NDA

NDA is a National-level defence entrance exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year. The exam is conducted to recruit the candidates for the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) and National Defence Academy (NDA).

What is the NDA Exam 2022?

The National Defence Academy (NDA) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The exam is conducted for the recruitment of individuals in the Army, Navy and Air Force Wings of NDA.

• The NDA Exam is conducted twice a year.
• The exam is conducted in two stages, stage one is the written exam and stage two is the interview.
• The written exam is conducted in two meetings, one for GAT and the other for Mathematics.
• The training period after the selection is 3 years.

First, the candidate has to clear the written exam, then they are called for an SSB interview, those who clear the interview have to go through a thorough medical check-up based on the standards set by the board.

Finally, a merit list is released with the names of the recommended candidates. Marks of all the stages are added up; only those who clear get recommended and called for training.

 

Particulars	Details
Full-Form of NDA	National Defence Academy Exam
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Frequency	Twice a Year
Exam Type	National Level
Eligibility Criteria	Unmarried Male/Female candidates who have passed Class XII from a recognized board
Mode of Application	Online
Exam Mode	Offline
Duration	Mathematics: 2 hours 30 minutes General Ability Test: 2 hours 30 minutes
Number of cities for exam centres	75
Selection Process	Written Test SSB Interview
Official Website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/

UPSC NDA Exam Dates 2022

The NDA Exam Dates 2022 have been announced. The dates and events are prone to change as per the commission orders. Given below are the exam dates for both the phases of the NDA Exam based on the calendar released by UPSC.

Events	NDA 1 2022	NDA 2 2022
Release of NDA Notification	December 22, 2021	May 18, 2022
Availability of NDA Application forms	December 22, 2021	May 18, 2022
Last day to apply for NDA 2022	January 11, 2022	June 14, 2022
Withdrawal of Application	January 18-24, 2022	To Be Notified
Availability of Admit Card	March 2022 (Expected)	August 2022 (Expected)
NDA Exam Date	April 10, 2022	September 04, 2022
Result Declaration	June 2022 (Expected)	November 2022 (Expected)
SSB interview	To Be Notified	To Be Notified

 

NDA 2022 Vacancy Details

The number of vacancies for the NDA 2022 has been released. A total of 400 NDA vacancies have been announced for the various wings of the Indian army. However, the official notification mentions this as an approximate number of vacancies and thus is subject to changes.  The breakdown of the vacancies announced for the year 2022 is tabulated below.

Course	Vacancy
148th National Defence Academy (Indian Army)	208 (Including 10 female vacancies)
148th National Defence Academy (Indian Navy)	42 (Including 03 female vacancies)
148th National Defence Academy (Indian Air Force)	120 (Including 06 female vacancies)
110th Indian Naval Academy Course	30
Total	400

 

NDA 2022 Eligibility Criteria

The aspiring candidates must check the eligibility criteria before applying for the NDA Exam. The eligibility criteria is a crucial part of the NDA exam else the candidature stands cancelled. The NDA Eligibility Criteria is discussed below in detail.

NDA Eligibility Criteria: Nationality

The candidates have to be one of the following in order to be eligible for the NDA exam.

• Indian citizen
• A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1st, 1962 with an intention of permanently settling in India.
• Individuals of Indian origin who have migrated from the countries – Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African countries – Kenya, Uganda, The United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with an intention of permanent settlement.

The certificate of eligibility has to be issued by the Government of India to all foreign nationals. However, it is not necessary to be produced by the Gorkha subjects of Nepal.

NDA Age Limit and Relaxation

• For the NDA 1 2022 exam, the candidates who are born not before July 02, 2003, and not after July 01, 2006, are eligible.
• For the NDA 2 2022 exam, the candidates born between January 02, 2004, and January 01, 2007, are eligible.
• The candidate must write the date of birth as mentioned in the matriculation certificate, secondary school leaving certificate or any other equivalent certification recognised by the Indian University. No other document for proof of date of birth will be accepted by the commission.

NDA Eligibility Criteria: Sex & Marital Status

• Both male and female candidates must be unmarried throughout the selection process as well as till the training is completed.
• If a candidate marries before training, they will not be selected.
• If a candidate marries during training, he/she will be discharged and liable to pay all the expenditure incurred on him during the training by the government.

NDA Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualification

• Candidates who are 12th class pass under the 10+2 pattern of education from any state board or equivalent examination are eligible for the Army wing of the National Defence Academy.
• For the Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy, candidates must have a 12th pass with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or appear in one, of a 10+2 pattern of school education from any state board or equivalent.

NDA 2022 Application Fees

• After filling the application form, the candidate needs to pay the application fees online or offline.
• The application fee for the NDA Exam is INR 100.
• SC and ST candidates are exempted from paying the application fees.
• The application fees can be paid online or by depositing the money in any branch of SBI Bank.

NDA 2022 Exam Pattern

• The NDA exam is conducted in two sessions. There will be two papers in the NDA exam Mathematics and General Ability Test (GAT).
• The exam is conducted in an objective pattern. The questions are provided in both English and Hindi.
• 2.5 hours will be given for each exam.
• Paper 1 has 120 questions and is of 300 marks. The first exam starts at 10 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. One can refer to the syllabus section for the distribution of topics.
• Paper 2 has 150 questions and is of 600 marks. The second exam starts at 2 p.m. till 4:30 p.m.

Paper	Mathematics	General Ability Test (GAT)
Exam Duration	2 hours and 30 minutes	2 hours and 30 minutes
No. of Sections	1	2 (English and General Knowledge)
Total no. of Questions	120	150
Total Marks	300	600 (English (200) + GK (400))
Marking Scheme	+ 2.5 for correct answer -0.83 for incorrect answer	+4 for correct answer -1.33 for incorrect answer
Medium	English and Hindi	English for the English section. English and Hindi for the GK section
Type of Questions	Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)	Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

NDA Syllabus 2022

NDA Mathematics Syllabus

The syllabus for the NDA Mathematics section is as follows.

Chapters	Topics
Analytical Geometry of Two & Three Dimensions	Rectangular Cartesian Coordinate system. Distance formula. Equation of a line in various forms. The angle between the two lines. The distance of a point from a line. Equation of a circle in standard and in a general form. Standard forms of parabola, ellipse, and hyperbola. Eccentricity and axis of a conic. A point in a three-dimensional space, the distance between two points. Direction Cosines and direction ratios. Equation two points. Direction Cosines and direction ratios. Equation of a plane and a line in various forms. The angle between two lines and the angle between two planes. Equation of a sphere.
Algebra	Concept of set, operations on sets. Venn diagrams. De Morgan laws, Cartesian product, relation, equivalence relation. Representation of real numbers on a line. Complex numbers—basic properties, modulus, argument, cube roots of unity. Binary system of numbers. Conversion of a number in the decimal system to binary system and vice-versa. Arithmetic, 19 Geometric and Harmonic progressions. Quadratic equations with real coefficients. The solution of linear inequalities of two variables by graphs. Permutation and Combination. Binomial theorem and its applications. Logarithms and their applications.
Trigonometry	Angles and their measures in degrees and in radians. Trigonometric ratios. Trigonometric identities Sum and difference formulae. Multiple and Sub-multiple angles. Inverse trigonometric functions. Applications-Height and distance, properties of triangles.
Matrices & Determinants	Types of matrices, operations on matrices. The determinant of a matrix, basic properties of determinants. Adjoint and inverse of a square matrix, Applications-Solution of a system of linear equations in two or three unknowns by Cramer’s rule and by Matrix Method.

 

NDA General Ability Test (GAT) Syllabus

The exam syllabus for the various sections in the NDA General Ability Test (GAT) is tabulated below:

Section	Topics
English	Grammar and usage, vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and cohesion in extended text to test the candidate’s proficiency in English
Physics (Section A)	Physical Properties and States of Matter, Mass, Weight, Volume, Density, and Specific Gravity, Principle of Archimedes, Pressure Barometer. The motion of objects, Velocity and Acceleration, Newton’s Laws of Motion, Force and Momentum, Parallelogram of Forces, Stability and Equilibrium of bodies, Gravitation, elementary ideas of work, Power and Energy. Effects of Heat, Measurement of Temperature and Heat, change of State and Latent Heat, Modes of transference of Heat. Sound waves and their properties, Simple musical instruments. Rectilinear propagation of Light, Reflection, and refraction. Spherical mirrors and Lenses, Human Eye. Natural and Artificial Magnets, Properties of a Magnet, Earth as a Magnet. Static and Current Electricity, conductors and Non-conductors, Ohm’s Law, Simple Electrical Circuits, Heating, Lighting and Magnetic effects of Current, Measurement of Electrical Power, Primary and Secondary Cells, Use of X-Rays. General Principles in the working of the following: Simple Pendulum, Simple Pulleys, Siphon, Levers, Balloon, Pumps, Hydrometer, Pressure Cooker, Thermos Flask, Gramophone, Telegraphs, Telephone, Periscope, Telescope, Microscope, Mariner’s Compass; Lightning Conductors, Safety Fuses.
Chemistry (Section B)	Physical and Chemical changes. Elements, Mixtures and Compounds, Symbols, Formulae and simple Chemical Equations, Law of Chemical Combination (excluding problems). Properties of Air and Water. Preparation and Properties of Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide, Oxidation and Reduction. Acids, bases, and salts. Carbon—different forms. Fertilizers—Natural and Artificial. The material used in the preparation of substances like Soap, Glass, Ink, Paper, Cement, Paints, Safety Matches and Gunpowder. Elementary ideas about the structure of Atom, Atomic Equivalent and Molecular Weights, Valency
General Science (Section C)	Difference between the living and nonliving. Basis of Life—Cells, Protoplasms and Tissues. Growth and Reproduction in Plants and Animals. Elementary knowledge of the Human Body and its important organs. Common Epidemics, their causes, and prevention. Food—Source of Energy for man. Constituents of food, Balanced Diet. The Solar System—Meteors and Comets, Eclipses. Achievements of Eminent Scientists

 

NDA 2022 Expected Cutoffs

The candidates need to clear the NDA Written exam to appear for the next round of selection, i.e., SSB Interview. The candidates have to score the minimum qualifying marks set by the authorities to move to the next round.

• The NDA cut-off depends on many factors like the difficulty level of the paper, the number of candidates who appeared the category of the candidates, etc.
• The expected cut-off for the written exam is bound to fluctuate and is expected to be 342 marks and for the total cut-off, it is expected to be 708.

Year	Written Exam	Final Marks
NDA 2 2020	355	719

 

NDA 2022 Selection Process

The NDA Selection Process involves two stages. Stage-1 is the written examination and stage-2 is the SSB interview stage. The complete recruitment process in the NDA exam is judged based on marks scored out of 900 collectively in both stages of recruitment.

After the declaration of NDA Results 2022, qualified candidates will have to register themselves at www.joinindianarmy.nic.in within two weeks. Allotment of selection centres and dates will then be notified on the registered email ID.

NDA Selection Process: SSB Interview

SSB Interview comprises two stages- Stage 1 (OIR and PPDT) and Stage 2- (Interview, Group Tasks, Psychology Test, and Conference). After stage 2 is completed, a final merit list is generated by the UPSC for the final recruited candidates. The SSB Interview is elaborated in detail below.

Stages	Activities conducted
Testing	Screening Verbal and Non-verbal test PPDT
Psychological Test	Thematic Appreciation Test [TAT] Word Association Test [WAT] Situation Reaction Test [SRT] Self Description Test [ SD]
Group Testing Officers Test	Group Discussion (GD) Group Planning Exercise (GPE) Progressive Group Task (PGT) Half Group Task (HGT) Individual Obstacles Task (IOT) Command Task Snake race/Group Obstacle Race Individual lecture Final Group Task (FGT)
Personal Interview
Conference

 

NDA Selection Process: NDA Document Verification

After the personal interview round, the eligible candidates will have to appear for the document verification round. The qualified candidates must bring the required original documents to the Services Selection Centre (SSC).

• Qualification Certificate
• Proof of Identity (Pan card, Voter ID, Aadhar Card, etc.)
• Birth Certificate
• Passport Size Photographs
• Category certificate for the Reserved category candidates
• Proof of Residence

NDA Selection Process: NDA Medical Examination

• After the written exam and SSB selection, the scores of both the stages are combined and the final selection will be based on the medical standards and the merit-cum preference list.
• The physical standards are different for each service wing, which includes height dimensions, eyesight, dental health, internal organs functioning, respiratory system and other physical and internal checkups are done.
• The medical test is the final stage of the selection process. The candidates are suggested to get tested before the actual medical test to avoid disappointment at the last stage.
• The medical board may and can dismiss temporarily or permanently a candidate as unfit, if not up to the standards set by the board.

NDA Training And Academic Period

• The training period for the selected candidates is 3 years, for all three services – Army, Navy and Air force.
• Training includes both academic as well as physical.
• All the passing out cadets are given degrees from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
• Army cadets are awarded a B.Sc./ B.Sc. (Computer)/ B.A. degree. After successful completion of Academic, Physical and Service Training at NDA for B.Sc./ B.Sc. (Computer).
• Navy cadets are awarded a B.Tech degree and Air force cadets are awarded a B.Tech degree/B.Sc./ B.Sc. (Computer). For the B.Tech degree, it is awarded after the successful completion of subsequent Pre Commissioning Training Academics/ Institutions/ Ships/Aircraft.

On passing out from the National Defence Academy, the cadets go to the respective training academies. The Army cadets go to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun; the Naval Cadets go to the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala and Air force cadets go to the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad and Air Force Technical College in Bengaluru for the Non-Technical ground duty and Technical ground duty respectively.