NABARD Office Attendant Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Online Test

• 90 minutes in total for all four tests, which you split yourself.
• A quarter mark off for each wrong answer.
• Set in English and Hindi, except the English test.
• Cut-offs may apply to each test and to the total, so you can clear the total and still fail on one test.

Language Proficiency Test

Taken only by those provisionally selected or wait-listed from the online test, whose roll numbers go up on NABARD's website. It's held at the NABARD office, in the official language of the state (as listed in the advertisement's annexure), and checks that you can read, write, speak and understand it. Qualifying only, mandatory, no exemptions.

An Information Handout with more detail is downloaded with the call letter.

NABARD publishes the four tests but no topic list. The qualification is class 10, so the paper is pitched there. Expect:

Test of Reasoning, 30 marks

Series and analogies, odd one out, coding and decoding, blood relations, direction sense, ranking and ordering, alphanumeric series, seating and linear arrangements, syllogisms, statement and conclusion, and non-verbal reasoning including figure series and pattern completion.

English Language, 30 marks

Grammar and usage, tenses, articles and prepositions, subject-verb agreement, error spotting, sentence correction and completion, para-jumbles, synonyms and antonyms, one word substitution, idioms and phrases, spelling, and short reading comprehension. English only.

General Awareness, 30 marks

Current affairs, Indian polity and the Constitution, geography, history, economy, science and technology, sports, awards, books and authors, and banking and financial awareness, with agriculture, rural development and rural credit institutions given the employer.

Numerical Ability, 30 marks

Number system and simplification, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed and distance, mensuration, and simple data interpretation.

Language Proficiency Test

No syllabus: practical reading, writing, speaking and understanding of the state's official language.

Qualification and domicile

A class 10 (SSC or Matriculation) pass from a recognised board in the state or union territory under the Regional Office you apply to, and domicile of that state or UT. NABARD can ask for proof of domicile.

Age

18 to 30 on the reference date (1 October 2024 last time).

Relaxations can't be combined.

Reservation

• Vertical for SC, ST and OBC, on state-specific criteria.
• Horizontal for PwBD at 4% and ex-servicemen at 24.5% (including 4.5% for disabled ex-servicemen and dependants of those killed in action).
• Applied under the Government rules in force when the result is finalised.

Where your state has no vacancy reserved for your category, you can apply against an unreserved one, but you must meet the unreserved age and qualification rules (you still get the fee concession).

Caste certificates

In the Government of India format, with the caste name spelt exactly as in the central list; any variation and it's rejected. OBC certificates must show non-creamy layer, be based on the father's state of origin, and (in 2024) be for 2024-25, issued after 1 April 2024.

NABARD checks eligibility late, during the process or at joining. False information means cancellation.

1. Online Test, 120 marks. Those at or above the cut-off are shortlisted.
2. Language Proficiency Test. Pass or fail.
3. State-wise merit list on online test marks.

SC, ST, OBC and EWS lists are state-wise. For PwBD and ex-servicemen under horizontal reservation, the merit list is all-India, and you're posted to your domicile state.

Ties: higher educational qualification (undergraduate only), then higher class 12 or class 10 marks, then the older candidate.

Wait list: up to 50% of the vacancies per state and category, minimum three, used only when someone on the select list doesn't join, and valid for one year from the final result.

Biometrics (thumb impression and photo) are taken. The select list is provisional until eligibility is verified, and NABARD can change or cancel the recruitment at any stage.

Starting basic pay ₹17,270 a month, on the Group 'C' Office Attendant scale:

17270 − 590(4) − 19630 − 690(3) − 21700 − 840(3) − 24220 − 1125(2) − 26470 − 1400(4) − 32070 − 1900(3) − 37770, over 20 years.

With Dearness, Local Compensatory, House Rent and Grade Allowance, starting gross pay is about ₹35,000 a month.

Perks include NABARD housing (if available) and a furnishing allowance, petrol for official use, newspaper and book grant, a dispensary and medical reimbursement, an interest-free festival advance, LTC every two years, cheap loans for housing, vehicle, education, consumer goods and a PC, gratuity and optional group term insurance. Pension is the New Pension Scheme.

Probation is six months, extendable by up to six more. You're first posted to the Head Office or Regional Office you applied for.

The job

Duties include those of Wireman, Liftman and Cook; running photocopiers and other office machines; the Central Receipt and Dispatch Section; keeping records; attending on senior officers (Grade 'F' and above, Officers-in-Charge and Heads of Department), including carrying files; and supplying water and serving tea and food. Office Attendant duties are interchangeable with the Senior, Special and Senior Special grades.

Apply online only at nabard.org. In 2024 the window was 2 to 21 October, about three weeks. One state only.

Fee

Plus GST and bank charges. Not refundable.

Scan before you start

• Photograph, 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm
• Signature in black ink
• Left thumb impression on white paper, black or blue ink
• Handwritten declaration on white paper in black ink, with the text given in the advertisement

If you want pre-examination training, tick the box on the form; later requests aren't accepted. It runs only if enough people ask (Hindi training likewise) and doesn't help your selection chances.

A PwBD certificate must be dated on or before the last date of registration. In 2024, OBC and EWS certificates had to be for 2024-25 and issued from 1 April 2024.

Problems with the form, fee or call letter: cgrs.ibps.in, with "NABARD Office Attendant Examination" in the subject.

One employer, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, with vacancies at its Regional Offices. In 2024 they covered 27 states and UTs.

By category: 54 unreserved, 28 OBC, 12 ST, 10 EWS and 4 SC, with 3 for PwBD, 19 for ex-servicemen and 4 for disabled ex-servicemen and dependants. Maharashtra's 35 were 33 at Head Office Mumbai and 2 at Pune. BIRD Mangaluru and NBSC Lucknow are NABARD training establishments.

Your state's number is the one that matters: from 35 down to 1.

NABARD warns of fake offer letters. It never tells candidates to report to a named person, and posts the roll numbers of everyone selected on its website (see its fake recruitment notice caution). Doubts: recruitment@nabard.org or 022-68120083.

Centres are within the state you applied to; the advertisement lists them state by state (for example Agra to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Asansol to Siliguri in West Bengal). No change of centre, date or session is allowed, NABARD can move you to another centre, and you travel at your own cost.

ID

Bring a photo ID in original plus a photocopy to hand in with the call letter. Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar with photo, an Employee ID, or a photo ID on letterhead from a Gazetted Officer or People's Representative will do. Ration cards and learner's driving licences won't.

The name on the call letter must match the ID exactly. Women who changed their name after marriage need the original Gazette notification, marriage certificate or affidavit, or they won't be let in.

No calculators, phones or Bluetooth devices. Biometrics are taken. The LPT is held later at the NABARD office, not at the exam centre.

No annual calendar; NABARD recruits Office Attendants when vacancies arise.

Advertisement No. 03/Office Attendant/2024-25

The exam can fall on a weekday or a weekend. In 2026 NABARD's Career Notices covered Development Assistant, Grade A and contract specialist posts, but no Office Attendant recruitment. With a three-week window, check regularly.

Download the call letter and the Information Handout (the only description of the test screen) from NABARD's Career Notices. Check your name against your ID the day it appears (rules under exam centres). NABARD checks identity against the call letter, the attendance list and your documents.

LPT roll numbers and the LPT date are posted on the same page.

For 2024 NABARD published, in order: the roll numbers shortlisted for the LPT, the roll numbers disqualified or absent at the LPT, and the provisional select and wait lists for the 108 posts, all on its Career Notices page and each subject to correction of errors.

EWS vacancies stay tentative pending Government directions and any litigation, and an EWS appointment is provisional until the income and asset certificate is checked.

NABARD publishes no cut-off marks for this post, only the shortlists and select lists. Cut-offs are set state by state, on each test and on the total.

Shortlists and the select list appear on NABARD's Career Notices after each stage.

• Be sure of the language first. If you can't read, write, speak and understand the state's official language, a high written score won't help. Work on it alongside the written test.
• Don't drop a test. Each of the four may carry its own cut-off.
• Guess only when you've narrowed it down. Four wrong answers cancel a right one.
• Sit full 90-minute papers rather than section drills, since you split the time yourself. That's 45 seconds a question.
• Keep it at class 10 level: speed and accuracy on basic maths, grammar and standard reasoning.
• Read up on agriculture, rural development and rural credit for General Awareness.
• Decide your test language (English or Hindi) for the bilingual tests in advance.
• Fix your documents early: name matching your ID, caste name spelt as in the central list, certificates dated correctly.

No previous year papers are available for this recruitment. NABARD doesn't publish them.

The Advertisement No. 03/Office Attendant/2024-25 and the Information Handout issued with the call letter are the official guides. Both appear on NABARD's Career Notices page, the handout shortly before the exam.

• NABARD
• Career Notices: advertisements, call letters, handouts, shortlists and select lists
• Advertisement No. 03/Office Attendant/2024-25 (PDF): vacancies, rules, language annexure, centre list, pay
• Candidate grievance portal: form, fee or call letter problems
• Recruitment helpdesk: recruitment@nabard.org, 022-68120083 and 022-26539813
• NABARD's fake recruitment notice caution

Who conducts the NABARD Office Attendant recruitment?

NABARD itself.

What qualification do I need?

Class 10 passed in the state you apply to, and domicile there.

Can I apply to more than one state?

No, one state only.

Is there negative marking?

Yes, a quarter mark per wrong answer.

What if I fail the Language Proficiency Test?

You're not selected, whatever your written score.

What is the age limit?

18 to 30, with relaxations; widows, divorced and judicially separated women get 10 years.

What does it pay?

₹17,270 basic, about ₹35,000 gross a month to start.

How many posts are there?

108 in 2024, from 35 in Maharashtra to 1 in six states.

When is the next recruitment?

Not announced as at 10 September 2026.