PFRDA Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 for Phase 1 & Phase 2

Candidates preparing for the PFRDA Grade A Exam 2026 should first become familiar with the complete structure of the examination. The PFRDA Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 provides a roadmap of the topics that need to be covered, while the exam pattern gives clarity about the papers, marking scheme, number of questions and time allotted for each stage.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026

The examination tests candidates across English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, General Awareness, and stream-specific Professional Knowledge. Phase II also includes a Descriptive English Paper, making it important for aspirants to prepare both objective and descriptive sections as part of their overall strategy.

PFRDA Assistant Manager Syllabus 2026 Overview

The PFRDA Grade A Syllabus is divided into common subjects and stream-specific topics, depending on the post applied for.

PFRDA Grade A Exam Pattern 2026

The online examinations include two papers, with Paper 1 covering common aptitude areas and Paper 2 assessing professional knowledge related to the candidate’s chosen stream. Phase I (Online Screening), Phase II (Online Examination), and Phase III (Interview). Both Phase I and Phase II consist of two papers: Paper 1, which covers general aptitude subjects and Paper 2, which is stream-specific.

PFRDA Assistant Manager Exam Pattern Phase I

Paper 1 in Phase I includes English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and General Awareness, while Paper 2 tests domain-specific knowledge based on the candidate’s chosen stream.

PFRDA Assistant Manager Exam Pattern Phase II

Phase II follows a similar structure, but Paper 1 is a descriptive English test, and Paper 2 again assesses stream-specific subjects.

The final selection is based on Phase II scores and interview performance, making it crucial for candidates to perform well in both written exams and the interview round.

PFRDA Assistant Manager Syllabus

The PFRDA Grade A syllabus 2026 is divided into general subjects and stream-specific topics. Candidates should prepare thoroughly for both the general and specialised subjects, as Paper 2 carries significant weight in the overall selection process.

PFRDA Grade A 2026 General Syllabus

The general syllabus, applicable to all candidates, includes English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and General Awareness with a focus on financial and pension-related topics.

PFRDA Grade A Syllabus for Professional Knowledge

The PFRDA Grade A Professional Knowledge syllabus varies according to the selected stream. Candidates are tested on stream-specific subjects such as Economics, Finance, Management, Law, IT, Research, and Rajbhasha, along with topics related to the pension and regulatory sector.

1. General Stream (Common Syllabus for Both Phases)

A. Commerce & Accountancy

• Accounting as a financial information system.
• Accounting Standards: Depreciation, Inventories, Revenue Recognition, Fixed Assets, Foreign Exchange Transactions, Investments.
• Cash Flow Statement, Fund Flow Statement, Financial Statement Analysis, Ratio Analysis.
• Share Capital Transactions: Bonus Shares, Right Shares, Employee Stock Option, Buy-Back of Securities.
• Preparation and Presentation of Company Final Accounts.

B. Management

• Management Processes: Planning, Organization, Staffing, Directing, Controlling.
• Leadership: Tasks, Styles, Theories, Successful vs. Effective Leader.
• Human Resource Development: Concept, Goals, Motivation, Morale, Incentives.
• Communication: Process, Channels, Barriers, Role of IT.

C. Finance

• Financial System: Role of Regulatory Bodies.
• Financial Markets: Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity).
• Derivatives: Forward, Futures, Swap.
• Financial Inclusion, Alternate Sources of Finance, Public-Private Partnership.
• Taxation: Direct and Indirect Taxes, GST, Fiscal Policy, FRBM Act.
• Inflation: Definition, Trends, Consequences, Remedies (WPI, CPI).

D. Costing

• Cost and Management Accounting: Objectives, Scope.
• Methods of Costing: Unit Costing, Job Costing, Batch Costing, Contract Costing, Process Costing.
• Cost Control: Standard Costing, Marginal Costing, Budgetary Control.
• Lean System and Innovation: JIT, Kaizen, Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering.

E. Companies Act

• Companies Act, 2013: Chapters III, IV, VIII, X, XI, XII, XXVII.

F. Economics

• Demand and Supply, Market Structures, National Income.
• Classical & Keynesian Approach: Output, Employment, Consumption, Investment, Multiplier, Accelerator.
• IS-LM Model, Inflation, Phillips Curve, Business Cycles.
• Balance of Payments, Foreign Exchange Markets, Monetary and Fiscal Policy.

G. Pension Sector

• Status of Pension Sector in India.
• Types of Retirement Schemes: Features, National Pension System (NPS), Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
• Annuity Plans, Basics of Investment.

2. Information Technology Stream (Common for Both Phases)

• Database Concepts: ER Model, Relational Model, Normal Forms, Transactions, Concurrency Control. File Organization, Indexing (B and B+ Trees).
• SQL Queries: Select, View, Truncate, Delete, Update, Alter, Joins, Aggregate Functions, Nested Queries.
• Programming Concepts (Java/C/C++): Program Control, OOPS Concepts, Inheritance, Exception Handling.
• Data Analytics Languages (Python/R): Regex, Dataframes, File Management, Data Mining, Charts, Graphs.
• Algorithms for Problem Solving: Tree and Graph Traversals, Sorting, Searching, Design Techniques (Greedy, Dynamic Programming).
• Networking Concepts: ISO/OSI Stack, TCP/IP, LAN Technologies, Application Layer Protocols, Firewalls.
• Information & Cyber Security: Cyber Attacks, Network Security, Authentication, CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability).
• Data Warehousing: Data Extraction, Transformation, Loading, Metadata, Data Cube, Data Mart.
• Shell Programming: Shell Scripting Basics, UNIX Commands.

3. Research (Economics) Stream (Common Syllabus for Both Phases)

• Economics: Demand and Supply, Market Structures, National Income, IS-LM Model, Inflation, Business Cycles. Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Banking Functions, Public Goods, Taxation, Foreign Trade.
• Statistics and Econometrics: Measures of Central Tendency, Correlation, Sampling Methods, Hypothesis Testing, Regression Analysis.
• Financial Institutions and Markets: Asymmetric Information, Market Efficiency, Money and Capital Markets, Role of International Financial Institutions.

4. Legal Stream (Common Syllabus for Both Phases)

• Acts and Laws: PFRDA Act, 2013; IRDAI Act, 1999; SEBI Act, 1992. Constitution of India: Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles.
• Law of Contracts: Indian Contract Act, 1872; Partnership Act, 1932; Specific Relief Act, 1963.
• Criminal Law: Indian Penal Code, 1860; Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
• Evidence and Civil Procedure: Indian Evidence Act, 1872; Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
• Corporate Law: Companies Act, 2013; Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

5. Finance and Accounts Stream (Common for Both Phases)

• Financial Statements: Trial Balance, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement, Income Statement.
• Financial Analysis: Ratio Analysis, Break-Even Analysis, IND AS, Auditing Standards.
• Cost and Management Accounting: Marginal Costing, Cost Volume Profit Analysis, Capital Budgeting.
• Taxation: Income Tax Act, GST, Direct and Indirect Taxes.
• Financial Markets: Primary and Secondary Markets, Derivatives, Financial Inclusion.

6. Official Language (Rajbhasha) Stream (Common for Both Phases)

• Government of India’s Official Language Policy
• Translation from Hindi to English and English to Hindi
• Hindi-English and English-Hindi Legal Terminology
• Pension, Administrative, Banking, Capital Market, Economics, and Social Security Terminology
• Translation of words, phrases, terms, and sentences related to the above areas