The recruitment exam for the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is highly competitive as it is attempted by thousands of aspirants every year. However, what follows after a grueling assessment is a job at a premier regulatory institution. In fact, the perks and remunerations offered at NABARD are at par with RBI.
NABARD released an official notification on July 16, 2021 for the recruitment of Grade A and Grade B officers. A total of 162 vacancies have been announced. In this article, we will talk about how we can effectively prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section of the syllabus.
NABARD Quantitative Aptitude Exam Pattern
Quantitative Aptitude is assessed in Phase 1 or the Preliminary paper of the NABARD exam, both for Grade A and Grade B. 20 questions for 20 marks will be assessed on Quant. Also, according to the NABARD Grade A/B Notification 2021, Quant will be part of the qualifying section of the exam along with Reasoning, Computer Knowledge, English and Decision Making.
Before you begin your preparation, you must make note of the following:
- As of 2021, the Prelims question paper has 8 sections.
- The total time given to candidates is 2 hours.
- In these 2 hours or 120 minutes, candidates have to attempt a total of 200 questions.
- There is no sectional timing for the NABARD Grade A examination.
- Candidates must ensure that they manage their time well. It is always advisable that the candidates first attempt the section(s) they feel most confident about.
| Name of Subject | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks |
| Reasoning | 20 | 20 |
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 |
| Decision Making | 10 | 10 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 |
| Economic & Social Issues (ESI) | 40 | 40 |
| Agriculture & Rural Development (ARD) | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude is an important section that is assessed in all Banking exams in India. It assesses the candidates ability to think logically and to analyze information. It also gauges the candidates’ ability to work with numbers. Take a look at the NABARD Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus before you begin your preparation.
Quantitative Aptitude Previous Years’ Analysis
Study the table given below to understand how many questions are generally asked from which topic.
| 2018- Shift 1 | 2018- Shift 2 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| DI | 6 | 5 | 6+4=10 | 6 |
| Data Sufficiency | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| Quadratic Equations | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Number Series | 3 | – | 5 | 3 |
| Average | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Age | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Partnership | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mensuration | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Time & Work | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Approximation | – | 4 | – | – |
| Quantity Based | – | 4 | – | – |
| Boat & Stream | – | 1 | – | – |
| Alligation | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SI/CI | – | – | – | 1 |
As we can see from the table above, not only are questions on DI assessed every year, but on average the highest number of questions are asked from it. You can expect 1 question each from a variety of Arithmetic Word Problems such as on Age, Time & Work, Mensuration, Boat & Stream and such. Although you should not neglect any topic altogether, you should plan your preparation strategy accordingly to dedicate due time to each topic.
Preparation Tips for Quantitative Aptitude
- Data Interpretation is an important topic that is assessed every year. Also a good number of questions are assessed from the same. This is why you must practice DI questions every day. If that is not feasible, you must practice it every alternate day.
- Memorize multiplication tables up to 20. Also memorize squares of numbers up to 40 and cubes up to 20.
- Learn the best tips to solve Quant questions for your NABARD Grade A 2021 exam. These will help you to calculate, multiply and add quickly to solve simplification questions swiftly and correctly.
- Questions for 6-7 marks can be expected from Simplification, Series and Quadratic Equations. So you must practice them as often as you can. While these topics are relatively easier, you should not neglect them in overconfidence.
- Arithmetic topics can be deal-makers or deal-breakers. These Arithmetic Word Problems allow candidates to overshoot their fellow aspirants by scoring well on the arithmetic questions. A mistake that candidates generally make is that they neglect Arithmetic chapters since very few questions are asked from here, per topic. However, if we look at it cumulatively, we see that questions on Arithmetic offer us the chance to score well if only our concepts are clear and we have practiced them well. When the competition is cut-throat, every mark matters.
- Also, the assessment level for arithmetic will be easy to moderate. So, candidates must touch upon all topics so that they can at least attempt it if an easy question is asked from one or more topics. Our previous years’ exam analysis tells us that the questions from arithmetic topics are very basic and easy to solve so long as your concepts are clear.
- As aforementioned, candidates are given a cumulative time of 120 minutes with no section-wise dedication. This is why your speed matters.
- Alternately, with speed, accuracy is key. This is why you have to work with a combination of speed and accuracy. The best way to achieve accuracy with speed is through practice.
- Practice is the only way to go for all the sections assessed in the NABARD Grade A Prelims. The more you practice, the more edge you will gain over other candidates. As a part of your practice, you should take some NABARD Grade A free mock tests. This will not only help you prepare for Quant but will also highlight your performance and preparation for all subjects.
- It is advisable that you attempt the questions on Quant and Reasoning at the end as they are the most difficult and require the most amount of time. Candidates must save time on the other sections to use that time to solve Quant and Reasoning questions. Ideally, you must complete 1 QA or Reasoning question within 1 minute.
- Since there is negative marking, no guesswork should be done while answering MCQ questions.
If you are preparing for the NABARD Grade A/B exam, we have got you covered. Our NABARD Grade A Online Course will equip you with all that you need for your preparation. Similarly, if you are preparing for any of the Specialist Officer posts, such as NABARD Grade A Legal or NABARD Grade A Finance, we’ve got you covered. ixamBee is your one stop solution for all competitive exam preparation. If you want to learn more about NABARD Grade A 2021, NABARD Grade B syllabus, NABARD Grade A/B salary and the like, you can find all the information at ixamBee.
Also read
NABARD Grade A 2021: Eligibility and Exam Pattern
NABARD Grade A Previous Years’ Papers
NABARD Grade A/B 2021: Decision Making Syllabus and Preparation
NABARD Grade A 2021 Official Notification Released! Major Changes in Eligibility & Exam Pattern
NABARD Grade B 2021 Official Notification Released! Major Changes in Eligibility & Exam Pattern