typing.
4. Agriculture & Rural Development
A thorough knowledge about ‘Dynamic Agriculture,’ banking policies, social issues, and economic policies is crucial to attempt descriptive questions in the Grade A Mains Exam successfully. While this section contains both objective and descriptive questions, reading about agriculture and rural development will add substance and depth to the answer.
5. Data and Examples
The best method to support your answer is by providing adequate and appropriate data and examples over descriptions. This strategy will help you offer freshness to your responses while giving them a strengthened base to support your argument.
6. Writing and Typing Habits
The score of a descriptive exam also relies on a candidate’s writing skills. Therefore, you must improve your grammar, sentence formation, and comprehension skills. Since the exam will be conducted online, you must familiarise yourself with the keyboard and spot errors on the screen at a glance.
7. Mock tests
The availability of the previous years’ question papers is one of the most significant advantages for the candidates. Time yourself daily to write a NABARD mock test at BYJU’s Exam Prep to get the hang of appearing for the exam and test your knowledge.
8. Revise regularly
While learning new topics is essential, it is also crucial to keep revising the previously known subjects. It is the key to retaining knowledge and a step that must not be skipped.
Books to Prepare for the Descriptive Paper
Below are some of the books that candidates can refer to while preparing for the descriptive Grade A Mains Exam:
| Topics | Books |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Arun Sharma and MeenakshiUpadhyay |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| Agriculture at a Glance | R K Sharma and S K Bhoi |
| Fundamental of Agriculture Volume 2 | ArunKatyan |
| A Competitive Book of Agriculture | Nem Raj Sunda |
| Rural Development: Indian Context | GPH Panel of Experts |
Conclusion
NABARD Grade-A Exam opens the doors to one of the most respected job opportunities in India that offer a chance to work in a congenial environment. While the competition is tough and a considerable number of candidates apply for the position, a thorough preparation strategy can help you achieve your goal.
