How to Prepare for the National Housing Bank Exam
Every year, the National Housing Bank (NHB), conducts an online exam to recruit candidates for the Assistant Manager (Scale 1 Officer) position. On 9 July 1988, the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 established the NHB. New Delhi is the headquarters of the NHB. Each year, there are only a few vacancies and Lakhs of applicants take the NHB exam. The competition is fierce.
Two phases are required to select the NHB Assistant Manager position: Online Examination and Interview. Online examination includes both objective-type and descriptive questions. Candidates are eligible for interview after they have cleared the exam.
Eligibility Criteria
These are the eligibility requirements for applicants who wish to apply for the Assistant Managers position at NHB.
- Nationality- Applicants must be either –
- Indian citizen, or
- A Tibetan refugee arrived in India to settle permanently.
- The subject of Bhutan or Nepal.
- To settle permanently in India, you can migrate from Burma, Burma, East African country of Uganda, Zambia and Zaire, Kenya or Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zaire.
- Age Limit This is the age limit for applicants applying for this job. It can be between 21 and 30 years. Candidates who fall into the following categories are eligible for some relief.
- SC/ST – 5 Years
- OBC (NonCreamy Layer), – 3 Years
- PwBD (GEN), – 10 Years
- PwBD (SC/ST – 15 Years
- PwBD (OBC), 13 Years
- Ex-servicemen – 5 Years
- Educational Qualification –Candidates looking to apply at NHB for the position of assistant manager should possess the following qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree in any discipline, with at least 60% aggregate marks. Candidates from the SC, ST and OBC categories should have at least 55% aggregate marks.
- A master’s degree in any discipline, with at least 55% aggregate marks. Candidates from the SC, OBC or ST category will be granted a 5% discount.
- Assistant manager is also open to candidates who have a professional degree, such as CA, CS or ICWA.
Exam Pattern
NHB’s online exam consists of both objective and descriptive questions. The exam has five sections: Reasoning and Computer Aptitude (with a special focus on Economy, Banking, and Computer Knowledge), English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, English Letter Writing, and Essay (Descriptive questions).
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude – The section has 45 questions. It is to be completed in 60 minutes and earn 60 marks. You can take the exam in English or Hindi.
- Computer Knowledge and General Awareness – This section has 50 questions. Each question must be completed in 40 minutes to earn 50 marks. This section is also available in Hindi or English.
- Quantitative Aptitude- This section contains 35 questions worth 60 marks and should be completed in approximately 45 minutes. This section can be accessed in English or Hindi.
- English Language – This section has 25 questions that are worth 30 marks and can be completed in just 35 minutes. This section can only be accessed in English.
- English Essay Writing and Writing – The section contains 2 questions that are worth 25 marks. It should be completed in no more than 30 minutes.
The total number of questions is 157. Maximum marks are 225. The exam lasts 210 minutes.
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Salary
The starting salary for Assistant Managers at NHB is Rs. 23700 plus other benefits like dearness allowance and house rent allowance, city compensation allowance, provident funds, deputation allowance and allowance for halting.
Preparation
Due to NHB’s reputation, the NHB exam level can be challenging. To pass this exam, candidates need to be prepared. These preparation strategies will help you pass the NHB exam and any other upcoming government exams.
These are some strategies that will help you pass the NHB exam.
- Time management Time management is the first thing you should consider when preparing for the NHB exam. The best way to allocate time and effort for each section is to be a good student. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses and create a study plan. Spend more time in the weaker areas and less on the strong. Refer to the syllabus and the weightage for each topic. Concentrate on the areas that have more weightage. There is no one-size fits all study plan. Everybody should create their own work schedules.
- All topics covered – Mentors might advise that you leave some topics out of the exam syllabus. This is not a good idea, unless your time is limited. You should prepare for the exam as soon as possible. It might be tempting to assume you know the mindset of the recruiter. There’s always the possibility that they will change their paper style, and all your preparations could be in vain. You can avoid this by starting your preparation by studying the most important topics, then moving on to the less important topics.
- Revise Once you have completed the syllabus and covered all topics, you can start revising what you’ve learned. Revision is a great way to strengthen your learning. You can start revising every three to four days at first, then you can increase your weekly revision.
- Practice – It is not enough to prepare and revise for the NHB exam. Practice all concepts and evaluate your preparation. You can practice your learnings by giving mock tests. Mock tests can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Every week, you should take both full- and sectional mock tests. Your marks will improve if you give 2 to 3 marks. You can also simulate the exam to get an idea of how it will look and how you manage your time.