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 |
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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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