Hello Jain,

Hope ypu are doing well

NDA/NA Examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission twice a year in the month of april and december to select young boys and girls in indian armed forces as officers.

The basic requirement for NDA is knowing what to study as the syllabus is pretty extensive and try to avoid unnecessary burden by studying from many different sources.

Information about the examination:

• The exam will be conducted through pen and paper based mode.
• The exam will consist of two sections that are Mathematics and General Ability Test.
• Two and half hours will be given for each section respectively.
• The questions will be in English & Hindi.
• There will be negative marking which is 1/3rd of the allotted marks to the question.

Syllabus and Marks distribution:

Paper-1 Mathematics (Code No. 01) :

The paper of mathematics consists of 120 questions. Maximum marks for this section is 300. 2.5 marks is allotted to each question with a deduction of 0.833 for wrong answer. You have 150 minutes for 120 questions so you have to be quick along with being accurate.

Paper-II General Ability Test (Code No. 02) :

The second section is of 600 marks. It has a total of 150 questions with each weighing 4 marks with a penalty of 1.33 for wrong answer.This section is further divided into two parts-

Part A English:

This part has 50 questions for 200 marks.

Part B General Knowledge :

This part has 100 questions for 400 marks.

General Knowledge has six sections with the break-up of 400 marks as below:

• Section for Physics 100 marks.
• Section for Chemistry 60 marks.
• Section for General Science 40 marks.
• Section for History, Freedom Movement (Social Studies) 80 marks.
• Section for Geography 80 marks.
• Section for Current Events 40 marks.

Now let's have a look at the syllabus for NDA :

Mathematics: Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Trigonometry, Analytical Geometry – 2D and 3D, Differential Calculus, Integral calculus and Differential equations, Vector algebra, Statistics and Probability.

The syllabus for mathematics is covered in NCERT books of 10th ,11th and 12th. There is no need to buy any fancy books as questions asked in NDA exams are pretty standard.

Tips and tricks ( things that matter) :

• Sectional cutoff : One needs minimum of 20 % in both the sections of written examination which means a minimum of 60 marks in maths and 120 marks in general ability.
• Overall cuttoff: The overall cutoff has been varying from 300 - 240. Scoring 320+ ensures a good chance not only in written but for overall merit list.
• Build timelines: Study with time goals this ensures timely completion of syllabus and ample time for mock.
• Mock tests and Previous year papers: This is the most important part of the preparation and one should take the test to check if they are able to manage the time and self assessment to work on weaker sections. Questions from previous years are repeatedly asked and provide you with a fair idea of examination.
• Most important guys which books you have to read are LUCENT GK BOOK (POLITY;HISTORY;ECO;GENERAL SCIENCE)
• R.X SHARMA OR R.S AGGARWAL FOR MATHEMATICS.

Hope it Helps,

Thank you.

Hey Jitin

On an honest note, there is no guarantee of success by following any advice unless or until you improvise them according to your life, routine and potential, however, I wish I could help you a bit. Best of Luck!

Schedule Everything: Remember this is not going to be easy to you have to be focused and manage your time.

Your Basics Should Be Clear: I always insist to clear the basic rather than mugging. It is applicable everywhere.

General Knowledge and English: Focus on General Knowledge and English Subject Improve your English. Start reading a newspaper daily and make it a regular habit to watch news on TV. Also brush up your Grammar skills.

Solve Previous Year Question Papers: This could be one of your daily routine strategies to solve previous year question paper.

Study Material: Pick up the right books to gain more information in short span of time and of course for better preparation.

Health Maintenance and Personality: Undoubtedly it is necessary to work upon. The written test is followed by the interview where you need to shows your personality.

All the best.

For better preparation, it is necessary to have a smart study plan. Here, smart study plan means to manage your time and NDA syllabus efficiently. Your preparation schedule must be well-organized so that you are able to score good marks.

Firstly, do the analysis of your complete syllabus and mark the topics that require more concentration. Start preparing the topics from basics. If your basics are clear then only you are able to solve the high level questions.

Proficiency in English is required for clearing the NDA examination. Your English is not only tested in written test but if there is fluency in your English, then it may leave the good impression on selectors also at the time of interview.

As General Knowledge is the part of syllabus so prepare it well. You can strong your GK portion by reading newspapers, magazines, journals, refer books of prominent writers that focus on current affairs, etc.

It is very important to do the preparation in right direction. By solving previous year questions, your speed will be enhanced as well as you will get the idea about the NDA exam pattern of the examination and difficulty level of the questions asked in the examination.