NDA Syllabus & Exam Pattern
The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA & NA) exam is conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) twice every year. The NDA Exam comprises of 2 stages: an offline test and SSB Interview.
NDA Exam Pattern:
The exam paper of NDA written exam is divided into two parts, GAT and Mathematics. All the questions in the exam will be objective type. There will be a total 150 questions in GAT while the Mathematics part will carry a total of 120 questions. Each section of the exam will be held for 2 ½ hours each.
Exam Pattern:
| Paper | Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| I | Mathematics | 2.5 hours | 300 |
| II | General Ability Test | 2.5 hours | 600 |
| Total | 900 | ||
NDA General Ability Test (GAT) Pattern:
The GAT section will be for 600 marks. The GAT section is divided into two parts. Part A comprises English while Part B consists of General Knowledge.
Exam Pattern:
| Sections | Maximum Marks | |
| Part –A :English | 200 | |
| Part-B :General Knowledge | Physics | 100 |
| Chemistry | 60 | |
| General Science | 40 | |
| History, Freedom Movement, etc. | 80 | |
| Geography | 80 | |
| Current Events | 40 | |
| Total | 600 | |
Note: There is a negative mark for wrong answers. 1/3 of marks allotted to each question will be deducted for the wrong answer.
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.
- Three Things you must know about NDA exam pattern
- The questions in every section will be objective type only
- Candidates are not permitted to use calculators for answering objective type papers (Test Booklets).
NDA Interview Procedure
- The Union Public Service Commission declares a list of candidates qualified based on the written exam
- The selected candidates will appear before a Services Selection Board (SSB) for Intelligence and Personality Test.
- Candidates for the Army/Navy wings of the NDA and Executive branch of Naval Academy will be assessed on officer’s potentiality
- Candidates for the Air Force wing, along with officer potentiality assessment, will also undergo a Pilot Aptitude Test.
Two Stage Selections
The SSB procedure consists of two stage Selection process- stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II. The details are:
- Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception * Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT.
- Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on the website joinindianarmy.nic.in. All the candidates will have to qualify Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test
- Those candidates who qualify both stages will be required to submit the original Certificates along with one photocopy
- Qualified candidates will then be placed in the final order of merit on the basis of total marks secured by them in the written examination, and the Services Selection Board Tests in three separate lists of Army and the Navy, Air Force, Executive course at the Naval Academy
- The selection will be subject to medical fitness and suitability in all other respects.