The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the Joint Services academy of the Indian Armed Forces. NDA is the first tri-service academy in the world and is rated amongst the best in the world.
Here the cadets of three services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force train together before they go on to pre-commissioning training in their respective service academies after completing the programme.
Army cadets go to IMA at Dehradun for training
Air Force cadets to AFA at Dundigal, Hyderabad for training
Naval cadets to INA, Ezhimala, Kerala for training
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), New Delhi. NDA exam is also used for the selection of candidates into Indian Air Force.
The Union Public Service Commision (UPSC) has released the official notification for NDA (i) 2019 exam. As per the official notification released, NDA (i) 2019 exam is scheduled to be held on April 21, 2019. The exam will be held for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA for 143rd course in Army and Navy and 105th Naval Academy Course commencing from January 2, 2020.
Around 4, 50,000 applicants sit for the exam every year, among which only 6,300 are called for the interview round. Out of these, only 383 cadets are accepted to the academy, each semester. 92 for Air force, 39 for Navy and 208 cadets for the army & Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) 44.
The candidates joining Indian Naval Academy would undergo 4 years B. Tech Course and would be given an opportunity to join Executive and Technical Branches of the Navy subject to availability of vacancies.
NDA Exam (Written) is of 900 marks and Interview is also of 900 marks thus there is equal weightage for both the written test and the NDA Interview.
NDA Exam is undertaken by students of Class 12 or who have completed Class 12 or equivalent. The Students who are selected as an NDA cadet are awarded BA/ BTech Degree based on some specific criteria.
Total Vacancies: 383
NDA 2019 Eligibility
Apart from Indian origin, candidates from other countries can also appear for NDA 2019. For the same the candidate must either be
An India citizen
A citizen of Bhutan or,
A citizen of Nepal
Tibetan refugees who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India are also eligible to appear for NDA 2019.
An Indian origin migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India are also eligible to appear for NDA 2019 exam.
Note: The candidate from other countries other than India must possess a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.
As per Age Limit:
Minimum Age: 16.5 years
Maximum Age: 19.5 years
The date of birth will be calculated as mentioned on the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognised by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation.
As per Educational Qualification:
Army Wing of National Defence Academy: The Candidates willing to apply for Indian Army must possess a class 12/HSC in 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
Air Force, Navy and Naval Academy of National Defence Academy: The Candidates willing to apply for Air Force, Navy and Naval Academy must possess a class 12/HSC in 10+2 pattern of School Education with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University
As per Physical standard:
Candidates willing to appear for NDA 2019 must be physically and mentally fit, according to the prescribed physical standards of the conducting authority i.e. SSB (Services Selection Board). A candidate recommended by the SSB will undergo a medical examination by a Board of Service Medical Officers.
The candidate must possess a good physical and mental health and free from any disease/disability which is likely to interfere with the efficient performance of Military duties. The candidates selected by the authority will be admitted to the academy for further training.
Minimum height required is 157 cm for Army, Navy and Naval Academy while 162.5 cm for Air Force. A leverage of 5 cm is provided to Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern regions.
NDA Pattern
The two stage selection process is listed below:
Stage 1: Written Exam
Stage 2: Intelligence and Personality Test
Stage 1: Written Exam: The written exam will take place in two papers: Mathematics (01) and General Ability (02). Mathematics will consist of algebra, matrices and determinants, trigonometry, analytical geometry of two and three dimensions, different calculus, integral calculus and differential equations, vector algebra and statistics and probability. Whereas, General Ability is bifurcated into two parts: Part A (English) and Part B (GK). The candidates will get a duration of two and a half hour each for both the papers, wherein Mathematics will carry 300 marks and General Ability will carry 600 marks.
The papers will consist of objective type questions only and will be set bilingually, in Hindi as well as English.
Stage 2: Intelligence and Personality Test: The SSB procedure is further divided into two stages i.e. stage I that includes Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception/ Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR test and PP and DT. Stage II, on the other hand, comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests will take place over a period of four days.
Subject Duration Maximum Marks
Mathematics 2.5 hours 300
General Ability 2.5 hours 600
Total Marks for Written Test 900
SSB Interview 900