UPSC NDA Exam Preparation Strategy: Subject specific tips and strategies to Crack the upcoming UPS NDA Exams

UPSC conducts National Defense Academy and Naval Academy (UPSC NDA) entrance exams twice a year. Here are tips and strategies to Strengthen exam preparation.

UPSC NDA Preparation Strategy to crack the NDA Exams

Shubhra Goswamy | Apr 16, 2024 |

UPSC NDA Exam Preparation Strategy: Subject specific tips and strategies to Crack the upcoming UPS NDA Exams

UPSC NDA Exam Preparation Strategy: Subject specific tips and strategies to Crack the upcoming UPS NDA Exams

UPSC NDA Exam Preparation Strategy: Entrance exams for the National Defense Academy and Naval Academy (UPSC NDA) are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice per year. This year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will be conducting the NDA 1 2024 written test on 21 April 2024. The exam will fill 400 vacancies, including 208 Army, 42 Navy, 122 Air Force wings of the NDA, and 30 Naval Academy positions under the 10+2 Cadet admission plan.

As the exam is just a few days away, candidates should concentrate on reviewing the material they have already learned. To increase their accuracy when answering questions, candidates should also work through the practice exams and question papers from prior years. Candidates should maximise their qualification chances by using an appropriate NDA preparation method to be deemed successful in the exam. Meanwhile, Examinees should remain composed, maintain good health, and give it their all.

NDA applicant must use the latest NDA syllabus, books, and study resources to enhance their overall preparation. This will help them gain a conceptual understanding of all the issues assigned by the officials. Scroll down the page for NDA preparation tips for the Mathematics and General Ability Tests in 2024, along with a comprehensive study plan and approach.

Table of Content
  1. Exam Pattern for UPSC NDA Examination:
  2. NDA Syllabus for UPSC NDA Examination:
  3. Selection Process for UPSC NDA Examination:
  4. Study Plan for UPSC NDA Examination:
  5. Practice Mock Tests and Previous Year Papers for UPSC NDA Examination:
  6. Time Management for UPSC NDA Examination:
  7. Regular Revise for UPSC NDA Examination:
  8. Mathematics Subject Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA Examination:
  9. GAT Subject Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA Examination:
  10. NDA General Knowledge Questions Weightage for UPSC NDA Examination:
  11. Important Topics for UPSC NDA Examination:
  12. Effective Strategies for Passing UPSC NDA Examination on Your First Attempt:
  13. Best Books for preparation of UPSC NDA Examination:
  14. Previous Year Question Paper and Answer key for UPSC NDA Examination:

Exam Pattern for UPSC NDA Examination:

The UPSC NDA Exam Pattern is an important thing to remember. It is essential to understand the exam pattern and the selection process if you want to pass the NDA exam on your first try. There are two sections to the exam: a written test and an SSB interview. Each section is worth 900 marks. It is critical to understand the exam pattern’s paper breakdown when planning your study.

Exam Pattern for National Defence Academy
ExamTopicsDurationMaximum Marks
Written ExaminationMathematics150 minutes300
General Ability Test150 Minutes600
SSB InterviewScreening Test4 Days900
Psychological Test
Group Testing
Personal Interview
Conference

NDA Syllabus for UPSC NDA Examination:

The following table provides the NDA syllabus for Math and GAT:

NDA Syllabus
MathematicsAlgebra
Calculus
Matrices and Determinants
Integral Calculus and Differential Equations
Trigonometry
Vector Algebra
Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three-Dimension
Statistics
Probability
GATThe GAT syllabus of NDA is divided into two parts.
Part A comprises questions from English 
Grammar and Usage
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Cohesion
Part B carries questions from General Knowledge.
Physics
Chemistry
Social Studies
General Science
Geography
Current Events

Selection Process for UPSC NDA Examination:

The Selection Process UPSC NDA is mentioned below-

  • The selection process consists of two sections. The written test comes first, followed by the SSB interview.
  • The Written Test will consist of objective-type questions and will be divided into two papers: Mathematics and General Ability Test.
  • The Written Examination contains a negative marking. In the Mathematics portion, 0.83 marks will be deducted for each erroneous answer, whereas 1.33 marks will be penalized for each incorrect response in the GAT.
  • The SSB interview will include an intelligence and personality test.

Study Plan for UPSC NDA Examination:

To pass the extremely competitive NDA exam, a well-organized study strategy is required. It should include both short and long-term goals, as well as strategies for accomplishing them.

  • Split topics into easy and difficult groups, then allot an adequate number of days to each topic’s level of complexity for learning and application.
  • Establish weekly and monthly objectives to monitor your progress and make sure you finish the NDA course in the allotted time.
  • The study plan should contain efficient study tactics including note-taking, group study sessions, and memorizing techniques.
  • Instead of attempting to learn anything new, use the final few days before the exam to review and revise what you have previously learnt.
  • Make sure to evaluate your progress on a weekly and monthly basis by setting goals.
  • Finally, make sure the study schedule is created with your time constraints for the test, the degree of difficulty associated with each subject, and your strengths and weaknesses in mind.

Practice Mock Tests and Previous Year Papers for UPSC NDA Examination:

Practice questions from NDA Previous Year Question Papers and practice examinations to gain a sense of the types of questions asked in the exam. It will also assist them in determining the difficulty level of questions and identifying strong and weak areas for improvement. It will also help students acquire good time management skills.

Time Management for UPSC NDA Examination:

Time management is essential when preparing for the NDA 2024 exam. Thus, individuals should incorporate time management skills into their NDA preparation method. To stay focused, they should devote more time to high-priority topics and take frequent breaks.

Regular Revise for UPSC NDA Examination:

To achieve high scores in the exam, candidates must prepare short notes for all important topics and revise regularly. These short notes are useful for last-minute revision because they will help them retain all concepts for a longer period.

Mathematics Subject Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA Examination:

One of the most difficult subjects on the NDA 2024 exam is mathematics. The NDA Preparation Tips for Mathematics, broken down per subject, are provided below.

  • Clear the basic concepts and advanced chapters for each topic.
  • Learn shortcut tactics, theorems, and formulas to help them calculate faster.
  • Solve NDA Math’s previous year’s question papers and sample papers to determine your strong and weak points.

GAT Subject Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA Examination:

The General Ability Test is one of the highest-scoring elements on the NDA 2024 exam. The NDA GAT Syllabus 2024 is broken into two parts: English and General Knowledge. Physics, Chemistry, General Science, Social Studies, Geography, and Current Events are among the courses included in the NDA General Knowledge syllabus.

Here are the subject-specific NDA Preparation Tips for the General Ability Test listed below.

GAT Subject Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA Examination
SubjectSubject-Wise UPSC NDA Preparation Strategy
 Preparation Tips for EnglishRead Newspapers and English books to revise grammar and vocabulary rules. Practice mock papers for favorable results.
Preparation Tips for PhysicsMaster fundamentals and complex physics topics and solve previous year’s papers to understand the trending topics.
Preparation Tips for ChemistryMaster fundamentals and theories of chemistry and use notes to revise formulas and other factors.
 Preparation Tips for HistoryRead the NCERT books to master the fundamentals and prepare short notes for last-minute revision.
Preparation Tips for GeographyClear the basic concepts from the latest syllabus and learn maps, diagrams, etc to maximiser their scores.
Preparation Tips for Current EventsRead newspapers and current affairs to stay informed about national and international events. Make short notes of the current events for quick revision.

NDA General Knowledge Questions Weightage for UPSC NDA Examination:

There are two phases to the NDA Paper II: English (Part A) and General Knowledge (Part B). As per the official update, questions on Sections A, B, C, D, E, and F will carry about 25%, 15%, 10%, 20%, 20%, and 10% weightage correspondingly out of the maximum marks allotted to portion “B” of this paper. Examine the tabulated section-wise weighting for the NDA General Knowledge subject below.

 General Awareness Weightage
SectionNumber of QuestionsMarks Weightage
Physics25100
Chemistry1560
General Science1040
History2080
Geography2080
Current Events1040

Important Topics for UPSC NDA Examination:

In order to prepare effectively for the NDA exam, it is necessary to understand the main themes covered. Candidates must have a firm understanding of basic ideas and make learning a habit. Keeping up with current events is essential for the SSB interview stage. The exam assesses candidates’ comprehension of mathematics, English, and general aptitude and knowledge. The table below lists the major issues in each subject.

SubjectsImportant Topics
MathematicsAlgebra
Matrices
Determinants
Trigonometry functions
Integral Calculus
Statistics
General Ability TestGeneral English
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Grammar
General Knowledge
History
Geography
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Current Affairs

Effective Strategies for Passing UPSC NDA Examination on Your First Attempt:

The five most successful techniques to pass the NDA exam in the first attempt are listed below:

  • Determine a definite study period and make it a habit to sit with your books at that time.
  • Take note of your everyday improvement.
  • Allow more time for self-study at the last minute of preparation.
  • Improve the speed and accuracy of answering questions.
  • During your free time, read books about current affairs.
  • Take breaks from your study.

Best Books for preparation of UPSC NDA Examination:

As the exam approaches, applicants want to know which books will help them prepare. Here are some of the greatest books for NDA exam preparation to help you study better.

SubjectBest Books for NDA Preparation
MathsMathematics for NDA & NA by R.S. Agarwal
EnglishObjective General English (Arihant Publication) by S. P. Bakshi,
Wren & Martin’s High School English Grammar & Composition by S. Chand,
Word Power Made Easy (Goyal Publishers) by Norman Lewis
PhysicsNCERT (11th n 12th)
NCERT Exemplar
ChemistryNCERT (11th n 12th)
NCERT Exemplar
BiologyObjective GK (Lucent Publication) by Sanjiv Kumar
History & GeographyObjective GK (Lucent Publication) by Sanjiv Kumar
Current EventsPratoyogita Darpan/ Competition Success Review

Previous Year Question Paper and Answer key for UPSC NDA Examination:

Last year’s Question Paper and Answer key are given below:-

NDA (I) GTA Question Paper 2023

NDA (I) MATHEMATICS Question Paper 2023

Answer Key-NDA GAT

Answer Key NDA MATHEMATICS

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