National Defence Academy : Essential And Important Insights

The National Defence Academy Exam is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the three wings namely the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

 

The National Defence Academy conducts an all-India level examination twice a year to help the candidate make a career in defense services.

 

NDA (I & II) and NA (I &II) Exam

This exam NDA-I & NDA-II is held twice every year in the month of April and November. National Defence Academy & Naval Academy (NDA & NA) examinations are a two-stage selection process.

 

The candidate has to first clear the written test with minimum cut-off marks. Subsequently, they will be called for the next round. SSB Service Selection Board will conduct the second stage comprised of a personality test or interview process.

 

After qualifying for the SSB round the shortlisted candidate will go through the medical test and document verification. Every year approx. 4 lakh candidates apply for this examination.

 

Highlights Of National Defence Academy Exam

Name of the Exam		NDA (I & II) and NA(I &II)
Organizing Body		Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Level		National
Exam Mode		Paper and Pen-based( Offline)
Number of Registrations		Approx. 4 Lakh
Admit Card		Online
NDA & NA (I) 2020	Number of Vacancies	NDA & NA (II) 2020	Number of Vacancies
National Defence Academy	Army-208 Navy- 42 Air Force-120	National Defence Academy	Army-208 Navy- 42 Air Force- 58
Naval Academy	50	Naval Academy	55
Total	418	Total	363
Official Website		https://www.upsc.gov.in/

 

National Defence Academy -UPSC NDA & NA Proposed Month

The UPSC generally releases the date of the NDA (I) & NA( I) and NDA (II) & NA( II)  Examinations notification in the month of January and June respectively.

Aspirants willing to appear for NDA & NA exam can apply online by visiting the official website of UPSC.

 

Notification	Month
NDA (I) Notification	January
NDA (II) Notification	June
NDA (I) Exam	September
NDA (II) Exam	September
NDA (I) Result	November
NDA (II) Result	November
NDA SSB	Post the result of NDA(I) & NDA (II)

 

National Defence Academy-Eligibility Criteria

 

1. Nationality 

• Candidates must be a citizen of India
• Candidates must be a citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
• Candidates must be Tibetan refugees who came to India before January 1, 1962, for settling permanently in India.
• Candidates must a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Myanmar, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire with the motive to settle permanently in India.

 

2. Educational Qualification Criteria

Wing	Qualification
Indian Army	Appearing/Completed class 12th (10+2) or its equivalent exam from a recognized board or University
Indian Navy and Indian Air Force	Appearing/Completed class 12th (10+2) or its equivalent exam from a recognized board or University with Physics and Mathematics as a compulsory subject.
Note:  Candidates who have failed the exam of INSB/PABT earlier are not eligible for the Air Force Exam.

 

3. Age limit, Sex & Marital Status

Exam	Age Limit	Sex	Marital Status
NDA & NA (I)	Not before July 2, 2000, and not later than July 1, 2003	Male	Unmarried
NDA & NA (II)	Not before January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2004	Male	Unmarried
Note 1: The DOB mentioned in the Matriculation/Higher Secondary Examination certificate available will be considered by the concerned authority.
Note 2: Candidates are informed not to marry-until the training is completed.

 

Physical Criteria :

The candidate needs to be physically and mentally fit for applying to the National Defence Academy  (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) Examination.

 

Candidates are advised to get themselves medically examined before applying for this examination as many candidates fail to qualify for the medical test.

 

Height & Weight Standards

Height & Weight Standards-Army/Air Force				Height & Weight Standards- Navy
Height in CM (without shoes)	Weight in KG			Height in CM (without shoes)	Weight in KG
	16-17 years	17-18 years	18-19 years		16-17 years	17-18 years	18-19 years
152	42.5	44	45	152	44	45	46
155	43.5	45.3	47	155	45	46	47
157	45	47	48	157	46	47	49
160	46.5	48	49	160	47	48	50
162	48	50	51	162	48	50	52
165	50	52	53	165	50	52	53
167	51	53	54	168	52	53	55
170	52.5	55	56	170	53	55	57
173	54	57	58	173	55	57	59
175	56	59	60	175	57	59	61
178	58	61	62	178	59	61	62
180	60	63	64.5	180	61	63	64
183	62.5	65	66.5	183	63	65	67
Special requirements of Pilot in the Air Force are mentioned below
Measurement				Minimum		Maximum
Leg Length				99 cm		120 cm
Thigh Length				–		64 cm
Sitting Height				81.50 cm		96 cm

Vision Standard

The distance vision (corrected) should be 6/6 in the better eye(6/9) in the worse eye. Myopia and hypermetropia should not be more than 2.5 D & 3.5 D respectively. The color vision standard for the army should be (CP-III). The detailed vision standard is given below :

Eyesight for Naval Candidate		Eyesight for Air Force Candidate		Maddox Rod Test
Uncorrected without glass	6/6	Uncorrected without glass	6/6, 6/9	At 6 Meters	Exo-6 prism D
Corrected with glass	6/6	Corrected with glass	6/6 (Only for Hypermetropia)		Eso-6 prism D
Limits of Myopia	-0.75	Limits of Myopia	NIL		Hyper-1 prismD
Limits of Hypermetropia	+1.5	Limits of Hypermetropia	+2.00 D Sph		Hypro -1 prism D
Limits of color Perception	I	Manifest Myopia	NIL		Exo-16 prism D
Binocular Vision	III	Tinoscopic Myopia	0.5	At 33cms	Eso-6 prism D
		Colour Vision	CP-I (MLT)		Hyper-1 prismD
		Astigmatism	+0.75 Cyl ( within +2.0 D.Max)		Hypro -1 prism D
		Near Vision	N-5 each eye

 

Physical Conditioning

The candidate needs to be in good physical condition to meet the following routine

• Skipping
• Chin-ups (Min-08)
• Push-ups & sit-ups (Min- 20 each)
• Rope climbing 3-4 meters
• Running 2.4 km in 15 minutes.

 

NDA Officer: Roles & Responsibility

The role of an NDA officer is very challenging and it demands a lot of perseverance and responsibility. NDA officer gets into the job of Defence forces like Army, Navy, and Air Force.

 

Career Graph of NDA /NA Officer

The highest position, a National Defence Academy officer can desire is General in Army, Admiral in Navy, and Air Chief Marshal in Air Force. The following is the career path of an NDA Officer.

 

The training starts in the academy, a cadet is allotted to one of the 18 Squadrons for the next three years. The Squadrons are named as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hunter, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Panther, Quebec, and Romeo No.1, No.2, No.3, and No.4 Battalions have four squadrons each while No.5 has two squadrons. Each squadron has approximately 100-120 cadets.

 

Air Force	Army	Navy
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)	Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)	Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)
Air Marshall (AOC-in-C/VCAS)	Lieutenant General (Army Commodore/VCOAS)	Vice-Admiral/FCO-in-C/VCNS)
Air Marshall	Lieutenant General	Vice Admiral
AVM	Major General	Rear Admiral
Air Commodore	Brigadier	Captain
Group Captain	Colonel	Captain
Wing Commander (S)	Lieutenant Colonel (S)	Commander (S)
Wing Commander (TS)	Lieutenant Colonel (TS)	Commander (TS)
Squadron Leader	Major	Lieutenant Commander
Flight Lieutenant	Captain	Lieutenant
Flying Officer	Lieutenant	Sub Lieutenant

 

National Defence Academy Exam Pattern

UPSC conducts exams in two-level as mentioned below. The candidate who clears the written test will be called for the SSB Interview exams.

Stage 1:  NDA and NA Examination (I)
Subject	Type	Duration	Maximum Marks	Negative Marking
Mathematics	Objective	2.30 hours	300	Yes
General Ability Test	Objective	2.30 hours	600	Yes
Total			900
Stage 2: SSB Personality Test/Interview			900
Stage 1:  NDA and NA Examination (II)
Mathematics	Objective	2.30 hours	300	Yes
General Ability Test	Objective	2.30 hours	600	Yes
Total			900
Stage 2: SSB Personality Test/Interview			900
Note: Exam mode is offline. Question paper for Mathematics & General Ability Test will be in both the language that is English and Hindi

 

National Defence Academy focuses on getting the best resources by going through the most competitive exam and subsequently by the most rigorous training.

 

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