NABARD DA Exam Analysis 2026 (All Shifts), Check Difficulty Level & Good Attempts

NABARD Development Assistant (DA) Exam Analysis 2026: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has successfully conducted the Prelims exam for the post of Development Assistant and Development Assistant on 21st February 2026. Candidates who appeared for the exam or are preparing for future shifts are eager to know the difficulty level, section-wise distribution of questions, and the number of good attempts.

In this blog, we provide a comprehensive NABARD DA Prelims Exam Analysis 2026, covering all shifts to help you understand the competition and your chances of qualifying for the Mains exam scheduled for 12th April 2026.

NABARD DA Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 – 21st February Shift 2 – Good Attempts And Difficulty Level

Candidates can check the NABARD DA Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 conducted on the 21st of February 2026, shift 2, here.

NABARD DA Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: 21st February 2026 – Shift 2
Sections	Total Questions	Good Attempts	Difficulty Level
English Language	40	30-36	Easy-Moderate
Numerical Ability	30	25-28	Easy
Reasoning	30	26-29	Easy
Total	100	81-93	Easy-Moderate

Section-wise Analysis: NABARD Development Assistant Prelims [Shift 2]

Here we have provided the section-wise analysis for NABARD DA prelims shfit 2 exam.

Reasoning Ability (Total Questions: 30)

Candidates can check the NABARD DA Prelims Shift 2 analysis 2026 for the Reasoning section through the data provided below.

• Number-based Series – 5 questions
• Alphanumeric Symbol Series – 5 questions
• Circle Seating (8 persons, facing inside) – 5 questions
• Sequence Puzzle (7 persons) – 5 questions
• Inequality – 4 questions
• Blood Relation – 3 questions
• Miscellaneous (Total 3 questions):
  • Word Pair – 1
  • Meaningful Word – 1
  • Number-based – 1

English Language (Total Questions: 40)

Candidates can check the NABARD DA Prelims Shift 2 analysis 2026 for the English section through the data provided below.

• Cloze Test (A to F) – 6 questions
• Reading Comprehension (based on bilingualism) – 10 questions
• Double Fillers – 3 questions
• Word Rearrangement – 5 questions
• Jumbled Sentence – 5 questions
• Match the Column – 3 questions
• Phrasal Replacement – 5 questions
• Miscellaneous – 3 questions

Numerical Ability (Total Questions: 30)

Candidates can check the NABARD DA Prelims Shift 2 analysis 2026 for the Numerical Ability section through the data provided below.

• Simplification – 15 questions
• Application Sums – 8 questions
• Bar Graph DI (based on 4 items sold) – 5 questions
• Missing Number Series – 2 questions

NABARD DA Exam Analysis 2026 (1st Shift): Overall Difficulty Level

Based on student feedback, the overall difficulty level of the NABARD Development Assistant Prelims 2026 was Easy to Moderate. The English section was relatively easy, while Numerical Ability required some calculation-intensive steps.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	Good Attempts
English Language	40	Moderate	32 – 34
Numerical Ability	30	Easy-Moderate	26 – 28
Reasoning Ability	30	Easy	27 – 29
Total	100	Easy-Moderate	85 – 91

Section-wise Analysis: NABARD Development Assistant Prelims

1. English Language (40 Questions)

The English section followed the standard banking pattern. Reading Comprehension was based on a story/economic theme, and most candidates found this section the most scoring.

• Reading Comprehension (fisheries): 5 Questions
• Cloze Test: 5-7 Questions
• Error Detection: 7-8 Questions
• Story-Based – Para Jumbles: 6 Questions
• Fillers/Misspelled Words: 5-10 Questions
• Word Replacement – 4-5 Questions
• Phrase Replacement – 4-5 Questions

2. Numerical Ability (30 Questions)

The Numerical Ability section was Moderate due to some calculative Arithmetic word problems. Data Interpretation (DI) sets were straightforward but time-consuming.

• Data Interpretation (Table/Bar Graph): 5-6 Questions [Easy]
  • The question was like there was data given for TV and mobile sale and there were 5 companies.
• Simplification/Approximation: 8-9 Questions [Easy-Level]
• Missing/Wrong Number Series: 4-5 Questions [Easy-Level]
• Arithmetic (Profit/Loss, SI-CI, Time & Work): 8-10 Questions

3. Reasoning Ability (30 Questions)

Reasoning was largely dominated by Puzzles and Seating Arrangements. However, the logic used was direct and manageable within the 20-minute sectional timing.

• Puzzles & Seating Arrangement: 8-10 Questions (Box-based) (Linear Row Puzzle)
• Syllogism: 3-5 Questions
• Inequality: 3 Questions
• Blood Relation/Direction Sense [Based on 1 Person] : 3 Questions
• Meaningful Word – 1 Question [STEM]
• Alphabet Pairing – 1 Question
• Alphanumeric Series: 5 Questions
• Chinese Coding – 5 Questions
• Number-Based Operators – 1 Question

NABARD Development Assistant Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Candidates should remember that there is a negative marking of 0.25 for every wrong answer and sectional timings of 20 minutes for each of the three sections.

Name of the Test	No. of Qs	Max Marks	Duration
English Language	40	40	20 Minutes
Numerical Ability	30	30	20 Minutes
Reasoning Ability	30	30	20 Minutes
Total	100	100	60 Minutes

What Next After NABARD DA Prelims?

Candidates who score above the expected cut-off should immediately shift their focus to the NABARD DA Mains Exam (Phase-II). The Mains exam is more comprehensive and includes:

• General Awareness (Special focus on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Banking).
• Computer Knowledge.
• Descriptive English (Essay, Precis, and Letter Writing).

The marks obtained in the Mains exam will be the sole criteria for the final merit list. Start practicing with NABARD DA Mains Mock Tests today to stay ahead of the competition!

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