How to Join NDA after 10th, 12th and Graduation?

Exam On - 13 Apr '25

Updated on Apr 24, 2024 10:36 IST

NDA exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice every year. Candidates who are interested in being an Indian Army officer, Indian Navy officer or Indian Air Force officer must apply for NDA. When to apply for NDA, what is the age limit, how to join NDA after the 10th, 12th, or graduation, etc. are discussed in this article. Continue reading to know about it.

How to join NDA after 10th, 12th, and Graduation?: NDA exam is one of the most popular competitive exams across the country. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission twice every year. A large number of candidates who appeared or are appearing in the Class 12 exam appear for the exam every year. NDA provides a direct gateway for candidates who want to join the Indian army and want to serve the country. How does a candidate get admission to the NDA? What is the process? How does a candidate join the NDA after finishing 10th, 12th, or graduation? Scroll down to find out about it.

Why is the NDA conducted?

The NDA exam is conducted to select eligible candidates for the Indian Armed Forces. Selected candidates of all three services, namely the Army, Navy, and Air Force, can undergo training before pre-commissioning training in the respective academies. Every year in April and September, UPSC conducts the NDA exam to select both male and female candidates for several defence services. Female candidates were eligible for admission to NDA since 2021. Qualified candidates are called for an SSB interview.

Q: How many students apply for NDA exam and qualify it?

Around two to three Lacs candidates apply for NDA exam. The written exam of NDA is cleared by around 8000 to 10,000 candidates. Such candidates are called for SSB interview. The pass percentage in SSB interview is around 10 to 15 per cent. Many students are rejected on medical ground as well. After the medicals, a merit list is prepared which features around 580 to 650 candidates. First 350 to 380 candidates are invited for admission to NDA and INAC. Some candidates do not join and some are not able to cope up with the tough training process. NDA selection process is bit tough therefore it takes about six months preparation to crack the exam.

Q: What is the criteria to give NDA exam?

Hi, Eligibility Criteria to write NDA exam- (a) Nationality : A candidate must either be : i) a citizen of India, or ii) a subject of Bhutan, or iii) a subject of Nepal, or iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India with the intention of permanently settling in India, or v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Certificate of eligibility will not, however, be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal. (b) Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status : A candidate must be an unmarried male and have attained the age of 16 1/2 years and must not have attained the age 19 years on the 1st January or 1st of July of the year succeeding the year of examination. Candidates must not marry until they complete their full training. A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his application, though successful will not be selected for training. A candidate who marries during training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the Government. (c) Educational Qualifications : For Army wing of National Defence Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a State Education Board or a University. For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 (Executive Branch) Course at the Naval Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University. Candidates who are appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination can also apply.

Q: Who can apply for an NDA exam?

NDA application form is released to select candidates for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy. Both male and female candidates can apply for the NDA exam. The eligibility criteria for the NDA exam is given below:

Age Limit: For NDA 1 exam, both male and female candidates must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2005 and not later than July 1, 2008. For NDA 2 exam, both male and female candidates must have been born not earlier than January 2, 2005, and not later than January 1, 2008.

Educational Qualification:

Academy	Educational Qualification
Army Wing of National Defence Academy	Passed Class 12/HSC or equivalent from a recognised board or university
Air Force, Navy, and Naval Academy of National Defence Academy	Passed Class 12/HSC with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics

NDA Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility criteria are one of the main factors to go through before applying for the NDA Exam. It is important to remain in the recruitment process, and for this, a candidate should be able to fit into all the NDA requirements. According to the NDA eligibility, candidates who want to apply for NDA should be born no earlier than July 2, 2003, and no later than July 1, 2006. It is significant for the candidates to follow all the specified NDA eligibility so that they can proceed further with the selection process. It is to be noted that the Army might have different NDA exam eligibility requirements than those for the Navy and Air Force.

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To ensure final selection to the NDA, candidates need to meet the following NDA eligibility:

NDA Age Limit, Marital Status & Gender
Citizenship/Nationality
NDA Qualification
NDA Physical Test/ Medical Qualification

How to Join NDA after the 10^th?

Candidates who have qualified for class 10th can start preparing for the NDA exam. The age criteria for the NDA exam is between 16.5 and 19.5 years. Scroll down to know more about the eligibility criteria.

How to Join NDA after the 12^th?

Those candidates who have passed or are appearing in Class 12 or equivalent can apply for the NDA exam. Those who are in class 11 will not be able to sit in the NDA exam. The percentage in the 12th grade is unimportant. The important thing is to pass the Class 12 or equivalent exam. Then only a candidate will be able to apply for the NDA exam.

Q: Is there any minimum qualifying marks in NDA exam?

Yes, candidates need to secure 20 to 25 per cent in each subject of NDA exam. Besides, candidates need to secure the NDA cut off separately in the written exam and qualifying marks. The total marks allotted to the written exam are 900, the GAT section carries 600 marks and Mathematics section carries 300 marks. The SSB Interview carries 900 marks.

Q: How to select NDA exam centre?

Applicants are required to select NDA exam centre while filling the application form. Candidates can only select the test city from where they want to appear for the exam. The exam centres are allotted to candidates based on the test city selected by them. The steps to select NDA exam city are given below: Visit the official website of UPSC Complete the One Time Registration Login to fill the NDA application form In Part 1 of NDA application form, candidates need to register for the exam In Part 2 of NDA application form, candidates need to select their preferred exam city Submit the application form by paying the required fees.

Q: How many times can a candidate appear for the NDA exam, and what is the minimum qualifying marks required to pass?

NDA exam is conducted twice a year by UPSC. Candidates can appear for both the sessions of NDA exam. NDA 1 exam is conducted for admission to the courses commencing in January. NDA 2 exam is conducted for admission to the courses commencing in July. To qualify each section of the NDA exam, candidates need to secure 25 per cent in each subject. NDA exam is conducted to select candidates for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Fotce wings of National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy.

Q: Does JEE Main rank matter for the NDA exam?

JEE Main rank is not considered for the NDA exam. The NDA exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission UPSC for selection of candidates for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy Course. JEE Main is a separate exam which is conducted for admission to BE/B.Tech and B.Arch/Plan courses at NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), Institutions/Universities funded/recognised by participating State Governments. Candidates for NDA are selected based on their performance in the written exam and interview. Besides, the physical and medical fitness of candidates are also checked.

Q: Can I change my NDA exam centre?

No, candidates cannot change the NDA exam centre after the final submission of the application. The facility for making corrections in the application form except for the choice of centres is allowed seven days after the application process closes. Candidates are allotted NDA exam centre at the selected test city. The examination authority reserves the right to allot exam centres to candidates. The exam centres are usually allotted to candidates in the test city selected by them. However, in case of unavailability of exam centre in the test city selected by candidates, they are allotted to the different exam centre.

NDA Qualification for Army wing	Passed Class 12 or equivalent examination from a recognized board
NDA Qualification for Air Force and Naval wings of NDA and 10 2 Cadet entry scheme at INA	Passed Class 12 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics

After applying for the NDA, a candidate has to take two written exams that are conducted on the exam day with a one-hour break between the two papers. Each paper has a different syllabus and is allocated different total marks.

Mathematics: The syllabus includes the basics and advanced math that a student has practised in 10th-12th grade, like trigonometry, differentials, integration, and differentiation, etc.

GAT paper: NDA syllabus for GAT for this paper has two sub-parts, namely General Ability and English. In Part A, the basis of a candidate is evaluated by asking questions about grammar, vocabulary, dialogue-making questions, etc. In general ability (Part B), questions about physics, chemistry, history, geography, current affairs, etc. are asked.

After qualifying for the written exam, a candidate has to undergo an NDA interview by the SSB and a medical test. Different norms are there for both male and female candidates; those include weight, height, chest, eyesight, etc. After completion of three years, the candidates get a Bachelor's Degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Now, after this, the candidate has to choose their specialisation. After the completion of the course, they will be posted as lieutenants in the Indian Defence Services.

NDA Exam Pattern

NDA exam pattern is such that it is divided into written exam and SSB Interview. The written exam as per NDA exam pattern comprises two papers-Maths and GAT. The written exam carries a total of 900 marks. The SSB Interview is conducted in two stages. Stage 1 is called for the Stage 2 exam. Stage 1 of the SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). The total marks allotted to the SSB interview are 900 marks.

How to Join NDA after Graduation?

If a candidate has completed graduation then can apply for the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) which is conducted by UPSC for Graduates to join the defence forces.

There are several ways to join Indian Army after graduation namely;

- Combined Defence Services Exam

- SSC Tech and TGC

- NCC Special Entry

- UES Entry Scheme

- Entry through JAG

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