Introduction – NDA
NDA
(National Defence Academy) is a national level entrance exam which is conducted and monitored by UPSC twice a year (in April and in September) through offline mode for the recruitment in National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy. Those who are willing to appear in the upcoming NDA Exam can find relevant information here such as, NDA important dates for exam event, eligibility criteria, syllabus, exam pattern, question papers, cutoffs, selection process, etc.
Exam Highlights: NDA
| Conducting Authority |
UPSC |
| Mode of Exam |
Offline |
| Subjects |
Mathematics and General Knowledge |
| Total Marks |
900 marks (Mathematics: 300 marks and General Knowledge: 600 marks) |
| Marking Scheme |
Correct answer for (Mathematics and GK) is +2.5 and +4.0 and Incorrect answer -0.83 and -1.33 mark respectively |
| Exam Duration |
5 hours in two shifts (2 hours & 30 mins. for each shift) |
| Official Website |
upsconline.nic.in |
Important Dates: NDA
| NDA 1 Exam Date 2024: Important Dates |
| NDA 1 Official Notification Release Date |
20th December 2023 |
| NDA 1 Online Registration Start Date |
20th December 2023 |
| NDA 1 Online Registration Last Date |
09th January 2024 |
| NDA 1 Admit Card Release Date |
3 weeks before the exam |
| NDA 1 2024 Exam Date |
21st April 2024 (Sunday) |
| NDA 2 Exam Date 2024: Important Dates |
| NDA 2 Official Notification Release Date |
15th May 2024 |
| NDA 2 Online Registration Start Date |
15th May 2024 |
| NDA 2 Online Registration Last Date |
04th June 2024 |
| NDA 2 Admit Card Release Date |
3 weeks before the exam |
| NDA 2 2024 Exam Date |
1st September 2024 (Sunday) |
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NDA Exam – Eligibility Criteria
Nationality
- Citizens of India, Bhutan and Nepal are eligible
- A PIO (Person of Indian Origin) who has come back from Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India
Age Limit and Marital Status
- Only unmarried male candidates who are born not before than January 2, 1998 and not later than January 1, 2001 are eligible to appear for UPSC NDA
- Candidates should note that once a DOB has been entered in the records of the Commission, it will not change
- Candidates who are willing to appear for UPSC NDA, must undertake not to marry until they complete their full training
Educational Eligibility
- For Army Wing of NDA: Candidates must be 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education conducted by State Education Board/ University
- For Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA: Candidates must be 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board/ University
- Note: Candidates who are appearing for 12th Class of the 10+2 pattern of School Education are also eligible to apply
NDA Exam Syllabus
The first paper in NDA is Mathematics which holds a weightage of 300 marks. The second part is a General Ability Test which is for 600 marks. Paper 2 is sub-divided into
English and General Knowledge (Physics, Geography, Chemistry, History etc.) Both the papers in NDA are of 2 hours and 30 minutes each.
NDA Exam Pattern
NDA is an offline examination i.e. pen and paper based test with objective type questions. NDA exam pattern is different for both the papers. It is necessary to qualify them in order to ensure admission in the National Defence Academy.
- There are total 2 papers in NDA exam namely Mathematics (300 marks) and General Ability Test (600 marks)
- The total duration of the exam is 5 hours (2 hours 30 minutes for each paper)
- NDA exam pattern related to exam duration, marking scheme, number of questions in the entrance test for both the papers is given below:
| NDA Exam Paper |
Mathematics |
General Ability Test |
| Exam Duration |
2 hours 30 minutes (150 minutes) |
2 hours 30 minutes (150 minutes) |
| No. of Sections |
One |
Two (English and General Knowledge) |
| Total no. of Questions |
120 questions |
150 questions |
| Total Marks |
300 marks |
600 marks (English 200 marks + GK 400 marks) |
| Marking Scheme |
+2.5 marks for every correct answer -0.83 marks for every incorrect answer |
+4 marks for every correct answer -1.33 marks for every incorrect answer |
| Medium |
English and Hindi |
English section will be in English language only. General Knowledge will be in both English and Hindi languages |
| Types of Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
Mathematics
The first paper is Mathematics and is aimed to test candidate's skill with
numbers and calculations. The question paper would be set in both Hindi and English.
| Total Marks |
300 Marks |
| Total No. of Questions |
120 |
| Marks awarded for Correct answer |
2.5 marks |
| Marks deducted for wrong answer |
-0.85 |
| Exam Duration |
2.5 hours |
General Ability
Paper II of NDA is the General Ability Test which comprises questions from
English Language and General Knowledge.
| Total Marks |
600 Marks |
| Total No. of Questions |
150 |
| No. of questions in English Section |
50 |
| No. of questions in General knowledge Section |
100 |
| Maximum Marks for English |
200 Marks |
| Maximum Marks for G.K. |
400 Marks |
| Marks awarded for Correct answer |
4 marks in both sections |
| Marks deducted for wrong answer |
-1.33 marks in both sections |
| Exam Duration |
2.5 hours |
General Knowledge section includes following topics:
- Physics (100 marks)
- Chemistry (60 marks)
- General Science (40 marks)
- History and Freedom Movement (80 marks)
- Geography (80 marks)
- Current Events (40 marks)
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NDA Question Papers
Year: 2015
| NDA Question Papers |
PDF Resources |
| Mathematics – I (Question Paper) |
Download |
| Mathematics – II (Question Paper) |
Download |
| General Ability Test (GAT) – I (Question Paper) |
Download |
| General Ability Test (GAT) – II (Question Paper) |
Download |
Year: 2014
| NDA Question Papers |
PDF Resources |
| Mathematics – I (Question Paper) |
Download |
| Mathematics – II (Question Paper) |
Download |
| General Ability Test (GAT) – I (Question Paper) |
Download |
NDA Previous Year Cut Off for Final Selection
The NDA cut off marks for the final selection are determined out of the 1800 marks, i.e. 900 marks for the written exam and 900 marks for the SSB Interview. Check the previous year’s NDA Final Cut off marks for the past 7 years, i.e. 2022 - 2016.
| NDA Final Cut Off Marks for Previous Year |
| Year |
NDA 1 Cut Off Marks |
NDA 2 Cut Off Marks |
| 2022 |
720 |
720 |
| 2021 |
709 |
719 |
| 2020 |
723 |
719 |
| 2019 |
704 |
709 |
| 2018 |
705 |
688 |
| 2017 |
708 |
624 |
| 2016 |
656 |
602 |
NDA Exam Selection Process
- NDA Selection Process is a Two-stage process which involves written test in Stage 1 followed by SSB interview as the Stage 2
- Candidates who clear Stage 1 qualify for Stage 2 of the Selection Process for NDA
- Candidates should know that they will be marked out of 900 marks for both stages collectively during the NDA recruitment
- Candidates who clear the entire selection process for NDA are mentioned in the Final Merit List generated by the Board