If you are going to appear for the NDA entrance exam or the Armed Forces exams, then it is very important to gather all the information about that specific exam and make a strategic plan to crack it. This article is a source of valuable information for all those aspirants who are preparing for the NDA entrance exam.
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT NDA ENTRANCE EXAM IS?
NDA (National Defence Academy) is a well-known tri-services training institute. NDA is the first joint services training academy that trains cadets for all three services (Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force) together before they move on to their respective service academies for pre-commission training. The main centre of NDA is located in Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra. It is known as the best training academy for all the Indian Armed Force aspirants.
NDA ENTRANCE EXAM
There is an entrance exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year to get admission to NDA (National Defence Academy) . This NDA entrance exam presents a golden opportunity for all young aspirants who want to pursue careers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
ELIGIBILITY
Young candidates who are appearing /passed higher secondary (12th) are eligible to appear for the NDA Entrance Exam.
NDA PAPER PATTERN 2025
NDA entrance exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year in two stages: Written Exam & SSB Interview. To clear the NDA entrance exam, it is necessary for any candidate to first clear the written exam and then crack the personality test or interview conducted by SSB (Service Selection Board).
NDA Written Exam Pattern 2025
| PAPER I | MATHS |
| EXAM CONDUCTED BY | UPSC |
| TOTAL NO. OF QUESTIONS | 120 |
| QUESTION TYPE | OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS (MCQ\’s) |
| TOTAL MARKS CONTAIN | 300 |
| NEGATIVE MARKING | -0.83 for each incorrect answer |
| EXAM DURATION | 2hr 30 min |
| PAPER II | GAT (General Ability Test) |
| EXAM CONDUCTED BY | UPSC |
| TOTAL NO. OF QUESTIONS | 150 |
| QUESTION TYPE | OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS (MCQ\’s) |
| TOTAL MARKS CONTAIN | 600 |
| NEGATIVE MARKING | -1.33 for each incorrect answer |
| EXAM DURATION | 2hr 30min |
| NDA Written Exam Total Marks – 900 |
Candidates must have obtained minimum qualifying marks of 25% or more than 360 marks out of 900 to clear the NDA written exam and then go for the SSB interview.
NDA Exam Pattern 2025 for SSB Interview
| Testing Stage 1 | Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) and Picture Perception & Description Test (PP & DT). |
| Testing Stage 2 | – Personal Interview – Psychology Tests – Group Testing Officer’s Tests – Conference |
| DURATION | 4 to 5 days |
For the final selection in NDA, the Candidates must have OLQs (officer like qualities) which helps them to get their name in the final merit.
NDA EXAM SYLLABUS 2025
Syllabus of the NDA written entrance exam is divided into two main parts Maths and GAT (General Ability Test).
(Paper I) MATHS:-
Mathematics syllabus includes various sub topics from the main maths domain of 10th, 11th & 12th level.
(Paper II) GAT (General Ability Test):-
The GAT syllabus is divided into two sub parts: English and General Knowledge.
- English subject syllabus includes various questions from the comprehension, grammar and vocabulary domains.
- General knowledge syllabus subdivided into different subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Geography, History, General Science, G. K. and current affairs.
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How can I Clear the NDA in the First Attempt?
As a result of high competition among promising aspirants, cracking the NDA entrance exam is a challenging task. Here are some tips to clear the NDA Entrance Exam-:
1. Decode the syllabus & Exam Pattern
First, it is essential to decode or understand the syllabus and exam pattern of NDA. Understand what the basic and advanced demands of the exam are. Try to understand topics, subtopics and related information about them.
2. Stick to Limited Resources for the NDA Written Exam
\”Limited resources, less confusion\”, try to stick to the limited and genuine resources in the form of books, notes, test papers and guides.
3. Time Management
Make a strategic plan to manage your preparation time. Make a proper timetable to boost the efficiency of your study time. Better Time management skills are essential to performing better on exam day, especially in paper I mathematics & paper II GAT.
4. Mental and Physical Stability
Mental fitness and Physical fitness are essential to sustain and perform well in both written and Personality tests.
5. Continuous Hard Work towards Your Goal
Self-confidence, perseverance, patience, discipline with continuous hard work helps you achieve your goal.
6. Personality Development & Character Building
Focus on your communication skills by reading newspapers and participating in discussions and debates. Engage in the regular physical curriculum activities and exercises to see the major positive change in your overall personality development.
7. Solve the Previous Year\’s Question Papers
Solve the previous year\’s question papers to analyse the exact paper pattern and identify the areas of improvement.
8. Genuine Mentoring In Form of Coaching
You can also get help from coaching institutes for the NDA exam preparation in the form of genuine Mentoring, teaching and other helpful resources required for preparation.
MKDEI (Major Kulthe Defence Education Institute)
Only a few genuine defence institutes provide overall education plus training for the NDA exam preparation and we are one of them.
- MKDEI (Major Kulthe Defence Education Institute) is one such Defence Education Institute that provides overall education plus a training environment and infrastructure, facilities and resources for the NDA entrance exam preparation.
- MKDEI focuses on the multidimensional aspects of the Academics and helps in developing OLQs (officer-like qualities) in candidates with character-building to groom and shape the future of NDA aspirants.
- MKDEI provides school education from 9th through 12th standard in the science stream (non-medical) with the fundamentals of Defence Studies. The main Subjects of the science stream for higher secondary include Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and English with Geography, Defence Studies and Information Technology.
- It is located in In Chh. Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra. For Precise Locations, registration and admission details Contact on the helplines at 8087999670 / 671 or directly visit www.mkdei.com
Conclusion
This blog includes information about
NDA exam paper pattern, NDA exam syllabus, NDA written exam syllabus and some tips to clear NDA entrance exam.