Exam for admission in National Defence Academy and Naval Academy is conducted by UPSC. This exam is held twice every year. Candidates aspiring to be a part of Indian Armed Forces which are The Army, The Navy and The Air Force appear in this exam. It is a two-fold exam and a candidate is required to qualify both the stages in order to get selected.
The most important thing that plays a key role in the selection/rejection of a candidate is his/her NDA Preparation. A candidate must ensure that he/she is going in the correct direction with NDA Exam Preparation. Here we will guide you and make sure that you carry out your NDA Preparation in an efficient manner. We’ll discuss the tips and tricks for cracking NDA Exam and also about the important books for NDA Preparation.
Important Books For NDA Exam Preparation
There are a lot of books out there in the name of NDA Exam Preparation but not every book is worth. Here is a list of important books that can be referred for NDA Preparation by the candidates.
| NDA / NA Books | Buy from Flipkart | Buy from Amazon |
| Manorama Yearbook by Mathew M |  Buy on Flipkart |
 Buy on Amazon |
| Mathematics for NDA and NA: National Defence Academy and Naval Academy by R S Aggarwal | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Objective General Knowlegde & Current Affairs (Level 1) : Useful for UPSC / State PCS / CSAT / Bank PO / NDA / CDS / MBA (English) by Disha Experts | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Objective General Knowlegde & Current Affairs (Level 2) : Useful for UPSC / State PCS / CSAT / Bank PO / NDA / CDS / MBA (English) by Disha Experts | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Pathfinder for NDA & NA Entrance Examination National Defence Academy/Naval Academy Conducted by UPSC | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations by R.S. Aggarwal | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| NDA & NA National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Entrance Examination: 10 Practice Sets (English) by Expert Compilations | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| NDA INA Practice Papers: Conducted by UPSC (English) by Sachchida Nand Jha | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Chapterwise-Sectionwise Solved Papers NDA & NA (Mathematics/English/General Ability) with Explanatory Solutions : Mathematics / English / General Ability with Explanatory Solutions Latest (English) by Arihant Experts | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
NDA Preparation Books in Hindi.
| NDA / NA Books in Hindi | Buy from Flipkart | Buy from Amazon |
| Pathfinder NDA Evam NA Pravesh Pariksha Rastriya Raksha Academy Evam Nausena Academy Conducted by UPSC by Arihant Experts | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| NDA Mathematics by RPH Editorial Board | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Adhyaywar-Khandwar Ganit, Angreji, Samanya Yogyata NDA/NA Vigat Varsho ke Prasan Vyakhayatmak Hal Sahit PB | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
| Rashtriya Raksha Akadami Avem Naval Akadami Pariksha Pichle Prashan patra (Hal Sahit) by Editorial Board | Buy on Flipkart |
Buy on Amazon |
5 Valuable Tips For NDA Preparation
NDA Exam comprises of two rounds i.e. Written Exam and Interview. A candidate needs to be very well prepared before appearing in the exam. Follow the tips given below to inch closer towards your dream.
Get The Basics Right – Before starting NDA Exam Preparation, you must go through the syllabus thoroughly and be clear of what you need to study. This prevents you from studying the irrelevent topics. Then start from the beginning by clearing the basic concepts and then move further so that you understand everything in a better way.
Improve Your General Knowledge – Be fully aware of the Current Affairs and keep an eye on the day to day events that takes place nearby you. This will always prove to be beneficial and will give you an edge over others in the exam.
Maintain Your Health – Continuously work on your health as it is an important factor in qualifying the NDA Exam. This enhances your personality and leaves a positive impression on the selectors as health plays an important role in the National Defense Academy.
Improve Your English – An efficiently English speaking candidate will immediately catch attention of the selectors in the interview round. Also, this will be of great help in the written exams as there is a section of English in that.
Refer Previous Question Papers – Go for the question papers of last 2-3 exams and practice them regularly. This will give you an idea about the exam and will also help you in time management. This is an excellent way of boosting your NDA Preparation.
A candidate should remain calm and composed throughout NDA Preparation. Proper discipline should be maintained till the exam is not over.
NDA Exam Pattern
NDA Exam follows a two-stage selection procedure where a written test is conducted first followed by interview round. A candidate should strategise his/her NDA Preparation accordingly. Refer the below table for written exam pattern.
| Subject | Maximum marks |
| Mathematics | 300 |
| General ability test | 600 |
| Total | 900 |
Candidates who qualify the written exam are called upon for the interview round. Here is a little insight on the subjects of written exam.
Mathematics – Following topics are covered in Mathematics.
- Algebra
- Matrices and Determinants
- Trigonometry
- Analytical Geometry
- Differential Calculus
- Integral Calculus and Differential Equations
- Statistics and Probability
General Ability Test – It is divided into two parts.
- English (200 Marks)
- General Knowledge (400 Marks)
Views Of The Experts On NDA Preparation
SM Sriram – Rank 1 – Year 2009 advises the aspiring candidates to read newspaper on a daily basis and improve general knowledge. He also says that a good command over English is necessary. For the interview rounds he tells to be yourself to the new students.
Deepak Awasthi – Rank – First – Year 2011 says that he never let his focus go on to anything else other than NDA. Then he combined it with hard work and here he is. He advises the aspiring students to concentrate on their goal and always do what they believe in.
If you have any queries regarding NDA Preparation, please ask in the comments below.
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