UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam – its Notification is out and was released by UPSC on 09th June 2021.
The National Defence Academy (NDA) Exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is one of the most prestigious and sought-after Defence Exams in India. The exam is conducted for enrolment of suitable candidates into the Indian Defence Forces – the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force Wing of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) examination (II).
The Exam is conducted twice a year at 41 different centers all over India.
The candidate can check the official notification on the official website of UPSC.
In this article, we will understand the exam – UPSC NDA (2) -2021 Exam – An overview and Preparation Strategy.
Eligibility Criteria for NDA Exam
| CATEGORY | CRITERIA |
| Army Wing of NDA | 12th pass out of 10+2 pattern of school education or any equivalent examination. |
| Non–Naval Wings and Air Force Wing of NDA | 12th pass out of 10+2 pattern of school education or any equivalent examination with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a University or State Education Board. |
| Final year students | Candidates appearing in the 12th class under the 10 + 2 pattern of school education or any equivalent examination can also apply |
| Class 11th Students | Not Eligible |
| Gender | Only Male unmarried candidates |
| Fees | 100 Rs |
| Age Criteria | 16.5 – 19.5 years – born not earlier than 02nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2006 – for NDA & NA (II) – 2021 |
How to apply for NDA (2) 2021 Exam
Below are some of the important dates for the UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam.
| Release of Notification | 9th June 2021 |
| Availability of Application Form | 9th June 2021 |
| Last date to apply | 29th June 2021 |
| Availability of Admit card | August 2021 |
| NDA 2021 Exam | 5th September 2021 |
| Declaration of Result | November 2021 |
Application is filled online only through the official website of UPSC, which is upsconline.nic.in.
Detailed instructions on how to fill out the form are available on the above-mentioned website.
The Online application link is Click Here.
Total Number of Vacancy in UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam
This year the total number of vacancies declared in the official notification is 400, as per the below bifurcation.
| (NDA) Army | 208 |
| (NDA) Air Force | 120 (including 28 for ground Duties) |
| (NDA) Navy | 42 |
| (NA) (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) | 30 |
| Total | 400 |
Exam Centres of UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam
This year, the Exam will be conducted at 41 centers. They are
| Agartala | Ahmedabad | Aizawl | Prayagraj (Allahabad) | Bengaluru | Bareilly |
| Bhopal | Chandigarh | Chennai | Cuttack | Dehradun | Delhi |
| Dharwad | Dispur | Gangtok | Hyderabad | Imphal | Itanagar |
| Jaipur | Jammu | Jorhat | Kochi | Kohima | Kolkata |
| Lucknow | Mumbai | Madurai | Nagpur | Panaji (Goa) | Patna |
| Port Blair | Raipur | Ranchi | Sambalpur | Shillong | Shimla |
| Srinagar | Thiruvananthapuram | Tirupati | Udaipur | Vishakhapatnam |
While filling out the form, candidates should keep in mind that there is a ceiling on the number of candidates allotted to each of the centers except Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata, and Nagpur.
As per the UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam Notification, Centre Allotment will be on the first-apply-first-allot basis only.
Exam Pattern & marking scheme of Written Exam
The Exam Pattern of the UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam, is as below
| Papers | Subjects | Maximum Marks | Number of Questions |
| Paper 1 | Maths | 300 | 120 |
| Paper 2 | GENERAL ABILITY TEST | 600 | 150 |
| Total | 900 | 270 |
- The Written test of the UPSC NDA (2) 2021 Exam will be of multiple-choice questions.
- For all questions, there will be four alternatives, out of which you have to select the most appropriate option.
- There will be a Negative Marking for every incorrect response. A penalty of One third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted for every wrong answer.
- The syllabus of the test is of 10+2 standard level.
- The medium of the exam is bilingual (English & Hindi).
Syllabus & Study Material
Mathematics
Detailed Syllabus of Mathematics for NDA Exam
Books / Study Material
| NDA Mathematics Books | Author / Publisher |
| Mathematics Textbook of Class 11 and Class 12 | NCERT |
| Mathematics | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Mathematics for NDA and NA | S Chand publication |
| R.S. Agarwal | |
| NDA Entrance Exam | E. S. Ramasamy |
Topic-wise break up of Questions asked in NDA (1) 2021 Exam
| Topic | No of questions |
| Algebra | 26 |
| Matrices & Determinants | 11 |
| Trigonometry | 21 |
| Analytical Geometry 2 D | 10 |
| Analytical Geometry 3D | 5 |
| Differential Calculus | 13 |
| Integral Calculus | 10 |
| Vector Algebra | 5 |
| Statistics | 14 |
| Probability | 5 |
English
Detailed Syllabus of English for NDA Exam
Study Material
| NDA English Books | Author/ Publisher |
| Objective General English | SP Bakshi |
| Wren & Martin – High School English Grammar & Composition | S. Chand Publication |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman & Lewis |
Questions from Different Topics in NDA (1) 2021 Exam
| Topics | No of questions |
| Spotting Errors | 10 |
| Antonyms | 10 |
| Synonyms | 10 |
| Idioms and Phrases | 10 |
| Fill in the Blanks | 10 |
General Ability Test (GAT)
Detailed Syllabus of General Ability Test (GAT) for NDA Exam
Study Material
| Topic of GAT | Books/Study Material |
| Section ‘A’ (Physics) | NCERT of Class 11 & Class 12 and NCERT Exemplar |
| Section ‘B’ (Chemistry) | NCERT of Class 11 & Class 12 and NCERT Exemplar |
| Section ‘C’ (General Science) | NCERT of Class 11 & Class 12 and NCERT Exemplar |
| Section ‘D’ (History, Freedom Movement etc.) | – NCERT of Class 11 & Class 12 and NCERT Exemplar – Objective General Knowledge by Lucent Publications |
| Section ‘E’ (Geography) | NCERT of Class 11 & Class 12 and NCERT Exemplar |
| Section ‘F’ (Current Events) | Reading newspapers and Magazines on current affairs and Latest Manorama Yearbook |
Topic-wise break up of Questions asked in NDA (1) 2021 Exam
| Topics | No of questions |
| Physics | 20 |
| Chemistry | 20 |
| Biology | 10 |
| Indian Polity | 04 |
| History | 15 |
| Geography | 18 |
| Economy | 00 |
| Defense Specific | 03 |
| Current Affairs & Static GK | 10 |
Tips to prepare for NDA Written exams
NDA is one of the toughest and most competitive exams for which lakhs of applications are received for only 400 vacancies. Though there is a two-stage incomplete selection process, clearing the written exam is one of the starting steps to getting into NDA.
Every exam needs some specific strategy and Tips which help prepare for the exam and increase your probability of clearing the exam. Below are a few points that everyone has to keep in mind while starting their NDA Exam preparation.
Understand the Exam first
- First and foremost, the candidate has to understand the pattern and syllabus of the exam.
- They should go through the exam pattern comprehensively and start solving question papers of previous years.
- Recognize the important topics and topics from which major questions are asked from the previous year’s question paper. Be aware of the marks distribution and cut off – section-wise and for the overall exam.
- The candidate must know if there will be any negative marking in the exam for wrong answers.
Strategize a Plan and start preparing as per your plan
- The candidate must ensure that they have completed the required syllabus for each section of every subject.
- It is very rare that a candidate is an expert in every subject. If you are that lucky one, who is good in all the subjects then it is best. But if you are weak in some subjects/topics of the syllabus, then you should focus more on that subject/topic.
- Focus on learning shortcut tricks that will help you in solving difficult levels of the mathematics section.
- Schedule your study plan smartly and give proper time to each section without a fail.
- Work on increasing your solving speed. Time management is deciding factor in this section of the exam. Implement your own strategy and practice mock test papers as much as possible.
Most Important points
- Clear Your Basics
- Track current events – this will help you in the written exam and your SSB preparation.
- Practice, Practice, and Practice, as there is no alternative to practice.
- Prepare notes while studying any topic which may help you in revising the same at the last moment of the exam
- Only Black Ball Pen has to be used while filling all the details and the answers in the OMR sheet (Answer Sheet).
- Pens with any other color are prohibited. Do not use Pencil or Ink pen.
- Be alert while filling in the details in your answer sheet. A small error may waste your entire attempt.
Solve Previous Year Question Papers
In order to crack the NDA Exam, the candidate must not miss out on any study tool available in online or offline mode.
NDA previous year’s question papers will aid the students in understanding
- The pattern of questions asked,
- Their difficulty levels
- How the difficulty level of the questions has changed over the years
- Topics that are frequently asked
- What is the weightage of marks on different topics in the exam?
Download NDA Previous Years Question Paper
You can download the previous year’s papers from the Official Website of UPSC. Click here.
Download UPSC NDA/NA previous year question papers:
- NDA 2020 Papers
- NDA 2019 Papers
- NDA 2018 Papers
- NDA 2017 Papers
- NDA 2016 Papers
- NDA 2015 Papers
- NDA 2014 Papers
- NDA 2013 Papers
- NDA 2012 Papers
- NDA 2011 Papers
- NDA 2010 Papers
Thus, Proper practice of previous years’ question papers is a must for efficient preparation for the NDA exam.
Hope the article would have given you a clear picture of the NDA Exam and some strategies to prepare for the same. In this article, we have discussed NDA written exam only. the second stage of the NDA Exam – the SSB Selection procedure will be discussed in another article.
For any further queries, clarification or questions, do comment.
Jai Hind..!