NDA Full Form: What is full form of NDA

National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Exam 2025 ( NDA )

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Exam On: 13 Apr '25

Anangsha
Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial
Updated on Apr 9, 2024 15:39 IST

NDA full form stands for National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination. The exam is conducted twice a year and comprises written exam and SSB interview.

NDA full form

NDA full form

NDA Full Form: Are you looking for NDA full form? If yes, you are on the right page. NDA full form is National Defence Academy. There is another full form of NDA as well which is National Democratic Alliance. Both NDA full forms are different from each other and holds individual relevance. National Defence Academy is situated at Khadakwasla, Pune and trains candidates to become officers in Army, Navy and Air Force. Whereas, National Democratic Alliance is a group of political parties in India. 

UPSC NDA exam is conducted twice a year for both male and female candidates by the Union Public Service Commission wherein lakhs of candidates appear for the exam. Defence aspirants can read this article below to know more on NDA syllabus, exam pattern, salary, selection process and other important things about UPSC NDA full form.

Also Read: NDA 1 Admit Card 2024 Live Updates

What is NDA Full Form?

NDA full form is explained below in details:

National Defence Academy: One NDA full form stands for the National Defence Academy exam that is conducted by UPSC. The commission also conducts other exams for candidate who have passed Class 12 or graduation such as UPSC CSE or IAS, CDS, CAPF, UPSC ESE, UPSC CMS, etc. Candidates for NDA are selected through written exam and SSB interview that comprises general aptitude, psychological testing, team skills as well as physical and social skills, along with medical tests. Candidates are inducted in NDA for semesters starting in July and January. Applicants who join the Air Force through the flying branch also go through a test called Computerized Pilot Selection System or CPSS for short.

Cadets who are accepted and successfully complete the program are sent to their respective training academies for one year of training before granting of commission: army cadets go to Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, air force cadets to Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and naval cadets to Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala, Kerala.

National Democratic Alliance: Another NDA full form stands for National Democratic Alliance. In India, the NDA is an alliance of political parties. In 1998, the pary was created. The NDA was headed by the BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) at its formation and had 13 constituent parties. The coalition came to power for the first time between 1998 and 2004. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first PM (prime minister) of the coalition. 

Also Read:

UPSC CDS UPSC CAPF
UPSC ESE UPSC CMS

NDA Full Form-Overview

Candidates can check below the overview of UPSC NDA exam.

Parameters  Details

Exam name

NDA and NA

NDA full form

National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination

Exam conducting authority

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

NDA eligibility criteria

NDA Age limit: 16.5 to 19.5 years

Educational Qualification: Class 12

Application mode

Online

Application fee

INR 100 for UR/OBC

Stages of exam

Written test (offline)

SSB interview

Exam mode

Offline

Number of papers

Paper 1: Maths

Paper 2: GAT

Total registration

5.3 lakh (As per 2020 data)

Total Test Takers

2.4 lakh (As per 2020 data)

Also Read: NDA 2023

UPSC NDA Full Form: Curriculum

National Defence Academy offer full-time, residential undergraduate program. Cadets are awarded a Baccalaureate degree (a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science) and a Bachelor of Technology degree for Naval Cadets after three years of study. Naval cadets complete their fourth year of B Tech from Indian Naval Academy, while Air Force cadets complete their fourth year of B Tech from the Indian Air Force Academy. The cadets have a choice of two streams of study.

The Science stream offers studies in physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science. The Humanities (Liberal Arts) stream offers studies in history, economics, political science, geography and languages. In both streams, academic studies are split into three categories.

In the compulsory course, candidates study English, Foreign Languages (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian), physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, history, political science, economics and geography. All cadets are required to take basic classes in all these subjects except foreign language. Cadets then take advanced classes depending on their stream.

The Foundation course is mandatory and comprises military studies and general studies. Subjects such as military history, military geography, weapons systems and armaments, etc. are covered in military studies. Subjects such as geopolitics, human rights, laws of armed conflict and environmental sciences are covered in general studies.

The optional course comprises subjects specific to the cadet's chosen service-Army, Navy and Air Force. In the first four semesters, candidates study compulsory course and foundation course. The optional course is taken by candidates in the fifth and sixth semester. Candidates may also transfer to other service academies for the optional course.

Also Read: NDA Exam Pattern

UPSC NDA Eligibility

NDA eligibility criteria in terms of age, educational qualification and physical standard is given below:

  • For NDA 1 exam, both male and female candidates must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2003, and not later than July 1, 2006. For NDA 2 exam, both male and female candidates must have born not earlier than January 2, 2003, and not later than January 1, 2006
  • Both male and female candidates are eligible to apply for the exam
  • For Army Wing of National Defence Academy, candidates must have passed Class 12/HSC or equivalent from a recognised board or university
  • For Air Force, Navy, and Naval Academy of National Defence Academy, candidates must have passed Class 12/HSC with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics
  • Candidates must be physically fit in terms of height, visual standards, etc

Also Read: NDA Age Limit

NDA Syllabus

UPSC NDA syllabus comprises topics and sub-topics from two papers-Maths and GAT. The level of NDA syllabus is of Class 10, 11, and 12 standards. The paper-wise NDA syllabus is given below.

Mathematics: Algebra, Calculus, Matrices and DeterminantsIntegral Calculus and Differential Equations, Trigonometry, Vector Algebra, Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three Dimension and Statistics and Probability

GAT: The GAT syllabus of NDA is divided into two parts. Part A comprises questions from English, while Part B carries questions from General Knowledge. Questions in English part are asked from Grammar and Usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Cohesion. Questions in General Knowledge are asked from Physics, Chemistry, Social Studies, General Science, Geography, and Current Events.

Also Read: 

NDA Preparation Tips

NDA Books

NDA Question Papers

NDA Salary

Stipend given to Gentlemen Cadets during the entire duration of training in Service academies i.e. during training period at IMA is INR 56,100. After the successful training, the NDA salary of the Officer Commissioned will be fixed in the first Cell of Level 10. The period of training will not be treated as commissioned service and arrears on account of admissible allowances (as applicable) for the training period will be paid to cadets. 

Also Read:

NDA Salary

NDA Selection Process

NDA previous year question paper

NDA Full Form: Admission Process

NDA exam is conducted for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy Courses. The admission process of NDA include written exam and SSB interview. Based on the marks obtained in the written exam and SSB interview, all india merit list of candidates is prepared. The final allocation/selection for admission to the Army, Navy, Air Force of the National Defence Academy and 10 2 Cadet Entry Scheme of Indian Naval Academy will be made upto the number of vacancies available subject to eligibility, medical fitness and merit-cum-preference of the candidates. The candidates who are eligible to be admitted to multiple Services/Courses will be considered for allocation/selection with reference to their order or preferences and in the event of their final allocation/ selection to one Service/Course, they will not be considered for admission to other remaining Services/Courses. 

NDA Full Form: Exam Pattern 

The written exam of NDA comprises two sections- Mathematics and General Ability Test. The total marks of the written exam are 900. Candidates qualifying the written exam are called for SSB Interview for Psychological Aptitude and Intelligence. The SSB Interview carries 900 marks. Candidates are required to score a minimum of around 25 per cent marks in each subject to clear the NDA written exam. There are negative marks for wrong answers, 1/3 of the marks allotted to each question will be deducted for the incorrect answer. The SSB Interview is divided into two stages. Candidates qualifying the Stage 1 are 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). Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference. The structure of the exam pattern is given below.

Papers Subject Maximum marks Duration

Paper 1

Mathematics

300

2 ½

Paper 2

GAT

600

2 ½

Total

900

5 hours

Functions of National Defence Academy

The functions of National Defence Academy are given below:

  • NDA trains the officers of all three forces i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force
  • National Defence Academy provides quality education to the cadets
  • National Defence Academy trains the cadets to develop leadership qualities
  • The Academy helps the officers to understand India's defence policy and international relations
  • NDA is the only academy which trains the officers of all three forces

NDA Full Form FAQs

Q: What is NDA full form?

A: There are two NDA full forms. One is National Defence Academy which is situated at Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra. This is the military school in India where cadets undergo training before induction in Army, Navy and Air Force. Admission in National Defence Academy is done for Army, Navy and Air Force wings. Through NDA exam candidates are selected for Indian Naval Academy courses. Another NDA full form is National Democratic Alliance.

Q: What is NDA age limit?

A: Candidates who wish to apply for NDA should be between 16.5 to 19.5 years. The date and birth year varies as per the session of the exam, i.e. NDA 1 and 2. For eg: For NDA 1 exam, both male and female candidates must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2004, and not later than July 1, 2007. For NDA 2 exam, both male and female candidates must have been born not earlier than January 2, 2004, and not later than January 1, 2007. 

Q: What is the minimum education qualification required for the NDA exam?

A: The minimum academic qualification needed for NDA exam is Class 12 pass. The educational qualification for Army, Navy and Air Force is given below.
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

Q: What is the selection process for NDA exam?

A: The selection process for NDA exam comprises the written exam and SSB interview. Based on the marks obtained in both the stages of exam, candidates are selected for admission to NDA.

Q: Is there any qualifying marks in NDA exam?

A: Yes, there are qualifying marks in NDA exam. Candidates need to secure 25 per cent in each section of NDA written exam. Apart from the qualifying marks, candidates need to secure the overall cut off calculated out of 900 in the written exam. 
About the Author
author-image
Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial

A mass communication and journalism post-graduate, Anangsha has worked as a reporter and sub-editor and enjoys working in the education domain.

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Answered Yesterday

As per the official notification for NDA 1 2025, the age limit is as follows:

  • Date of Birth: Candidates must be born between July 2, 2006, and July 1, 2009.

Currently, there is no indication of any changes to this age limit. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has not announced any modificati

...more

A

Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered Yesterday

The application fee for the NDA 2025 exam is as follows:

  • General/OBC Candidates: ?100
  • SC/ST Candidates/Sons of JCOs/NCOs/ORs/Women: Exempt from fee payment

The application process for NDA 1 2025 has concluded, with the last date for submission being December 31, 2024. The examination is scheduled for

...more

A

Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered Yesterday

 

Hi Ayush,

For NDA 2025, the age eligibility criteria are as follows:

  • NDA 1 2025: Candidates must be born between July 2, 2006, and July 1, 2009.

  • NDA 2 2025: Candidates must be born between January 2, 2007, and January 1, 2010.

Since your birthdate is February 24, 2006, you are eligible to apply f

...more

A

Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered Yesterday

 

Hi Chandankumar,

NDA 2 refers to the second session of the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam held each year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The exam is conducted in two sessions:

  • NDA 1 (usually in April)
  • NDA 2 (usually in September)

Both exams serve as a gateway for candidates to join

...more

A

Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 2 days ago

NDA Application Form 2025
Last Date to Apply: December 31, 2024.

Exam Date: April 13, 2025.

Application Fee: INR 100 (exemptions apply).

Apply at: upsc.gov.in  

K

Khushi Gupta

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

NDA 1 application form 2025 correction window will be available from January 1 to 7, 2025. The Commission has also decided to extend the facility of making correction in any field of the application form for this examination from next day of the closure of the application window of this Examination

...more

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

YES, Humanities student can definately clear the NDA exam. If one wants to clear NDA in first attempt being a humanities student then they had to work really hard as competitors are mainly from Science stream. One must purchase the recommended  books of those students who had already passed the NDA

...more

I

Ishika Agarwal

Beginner-Level 5

Answered a week ago

UPSC has no provision to refund any fee amount paid by candidates. Banks concerned may be approached for claiming any extra/unsuccessful payments made by the candidates.

M

Mani Shukla

Beginner-Level 4

Answered a week ago

UPSC has no provision to refund any fee amount paid by candidates. Banks concerned may be approached for claiming any extra/unsuccessful payments made by the candidates.

R

Raushan Pradhan

Beginner-Level 4