For serious NABARD Grade A aspirants, ESI & ARD Descriptive is not about memorising questions year-wise, but about understanding what NABARD consistently values and how its focus subtly shifts over time.
A comparison of NABARD Grade A Phase 2 – ESI & ARD Descriptive papers of 2023 and 2024 reveals a clear pattern:
👉 conceptual depth remained constant, while applied and policy-oriented focus increased in 2024.
Let us decode this section-wise.
📌 Paper Pattern: Stable Structure, Evolving Focus
| Aspect | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Markers | 600 words | 600 words |
| 10 Markers | 400 words | 400 words |
| Nature | Conceptual + analytical | Applied + policy-linked |
| Core Orientation | Concept building | Implementation & impact |
📌 Inference:
NABARD is not experimenting with format. It is refining what kind of thinking it rewards.
📝 15-Mark Questions: Concept vs Application
2023 – Conceptually Strong
- Agroforestry: definition, features, advantages & problems (compulsory)
- Institutional vs non-institutional rural credit
- Demographic change & economic growth
👉 Focus:
- Foundational understanding
- Structural issues
- Long-term developmental thinking
2024 – Application-Oriented
- Post-harvest infrastructure, value addition & storage
- Financial inclusion initiatives (post-2014)
- Agriculture infrastructure & storage
👉 Focus:
- Income enhancement
- Infrastructure gaps
- Policy implementation & outcomes
📌 Clear Shift:
From “What is the concept?” (2023)
to
“How does this improve rural income & productivity?” (2024)
🧩 10-Mark Questions: Precision Matters More
2023 Topics
- Extension education & 12 extension methods
- Financial inclusion via RBI Financial Inclusion Index
- Agricultural marketing problems
2024 Topics
- PM Vishwakarma & PM SVAMITVA schemes
- Storage facilities and productivity
- Institutional rural credit
📌 Trend Observation:
- 2023 tested concept + framework knowledge
- 2024 tested scheme awareness + linkage clarity
Aspirants who merely listed points struggled; those who linked schemes to rural livelihoods scored higher.
🔍 Key Themes Compared
| Theme | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Agriculture | Agroforestry | Storage, value addition |
| Rural Credit | Institutional vs non-institutional | Institutional rural credit |
| Financial Inclusion | RBI FI Index | Post-2014 govt initiatives |
| Knowledge Dissemination | Extension education | Scheme-driven empowerment |
| Focus Level | Structural | Outcome-based |
🎯 Examiner’s Mindset: What Stayed Constant
✔ Conceptual clarity is non-negotiable
✔ Structure and sub-headings matter
✔ Policy awareness is essential
✔ Rural relevance decides marks
✔ Length without logic is penalised
📌 Vocabulary, data overload or jargon never compensate for poor structure.
📚 What This Comparison Means for Future Aspirants
To prepare effectively for NABARD ESI–ARD Descriptive:
- Build strong conceptual foundations (2023-type questions)
- Practise application-based answers (2024 trend)
- Prepare schemes with purpose, beneficiaries & impact
- Link agriculture topics with income, productivity & sustainability
- Write answers with intro–body–conclusion discipline
This is the preparation philosophy followed at Bank Whizz.
🧭 Final Insight
The NABARD ESI–ARD Descriptive paper is evolving from theory-heavy to impact-focused, but without abandoning fundamentals.
📌 NABARD is selecting officers who can understand policy and translate it into rural outcomes.
Aspirants who recognise this shift early gain a decisive edge.
In upcoming posts, we will identify high-probability ESI–ARD themes for 2025–26 based on this 2023–2024 comparison. 🚀