About NDA
The NDA is the joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, the cadets of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force get trained together before they embark on a pre-commissioning training in respective academies. The first tri-service academy of the world, the NDA is located in Pune, Maharashtra and is ranked among the best academies in the world.
Once a cadet successfully completes the NDA programme, he moves onto the academy he has chosen for the training programme, before he is granted commission. Army cadets moves to Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Air Force cadets move to Air Force Association (AFA) at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and Naval cadets to Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, Kerala. Once they complete the programme, they are ready to begin an illustrious career with the Indian Armed Forces. In this article, find NDA preparation tips.
About the NDA Examination
The NDA Exam is the entrance exam for the National Defence Academy. It consists of a written test and an interview. The written exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the interview is conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB).
The written test is conducted twice a year in various centers across India. It consists primarily of three parts, which include English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge. The math test covers most of the topics commonly taught in high school such as geometry, algebra, matrices, calculus, trigonometry, etc.
The English paper is designed to test the candidate’s knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, and their comprehension skills in the language. For this, you should have a thorough understanding of the basic principles of English grammar. Reading English books and practising from a good high-school grammar book would help you score well in this paper.
The General Knowledge paper will test your knowledge of current affairs, history, science, etc.
Preparation Tips
NDA Preparation Tips For Paper 1 – Mathematics
This test will cover topics like Integral Calculus, Differential Equations, Trigonometry, Algebra, Vector Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Analytical Geometry, Statistics & Probability.
To prepare for this section, the first and foremost requirement is to have clarity in concepts. The questions will test your basic understanding of the concepts. Go back to the basics if concepts are not clear and try to solve as many sums as possible.
For this paper, you will also have to learn effective time management, wherein you solve all the questions within the stipulated time. Ideally, there would be 200 questions to be solved within 120 minutes, so you will have to practice to come up with the answers in less than a minute. Here, emphasizing on mental mathematics may be a good idea where you learn to solve the questions mentally most of the time.
NDA Preparation Tips For Paper 2 – General Ability
Part A: English
The English test is for 200 marks and covers topics like vocabulary, grammar and usage and comprehension.
This test evaluates the basic command a person has on the language. To prepare for this
- Read an English newspaper daily
- Learn new words – Expand your vocabulary
- Go back to basic grammar and learn the rules thoroughly
- Read an English newspaper daily, learn new words, go back to basic grammar and learn the rules thoroughly.
Part B: General Knowledge
The GK test is for 400 marks and will check a candidate’s general understanding and his insight into the Current Affairs within the country, and outside. The test will comprise six sections: General Science, Indian history, Physics, Geography, Chemistry and Current Events.
To prepare for this test
- Follow the news updates regularly
- Be aware of the latest happenings in the field of sports, arts, literature etc.
- Read about the current economic scenario in the country, the recent and past policy changes and such other topics that are directly related to India and its neighbouring countries.
Follow the news updates regularly, be aware of the latest happenings in the field of sports, arts, literature, and the like. Read about the current economic scenario in the country, the recent and past policy changes and such other topics that are directly related to India and its neighbouring countries.
General NDA Preparation Tips
- Fix your goal and start preparing early, as early as after your Class X exam. This will give you an edge over other students.
- Understand the syllabus thoroughly and make a firm routine so that you cover all the subjects and topics
- Go back to your basics, even if that means referring to your Class VI, VII, or VIII books for certain subjects.
- Improve your English. Start reading a newspaper daily and make it a regular habit to watch the news on TV. Also, brush up on your Grammar skills.
- Refer to past years’ question papers so that you have a fair idea of what to expect.
- Solve as many mock question papers and old question papers as possible.
- Identify your weak subjects and start working on them so that you gain a stronghold.
- Prepare yourself to be calm in the examination hall and answer the questions within the stipulated time.
- As there would be negative marking, try to prepare yourself in such a manner that you do not have to make any guesses in the examination hall. It is best to answer only if you are very sure of the answer. Guesses are not going to pay here.
- Spend time on understanding yourself, your weak areas and try to strengthen them.
- Last but not least, start thinking and behaving like an officer.
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