Courses

What is NDA ?

The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the Joint Services Academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Cadets of the three services, The Army, The Navy, The Air Force are trained together. Later they go on to pre-commissioning training in their respective service academies.

The NDA campus is located about 17 km south-west of Pune city, North-wWest of Khadakwasla Lake. It spans 7,015 acres (28.39 km2) of the 8,022 acres (32.46 km2) donated by the Government of the former Bombay State. The site was chosen for being on a lake shore, the suitability of the neighboring hilly terrain, proximity to the Arabian Sea and other military establishments, an operational air base nearby at Lohegaon as well as the salubrious climate. The existence of an old combined-forces training centre and a disused mock landing ship, HMS Angostura, on the north bank of the Khadakwasla lake which had been used to train troops for amphibious landings, lent additional leverage for the selection of the site. Aptly, NDA is also located in the hunting grounds of the legendary Shivaji, with the Sinhagad Fort as a panoramic backdrop.

What is Permanent Commission (PC) ?

A Permanent Commission means a career till retirement. Entry for a Permanent Commission is either through the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune or the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun.

How to get admission in NDA ?

To get admission in NDA, the will be written exam, interview and medical test:

  • NDA Examination conducted by UPSC
  • 5- Days Service Selection Board (SSB) Interview.
  • Medical Tests
What selected candidates get at NDA ?

The selected candidates for the three services viz, Army, Navy and Air Force gets:

  • Preliminary training both academic and physical for a period of 3 years at the National Defence Academy which is an Inter-Service Institution. The training during the first two and half years is common to the cadets of three wings.
  • All the cadets on passing out will be awarded degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi as under:
    (a) Army Cadets - B.Sc. / B.Sc. (Computer) / B.A
    (b) Naval Cadets - B.Tech Degree*
    (c) Air Force Cadets - B.Tech Degree*
    Note* :
    • All the cadets undergoing B.Sc. / B.Sc.(Computer) / BA Degree programme shall be awarded the degree on the successful completion of Academics, Physical and Service Training at NDA.
    • All the cadets undergoing B.Tech programme shall be awarded the B.Tech degree on the subsequent Pre Commissioning Training Academies / Institutions / Ships / Air Craft.
    • The selected candidates of the Naval Academy will be given preliminary training both academic and physical, for a period of 04 years at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.
    • The cadets of 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme will be awarded a B.Tech Degree on successful completion of training!.
    • On passing out from the National Defence Academy, Army Cadets go to the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Naval Cadets to Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala and Air Force cadets to AFA, Hyderabad.
    • At the I.M.A. Army Cadets are known as Gentlemen Cadets and are given strenuous military training for a period of one year aimed at turning officer capable of leading infantry Sub-units. On successful completion of training Gentlemen Cadets are granted Permanent Commission in the rank of Lt, subject to being medically fit in "SHAPE" one.
    • The Naval cadets are selected for the Executive Branch of the Navy, on passing out from the National Defence Academy candidates are given further training at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala for a period of one year on successful completion of which they are promoted to the rank of Sub Lieutenants.
    • Air Force Cadets receive flying training for a period of 11 years. However, at the end of 1 year of training they are given provisional Commission in the rank of Flying Officer. After successful completion of further training of six months they are absorbed as permanent commissioned officers on probation for a period of one year.
    • Apart from providing graduation degrees, NDA has the finest infrastructure for professional training. Candidates get phenomenal opportunities to develop their personality and cultivate new interests. There are 31 extra-curricular activities to choose from, such as aero-modeling, golf, gliding, sailing, wind surfing, astronomy, photography and many more.
What is NDA Examination ?

The National Defense Academy Examination is meant to be organized by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment into the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force and for Indian Naval Academy Course. NDA examination is conducted by UPSC twice a year (usually in April & September).

Exam Pattern:
  • Written Examination:

    The subjects of the written examination, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows:—

    Subject Topics Maximum Marks Duration
    Maths 300 21/2 Hours
    General Ability Test Part 'A' English Marks 200 600 21/2 Hours
    Part 'B' General Knowledge Marks 400
    Section 'A' Physics Marks 100
    Section 'B' Chemistry Marks 60
    Section 'C' General Science Marks 40
    Section 'D' History,Freedom Movement etc. Marks 80
    Section 'E' Geography Marks 80
    Section 'F`' Current Events Marks 40

    Question Pattern : Objective (Multiple Choice Questions - MCQ) Marking Pattern: 33.33% Negative Marking For each wrong answer 1/3 of the marks assigned to the question shall be deducted. Language: The question papers (Test Booklets) of Mathematics and part B of General Ability Test will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.

  • Intelligence and Personality Test

    The SSB procedure consists of two stage Selection process - stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II. The details are :

    • Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception & Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT.
    • Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days.
      The personality of a candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. The Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Psychologist. There are no separate weightage for each test. The marks are allotted by assessors only after taking into consideration the performance of the candidate holistically in all the test. In addition, marks for Conference are also allotted based on the initial performance of the Candidate in the three techniques and decision of the Board. All these have equal weightage.