Sunday, November 6th, 2022, early morning. We were all tense, and anxiety was starting to set in. And we patiently awaited 1 o’clock. No, we are not referring to the World Cup match between India and Zimbabwe. We are referring to the NABARD Development Assistant (DA) exam 2022. The exam was administered on Sunday in two shifts. Considered as tough because of its higher cut-offs, it was held for a total of 177 vacancies.
For any competitive exam, the previous year questions and analysis is like oxygen, without which it is difficult to survive in the competition. We suggest you go through this blog carefully, if you’re someone who is preparing for NABARD or other regulatory bodies exam. If you’ve appeared for the NABARD Development Assistant Prelims exam 2022, analyze your performance and refer to the ‘What Next’ section given at the end.
NABARD Development Assistant Exam Pattern 2022
Before going any further, let’s have a quick look at the NABARD Development Assistant exam pattern. The 1 hour exam for a total of 100 marks, consists of English Language, Numerical Ability & Reasoning for 40, 30 and 30 marks respectively.
| SUBJECT | NO. OF QUESTIONS | MARKS | DURATION |
| English Language | 40 | 40 | |
| Numerical Ability | 30 | 30 | |
| Reasoning | 30 | 30 | |
| TOTAL | 100 | 100 | 60 Minutes |
Now, let us see in detail how the NABARD Development Assistant Phase 1 exam was.
NABARD Development Assistant 2022: Prelims Exam Analysis
English Language
The table below shows that the topics of Reading comprehension, Para jumble, Fillers carried the highest weightage in both the shifts. However, you cannot afford to miss other topics as significant questions have been asked on other topics as well. The overall difficulty level of this section is easy.
| SHIFT 1 | TOPIC | NO. OF QUESTIONS | DIFFICULTY LEVEL |
| Reading Comprehension | 10 | Easy | |
| Para jumble | 5 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Error Detection | 3-4 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Fillers | 5-6 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Word Replacement | 3-4 | Easy | |
| Phrase Replacement | 5-6 | Easy | |
| SHIFT 2 | |||
| Reading Comprehension | 10 | Easy | |
| Para jumble | 6 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Error Detection | 5 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Fillers | 5-6 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Match the column | 5 | Easy |
Numerical Ability
Around 20 questions from the Numerical Ability section have largely been asked from 3 topics viz. Data Interpretation, Simplification, and Number Series. The Miscellaneous part had questions from different arithmetic topics such as Time & Work, Boat & Stream, Age, Mensuration, Profit & Loss, Simple Interest, etc. Here, the difficulty level ranges from easy to moderate.
| SHIFT 1 | TOPIC | NO. OF QUESTIONS | DIFFICULTY LEVEL |
| Data Interpretation | 5-6 | Easy | |
| Simplification | 7-8 | Easy | |
| Series | 4-5 | Easy | |
| Miscellaneous (Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Boats, Age, Mensuration, Simple Interest etc.) | 8 | Moderate | |
| SHIFT 2 | |||
| Data Interpretation | 5 | Easy | |
| Simplification | 10 | Easy | |
| Series | 5 | Easy | |
| Miscellaneous (Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Boats, Age, Mensuration, Simple Interest etc.) | 10 | Moderate |
Reasoning
The Reasoning section had questions from different topics in both shifts. Syllogism was asked in the 1st shift but not in the 2nd, whereas Puzzle was asked in the 2nd shift and not in the 1st. Thus, it is crucial for you to prepare all the topics mentioned in the syllabus to get a good score here. The difficulty level remains easy.
| SHIFT 1 | TOPIC | NO. OF QUESTIONS | DIFFICULTY LEVEL |
| Coded Inequality | 3 | Easy | |
| Syllogism | 4-5 | Easy to Moderate | |
| Seating Arrangement | 4-5 | Easy | |
| Ranking | 3-4 | Easy | |
| Alphanumeric Series | 3-4 | Easy | |
| Coding Decoding | 5 | Easy | |
| Miscellaneous | 2-3 | Easy | |
| SHIFT 2 | |||
| Inequality | 4 | Easy | |
| Puzzle | 5 | Easy | |
| Seating Arrangement | 5 | Easy | |
| Blood Relations | 3 | Easy | |
| Number Series | 5 | Easy | |
| Word Letter Series | 5 | Easy | |
| Miscellaneous | 3 | Easy |
It should be noted that this exam is still primarily on the easier side in terms of difficulty level. This is also true of exams like RBI Assistant and Bank Clerk. The aim in this case is to correctly answer as many questions as you can within the allotted time. The cut-off is always on the higher side, so you cannot afford to make careless mistakes. To become accustomed to the difficulty of the exam, you must take NABARD Development Assistant Mock Tests.
Key Takeaways:
- Speed & Accuracy matters the most
- Comparatively easier questions
- No scope for silly mistakes
- Identify key topics
- Practice more and more and more…..
So, What Next?
The NABARD Development Assistant Mains exam is only about 45 days away. Those who have attempted more than 80 questions in the NABARD DA Prelims exam can start your preparation for Mains. Since the vacancies in many states are lower, the cut-off can not really be predicted. Keeping this uncertainty in mind, you must utilize this period wisely.
How to approach NABARD Development Assistant Mains?
NABARD DA is probably the only Non-officer banking exam that has a Descriptive section in Mains. Thus, writing practice becomes essential.
| SUBJECT | NO. OF QUESTIONS | MARKS |
| Reasoning | 30 | 30 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 |
| General Awareness (Agriculture, Rural Development, Banking) | 50 | 50 |
| Computer Knowledge | 40 | 40 |
| English Descriptive Test | Essay, Precis, Report/Letter | 50 |
| TOTAL | 200 |
As you can see from the table above, General Awareness & English Descriptive carry 50% weightage out of the 200 marks in NABARD DA Mains. Therefore, you need to start preparing for these subjects from today in order to get an advantage in the NABARD Development Assistant Mains. To ensure that you perform well in these two subjects, ixamBee has launched the NABARD Development Assistant GA & Descriptive English Online Course to help you with the same.
Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude:
You have already prepared for these 2 topics in the preliminary stage. You just need to revise and practice its questions on a daily basis till Mains.
General Awareness:
The General Awareness questions will be based on Agriculture, rural development, and the banking sector. You need to focus more on the current happenings related to these 3 topics. Mostly, the questions here are dynamic and less static.
For your General Awareness preparation, you can refer to our BeePedia weekly/monthly capsules to stay updated with all the current events. These capsules are available in Hindi as well.
English Descriptive:
Writing daily on all the 4 topics of Essay, Precis, Report & Letter Writing is the key here. The more you write, the more you’ll understand your mistakes. Remember it has 25% weightage in Mains.
Computer Awareness:
It is considered as a manageable topic if done in the proper manner by referring to previous year questions. You can start preparing for it once the preliminary results are declared.
Conclusion
The position of NABARD Development Assistant is a rewarding chance to join the NABARD organization. After that, in about 5 years, you’ll be promoted to a Grade A officer. It is a fantastic chance for recent graduates looking for work in the banking industry. Don’t miss this opportunity and start preparing for it now.
All the Best!!
To help you prepare 50% faster for competitive exams, ixamBee provides a free Mock Test Series and all the Current Affairs in English and Current Affairs in Hindi in the BeePedia capsules for GA Preparation. You can also get the latest updates for Bank PO, Bank Clerk, SSC, RBI Grade B, NABARD, and Other Government Jobs.
Also Read:
NABARD Grade A Prelims 2022 Exam Analysis
NABARD Grade A Mains 2022 Exam Exam Analysis