UPSC NDA 2024: Admit Card (Soon), Exam Date (April), Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus & Cut Off

NDA Exam 1 2024 will be conducted on April 2024. UPSC NDA 2024: NDA exam stands for National Defence Academy exam, it is a nationwide exam. The NDA exam is a crucial and most awaited exam for Indian Army Aspirants. The NDA exam is conducted by UPSC(Union Public Service Commission). UPSC conducts the NDA exam twice a year. The purpose of this exam is to recruit eligible candidates in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

The NDA exam is conducted twice a year, first in April and second in September. The exam is conducted in offline mode and the application will be accepted in online mode. After clearing the written exam, candidates have to appear for the crucial SSB interview which will be organized in two rounds. After clearing the written and interview process, candidates have to go through an SSB medical examination process which is a necessary part to qualify for the selection into National Defence Academy.

Once the candidate is selected for admission in NDA will be sent for the training process at NDA, Khadakwasla. After completing the training tenure they become NDA graduates and then get posted in the respective academies of any of 3 Indian forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) such as IMA (Indian Military Academy), INA (Indian Naval Academy), and AFA (Air Force Academy).

All the information related to the UPSC NDA exam such as notification, important dates, no. of vacancies, the application process, selection process, cut-off marks, etc. has been discussed in this article below. Also, candidates are instructed to follow the UPSC website regularly for the NDA 2024 recruitment procedure.

Admit Card for UPSC NDA 1 2024 will be released. Those who have filled out the form can visit the Official website to procure the same.

For UPSC Official Calendar, Click here

To Visit the site, Click here

For Result Pdf, Click Here


UPSC NDA 2024 Overview

ParticularsDetails
Exam NameUPSC National Defence Academy 2024
Popularly Known AsUPSC NDA 2024
Conducting AuthorityUnion Public Service Commission
Exam FrequencyTwice a year
Exam LevelNational Level
Marital StatusOnly Unmarried candidates are allowed
Application ModeOnline
Exam ModeOffline i.e. Pen and Paper based
No. of Papers
  1. Mathematics
  2. General Knowledge
Number of exam centers42
DurationMathematics: 2 hours 30 minutes,
General Ability Test: 2 hours 30 minutes
Selection Process
  1. Written Exam
  2. Interview
Official Websiteupsc.gov.in
Exam helpdesk011-23381125, 011-23385271, 011- 23098543

UPSC NDA 2024 Important Dates

Soon, the Union Public Service Commission will release the exam calendar for all the upcoming exams conducted by UPSC in 2024. UPSC conducts the NDA exam twice a year, first in April and second in September. Here we have provided the tentative dates of both NDA-I and NDA-II exams. The exact dates will be decided by the officials of UPSC and will be released along with the announcement of official notification.

EventsDatesDates
 NDA-INDA-II
Releasing date of Official NotificationMarch 202418 May 2024
The application window will open fromMarch 202418 May 2024
Last date to apply online for NDAMarch 202414 June 2024
Last date to pay the application fee by cashMarch 202414 June 2024
Withdraw of applicationMarch 202421 June 2024
Admit card will be available fromMarch 202422 August 2024
NDA Exam dateApril 20244 September 2024
Declaration date of NDA ResultMay 2024November 2024
SSB interviewJuly 2024September 2024

UPSC NDA 2024 Vacancy Detail

Along with the release of the official notification, the UPSC will announce the no. of total and exact vacancies in the NDA for both the sessions of April and September. Till then, you have to try to do focus on your studies.


UPSC NDA 2024 Salary Details

The candidates who will get selected through this recruitment process, have to go through the training process. During the crucial training period, they will get a training stipend of INR. 56,100. Later the training period, the stipend will be converted to salary with increments depending upon the level of the post.

Here we have provided you the database of salaries depending on rank and pay level.

RankPay Level
Lieutenant to MajorLieutenant:  Level 10 – INR (56,100 – 1,77,500)     Captain:  Level 10 B – INR (61,200 – 1, 93,900) Major:  Level 11 – INR (69,400 – 2,07,200)
Lieutenant Colonel to Major GeneralLieutenant Colonel:  Level 12 – INR (1,21,200- 2,12,400)     Colonel:  Level 13 – INR (1,30,600- 2,15,900) Brigadier:  Level 13 – INR (1,39,600 – 2,17,600) Major General:  Level 14 – INR (1,44,200 – 2,18,200)
Lieutenant General HAG ScaleLevel 15  INR 1,82,200 – INR 2,24,100
HAG + ScaleLevel 16 – INR 2,05,400 – INR 2,24,400
VCOASLevel 17 – INR 2,25,000
Army CadetLevel 17 – INR 2,25,000
Lieutenant General (NFSG)Level 17 – INR 2,25,000
COASLevel 18 – INR 2,5,000

UPSC NDA 2024 Application Process

The application form will be released online for NDA-I and NDA-II exams on the official website of UPSC on 22 December 2021 and 18 May 2024 respectively. Candidates should check the dates properly by visiting the website of UPSC and should fill out the form before the application’s ending date i.e. 11 January and 14 June 2024 respectively.

In this section, we have discussed every piece of information about the application process such as form filling, required documents, format details of documents, fee details, etc. So to fill the UPSC NDA application form, read all the steps thoroughly.

How to Apply for UPSC NDA 2024?

  1. First of all, every candidate should visit the official webpage of UPSC i.e. upsconline.gov.in.
  2. Here search for the notification of the NDA-I/ NDA-II exam and open the registration form for the same. For Part I of the registration process, complete the registration process by entering all the details that are required to fill the registration form.
  3. For Part II, candidates are needed to provide details such as Personal Information, Contact Number, Email-id, etc. For this Part Candidates should use a PC or Laptop.
  4. In the next step, they have to upload a scanned copy of their signature and a recent passport-size photograph.
    • First of all, every candidate should have to visit the official webpage of UPSC i.e. upsconline.gov.in.
    • Here search for the notification of the NDA-I/ NDA-II exam and open the registration form for the same. For Part-I of the registration process, complete the registration process by entering all the details which are required to fill the registration form.
    • For Part-II, candidates are needed to provide the details such as Personal Information, Contact Number, Email-id, etc.
    • In the next step, they have to upload their scanned copy of their signature and recent passport size photograph.
  5. In the last step, candidates will have to make payment for the complete submission of their application process.

NDA 2024 Application Form Fee

  • The application fee for UPSC NDA-I and UPSC NDA-II will be paid online as well as offline. Candidates can choose any of the convenient methods according to their choice.
  • For online mode, payment can be made through SBI net banking/ Debit Card/ Credit Card.
  • For offline mode of payment, candidates have to take a hard copy of digitally generate the challan and have to submit the required fee at the nearest SBI branch along with the Challan 1 day of generation of challan.

The particulars for the NDA application fee are given below in the table.

CategoryApplication Fee
GeneralRs. 100/-
OBCRs. 100/-
SC/ST/NCO/JCO/ORNil

Document Required to be Uploaded

The format of the required document i.e. Photograph and Signature should be the same as the description mentioned by the authorities. The photograph should be of recent days with a background as a white color and the signature should be the permanent signature of the candidates written with black/blue ball ink pen. The specification of the documents are as follow:

DocumentFile FormatResolution (Height*Width)File SizeBit Depth
Photograph.jpg110* 140-pixel(3-40) KB24 Bit
Signature.jpg110* 140-pixel(1-40) KB24 Bit
Relevant Links
Delhi Police AFCAT Haryana Police
TNUSRB Rajasthan Police Territorial Army

UPSC NDA 2024 Eligibility Criteria

If you are ready to join NDA and want to fill the form of UPSC NDA 2024, then you must have to be aware of the required eligibility for this exam such as Nationality, Age limit, Qualification, etc.

Nationality

  • The nationality of the candidates should be Indian.

OR,

  • The candidate should be a subject of Bhutan/ Nepal or Tibetan refugees who have been permanently migrated to the country India before January 1, 1963.

OR,

  • An individual whose country origin is India, and has migrated (with the intension of permanent settlement) from different countries like Pakistan/ Sri Lanka/ Burma/ East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania/Malawi/ Zambia/Zaire, and Ethiopia/ Vietnam.

Age Limit

  • Candidates with DoB between 2 July 2003 and 1 July 2007 can apply for the UPSC NDA I 2024 exam.
  • Candidates who have been born between January 2, 2005 – January 1, 2008, can apply for UPSC NDA II 2024 exam.
  • The minimum age of candidates should be 15.7 years or 16 years during the starting of the course.
  • The maximum age of candidates should be 18.7 years or 19 years during the starting of the course.

Marital/Gender Status

  • Only unmarried candidates are allowed to appear for the NDA exams.
  • Now female candidates are allowed to appear for the NDA exams.

Minimum Qualification

  • All the students who have completed/ appearing in the Intermediate level education or equivalent can apply for this exam.
  • For Army Wing of NDA (National Defence Academy): Students who have passed the class XII or equivalent exam which was conducted by a state education board are eligible to apply for the exam.
  • For Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA and 10+2 cadet entry scheme at the INA (Indian Naval Academy): Students who have passed the class XII or equivalent exam with Mathematics and Physics which was conducted by a state education board are eligible to apply for the exam.

Additional Standards

  • All those candidates who are willing to get admission in NDA (National Defence Academy) and INA (Indian Naval Academy) must satisfy the physical standards fixed by the officials.
  • All those candidates who have quit or departed on disciplinary grounds from any of the training academies of IAM (Indian Armed Forces) can not apply for the NDA exam.

UPSC NDA 2024 Exam Pattern

The exam pattern of NDA has merely two parts:

  1. Written Exam
  2. SSB Interview

NDA Exam Pattern: Written Exam

It has merely two papers, namely Paper-I: Mathematics & Paper-II: General Knowledge consisting of a total of 900 marks. The question paper will be objective type and will be conducted in offline mode. The medium of the question paper will be bilingual i.e. Hindi and English. The negative marking will be there in the exam.

The detailed exam pattern of the NDA exam is given below in the table:

PaperPaper I (Mathematics)Paper-II (English & General Knowledge)
ModeOfflineOffline
SectionsArithmetic, Trigonometry, AlgebraEnglish, History and Freedom Movement, Geography, Current Events, General Science, Physics, Chemistry,
Medium of ExaminationBilingual i.e. English and HindiBilingual i.e. English and Hindi
Type of QuestionsMCQsMCQs
No. of Questions120 Questions150 Questions
Duration 150 Minutes150 Minutes
Maximum Marks300 Marks600 Marks
Distribution of Marks300 MarksEnglish (200 marks) General Science (40 marks) Chemistry (60 marks) Physics (100 marks) Current Events (40 marks) History and Freedom Movement (80 marks) Geography (80 marks)
Marking Scheme2.5 for every correct answer4 for every correct answer
Negative Marking0.83 for every incorrect answer1.33 for every incorrect answer

NDA 2024 Interview

NDA Interview will comprise of two parts:

  1. Physicological Aptitude Test
  2. Intelligence Test

First candidates have to clear the written exam after that they will call for interview rounds. Candidates who qualify for stage one of the NDA interview process will have to appear for stage two of the interview process.

NDA 2024 Medical Test

After clearing the Interview process followed by a written exam, candidates will be called for Medical Test for final selection.


UPSC NDA 2024 Exam Syllabus

Union Public Service Commission sets the exam syllabus of the NDA exam. For the latest pattern of the NDA exam, all the candidates are advised to follow the official website. The syllabus contains mainly three sections Maths, English, and General Knowledge.

Mathematics Syllabus

  • Matrices and Determinants
  • Integral Calculus and Differential Equations
  • Algebra
  • Trigonometry
  • Vector Algebra
  • Analytical Geometry of two and three Dimensions
  • Differential Calculus
  • Statistics and Probability

General Knowledge Syllabus

Part ‘A’ – English: In this part, the knowledge of Grammar and its Usage, Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Cohesion to test the candidate’s proficiency in English will be tested.

Part ‘B’ – General Knowledge: In this part, questions from different subjects Chemistry, Physics, General Science, History, Geography, Social Studies, and Current Events will be tested.

Mainly, the level of the questions in all the subjects will be of class 10+2 level.


UPSC NDA 2024 Admit Card

The admit card or say hall ticket of the NDA exam will be released by the officials of the Union Public Service Commission on its official website. Candidates will have to go to the official website to download the hard copy of their hall ticket for the NDA exam. Admit card/ hall ticket is the most important document that is to be carried out at the exam center.

How to download Admit Card for the NDA exam?

  • Step 1: Go to the official website of the UPSC and click on the exam link of NDA under the active exam link section.
  • Step 2: Now click on the admit card link of NDA under the NDA exam section link.
  • Step 3: After clicking on the admit card link, you will be redirected then into a new page to download the admit card.
  • Step 4: Here you have to log in with your credential details such as Roll no./ Registration no. and password.
  • Step 5: After entering the credentials, you have to click on the ‘Submit’ button over there.
  • Step 6: Once you click on submit button, just after a new page will be open on the screen which will carry your NDA admit card.
  • Step 7: First read all the details, and then move on to download the NDA admit card.
  • Step 8: Now finally, take the digitally generated printout of the NDA admit card for future references.

Details Mentioned on the NDA Admit Card

  • Candidate’s Name
  • Roll Number
  • Date of Birth
  • Exam Date and Time
  • Exam Centre
  • Centre Code
  • Candidate’s Photograph
  • Candidate’s Signature
  • Exam Centre Address

Documents to carry with the NDA Admit Card

The invigilator at the exam center will check your existence with your Photo identity card. So, at the examination center, along with the NDA Admit Card, candidates will have to carry the following documents:

  • An original photo identity card (PAN/Aadhar/ Voter Id/Driver’s License/ Driver’s License/ Ration Card )as well as a photocopy of the same.
  • 2 passport size photographs

UPSC NDA 2024 Preparation Tips

Here are the best preparation tips for you for the UPSC NDA exam 2024. Candidates are advised to read these tips and try to execute them in their preparation, these will going to make a good change in your preparation.

  1. Before starting preparation, it is most important to know What to read and what not, How to read, From here to read, Resources, etc. Then for answers to all these questions, follow the official website of UPSC and read this article thoroughly to gather every exact piece of information which are important for the NDA exam.
  2. Download the syllabus and read the whole syllabus at once to get familiar with all the topics.
  3. Read NCERTs of class 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 to cover all the concepts of the NDA syllabus. You should also refer to some standard books to make your preparation one level up.
  4. Practice the questions of mathematics very well as it carries 300 marks alone.
  5. Cover the syllabus 1.5-2 months before the NDA examination to revise the syllabus up to a minimum of 3-4 times.
  6. Revise the syllabus as many times as possible because revision plays an important role during the preparation.
  7. Creat short and to the point tricky notes of each subject.
  8. Give sectional as well, as full length offline or online mock tests and analyze them thoroughly.
  9. Solve PYQs of the NDA exam for at least of the last 5 years.

UPSC NDA 2024 Exam Center

The NDA exam will be held in 41 cities across the country. The list of all the cities are given below in the table:

Exam CityExam City
AgartalaKolkata
AllahabadKohima
AizawlKochi
AhmedabadLucknow
BareillyMumbai
BengaluruMadurai
BhopalNagpur
CuttackPort Blair
ChandigarhPatna
ChennaiPanaji (Goa)
DharwadRanchi
DehradunRaipur
DelhiShimla
DispurSambalpur
GangtokSrinagar
HyderabadShillong
ItanagarTirupati
ImphalThiruvananthapuram
JammuUdaipur
JaipurVishakhapatnam
Jorhat Almora

UPSC NDA 2024 Exam Day Preparation

To avoid disqualification/ termination from the exam, candidates should have to take care of the following instructions and guidelines issued by the officials. Which are as follows:

  • To avoid termination, you have to bring a photo proof identity card, two passport size photos along with the NDA hall ticket/ admit card to the exam center as instructed by the officials.
  • Candidates have to carry a black colored ballpoint pen to fill the answer sheet.
  • No rough sheets to be carried out by the candidates, rough sheets for rough work will be provided in the examination hall at the time of the exam.
  • Any kind of electronic device like mobile phone, calculator, smartwatch, etc are not allowed to carry at the exam center.
  • The exam invigilators are very strict and if they notice any unfair means of yours then they have the right to take a strict decision against you including your termination from the current and upcoming NDA examination in the future as well.

UPSC NDA 2024 Recommended Books

The syllabus of the UPSC NDA examination is based on the topics covered in the NCERT books of 10+2 level. So it is highly recommended to start your preparation with NCERT books. But to get a standard and some advanced knowledge and to solve different levels of the question, candidates will have to read some standard books also which are specially designed for the NDA exam. The list of such books are as follows:

BooksAuthor/ Publication Name
English Grammar and CompositionWren and Martin
History Of Modern India (History)Bipan Chandra
Oxford School Atlas (Geography)Oxford
Social Problems In India (Indian Society – GS1)Ram Ahuja
Mathematics for NDA and NA: National Defence Academy and Naval AcademyR S Aggarwal
NDA Mathematics (Hindi)RPH Editorial Board
Science and Technology in India (Science and Technology)Kalpana Rajaram: Spectrum
Study Package MATHEMATICS NDA & NA Entrance ExamArihant
Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinationsR S Aggarwal
Manorama YearbookMammen Mathew
Objective General English for Competitive ExamsS.P. Bakshi

UPSC NDA 2024 Answer Key

The below section tells you more about the UPSC NDA answer key. After the successful completion of the NDA 2024 exam, the officials of UPSC will release the official answer key for each shift of the examination on its official website. Candidates are advised to match their answer sheet with the final answer key released by the UPSC.

How to Check/ Download the Answer Key of the NDA exam?

  • Firstly, open the official website of UPSC into your browser. i.e.upsc.gov.in.
  • Go to the examination section on the home page and then find the  Answer Key link of UPSC NDA to download the answer key.
  • Now candidates can download the answer key in the pdf form of their respective question sets.
  • Download the UPSC NDA answer key of the particular question set and match your copy of the answer sheet with the official answer key to get an idea about your score of the UPSC NDA exam.

UPSC NDA 2024 Result

The result for the written exam of UPSC NDA will be published post one month of NDA examination on the official site of UPSC. The result will consist of Roll no. of qualified candidates only in the pdf form. Once who get qualified for the interview round, have to register themselves again to attend the interview. After the interview, a final list of qualified candidates will be released post  2 weeks of the interview session. The final result will be accessible within one month of publishing the final result.

How to Check NDA 2024 Results?

  • Step 1: First of all, open the UPSC’s official website i.e. upsc.gov.in.
  • Step 2: On the homepage of UPSC, find the result section and choose the link for NDA 2024 exam result.
  • Step 3: After clicking the result link for the NDA exam under the result section, candidates will get access to the pdf file which is the result of NDA 2024.
  • Step 4: Now open the pdf and press ctrl +F and then enter your name or roll no. in the search box.
  • Step 5: If you have qualified then your roll no. will be highlighted there.
  • Step 6: Now, qualified candidates have to download the result and keep it safe for future references.

UPSC NDA 2024 Selection Process

The selection to the NDA will be based on the two-stage process:

  1. Stage 1: Written Exam
  2. Stage 2: Interview Process

Written Exam

First candidates have to appear for the written exam, which consists of 900 marks, and then must have to qualify for the cutoff set by the officials. After clearing the cut-off, a merit list of the selected candidates will be published then. Now those who are shortlisted will have to register themselves on the official website of joinindianarmy.nic.in within 15 days of the issued merit list.

After the registration, the interview center and respective dates will then be notified on their registered contact details. The SSB interview round of NDA plays an important role in the selection, for this round candidates have to clear both stages of selection one by one i.e. first they have to clear OIR and PPDT for the first round of interviews. After clearing the first round, shortlisted candidates will again have to appear for the second interview round which is basically a Group Discussion and Psychology Test.

After clearing all these above processes, the final merit list of the candidates will be published for recruitment in NDA.

SSB Interview Stages

S. NoStagesActivities conducted
1.TestingVerbal and Non-verbal test Screening PPDT
2.Psychological TestWord Association Test [WAT] Thematic Appreciation Test [TAT] Situation Reaction Test [SRT] Self Description Test [ SD]
3.Group Testing Officers Test  Group Discussion (GD) Group Planning Exercise (GPE) Half Group Task (HGT) Progressive Group Task (PGT) Command Task Individual Obstacles Task (IOT) Individual lecture Snake race/Group Obstacle Race Final Group Task (FGT)
5.Personal InterviewPersonal Interview
6.ConferenceConference

NDA 2024 Document Verification Process

After completing the written exam and interview process, to ensure the final selection, candidates have to through the document verification process. Candidates will have to appear at Service Selection Center (SSC) and must have to carry all the required original documents along with their xerox copy of each. The required documents are listed below:

  • Passport Size Photographs
  • Birth Certificate
  • Proof of Residence
  • Admit card of UPSC NDA exam
  • Final merit list
  • Qualification Certificate
  • Proof of Identity (Pan card/ Aadhar Card/ Voter ID, etc.)
  • Category certificate for the Reserved category candidates

Medical examination

After all the procedures of selection, candidates have to go through the medical examination. The eligible candidates will be recruited in NDA iff (if and only if) they get the fitness certificate from the medical examiner of SSB. Otherwise, the candidature will be rejected if they disqualify the medical test.


UPSC NDA 2024 Cut off

The required minimum cut off marks to qualify the UPSC NDA written examination will be released by the officials just after the commencement of the written exam result. Only those candidates will be considered for the next two rounds of interviews those who scored more than the UPSC NDA cut-off marks.

Cut Off Parameters

UPSC will set the minimum qualifying marks/ cut off marks for NDA 2024 on the basis of the following different factors:

  1. Total no. of candidates who appeared in the written exam.
  2. The difficulty level of  the question paper of the NDA written exam
  3. Total number of vacancies in the Academy
  4. Performance of the candidates
  5. Previous year cut off marks

NDA 2024 Cut Off (Expected)

SectionExpected Cut Off
Mathematics190 – 230 out of 300
General Ability Test380 – 430 out of 600

NDA  Previous Years Cut off Marks

Here we have given the previous year’s cut off for the NDA exam (written). These cut-off trends will help you to get an idea about the expected cutoff for the NDA 2024 exam.

YearNDA(I) (Max Marks:900)NDA(II) (Max Marks:900)
2020355 marks
2019342 (with minimum 25% marks in each section)346
2018338 (with minimum 25% in each section)325 (with minimum 25% in each subject)
2017342(With minimum 25 % marks in each section)258
2016288 (With minimum  25 % marks in each section)315
2015306 (With a minimum of 30% marks in each section)269 (With minimum 25% marks in each subject)
2014348368
2013337313
2012333322
2011290253
2010263193

NDA Statistics of Previous Years

YearNDA 1 QualifiedNDA 2 Qualified
2015 423
2016 548
2017371390
2018379520
2019447

Contact Details

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi- 110069

Phone: 011-23098543 / 23381125 /23385271 / 23098591

Official website: www.upsc.gov.in

Email- feedback-upsc@gov.in


UPSC NDA 2024 FAQs

The purpose of the NDA exam is to train and recruit eligible candidates in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

Every year, the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducts the NDA exam.

Every year, the NDA exam is conducted twice a year.

The official website of UPSC to apply for the NDA exam is www.upsc.gov.in.

The minimum age of the candidates to apply for the NDA exam is 15.7 years or 16 years during the starting of the course.

The medium of the question paper of the NDA 2023 exam will be bilingual i.e. both Hindi and English except for English Paper.

There are two stages of the selection procedure to the gateway of NDA:

  1. Written Exam
  2. SSB Interview Process

After clearing the above two stages, candidates have to go through the Document verification process and Medical Examination process.

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