What is NDA Exam?
NDA stands for National Defense Academy which is among top defense entrance exam in India. The recruitment in NDA is been conducted for admission in Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of National Defense Academy as well as Indian Naval Academy(INA). This exam is been conduct twice every year in which nearly 5000-6000 are been called for the final SSB Interview.
| About NDA Examination | |
| Name of the Exam | National Defense Academy & Naval Academy Exam |
| Conducting Body | UPSC |
| Level of the Exam | National Level |
| Eligibility | After Class 12th |
| Exam Frequency | Exam is been conducted twice a year |
| Number of Stages | 2 |
| Name of stages | Written test & SSB interview |
Eligibility Criteria for NDA 2020
UPSC has certain eligibility criteria which the candidates need to fulfill in order to appear for the exam:
Age Limit Criteria: Candidates between 16.5 and 19.5 can apply for the exam. The date of birth is been calculated as per mentioned on the Secondary School Leaving Certificate.
Education Qualification: The education qualification completely depends on the type of academy that the student is choosing. Candidates must have passed 12th class for entering into Army Wing of NDA. On other hand, if the student wants to get into Air Force, Navy or the Naval Academy of NDA.
NDA 2020 Important Dates-Exam Pitara
| Events | NDA 2020 (1) | NDA 2020 (2) |
| Notifications | 8 January 2020 | 10 June 2020 |
| Application Form Released | 8 January 2020 | 10 June 2020 |
| Application Form Last Date | 28 January 2020 | 30 June 2020 |
| Admit Card Released | Before Entrance Exams | Before Entrance Exams |
| NDA 2020 Exam | 19 April 2020 | 6 September 2020 |
| NDA Results | May 2020 | November 2020 |
NDA 2020 Selection Process
The selection process for the NDA 2020 comprises two stage which is written exam and Service Selection Board or SSB interview. The details of the each process is mentioned below:
Written Exam: Candidates who have successfully registered for the NDA exam are required to first appear for the written examination. The exam consists of two different sections: Mathematics test as well as test for General Ability. The test carries for total of 900 Marks and candidates need to qualify by obtaining the cutoff marks in the written exam in order to be called for the SSB Interview.
SSB Interview: After clearing the written exam, the SSB interview is been conducted for Intelligence as well as Personality Test. This process is been done in two stages. All the qualified candidates are first put to stage 1 of the first day of reporting at the selection centers of various boards like Air Force and Naval. Those who qualify for the first round are then proceeded to the next round where it is been required to submit birth certificates as well the passing exam certificates.
Exam Guidelines for NDA 2020
On appearing for written examination, candidates need to follow some guidelines. There are some points which the candidate can follow in order to avoid last time hassle. Some of the points are been mentioned below:
- Candidates must carry their NDA Admit card before entering into the exam centre
- Candidates should also carry one photo identity along with the admit card
- A clipboard for flat surface and a black ball pen are suggested for marking purposes
- All the candidates are notified that sheet for rough work would be provided by the invigilator
- Candidates are not allowed to carry: books, notes, electronic gadgets, calculators, instruments, log tables, maps, booklets, and rough sheets.
- Misconduct during the written exam is not entertained at all and serious actions would be taken on the students who are involved in such activities
- Also, strict actions would also be taken if the student or students are involved in copying or cheating while giving the written examination.
NDA Syllabus 2020: Important Topics and Questions
Part 1: Mathematics Syllabus
According to the latest NDA examination paper has total of 120 questions. Total marks allotted for Mathematics section are 300. For each correct answer, 2.5 marks are been awarded and for each wrong one, 0.85 would be deducted. Some important topics covering the Mathematics are
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Matrices & Determinants
- Differential Calculus
- Vector Algebra
- Analytical Geometry (Two and Three Dimensions)
- Statistics and Probability
| Topic wise distribution in Mathematics | |
| Mathematics Topic | Number of Questions |
| Calculus | 20 to 25 Questions |
| Quadratic Equations | 20 to 25 Questions |
| Matrices & Determinants | 30 Questions |
| Probability | 10 Questions |
| Trigonometry | 30 Questions |
| Complex Number | 10-15 Questions |
Part 2: Syllabus for GAT (English and General Knowledge)
The GAT syllabus is been divided into two different sections which are English and general knowledge. Total number of Questions asked in GAT section are 150 and total number of marks allotted to this section are 600. Each correct answers gets the candidate 4 marks while 1.33 marks are been deducted for any wrong answer.
| Important Topics of Physics | |
| Mass & Weight | Modes of Heat Transfer |
| Volume | Rectilinear propagation of light |
| Density & Specific Gravity | Reflection and Refraction of light |
| Archimedes Principle | Human Eye |
| Pressure & Barometer | Magnet & its properties |
| Newton Laws of Motion | Force & Momentum |
| Power and Energy | X-rays & its use |
| Measurement of Temperature & Heat | Electrical Circuit |
| Important Topics of Chemistry | |
| Physical and Chemical Change | Mixture and Compounds |
| Structure of Atom | Symbols and formulae of chemical equation |
| Valency | Properties of Air & Water |
| Fertilizer- Natural and Artificial | Forms of Carbon |
| Important Topics of General Science | |
| Living and Non Living Things | Basis of life-cells and tissues |
| Balanced Diet | Growth and Reproduction in plants and animals |
| Food-structure | Solar system |
| Human Body and important organs | Common Epidemics: Cause & their prevention |
| Important Topics in History | |
| Forces Shaping the modern world | Freedom Movement in India |
| Exploration and Discovery | Impact of Science and Technology |
| Concept of the world | Survey of Indian History |
| War of American Independence | French Revolution, Russian Revolution |
| Industrial Revolution | Culture and Civilization of India |
| Important Topics for Geography | |
| Earth: shape and size | Latitudes & Longitudes |
| Concept of Time | Types of Climate |
| Movements of Earth | Major Natural regions around the world |
| Origin of Rocks | Important sea ports in India |
| Air Routes in India | Imports & Exports in India |
| Regional Geography of India | Weathering |
| Important Topics of Current Affairs | |
| Current & important world events | Important events happening in India |
| Indian events with sports and culture | Prominent personalities |
| English | ||
| Topic | Number of Questions | Number of Marks |
| Comprehension | 5 | 20 |
| Spotting Errors | 6 | 24 |
| Ordering Words | 9 | 36 |
| Improvement of Sentences | 10 | 40 |
| Selecting Words | 10 | 40 |
| Antonyms | 5 | 20 |
| Synonyms | 5 | 20 |
| Total | 50 | 200 |
| Science & General Knowledge | ||
| Topic | Number of Questions | Number of Marks |
| Physics | 23 | 92 |
| Chemistry | 16 | 64 |
| Science (General) | 11 | 44 |
| History | 16 | 64 |
| Geography | 17 | 68 |
| Current Affairs | 17 | 68 |
| Total | 100 | 400 |
NDA 2020 Result & Cutoff
The Result of NDA 2020 would be released after the commencement of written test as well as releasing the answer key. The NDA 1 would be published by May 2020 and the NDA 2 is expected to be published by November 2020. The result is always released in the format of PDF in which the names of the candidates are mentioned. The candidates who are successful in qualifying written would be then called for final SSB Interview round.
Cutoff: The sectional as well as the overall cutoff will be published after declaration of the results. The whole cutoff depends on the difficulty level of the written exam as well as the previous trends. Here are Cutoff marks for previous years which are mentioned in the table below:
| Year | Cutoff for NDA 1 | Cutoff for NDA 2 |
| 2013 | 337 | 313 |
| 2014 | 348 | 368 |
| 2015 | 306 | 269 |
| 2016 | 288 | 315 |
| 2017 | 342 | 342 |
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