• Applicants to the NDA are selected via a written exam conducted by the UPSC every year, followed by extensive interviews by the Services Selection Board covering general aptitude, psychological testing, team skills as well as physical and social skills, along with medical tests.
• Incoming classes are accepted twice a year for semesters starting in July and January.
• About 4,00,000 applicants sit for each written exam every year.
•  Typically, about 6,300 of these are invited to interview. The minimum age should be 16 and half years and maximum age should be 19 and half years.
• The number of students who were admitted to the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy during 1953-54 is 572. Total application received in UPSC 6,061.
• Applicants who join the Air Force through the flying branch also go through a test called Computerized Pilot Selection System or CPSS for short. About 300 cadets are accepted to the academy each semester.
• About 70 cadets are accepted for the Air Force, 40 for the Navy, 190 for the Army.
• Cadets who are accepted and successfully complete the program are sent to their respective training academies for one year of training before granting of commission: army cadets go to Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, air force cadets to Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and naval cadets to Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala, Kerala.

A cadet is allotted to one of the 16 Squadrons.

• No. 1 Battalion: Alpha Squadron, Bravo Squadron, Charlie Squadron and Delta Squadron.
• No. 2 Battalion: Echo Squadron, Foxtrot Squadron, Golf Squadron and Hunter Squadron.
• No. 3 Battalion: India Squadron, Juliet Squadron, Kilo Squadron and Lima Squadron.
• No. 4 Battalion: Mike Squadron, November Squadron, Oscar Squadron and Panther Squadron.
• Each squadron has approximately 100 to 120 cadets drawn from senior as well as junior courses under training in the Academy.

The syllabus is this examination is strictly based on the Class 12th curriculum. Your exam will be divided into two papers-

Mathematics (300 marks)

The exam will be having 100 questions for three marks each. Duration of the exam will be two hours thirty minutes.

Topics Included:

• Algebra Matrices and Determinants
• Trigonometry
• Analytical Geometry of two and three dimensions
• Differential Calculus
• Integral Calculus and Differential equations
• Vector Algebra
• Statistics and Probability

General Ability and English: (600 marks)

This exam will also be for two hours thirty minutes, but it will have 150 questions and the total marks will be out of 600.

Topics Included:

Part A:

English (Maximum Marks 200)- The question paper in English will be designed to test the candidate’s understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.

The syllabus covers various aspects like: Grammar and usage, vocabulary, comprehension, and cohesion in extended text to test the candidate’s proficiency in English.

Part B : 

General Knowledge

Consider English and GK as the same

As mentioned above, paper 2 of the NDA exam consists of both English and GK, which can work as a plus point for you. Candidates with good self-awareness and command over the language have the chance to score in!

Practice makes a man perfect

You’re nothing if you don’t practice. So, before appearing for the exams, try to practice as many maths questions as you can. Try not to leave anything.

Time check

Performing well is not going to do it, you also have to keep an eye on the time. While you practice, try to solve questions quickly because that’ll save time for you to revise.

History of India

This will not just help you through your exam but throughout your career! It might come across as boring but then again, it is really very helpful. Lots of questions are asked, which are related to Indian history.

Skipping this section will prove to be a costly mistake! Prepare this section well.

Space management skills

Now a question comes to you, what is this supposed to mean? Well, when it comes to mathematics, to solve questions, some or the other sort of rough work is involved. Such rough work requires blank space.

You may do such stuff in your mind too if you are exceptionally smart! But almost all of us will need to do rough work on the blank spaces provided.

But the problem is that the amount of blank space provided is not too much. It is quite limited, to be honest.

So, in order to tackle this issue and to prevent ourselves from running out of blank space, we must practice space management. Learn to do calculations and rough work in as limited space as possible. Also, do much of the task using mental arithmetic rather than written work.

Every question/subject is important

The stream that you chose in 12th can benefit a lot in this. The questions in G.A. paper are assembled from almost all subjects’ form all stream of the 12th class. So prepare your best subjects.

Learn the shortcuts

Not in your life or career but when it comes to solving mathematics, you need to know every shortcut possible else it is just simply going to be time wasting! The mathematics part of the exam is a bit tricky.

The questions asked in it are analytical and needs to be worked upon to find the solution.

As long as you don’t know the shortcut method, it will for sure take much time and efforts to find the right answer.

This often results in a waste of time and marks! Learning the shortcut methods using the guide book will help you save time. This will eventually help you attend all the questions asked in the paper.

There is negative marking!

The UPSC exams have a negative marking of 1/3 which makes it a judgmental thing to score. Don’t mark the question which are out of your aptitude or knowledge.

Just be specific to those which are under the level of your knowledge to reduce the fluctuation of your score.

Take advantage of your strong points

Say you’re amazing in English, then try to save your time there and also, try to score the most in those parts.

Be Aware

What is happening where? Who is saying what? How did what happen? These are somethings that you should be able to answer at all time. Start reading newspapers, tabloid. But put your serious effort in knowing everything that’s happening in the world.

Be a part of School Co-Curricular Activities

This is for your interview round because it is very different from your writing test. You can memorize things and answers overnight but you surely cannot build a personality overnight. Right? So start developing your personality by taking part in school’s co-curricular activities. It will greatly help you when you have a face-to-face interview.

Begin from the easiest

If you feel that there’s something that you’re good at, then begin from that because the easiest is always the quickest to attempt. And also, you’ll get enough time to scratch your head with the really complexed ones.

General Ability needs judgment

The general ability is all about your knowledge level. So before making any decision over the correct option of any answer, make sure you have the opted the right one. Be cool and precise in whatever you mark.

Previous solved papers

The previous year papers of NDA  course can help the new aspirants in getting the idea of the types of question. The candidates must also go through the G.A. papers of other exams conducted by UPSC to get a good level of knowledge

Preparing for the National Defence Academy Examination cannot be easy, not in the wildest dreams. But if you’ve set your eyes on it then don’t let anything get in the way.

There are no two ways of saying this, but NDA course will be possibly the most difficult thing that you’ve ever done but that is just the beginning. After clearing NDA, you will see that there is a whole new life just waiting for you.

We hope that this article has been helpful for you and that you do, abide by the above-mentioned things. We’re sure, if you go by the little hacks that we’ve revealed, that you will be selected in the FIRST ATTEMPT!

Just don’t be afraid of going an extra mile to achieve your dream because as I said, once you plan on appearing for the NDA course Exam, it’s like you eat, breathe and bath with it.

You have nothing more but just prove how valuable you, can be in keeping our motherland, India above everything and everyone else in this world.

I think you need no more pep talk, so don’t hold back and start preparing. Leave no stone unturned because now is your time. Each and every one of you, all of your NDA  aspirants have it in you!! Try to stay alert at all times and know what is happening around. The rest is all covered.

Stop overthinking people! Grab a hot cup of coffee and let the work begin! You do have some serious efforts to put forward if you wish to succeed in this one.

The National Defence Academy is no place for shortcuts or procrastinators, but it is the most remarkable place, an individual can dream of going.

Times are changing and so has India’s hold on the world-forum. NDA needs our youth to come forward and make their country proud!