NDA Exams 2023: To select qualified applicants who have completed Class 12 for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy programmes, UPSC conducts the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy examination. The exam is conducted twice, every year. The NDA is the ideal option for candidates who want to apply for the defence tests after completing grade 12. The written test and SSB interview make up the selection process.
The official notification for NDA Exams 2023 has been released by the UPSC on the official website. NDA 2 exam will be conducted on September 3rd, 2023, for 395 vacancies (National Defence Academy & Naval Academy). For Army, there are 208 vacancies, including 10 for female candidates.
Details of the NDA Notification 2023 page are linked here. Interested candidates can check the detailed notification of the NDA 1 2023 exam below-
NDA 2 2023 Exam Notification PDF Download PDF Here
On May 9, 2022, the NDA 1 2022 result was released in PDF format and included the roll numbers of the chosen candidates. The test took place on April 10, 2022. Check the NDA Final Result in the attached link.
NDA 1 2022 Result PDF Download PDF Here
The article shall upkeep the aspirants of NDA exams with the latest updates and detailed information on National Defense Academy or Naval Academy Exam 1 and 2. Candidates will get the following information in this article in detail:
- What is the NDA / NA Exam?
- NDA Selection Procedure
- NDA Exam Pattern Syllabus
- NDA Vacancy
- NDA Exam Eligibility
- NDA Application Form
- NDA Exam Dates
- NDA Admit Card
- NDA Exam Centers
- NDA Result
- NDA Exam Answer Key
- NDA Exam Cut-Off
- NDA Salary
- NDA Preparation Books
- NDA Preparation
What is the NDA/NA Exam?
NDA/NA exam full form is National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination. NDA/NA exam is a Defense entrance exam that is the most sought-after examination in the country by young aspirants who want to serve the nation. The recruitment for the NDA exam and NA examination is conducted for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA & Indian Naval Academy Course -INAC. A total of 5.3 lakh candidates applied for the exam in 2020, and 2.4 lakh of the applicants turned up for the exam. Candidates who obtain the required minimum marks in the written exam are listed by UPSC.
The Union Public Service Commission is the conducting body of NDA exams. It holds the recruitment of NDA/NA exams twice a year once in April and thereafter in September. For admission to the January batch, the NDA 1 exam is held. But for admission to the July batch, the NDA 2 exam is held. Written exams and SSB interviews make up the two phases of the exam. Candidates who obtain the required minimum marks in the written exam are listed by UPSC. Such applicants receive an invitation to the SSB Interview for the intelligence and personality test.
Further in this article candidates will get detailed information on NDA 2023 examinations.
Aspirants of various Government Exams can know the details of upcoming examinations on the linked page.
NDA Exams 2023: Overview of Exam
The NDA 1 2023 notification was released on 21st December 2023 and 208 vacancies were declared for Army, including 10 female candidates. The total number of vacancies for Defence & Navy is 395 for 2023 exam.Given below is the summary of the NDA 1 2023:
| Overview UPSC NDA 2 Exam 2023 | |
| Exam Name | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA-II) |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Level of the Exam | National |
| Frequency of exam | Twice a year |
| Selection Process | Written Test and SSB Interview |
| Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
| Exam pattern |
|
| Exam duration | Five hours
|
| Marking Scheme |
|
| Exam mode | Offline |
| Exam Date | September 3 2023 (Saturday) |
| Total vacancies | 395 |
| Eligibility | Unmarried Boys & Girls who are:
|
| Exam Centres | 41 Cities across India |
| Official website | www.upsc.gov.in |
NDA Selection Procedure
The NDA exam is administered by UPSC in two stages, a written examination and an SSB interview. Candidates must perform well on the written exam at the first round in order to move on to the next level of the selection process. Candidates will be called for the SSB Interview if they pass this round.
- Written Exam: The written exam, which is the initial stage of selection, is administered offline, that means the exam is taken in pen and paper mode. The candidates who score the minimum marks required will thereafter be qualified to participate in the next round of selection.
- SSB Interview: This is the second phase of the NDA selection process. The candidate’s intelligence and personality are tested during the SSB Interviews. The SSB Interview is conducted in two stages. The Centers/ Air Force Selection Boards/Naval Selection Boards conducts the first round. Only candidates who pass the first round are eligible to participate in the second interview round.
- Medical Exam: This phase serves as a qualification. Candidates must be medically fit and suitable for this step of the selection process if they want to join the Indian armed services.
- Final Merit List: Based on performance in both the written exam and the SSB interview, the final merit list is created. According to job vacancies, eligibility requirements being met, medical fitness, and merit-cum-preferences, the final allocation will be made.
Aspirants who are interested to join Indian Defence must visit CAPF recruitment, in the linked article.
NDA Exam Pattern and Syllabus
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.
- As discussed above the NDA exam is conducted in two stages – Written Exam and SSB Interview. UPSC holds the exam recruitment for NDA while SSB conducts the interview round, thus called SSB interview.
- The written exam is conducted in two parts – Mathematics and General Ability Test. The total duration of the paper is 5 hours.
- GAT is further subdivided into two parts – Part A is English paper and part B is General Knowledge paper.
- The Total of NDA written exam counts to 900 marks i.e. 300 marks for Maths and 600 marks for GAT.
- Candidates will be awarded 2.5 marks for each correct answer in Maths and 4 marks in GAT section. There will also be a negative marking of 0.83 marks for Maths, 1.33 for English and 1.33 marks for GK, for every wrong answer.
- The papers in all the subject covered in NDA syllabus consists of objective type questions only. The question paper of Mathematics and Paper B of GAT is set Bilingually i.e. in both English and Hindi language.
- The SSB Interview is also conducted in two stages and carries 900 marks.
- Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception * Description Test (PP&DT) and Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days.
That brings the total marks for NDA Exams to 1800.
| Code | Exam Name | Duration | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks |
| 01 | Mathematics | 2 hours 30 minutes | 120 | 300 |
| 02 | General Ability Test | 2 hours 30 minutes | 50 | 200 |
| 100 | 400 | |||
| SSB Interview | 50 | 900 | ||
| Total | 1800 |
Important Note – After having cleared the written exam of NDA 2022 candidates should log on to the following websites for their SSB Centres and Date of Interview.
- www.joinindianarmy.nic.in
- www.joinindiannavy.gov.in
- www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in
NDA Syllabus
Candidates must first pass the written exam for which they must be up to date on all subjects, including Mathematics, English, General Science, etc. To properly study for the exam and increase their performance level, students must be totally familiar with the NDA exam syllabus.The syllabus of NDA broadly covers subjects like Maths, English, and General knowledge.
Aspirants have to study maths of 12th standard level.
Under the General knowledge, candidates have to study History, Freedom movement, etc, Geography, General Science, Physics, Chemistry and Current Affairs.
Aspirants can check the detailed topic-wise NDA syllabus and exam pattern on the link provided.
NDA Vacancy
Along with the formal notification of the UPSC NDA 2023 exam on 21st December 2022, the complete number of positions to be filled through the NDA 2 exam was also made public. The approximate NDA vacancy for NDA exam 2023 as mentioned in the notification is 395. Candidates can go through the NDA Notification 2023 page for details on the number of vacancies.
According to the NDA 1 2022 Notification, a total of 395 positions will be filled, 370 of which will be at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the remaining 25 at the Naval Academy (NA). The detailed vacancy allocation for NDA 1 2023 is shown in the table below.
| Academy | No. of Vacancies | Wings |
| NDA | (i) Flying-92 (including 02 for female candidates)
(ii) Ground Duties (Tech)-18 (including 02 for female candidates) (iii) Ground Duties (Non-Tech)- 10 (including 02 for female candidates) | Air Force |
| 208 (including 10 for female candidates) | Army | |
| 42 (including 03 for female candidates) | Navy | |
| Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) | 25 (for male candidates only) | |
| Total | 395 |
The NDA selection procedure is now open to interested female candidates. This year, there are a total of 19 NDA seats open for women. This figure shows the total number of female applicants who will be permitted to join the various branches of the Indian defence. Refer to the following table for a detailed look at the exact number of openings across divisions of the NDA:
| NDA Vacancy 2023 – Female Candidates | |
| Branch | No. of Vacancies |
| Indian Air Force | Flying – 2
Ground Duty (Technical) – 2 Ground Duty (Non-Technical) – 2 |
| Indian Army | 10 |
| Indian Navy | 3 |
Candidates can go through the NDA Vacancy for the previous year for both NDA I and NDA II exams. They can estimate the future NDA vacancy by looking at the following table, which provides information on the last five years of NDA vacancies:
| NDA Exam: Previous year Vacancies | ||
| Year | NDA 1 | NDA 2 |
| 2021 | 400 | 400 |
| 2020 | 418 | 413 |
| 2019 | 415 | 415 |
| 2018 | 415 | 383 |
| 2017 | 390 | 390 |
Detailed information on vacancies of NDA exam is available on NDA Notification page linked here.
NDA Exam Eligibility
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-
- Candidates must be a citizen of India.
- Both male and female candidates are allowed to apply for NDA exams.
- Candidates must be of the age group 16.5 years to 19.5 years.
- Minimum education qualification is 12th pass under 10+2 pattern of school education or equivalent for Army Wing of NDA.
- For the Air Force, Navy and Naval Academy of NDA, candidates must pass 12th pass under the 10+2 pattern of school education with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
- Male and female applicants must be unmarried during the selection process and until the training is finished. A applicant will not be chosen if they get married before start of the training. An applicant will be dismissed if they get married while they are in training and will be liable for paying all of the government’s expenses incurred during that time.
Physical Criteria: The candidates must meet the physical requirements for the Naval Academy and National Defense Academy. They must be able to meet the following requirements:
- Skipping
- 2.4 km run in 15 minutes
- Pushups and sit-ups: at least 20 of each.
- Chin-ups: No less than 8
- Rope Climbing: 3.4 meters
The candidates must meet the minimum height requirement given as below:
- The minimum height required for entry into the armed forces for female candidates is 152 cm.
- The minimum height required for male candidates for entry into the armed forces is 157 cm or as decided by the respective recruiting agency.
- The minimum height requirement forboth female and male candidates for the Flying Branch is 163 cm.
| For Ground Duty | ||
| Height Requirement | Minimum height for male candidates | Minimum height for female candidates |
| For all except states mentioned below | 157 cm | 152 cm |
| Height for Gorkhas and individuals belonging to North Eastern regions of India and hilly regions of Uttarakhand | 152cm | 148 cm |
| Candidates from Lakshadweep | 155 cm | 150 cm |
| For Flying Duty | ||
| Height Requirement | Minimum height | Maximum height |
| Sitting Height | 81.5 cm | 96 cm |
| Leg Length | 99 cm | 120 cm |
| Thigh Length | — | 64 cm |
The other eligibility conditions of physical standards, medical standards etc are given in detail on the NDA eligibility criteria page, in the linked article.
NDA Apply Online – NDA Registrations
The registrations for NDA exams start with the release of notification by the commission. Candidates are given a month’s time to fill the NDA Application form.
Aspirants who wish to write NDA/NA exam 2023 have to apply online on the UPSC official website for the exam.
The online application for NDA 1 2023 ended on 12th January, 6 p.m.
The steps to fill the NDA application form as follows:
- Visit the official site of UPSC
- Check for NDA I Notification 2023
- Go through the detailed notification and then click the registration link provided.
- Give the required details for registration like Name, Mail ID, Mobile Number, Date of birth etc. Fill in the captcha and submit.
- A Registration ID and Password will be sent to the registered mobile number and mail ID.
- Use the ID and Password and login again to continue filling up the Application form.
- Given all the information asked, upload the necessary documents like, passing certificates, scanned signature and photograph, etc.
- Recheck the details provided and Submit.
- Choose the mode of payment and pay the NDA application fee..
- Once the fees are paid registration for NDA/NA exam 2022 is completed.
- Save and download the Online application form for future reference.
Application Fee
- The NDA application fee is Rs 100 for all the candidates. SC/ST/Children of JCOs/ORs are exempted from fee payment.
- The fee can be paid in cash at any SBI branch, online using the bank’s net banking service, or with a Visa, MasterCard or Rupay credit or debit card shown in person.
- Aspirants who are willing to appear for the NDA II 2022 exam also have to follow the same procedure to fill the application form.
| Category | Application Fee |
| General | Rs. 100/- |
| SC/ST/Disabled | Nil |
Aspirants who are preparing for AFCAT exams should check the AFCAT Exam Dates, in the linked article.
NDA Exam Dates
The Union Public Service Commission announces the tentative NDA exam dates by releasing the official exam calendar. UPSC releases NDA Notification to commence the recruitment and announce the examination dates. According to the probable UPSC exam calendar for 2023, the NDA NA-1 2023 exam notification will be made available on December 21, 2022. The deadline to submit an application is January 10, 2023. The NDA 2023 will take place on April 16, 2023, and applicants can view the complete schedule on the UPSC website.
| UPSC NDA 2 2023: Exam Dates | |
| Events | Exam Dates |
| NDA II Notification 2023 | 17th May 2023 |
| NDA II Application form | 17th May 2023 |
| NDA II Last date to apply | 6th June 2023 |
| NDA II Application Withdrawal Date | 17th May to 6th June 2023 |
| NDA II Admit Card 2023 | To be announced |
| NDA II 2023 Written Exam | September 3rd 2023 |
| NDA II Result 2023 | To be announced |
Given below are the NDA exam dates of previous years for candidates’ reference.
NDA Exam Date 2021
The commission has announced the commencement of NDA 2 2021 recruitment on June 9th, 2021. As per the notification, the NDA Exam date 2021 is given below-
| NDA II 2021 Exam Dates | |
| NDA II exam event | NDA 2021 Dates |
| 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 | October 22nd 2021 |
| NDA II Written exam 2021 | September 5th 2021 Postponed to November 14th 2021 |
| NDA II Result 2021 | December 15, 2021 |
The NDA I 2021 recruitment was started by the Commission on December 30, 2020. The last date to apply for NDA 2021 exam was January 19th 2021.
NDA 1 2021 Exam Notification PDF – Download PDF Here
Candidates can check the detailed notice of rescheduling of NDA 2 2021 exam on the pdf given below-
NDA 2 Exam 2021 Postponed:-Download PDF Here
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 | March 26th 2021 |
| NDA I Written exam 2021 | April 18th 2021 |
| NDA I Result 2021 | June 30th 2021 |
Candidates who appeared for the NDA 1 exam 2021 on April 18th 2021 can check their names on the NDA Result PDF provided on the given link. Candidates whose names or Roll numbers are there on the list have qualified for the interview by the Services Selection Board (SSB).
NDA 2020 Exam Dates
The Commission has successfully conducted the NDA I and NDA II 2020 exams on September 6th. UPSC announced certain changes in the NDA examination for the year 2020 due to coronavirus disease. The changes by the commission were –
- Wearing of masks was compulsory while…
