NDA

About NDA

NDA exam is conducted by UPSC for admission to the 3 forces of India – Navy, Army and Air Force wings. Get all details here and learn about NDA.

NDA

The National Defence Academy Exam (NDA Exam) is conducted by The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The exam has a rigorous selection process designed to recruit the best candidates to serve the Indian Armed Forces.

The NDA exam is conducted twice a year in two stages – first was conducted on 16th April 2023, and second will be conducted on September 3rd 2023.

For aspirants who are preparing to appear in the NDA exam on the above mentioned dates, this article will provide all the necessary details related to the exam pattern and course.

NDA 2023 Exam Pattern:

The NDA Exam Pattern is divided into two stages:

  1. Written Examination
  2. Service Selection Board (SSB) Interview 

The written exam is further divided into:

  1. General Ability Test (GAT).
  2. Mathematics

Each occurring for 2 ½ hours long. The total marks for the SSB Interview will be 900.GAT will be 600 marks. Mathematics will be 300 marks.

The General Ability Test is divided into two:

  1. English
  2. General Awareness and General Knowledge Test

Following is the marks distribution of GAT:

GENERAL ABILITY TEST

SUBJECTS

MARKS

English

_

200

General Ability Test

Current Events

40

General Science

40

Chemistry

60

Geography

80

History, Freedom Movement, etc.

80

Physics.

100

TOTAL

600

The marking scheme formulated by UPSC is as follows:

  1. GAT: 4 marks given for a correct answer. 1.33 marks deducted for an incorrect answer.
  2. Mathematics: 2.5 marks given for a correct answer. 0.83 marks deducted for an incorrect answer.

* no marks are deducted for unanswered questions.

 NDA SSB Interview Pattern:

After clearing the written exams, the candidates become eligible for SSB interview. The pattern follows as

Stage 1

Screening Test

Verbal and Non-Verbal tests.
PPDT

Stage 2

Psychological Test

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Word Association Test (WAT)
Situation Reaction Test (SRT)
Self Description Test (SD)

Group Testing Officers Test

GD
GPE
PGT
HGT
IOT
Command Task
Snake Race/Group Obstacle Race
Individual lecture
FGT

Personal Interview & Conference

Notifications

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Study Material

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The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the NDA exam to recruit candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings. It is a national-level defence entrance exam conducted twice a year. The exam is held in two levels – written and interview. Only the candidates who clear the written test are called for an SSB interview.

The NDA exam is held in multiple states, and test centres are allotted to candidates as per their preferences filled in the application form.

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