NDA & NA (I) and (II) Preparation Tips

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts National Defence Academy & Naval Academy (NDA & NA) twice a year. The selection process for NDA & NA consists of written examination and SSB interview. Candidates who qualify in the objective-type written examination are only eligible for an interview. The written exam of the NDA & NA consists of two subjects namely, Mathematics and General Ability Test.

General Ability Test

• This is the most important section in the written examination and consists of two parts namely, English and General Knowledge
• The English language proficiency is tested in this section that includes grammar and its usage, vocabulary and comprehension
• Reading the newspaper daily will improve your vocabulary and also useful in the comprehension
• The General Knowledge section broadly cover the subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, General Science, Social Studies, Geography and Current Events
• Never ignore the NCERT textbooks, because there is a chance for direct questions
• In History, candidates are suggested to focus on the history of Moder India and freedom movement. Be strong with the timeline of events from the Gandhian era
• Both physical and economic geography is important in the general ability test. While practising, highlight all the facts and figures
• Aspirants should be familiar with at least 8 to 10 months of current affairs. Apart from regular newspaper reading, one should also focus on the monthly magazine for current affairs

Mathematics

• Though the mathematics section has less weightage compared to the general ability test, it plays a significant role in the overall cut-off
• The best way to start the preparation is with the class 11 and 12 NCERT mathematics textbooks
• Make flash cards for remembering and revising the formulae
• Many students lose marks while converting numbers from the decimal system to the binary system
• Most of the concepts in differential calculus are important. However, give the first importance to the algebraic operations and applications
• The statistics part in the mathematics is easy to crack once you've got the logic, but be meticulous while taking down the figures
• The elementary theorems, Bayes' theorem and binomial distribution are important in probability