How to Improve Vocabulary for NABARD Grade A Descriptive English

A strong vocabulary is essential for excelling in the NABARD Grade A Descriptive English section. Here are some effective strategies to boost your vocabulary, enabling you to write concise, impactful essays, letters, and precis.


1. Read Regularly on Relevant Topics

  • Why It Helps: Reading exposes you to new words in context, helping you understand usage and tone.
  • What to Read: Focus on materials covering economics, rural development, agriculture, and current affairs, as these align with NABARD’s focus. Good sources include newspapers, economic magazines, and reports from NABARD and RBI.
  • How to Apply: Keep a notebook or digital list of new words encountered, especially technical or formal terms related to these topics, and note down their meanings.

2. Use a Word-Learning App

  • Why It Helps: Apps like Quizlet, Anki, or Magoosh are efficient for vocabulary building through spaced repetition.
  • Suggested Approach: Add at least 5–10 new words daily, focusing on their synonyms, antonyms, and usage. Create a list specific to banking and finance vocabulary to prepare for descriptive sections effectively.

3. Learn Words in Context

  • Why It Helps: Memorizing definitions alone can be limiting. Learning words in sentences or paragraphs enables better retention and accurate usage.
  • How to Practice: Write sentences using new words you learn. Try using these words in sentences about current affairs or banking topics to reinforce their relevance to NABARD’s descriptive section.

4. Practice Synonyms and Antonyms

  • Why It Helps: Synonyms expand your expression options, while antonyms deepen your understanding of meanings.
  • Approach: Choose words often used in descriptive English, like “enhance,” “accelerate,” or “mitigate,” and learn several synonyms and antonyms. This allows you to avoid repetition and keep your writing varied.

5. Master the Root Words

  • Why It Helps: Knowing root words helps you decode unfamiliar words, as many English words share common roots.
  • Example: The root “bio” (meaning life) helps in understanding words like “biology” or “biodegradable.” Learning a few common roots can help you quickly infer the meanings of unfamiliar words, a skill valuable in reading comprehension and precis.

6. Use Flashcards for Regular Revision

  • Why It Helps: Flashcards enable active recall, which is more effective than passive reading.
  • How to Use: Create a deck of flashcards on common words, banking terms, or words from recent economic reports. Review these daily to reinforce retention, and try to use these words in your practice essays and letters.

7. Engage in Daily Writing Practice

  • Why It Helps: Writing helps reinforce newly learned vocabulary by making you apply words in practical contexts.
  • Suggested Exercise: Write a short essay or summary daily on topics like agriculture policies, financial inclusion, or rural economy, focusing on using new vocabulary. Regular practice will make using these words natural and intuitive.

8. Use a Vocabulary Journal

  • Why It Helps: Maintaining a vocabulary journal gives structure to your learning.
  • What to Include: For each word, note down the definition, part of speech, usage in a sentence, and any synonyms. Reviewing your journal periodically will help with long-term retention.

9. Practice with Mock NABARD Descriptive Questions

  • Why It Helps: Applying vocabulary in NABARD-specific contexts helps you retain words better and also improves your answer quality.
  • Approach: Take sample descriptive questions and practice using new words in a precise, topic-relevant way. Practicing within time limits also trains you to think and write quickly, a skill valuable for the actual exam.

10. Review NABARD and Financial Reports

  • Why It Helps: These reports often use formal language and sector-specific vocabulary, which is directly relevant to the NABARD exam.
  • How to Use: Go through summaries of NABARD annual reports, RBI reports, and government policy documents. Identify frequently occurring terms and phrases, adding these to your vocabulary list.

Final Thoughts

Improving vocabulary for NABARD’s descriptive section is a blend of regular practice, focused reading, and strategic memorization. Implementing these techniques consistently will boost your writing clarity, conciseness, and effectiveness, helping you score higher in the exam.