National Defence Academy
Examination (NDA Exam)
The National Defence Academy (NDA) founded in 1957, is a
premier Inter Service training institution where future cadets are trained. The
training involves an exacting schedule of 3 years before the cadets join their
respective Service Academies, viz. Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy and
Air Force Academy.
The examination of the National Defence Academy is conducted
by UPSC twice a year, after which the selected candidates are sent to National
Defence Academy for training.
Courses and Wings:
• Army Training Team: The specialised service training
for Army Cadets is imparted by this Team. The
senior Army Battalion Commander is also the Senior Instructor for the
Army Training Team. The cadets are taught
section level tactics and basic operations of war, like patrolling, ambush and
map reading.
• Naval Training Team: The specialised service training for Naval Cadets
is imparted by this Team. The senior Naval Battalion Commander is the Senior
Instructor for the Naval Training Team. All Naval cadets undergo practical
training of sailing at Peacock Bay, which is fully equipped to train naval
cadets on all the aspects of Boat handling, Wind Surfing, Rowing and other
related areas.
• Air Force Training Team: The specialised service training for Air Force
Cadets is imparted by this Team. The senior Air Force Battalion Commander is the
Senior Instructor for the Air Force Training
Team. All Air Force cadets undergo practical training of gliding. AFTT is fully
equipped to provide about 12 launches to each Air force cadet before he joins
the Air Force Academy.
Eligibility:
Age: 16½ to 19 years.
Marital Status and gender: Unmarried male candidates
Educational Qualification:
(i) For Army wing of National Defence
Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School
Education or equivalent examination
conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
(ii) For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the
10+2 (Executive Branch) Course at the Naval Academy :- 12th Class pass of
the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics
conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
Candidates who are appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School
Education or equivalent examination can also apply for this examination.
Nationality - A candidate must be either
(i) a citizen of India, or
(ii) a subject of Bhutan, or
(iii) a subject of Nepal, or
(iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January, 1962 with
the intention of permanently settling in India, or
(v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka,
the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania
(formerly Tanganyika and Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia and Vietnam with the
intention of permanently setting in India).
Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v)
above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate ofeligibility has been
issued by the Government of India. However, the certificate of eligibility will
not be necessary in the case of Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
Physical Fitness: Candidates must be physically fit according to the
prescribed physical standards. For more details, please refer to
www.upsc.gov.in or the
Entrance Notification.
Examination - Pattern :
An NDA aspirant would have to undergo the following three
stages before getting admission at the National Defence Academy.
Stage I: Written
Examination held by the UPSC
The subjects of the written examination, the time allowed and
the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows:–
Subject |
Code |
Duration |
Maximum Marks |
Mathematics |
01 |
2-½ Hours |
300 |
General Ability Test |
02 |
2-½ Hours |
600 |
Total |
900 |
Note: The papers in all the subjects will consist of objective type
questions only. The
question papers (test booklets) of mathematics and part-B of General Ability
Tests will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.
Stage II: An interview by the Service Selection Board to assess a
candidate's officer potentialities (Intelligence and
personality test). – 900 marks
Intelligence and Personality test : In addition to the interview the
candidates will be put to Intelligence Tests both verbal and non-verbal,
designed to assess their basic intelligence. They will also be put to Group
Tests such as group discussions, group planning, outdoor group tasks, and asked
to give brief lectures on specified subjects. All these tests are intended to
judge the mental calibre of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an
assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also his social traits and
interests in current affairs.