TIPS AND TRICKS

TO CRACK
NDA/NA EXAM
 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

CONTENTS
Preface3
Introduction4
NDA exam pattern 5
How to prepare for Mathematics 6
How to prepare for Genaral Ability Test 7
General Preparation Tips 8
Important topics for NDA exam 9
Preparation Tips for SSB Interview 10
Best books for NDA preparation 11
Conclusion12

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

PREFACE
“Success is where preparation and strategy meet”- Bobby Unser. If you are prepar-
ing for NDA & NA exam, then you need an extra boost in terms of tips and tricks
that help you come out with flying colours. You are sorrounded by lot of questions,
doubts and anxieties as this is one of the highly competitive examination. One thing
should be kept in mind that this exam differs from school or university level exams.
Therefore, you have to prepare for this with utmost sincerity and dedication. Those
who crack this exam will be offered admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of
the NDA and 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme of Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC).
Thus, Careers360 has come up with this e-book on NDA/NA preparation tips to
help you guide and educate what all sections should be attempted first, why solv-
ing previous years’ question papers and sample papers is important, what are the
important topics for the exam, what should be your section-wise pla and strtategy.
Read this e-book to know how to prepare for the exam.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

INTRODUCTION
National Defense Academy (NDA) examination is a national level defense examina-
tion conducted for candidates who wish to pursue their careers as Commissioned
Officers in Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) conducts NDA/NA exam twice a year – April and September. Candidates
selected based on written exam and Service Selection Boards (SSBs) Interview are
offered admission to National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune and
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Further, after their training gets over, these can-
didates are offered Officers Level Posts in Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

NDA EXAM PATTERN

Before proceeding to the preparation tips and tricks, candidates must have a look at the
exam pattern. NDA is a pen and paper based test comprising two sections – Mathematics
and General Ability Test (GAT). Each paper is held for 2.30 hours. Total marks allotted for
written exam are 900. The language of question paper is English and Hindi. Candidates
qualifying the written exam are called for SSB Interview for Psychological Aptitude Test
and Intelligence Test. Candidates need to secure qualifying marks separately at each stage
of examination.

Highlights of Exam Pattern

Exam Mode and Medium Pen and Paper based
Number of sections Two
Language of paper English and Hindi
Type of questions Objective type Multiple Choice questions
Total questions 270
Mathematics – 120
Section-wise questions
GAT - 150
Total marks 900
Mathematics - 300
Section-wise total marks
GAT - 600
Exam duration 2.30 hours for each section

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

HOW TO PREPARE FOR MATHEMATICS?

Mathematics is all about calculation and formulas. NDA Mathematics paper include ques-
tions from Algebra, Integral, Differential, trigonometry, matrices, Geometry and Statistics &
Probability. Total 120 questions are asked in this section. Marks allotted for this section are
300. This paper tests candidates on speed and accuracy pertaining to basic calculation and
mathematical concepts. To excel in this section, candidates should be familiar with concepts
and formulas. Below are few preparation tips for Mathematics section.

●● Candidates should fundamentally be clear about the basics of Mathematics like formulas, methods,
calculations from Class 10 and 12 NCERT textbooks.
●● Practice is important to score well in Mathematics. Therefore, candidates should practice sample
papers and attempt mock tests.
●● Solve previous years’ questions papers to get an idea of the type of questions asked in the exam. The
link to download previous years’ question papers of NDA for Mathematics is provided on the last
page of this e-book.
●● Candidates will get 150 minutes to solve Mathematics papers. So, device time accordingly for this
section. Pick easy questions first rather than wasting time in solving tricky and lengthy questions.
●● Prepare short notes for formulas as it helps in last minute revision.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

HOW TO PREPARE FOR NDA GENERAL

ABILITY TEST?
GAT paper comprises questions from English and General Knowledge. This paper carries
150 questions. Total marks allotted for the exam are 600. GAT tests a candidate’s basic
English skills and knowledge about current affairs. Candidates should be familiar with basic
English grammar rules to solve questions from Reading Comprehension and Vocabularly.
General Knowledge carries questions from General Science, Indian history, Physics, Geog-
raphy, Chemistry and Current Events. Check below the preparation tips for English and
GAT.

Preparation tips for English

●● Vocabulary and Grammar are not a one-week preparation, so candidates should start preparing
early
●● Learn new words
●● Practice previous years question papers
●● Read newspapers and magazines
●● Candidates should learn synonyms and antonyms

Preparation tips for General Knowledge (GK)

●● Keep abreast with current affairs like latest events, policy change, media, banking industry, politics,
media news etc. by reading newspapers and magazines.
●● Prepare Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Political Science and Economics from
Class 10 and 12 books.
●● To solve questions from Physics, candidates must have clear understanding of the concepts along
with their practical applications.
●● For Chemistry, one should have basic knowledge of classifications of elements, compounds, and
mixtures.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

GENERAL PREPARATION TIPS FOR NDA/NA

Prepare a plan: Research and prepare a plan that will help one dedicate time for every topic
and subject. Following the study plan sincerely is one of the ingredients for success.

Start early: Candidates should start their preparation early rather as it will help them to
complete the syllabus on time.

Practice mock tests: It is one of the important steps towards cracking the exam. Mock tests
help candidates to develop their own strategy and help manage time in the exam. Regular
pratice hones one’s skill and helps in revision. Mock test is the best way to evaluate own’s
preparation for the exam.

Practice sample papers: Candidates should solve sample papers regularly after completing
their syllabus. Experts are of the opinion that candidates should solve at least two sample
papers on daily basis.

Clear concepts: Understanding of concepts is important to solve questions. There might be

tricky questions in exam. If the basic understanding of concepts is not clear candidates can-
not answer the questions.

Cover all the topics: Leaving out certain topics might not be a good strategy for the exam.
In case , candidates leave any topic during preparation, they should make sure that it is not
important.

Categorise topics: Aspirants should categorise the topics as most difficult, difficult, moderate
and easy. This will help them in a directed preparation and hone their strong topics, so that
they can work harder on the weak ones.

Study regularly: Make sure that candidates study on a regular basis. It is important to study
minimum three to four hours per day.

Stay positive and confident: Keep trust on all that you have learnt. It is important to keep a
positive mind to do well in the exam.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR NDA EXAM

Topic-wise distribution of questions and important topics of NDA are given below.

Mathematics

Topics Number of questions

Calculus 20-25
Quadratic equation 20-15
Matrices & Determinants 30
Probability 10
Trigonometry 30
Complex number 10-15

General Ability Test

English

Topics Number of questions

Spotting Errors 5
Comprehension 6
Selecting Words 10
Ordering of Words in a Sentence 9
Sentence Improvement 10
Antonyms 5
Synonyms 5
Total 50

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

General Knowledge
Topics Number of questions
Physics 23
Chemistry 16
General Science 11
History & Freedom Movement 16
Geography 17
Current Events 17
Total 100
Physics 23

Preparation Tips for SSB Interview

SSB Interview is conducted for 900 marks. This test is conducted in two stages. The first
stage comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR), which tests the candidates on Picture
Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). The Stage II consists of Interview, Group Test-
ing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. Here are some preparation tips for
SSB interview.

●● Focus on developing your personality.

●● The test usually assesses candidates for officer-like qualities, which includes sense of responsibility,
reacting to situations, social adaptability, teamwork, etc.
●● Self-confidence is a must
●● Know yourself and develop qualities of an officer.
●● Know about your native town better.
●● Candidate must have detailed knowledge of Indian history, Politics, Armed forces in India etc.
●● Maintain a good physical fitness.
●● Overcome any disease which you may have, before exam.

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

BEST BOOKS TO PREPARE FOR NDA

EXAM
Book name Author/Publisher
Mathematics for NDA and NA: National Defence Academy R S Aggarwal
and Naval Academy
Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations R S Aggarwal
Study Package Mathematics NDA & NA Entrance Exam Arihant
NDA Mathematics (Hindi) RPH Editorial Board
History Of Modern India (History) Bipan Chandra
Science and Technology in India (Science and Technology) Kalpana Rajaram : Spectrum
Oxford School Atlas (Geography) Oxford
Social Problems In India (Indian Society – GS1) Ram Ahuja
Objective General English for Competitive Exams S.P. Bakshi
Manorama Yearbook Mammen Mathew

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 TIPS AND TRICKS TO CRACK NDA/NA EXAM

CONCLUSION
The first two to three months should be devoted to learning the basic concepts and brushing
the fundamentals of topics. During this time, candidates should solve mock tests and previ-
ous year question papers. This way candidates will be able to analyse their knowledge and
measure progress of preparation. In the last leg of preparation, candidates should focus on
revision and do not take up new topics. Follow these preparation tips and device strategies
to crack the exam.

To download NDA/NA Previous Years Question Papers – Click Here

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