NDA 2021: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the official notification of the National Defence Academy 2021 examination on December 30, 2020. NDA 1 2021 is scheduled to be held on April 18, 2021. Online registrations for the examination was concluded on January 19, 2021. Thereafter, on January 29, 2021, the Commission issued the list of Fictitious Fee candidates. A total of 400 vacancies in the Army, Navy & Air Force wings and 10+2 Naval Entry Scheme are to be filled by candidates who are shortlisted after the exam through SSB interviews. Know about all the important and ongoing events of the NDA 2021 exam here in this article. Read on to know about NDA important dates, syllabus, exam pattern and more.
Latest: NDA 2020 Answer Key is now available. Click here to download.
NDA 2021
UPSC conducts the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy examinations biannually. Last year, the Commission conducted a common entrance for both sessions of the exam. Get all the important dates of the first session of the upcoming in the dates table below.
| Important event | Date |
| Release of Official notification | 30 Dec 2020 |
| Start of application | 30 Dec 2020 |
| Last date to apply | 19 Jan 2021 |
| Application form withdrawal | 27 Jan to 02 Feb 2021 |
| Admit Card release | 03 weeks before exam |
| NDA 2021 Exam Date | 18 Apr 2021 |
| Answer Key | To be announced |
| Result | Jun 2021 |
| Final Result | To be announced |
Quick links
Overview of NDA Exam
National Defence Academy (NDA) is an exam for admission to the Indian Defense Forces. As per convention, this exam is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission. Last year, due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a common entrance exam was conducted for admission through the NDA 1 and NDA 2 exams. In this article, we have covered all the aspects of the NDA 2021 exam. However, before we jump on to the more details, check out the main features of the NDA exam at a glance below.
| Name of Exam | National Defense Academy & Naval Academy |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Year | 2021 |
| Frequency | Twice a year |
| Last Conducted in | 2020 |
| Minimum Eligibility | 10+2 |
| Key Stages | Written Exam SSB Interview |
| Vacancies | NDA (I) – 400 |
| Exam Fees | Rs 100/- |
| Mode of application | Online |
| Mode of exam | Offline |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
NDA Admit Card 2021
The NDA Admit Card 2021 is published online through the UPSC website 03 weeks before the exam. One must enter the registration ID and date of birth to download the admit card when released. Applicants can also use the date of birth and roll number or date of birth, father’s name, and name of the applicant to login and download NDA Admit Card 2021. If in any case, a candidate does not receive the admit card prior to the exam, they must immediately contact the Commission.
Incidentally, the admit card contains important information about the candidate and exam center. Check out the list of information provided through the NDA 2021 admit card below.
- Examination’s Name and year.
- Registration ID of the candidate.
- Candidate’s roll number.
- Applicant’s name.
- Applicant’s address.
- Examination center and complete address of the exam.
- Examination’s date and time.
NDA Exam Pattern 2021
NDA 2021 exam consist of two subjects viz. Mathematics and General Ability Test. It is for a total of 900 marks. 2021 NDA aspirants can check out the exam pattern below.
- Language: Hindi & English.
- Mode of examination: Offline exam.
- Number of Papers: 02 (Mathematics & GAT).
- Total duration: 2 hours 30 minutes for each paper.
- Total Marks: 900 marks
- Negative Marking: 0.33 marks deducted for every incorrect answer.
Check out marks distribution of NDA 2020 exam below
| Subjects | Marks |
| Mathematics | 300 |
| General Ability Test (GAT) | 600 |
NDA Syllabus 2021
The NDA 2021 Syllabus is of the higher secondary level and consist of topics from mathematics and general studies. UPSC has published the detailed syllabus through the official notification. We have provided the key topics of the NDA 2021 Syllabus below.
General Ability Test
- English grammar, comprehension & cohesion in extended text
- Physics
- Chemistry
- General science
- Social studies (History, freedom movement, etc)
- Geography
- Current events
Mathematics
- Algebra
- Matrices & Determinants
- Trigonometry
- Analytical Geometry of two and three dimensions
- Differential calculus
- Integral calculus
- Differential equations
- Vector algebra
- Statistics and probability
NDA Preparation Tips for 2021 Exam
With the NDA 2021 exam date declared, registered candidates have to ensure that they are well prepared to ace the exam in the first attempt. In this section, we are sharing some important tips for preparations of the exam. Read this through to know about preparation strategy during the last few days and more.
NDA 2021 Preparation Tips for Last 10 Days
Preparation Tips
Being a national level competitive exam, the NDA 2021 is by no means easy to crack. Besides, the syllabus is of the senior secondary level. As such, NDA 2021 preparations can be time-consuming and exhaustive due to the vast syllabus. Candidates often start preparations as early as one year before. However, it is possible to ace the NDA 2021 exam with the time that is left now. We provide here some important preparation tips for the NDA 2021 exam. Read on to get all the necessary help.
- Start studying from previous year questions from day one. NDA questions are often repeated from previous years.
- Solve the mock test. Managing the exam duration to complete the paper within time is important. Therefore, solving mock tests can help candidates know the exam pattern better and manage time effectively.
- Identify typical maths questions from previous years and solve these in separate rough workbooks. This will help aspirants solve the mathematics section faster.
- Refer to newspapers, recent current affairs books and internet sources to keep themselves updated on recent events. Research on facts of recent events.
- In the social studies section of NDA 2021 exam, make short notes of important dates in history and freedom struggle.
- Focus on Indian rivers, mountain ranges and other important geographic features of India for the geography section.
Suggested Books for NDA Preparation
While a wide variety of guide books are available in the market, it can be difficult to choose the best books to study. However, we have come across some select few books. Candidates can refer to the books given below to prepare for NDA 2021.
| Book Title | Buy here |
| Let’s Crack NDA Exam | Click here |
| Pathfinder NDA/NA Entrance Examination 2019 | Click here |
| NDA / NA Solved Paper Chapterwise & Sectionwise 2019 | Click here |
| 10 Practice Sets NDA/NA 2019 | Click here |
NDA 2021 Selection Procedure
UPSC adopts a two-stage selection process for the NDA exam. Eligible applicants are issued admit cards to appear in the written exam. Subsequently, NDA 2021 qualifiers are called for the SSB interview which has two stages. Read on below for a brief description of the main selection stages of NDA 2021 below.
1. Written examination
The written exam is held at a national level on a scheduled date for all eligible candidates. The question paper is a higher secondary level and objective type. All candidates must qualify in the exam by securing the minimum marks to be eligible for the SSB interview. The duration of the written examination is 2 hours and 30 minutes for each section.
2. SSB Interview
NDA 2021 qualifiers are called up for the SSB interview. The interview is conducted for 05 days and consists of different personality tests.
Stage 1 of the SSB Interview consists of officer intelligence rating (OPR) test and picture perception and description test. The candidates are shortlisted based on the performance in OPR test and picture perception and description test. It is conducted on the first day of SSB interview.
Stage 2 of the SSB Interview consists of group testing officer tasks, interview round, psychology test, and the conference. These rounds are organized to test the officer like qualities of the candidates. These tests are conducted for over 4 days.
NDA 2021 Exam Center
UPSC conducts the NDA 2021 exam throughout India in centres identified by the Commission. Besides, the examination centers are mentioned in the NDA Admit Card 2021. Check out the complete list of NDA 2021 exam centers below.
| 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 | Madurai |
| Mumbai | Nagpur |
| Panaji (Goa) | Patna |
| Port Blair | Raipur |
| Ranchi | Sambalpur |
| Shillong | Shimla |
| Srinagar | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Tirupati | Udaipur |
| Vishakhapatnam |
NDA 2021 Vacancy Details
UPSC has advertised 400 vacancies for the 2021 NDA admission to 147th Course in Army, Navy, air Force wings and 109th Indian Naval Academy course. Check out the details below.
| Academy | Vacancies |
| NDA | 370 |
| NA | 30 |
| Total | 400 |
NDA Answer Key 2021
Once the entrance exam of NDA 2021 is over, UPSC releases the answer key of the examination online at the UPSC website. Candidates have to visit the website, upsc.gov.in to download the answer key as per the set. One must ensure that they download the correct set of the answer key. The answer keys can be used to calculate the estimated score in the examination as they consist of all the correct answers to the set of questions provided in the exam.
To download the answer key, one may follow the simple steps given below.
#1: Go to the official UPSC website at upsc.gov.in
#2: Under the “Examination” tab, click on Answer Key.
#3: From the list of exams, click on the answer key download link for NDA & NA (I) 2020 exam to get the answer key.
NDA Result 2021
The result for NDA 2021 exam is declared on the official website i.e. upsc.gov.in after the exam. At first, the result of the written examination releases. Candidates can check the result by visiting the official website, usc.gov.in. UPSC releases the result in the form of two merit list. One merit list has only the roll number and the other consists of the name along with the roll number of the selected candidates.
SSB Interview After UPSC NDA Exam
Once a candidate qualifies in the NDA & NA exam, the next step is the SSB interview. As the name suggests, the interview is conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB). Now that aspirants know about the stages of the SSB interview, check out how they can appear in the SSB interview after qualifying in NDA 2021 exam.
After qualifying in the written exam, as soon as you get selected in the final results, log on to the following websites (as per preference) to get the date, schedule and venue of SSB interview.
joinindianarmy.nic.in
joinindiannavy.gov.in
careerindianairforce.cdac.in
Those candidates who are recommended for the SSB interview must address enquiries or requests to the following addresses as per schedule after the declaration of the results.
For candidates with Army as first choice
Army Headquarters, AG’s Branch, RTG (NDA Entry),
West Block-III, Wing-1, R.K. Puram, New Delhi – 110 066
Phone: 26275473
Website: joinidianarmy.nic.in
For candidates with Navy/Naval Academy as first choice
Naval Headquarters, Directorate of Manpower & Recruitment,
O.I & R Section, Room No. 204, C Wing,
Sena Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011
Phone: 23010097
Email: [email protected]
Website: joinindiannavy.gov.in
For candidates with Air Force as first choice
Air Headquarters, Directorate of Personnel (Officers)
PO 3 (A), Room No. 17, J Block,
Opp. Vayu Bhawan, Motilal Nehru Marg, New Delhi – 110106
Phone: 23010231 Extn. 7645/7646/7610
Website: careerindianairforce.cdac.in
Important Tips for NDA 2021 SSB Interviews
The SSB interview is an extremely important stage of the NDA 2021 selection process. It tests the personality and cognitive competence of the candidate. Therefore, just having excellent academic performance is not enough to help aspirants crack the SSB interview. Consider the following tips and tricks to do better in the SSB interview.
- Be confident about yourself. NDA aspirants seek more than just a well-paying job. Their aspirations often culminate from a childhood passion to wear the defence uniform. The interviewers must be able to see the passion.
- Participation in group tasks is important. Do not be shy when participating in group tasks such as group discussion, progressive group tasks etc. Provide inputs and try to make the impression prominent among other group members.
- Do not lie because most likely you will be caught. One aspect of the SSB interview is to test the officer-like qualities among the candidates. Lying is not one of them.
- To know you better, SSB interviewers tend to ask personal questions like hobbies, family members etc. Be careful to answer these as honestly as possible. Your answers reflect your personality and choices you make.
- Often, candidates are asked to name three or more of their strengths and weaknesses. Once named, the interviewer might choose one of the strengths (or weaknesses) to ask more questions based on it. Therefore, it is wiser to be prepared for this.
NDA 2021 Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who apply for NDA are advised to check the eligibility criteria before applying. The admission to any stage of the selection is provisional until the document verification is done. So one must go on to fill up the application form only after ensuring that they fulfill all eligibility criteria. Check out the complete eligibility conditions for NDA 2021 below.
Ciitizenship
- Candidate should be citizen of India
- Subject of Bhutan or Nepal
- Tibetan refugee who have moved to India before January 01, 1962, in order to settle down here on a permanent basis
Age
- Only male candidates who are unmarried and born not before July 02, 2002 and after July 01, 2005, can apply.
Educational Qualification
- Candidate must have passed the 10+2 exam to apply for Army Wing of National Defence Academy.
- Candidate must have passed 12th standard with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics to apply for Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the INA.
Physical Standards
- It is mandatory for the candidate to be physically fit and meet the specified standards to apply for NDA. The detailed standards are available in the official notification.
NDA Application Form 2021
The application process for National Defence Academy exam is conducted online only. UPSC releases the NDA 2021 Application Form at the official website. Follow the steps mentioned below to fill the application form online.
1st Step: Go to the UPSC website, upsc.gov.in
2nd Step: Click on the link ‘Online Application for various exams’.
3rd Step: You will be asked some details to fill the NDA application form like personal details, educational qualification.
4th Step: Once done with details, you have to pay the application fee and upload your scanned image of the signature and photograph.
5th Step: Click on the ‘Submit’ button to submit your application form.
6th Step: Take a print out of the application form for future reference.
Application fee
NDA 2021 Application fee is payable through online or offline modes. Check out the available modes of application fee payment below.
| Mode | Methods |
| Online | Credit card/debit card/ master card/VISA/ Rupay/SBI net banking. |
| Offline | Pay-in-slip (SBI) |
Check the application fee for various categories below.
| Category | Fee |
| General | Rs. 100/- |
| SC/ST/ | Rs 0/- |
| Sons of JCOs/NCOs/OR | Rs 0/- |
NDA Application Form Withdrawal 2021
UPSC conducts NDA application form withdrawal as per schedule mentioned in the dates table. Candidates unwilling to appear in the NDA 2021 exam are able to withdraw their application forms. Window to withdraw the form will remain open only during the specified schedule. Check out the screenshot below to know the detailed procedure of the NDA 2021 application form withdrawal.
About UPSC
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is India’s central recruitment agency for government vacancies. It takes care of the appointments and examination to All India Service and Group A and Group B of Central Services. The Commission was formed on October 1, 1926. UPSC headquarters are located at Dholpur House, New Delhi while it functions through its own secretariat.
Important Downloads
| NDA 1 2021 Official Notification | Click Here |
| NDA 2 2020 Official Notification | Click Here |
| NDA 1 2020 Official Notification | Click Here |
Official website: upsc.gov.in
NDA 2020 Exam Frequently Asked Questions
Ans : To be eligible for NDA 2020, the candidate must have passed or appearing in the 12th standard.
Ans : The candidate will be able to check their result on UPSC website and download the result in PDF format.
Ans : As per UPSC, only male candidates who are unmarried are eligible to apply.
Ans : Candidates can pay the NDA 2020 application fee online as well as offline. You can use credit card/debit card/net banking by SBI or upload pay in slip while filling the application form.
