NDA (National Defence Academy) — Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Free preparation for NDA (National Defence Academy) — the official exam pattern and topic-wise syllabus are below. Start preparing from home, without books.
See current NDA (National Defence Academy) vacancies & notificationsExam Pattern
Conducting body: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Exam name: National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA), held twice every year — NDA (I) and NDA (II). Eligibility: unmarried candidates only; for the Army wing a pass in Class 12 / equivalent is enough, while for the Air Force, Navy and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme of the Indian Naval Academy, Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics is required. Age: roughly 16½ to 19½ years — confirm the exact date window in each year's notice.
Selection has two stages: (1) a written examination of 900 marks, and (2) an SSB Interview of 900 marks — total 1800 marks.
WRITTEN EXAMINATION (objective / MCQ, set in both English and Hindi except the English portion):
- Paper I — Mathematics: 300 marks, 120 questions, duration 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Paper II — General Ability Test (GAT): 600 marks, 150 questions, duration 2 hours 30 minutes. GAT has two parts — Part A English (200 marks) and Part B General Knowledge (400 marks) covering Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History & Freedom Movement, Geography and Current Events.
- Negative marking: one-third (1/3) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer.
SSB INTERVIEW (900 marks): Stage I is a screening (Officer Intelligence Rating + Picture Perception & Description Test). Only those who clear Stage I go to Stage II — psychological tests, Group Testing Officer (GTO) tasks and the personal interview, spread over about 4–5 days.
This is the long-stable NDA pattern; always confirm marks, age and eligibility against the specific NDA (I) / (II) notification for the year you are applying in.
Syllabus (topic-wise)
- Mathematics (Paper I): Algebra; Matrices & Determinants; Trigonometry; Analytical Geometry (2D & 3D); Differential Calculus; Integral Calculus & Differential Equations; Vector Algebra; Statistics & Probability.
- GAT — English (Part A): grammar and usage, vocabulary, comprehension and cohesion — testing understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.
- GAT — General Knowledge (Part B) Physics: motion, force, work-power-energy, heat & temperature, light, sound, magnetism, electricity, simple machines and everyday physics.
- GAT — Chemistry: physical & chemical changes, elements-mixtures-compounds, acids-bases-salts, oxidation & reduction, common gases, carbon and its compounds, fertilisers and preparation of common substances.
- GAT — General Science: living vs non-living, cells & tissues, the human body & food, common diseases, and the basic science of everyday life.
- GAT — History & Freedom Movement: highlights of Indian history, the freedom movement, the Constitution & Panchayati Raj, and broad world history / social reform.
- GAT — Geography: the Earth, latitudes & longitudes, atmosphere & climate, oceans & winds, India's regions, agriculture and natural resources.
- GAT — Current Events: important national and international events, prominent personalities, sports and cultural activities of the recent period.
Official source: https://upsc.gov.in/examinations/active-examinations
⚠️ Always confirm against that year's official notification — the exam pattern and syllabus can change. This page is free guidance only.