NDA is one of the most sought after defence entrance exams in the country. The exam is conducted for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC). NDA is conducted twice a year in two stages: written exam and SSB Interview. Around four lakh, aspirants appear for NDA every year, out of which approximately 6,000 are called for SSB Interview. UPSC prepares a list of candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks in the written exam. Such candidates are called for SSB Interview for Intelligence and Personality Test.
Exam name | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA) |
Conducted by | UPSC |
Exam level | National |
Exam category | After Class 12 |
Frequency of exam | Twice a year |
Exam stages | Written Test and SSB Interview |
Exam mode | Offline |
Exam duration | Five hours (Mathematics: 2 ½ hours, General Ability Test (GAT): 2 ½ hours) |
Exam syllabus |
Mathematics: Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Trigonometry, Analytical Geometry of two and three dimensions, Differential Calculus, Vector Algebra, Statistics and Probability. GAT: English, General Knowledge, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, Geography, Current Events etc. |
Exam pattern |
GAT: 150 objective type questions Mathematics: 120 objective type questions |
Language | English and Hindi |
Exam purpose | For admission to National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) |
Test cities | 41 |
Official website | upsc.gov.in |
The commission has announced the commencement of NDA I 2021 recruitment from December 30, 2020. As per the notification, NDA Exam date 2021 is given below-
NDA I 2021 Exam Dates | |
NDA I exam event | NDA 2021 Dates (Tentative) |
NDA I Notification 2021 | December 30 2020 |
NDA I Online Application start date | December 30 2020 |
NDA I Online Application last date | January 19th 2021 |
NDA I Admit Card 2021 | To be announced |
NDA I Written exam 2021 | April 18th 2021 |
NDA I Result 2021 | To be announced |
As per the latest UPSC Calendar, the commission has scheduled to release the NDA II 2021 notification by June 2021. The NDA II 2021 exam date is as mentioned below:
NDA II 2021 Exam Dates | |
NDA II exam event | NDA 2021 Dates (Tentative) |
NDA II Notification 2021 | June 9th 2021 |
NDA II Online Application start date | June 9th 2021 |
NDA II Online Application last date | June 29th 2021 |
NDA II Admit Card 2021 | To be announced |
NDA II Written exam 2021 | September 5th 2021 |
NDA II 2021 Result | To be announced |
The eligibility for NDA exam is determined by the conducting body i.e. the UPSC. Aspirants willing to appear for National Defense Academy Exam and Naval Academy Exam must meet the eligibility conditions as prescribed by the commission on the official notification.
The eligibility criteria for NDA/NA exam is as follows-
The UPSC determines the NDA selection process as well as the syllabus of the examination. Generally, the exam pattern and syllabus of NDA exams remain the same every year.
The NDA Selection Process goes as under –
Ans:The Union Public service commission has released the notification for NDA 1 2021 on December 30th 2020.
Ans: No, girls cannot apply for NDA exam.
Ans: Yes, the NDA I 2020 exam got postponed due to COVID-19 diseases. The exam will now be conducted with the NDA II 2020 exam on September 6th 2020.
Ans: No, only unmarried males are eligible to apply for the NDA exam. Also, they have to undertake that they will not marry until they complete their full training.
Ans:NDA exam is biannual recruitment of candidates to the defence forces in (Army, Navy and Air Force) conducted by UPSC. There is no difference in NDA I and NDA II exam.
Ans: The exam comprises two subjects: Mathematics and GAT (English and General Knowledge).
Ans: The level of both papers: Maths and GAT remains moderate in terms of difficulty level.