NDA Application Form 2025: Eligibility, Syllabus & Marking Scheme
The National Defence Academy exam (NDA), conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is a crucial step for aspiring candidates to be shortlisted for the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
NDA-II Exam 2024
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the NDA-II 2024 exam on September 1, 2024, for 404 vacancies. Candidates who clear this exam will join the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the NDA for the 154th Course and the 116th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC), which starts on July 2, 2025.
The result of NDA-II, exam 2024, has already been declared, and candidates can check for it by visiting the official website of UPSC.
NDA-I Exam 2025 Online Application
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the NDA 2025 exam dates through its revised annual calendar. As per the schedule, the NDA 1 2025 notification will be released on December 11, 2024, with the application form available from December 11 to December 31, 2024. The NDA 1 2025 exam is set to take place on April 13, 2025.
NDA Exam Eligibility
As per the official notification for the NDA-II exam 2024, candidates must fulfil the following conditions mentioned below:
- An Indian citizen who is unmarried male/female (Born not born earlier than 2nd January 2006 and not later than 1st January 2009)
- To join the Army Wing of the National Defence Academy, candidates must have completed the 12th class in accordance with the School Education pattern or an equivalent exam from a State Education Board or University.
- To join the Air Force and Naval Wings of the National Defence Academy or the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy, candidates must have completed 12th class with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. This qualification should be from a State Education Board or a University following the 10+2 school pattern.
- Candidates must meet the required physical fitness standards to be eligible for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II) in 2024.
- A fee of INR 100 is required from all candidates, except for SC/ST/Wards of JCOs/NCOs/ORs and female candidates, who are exempt from paying the fees.
NDA Exam Syllabus 2025
The written NDA exam syllabus typically comprises two subjects, namely Mathematics & General Ability Test (GAT) under which varied topics are included. The exam will be conducted offline in pen-paper with questions based on MCQ format.
The table below highlights the key topics that are vital for excelling in the NDA exam:
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Paper-1 Mathematics |
Paper-2 General Ability Test |
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Algebra: Numbers, Arithmetic, Geometric, Harmonic progressions, Quadratic equations, Permutation, Combination, etc. |
Part ‘A’ English: Grammar, usage, vocabulary, comprehension and cohesion in extended text to test the candidate’s proficiency in English. |
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Matrices & Determinants: Types, Operations on matrices, Determinants of a matrix, basic properties of determinants, etc. |
Part ‘B’ General Knowledge: The question paper on General Knowledge will broadly cover the subjects: Physics, Chemistry, General Science, Social Studies, Geography and Current Events. (Candidate’s answers are expected to show their knowledge and intelligent understanding of the subject.) |
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Trigonometry: Trigonometric angles, measures, identities, functions, height and distance, properties of triangles, etc. |
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Analytical geometry & three dimensions: Rectangular cartesian coordinate system, distance formula, line equation, angle between two lines, distance of a point from a line, circle equation, etc. |
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Differential calculus: Concept of a real-valued function, composite functions, the notion of limit, the derivative of a function at a point, geometrical and physical interpretation, etc. |
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Integral calculus and differential equations: Integration, standard integrals, definite integrals, definition, etc. |
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Vector algebra: Dimensions, magnitude and direction of a vector, unit and null vectors, addition of vectors, scalar multiplication of a vector, scalar product or dot product of two vectors, etc. |
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Statistic: Classification of data, frequency distribution, cumulative frequency distribution, graphical representation, measures of central tendency, variance and standard deviation, correlation, regression. |
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Probability: Random experiment, outcomes, associated sample space, events, the definition of probability, elementary theorems on probability, random variable, binomial distribution, etc. |
NDA Exam Marking Pattern
The NDA exam's final merit list is based on scores from Mathematics, GAT, and the SSB interview. Below is the detailed marking pattern for the NDA exam:
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Subjects |
Number questions |
Mark per question |
Total marks |
|
Mathematics |
120 |
2.5 marks for every correct answer (Negative Marking: 0.83 marks deduction for every wrong answer) |
300 |
|
GAT- English |
50 |
4 marks for every correct answer (Negative Marking: 1.33 marks deduction for every wrong answer) |
200 |
|
GAT- GK |
100 |
4 marks for every correct answer (Negative Marking: 1.33 marks deduction for every wrong answer) |
400 |
|
SSB Interview |
Includes an overall total of 900 marks |
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Overall Total Marks: 1800 marks (900 from the written exam + 900 from the SSB interview) |
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Candidates are advised to check the official UPSC notification and guidelines for the latest information. |
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SSB Intelligence & Personality Test
The Staff Selection Board (SSB) procedure consists of two stages:
Stage I comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) and picture perception and description tests (PP&DT).
Stage II comprises of interview, group testing officer tasks, psychology tests and the conference.
(These tests are conducted over 4 days. Only those candidates who clear stage I are permitted to appear for stage II.)
Click here to download the revised UPSC annual calendar for NDA 2025.
What After the NDA Examination?
A final merit list is prepared based on the candidate's performance in the written exam and SSB interview. Candidates who make it to the merit list are eligible for admission to the NDA.
Admission to NDA
Successful candidates are admitted to the NDA, Khadakwasla, Pune, where they undergo three years of training. The training is divided into academic, physical, and service training components.
On completion of training, cadets are awarded a Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.Sc./B.Tech.) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
After NDA, cadets move on to their respective service academies for specialized training:
- Indian Military Academy (IMA) for Army cadets.
- Indian Naval Academy (INA) for Navy cadets.
- Air Force Academy (AFA) for Air Force cadets.
Commissioning
After completing their training at the respective service academies, cadets are commissioned as officers in their respective branches of the Indian Armed Forces:
- Lieutenant in the Army.
- Sub-Lieutenant in the Navy.
- Flying Officer in the Air Force.
This comprehensive process ensures that only the best candidates are selected and trained to serve as officers in the Indian Armed Forces.
Career Progression
Lieutenant to Captain (Army): A Lieutenant in the Indian Army is typically promoted to the rank of Captain after approximately 2 years of service.
Sub-Lieutenant to Lieutenant (Navy): A Sub-Lieutenant in the Indian Navy is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant usually after 2 years of service.
Flying Officer to Flight Lieutenant (Air Force): A Flying Officer in the Indian Air Force is promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant generally after 2 years of service.