National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination

What is NDA & NA exam ?

National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination, conducted by UPSC twice a year, is an all India Entrance exam for students aspiring to enter into the elite Indian Army, Navy & Airforce through Joint defence training Academy.

Why NDA?

Serve the nation as Commissioned offices and rise through the ranks swiftly. The current Chief of Defence staff, Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Naval Staff are alumni of the prestigious NDA.
Start the career as a high ranked official with a huge salary and perks/allowances.
The students shall also be conferred with degrees such as Bachelor of Arts/Science or Computer Science by JNU and a BTECH for Naval cadets from Indian Naval Academy during their tenure. Dual benefit- Degree + training with Indian Army/Navy/Airforce.
Students obtain the degree without any educational expense as it is entirely taken care of by the Indian government.
After training the candidates will be given the rank of Lieutenant in Army, Sub Lieutenant in Navy and Flying Officer in Air force at a very young age.

Personal traits required

Observational skills
Clarity in the thinking process
Interpersonal skills
Team building ability
Problem Solving ability
Decision making skills

Eligibility

Age limit: 16.5 to 19.5
Marital status: Unmarried
Education: Pass marks in 12th standard(10 +2) pattern. STUDENTS APPEARING FOR 12th STD EXAMINATION ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.
Airforce and Navy: Physics, chemistry and Maths in 12th std.
Army: Open to all students
For more details on eligibility, kindly refer to the NDA notification released by UPSC

Selection Process:

Round 1: Written round

The written round tests the students in the subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, History, Geography and current affairs.

Round 2: SSB (Service Selection Board) - Test and Interview

It is a two-stage selection process- Stage I and Stage II. Candidates clearing stage I are permitted for Stage II.

Stage I	Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test and Picture Perception & Description Test.
Stage II	Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Test and the Conference.

Structure And Pattern Of The Written Round

	Subject	No. of questions	Total Marks
Paper I	Mathematics	100	300
Paper II	General Ability Test	200	600
Total			900

Marks awarded for correct answer: 3 marks
Negative marks for wrong answers: -1 marks

General Ability Test
	Subjects	No. of Questions(approx)	Negative Marking
Part 1	English	65 -67	1 mark
Part 2	Physics	32 -34
	Chemistry	19-21
	General Science	12 -14
	History	25 -27
	Geography	25 -27
	Current Events	12 -14

Career Growth Through NDA

Rank	Pay(in Rs.)
Lieutenant	56,100 - 1,77, 500
Captain	61,300 - 1,93,900
Major	69,400 - 2,07,200
Lieutenant Colonel	1,21,200 - 2,12,400
Colonel	1,30,600 - 2,15,900
Brigadier	1,39,600 - 2,17,600
Major General	1,44,200 - 2,18,200
Lieutenant General HAG Scale	1,82,200 - 2,24,100
Lieutenant General HAG +Scale	2,05,400 - 2,24,400
VCOAS/Army Cdr/Lieutenant Gen (NFSG)	2,50,000 (Fixed)
COAS	2,50,000 (Fixed)

Payscale is quoted from notification released by joinindianarmy.nic.in

Women are also eligible to apply for the first time for NDA exam