UPSC NDA/NA examination stands for National Defence Academy Entrance Exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission, UPSC twice a year for the candidates. It is a national-level entrance test that enables candidates to build their careers in the field of defense services for the nation. UPSC NDA/NA examination is to recruit candidates for the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. NDA examination is conducted twice a year. In this article, we will discuss NDA 2024: Notification, Exam Date, Application, Pattern, Syllabus, etc.

UPSC NDA/NA Examination-I Vacancy

National Defence Academy	Vacancy
Army –	208 (including 10 for female candidates)
Navy	42 (including 03 for female candidates)
Air Force	Flying – 92 (including 02 for female candidates)Ground Duties (Tech) – 18 (including 02 for female candidates)Ground Duties (Non-Tech) – 10 (including 02 for female candidates)

Naval Academy	Vacancy
(10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme)	30 (for male candidates only)

NDA 2024 Eligibility Criteria

The following are the eligibility criteria that a candidate must follow to take part in the NDA entrance examination-

Nationality

• Candidate must be an Indian Citizen
• A subject of Nepal/a subject of Bhutan or a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, to permanently settle here can also apply

Age Criteria

• The candidate must be in between 16.5 years to 19.5 years of age
• Only unmarried male/female candidates born not earlier than 02^nd July, 2003 and not later than 1st July, 2006 are eligible

Education Qualification

For Indian Air Force and Indian Navy

• The candidate is required to have cleared the 12th examination or equivalent examination with Mathematics and Physics subjects from a recognized State Education Board/ University
• The candidate who is appearing in the qualification exams can also apply

For Indian Army

• The candidate is required to have cleared the 12th examination or equivalent examination from a recognized State Education Board/ University
• The candidates who are appearing in the qualification exams can also apply

Physical Standards

The candidate must be Physically Fit must have a set physical standard in terms of Height, Weight, and Eyesight. The following are the physical standards that candidate must have-

Height Weight for Army (Male)

Age (yrs)	Minimum weight for all ages	Age: 17 to 20 yrs	Age: 20+01 day – 30 yrs	Age: 30 + 01 day – 40 yrs	Age: Above 40 yrs
Height (cm)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.8
145	37.8	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
146	38.4	46.9	49.0	51.2	53.3
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3
151	41.0	50.2	52.4	54.7	57.0
152	41.6	50.8	53.1	55.4	57.8
153	42.1	51.5	53.8	56.2	58.5
154	42.7	52.2	54.5	56.9	59.3
155	43.2	52.9	55.3	57.7	60.1
156	43.8	53.5	56.0	58.4	60.8
157	44.4	54.2	56.7	59.2	61.6
158	44.9	54.9	57.4	59.9	62.4
159	45.5	55.6	58.1	60.7	63.2
160	46.1	56.3	58.9	61.4	64.0
161	46.7	57.0	59.6	62.2	64.8
162	47.2	57.7	60.4	63.0	65.6
163	47.8	58.5	61.1	63.8	66.4
164	48.4	59.2	61.9	64.6	67.2

165	49.0	59.9	62.6	65.3	68.1
166	49.6	60.6	63.4	66.1	68.9
167	50.2	61.4	64.1	66.9	69.7
168	50.8	62.1	64.9	67.7	70.6
169	51.4	62.8	65.7	68.5	71.4
170	52.0	63.6	66.5	69.4	72.3
171	52.6	64.3	67.3	70.2	73.1
172	53.3	65.1	68.0	71.0	74.0
173	53.9	65.8	68.8	71.8	74.8
174	54.5	66.6	69.6	72.7	75.7
175	55.1	67.4	70.4	73.5	76.6
176	55.8	68.1	71.2	74.3	77.4
177	56.4	68.9	72.1	75.2	78.3
178	57.0	69.7	72.9	76.0	79.2
179	57.7	70.5	73.7	76.9	80.1
180	58.3	71.3	74.5	77.8	81.0
181	59.0	72.1	75.4	78.6	81.9
182	59.6	72.9	76.2	79.5	82.8
183	60.3	73.7	77.0	80.4	83.7
184	60.9	74.5	77.9	81.3	84.6
185	61.6	75.3	78.7	82.1	85.6
186	62.3	76.1	79.6	83.0	86.5
187	62.9	76.9	80.4	83.9	87.4
188	63.6	77.8	81.3	84.8	88.4
189	64.3	78.6	82.2	85.7	89.3
190	65.0	79.4	83.0	86.6	90.3
191	65.7	80.3	83.9	87.6	91.2
192	66.4	81.1	84.8	88.5	92.2
193	67.0	81.9	85.7	89.4	93.1
194	67.7	82.8	86.6	90.3	94.1
195	68.4	83.7	87.5	91.3	95.1
196	69.1	84.5	88.4	92.2	96.0
197	69.9	85.4	89.3	93.1	97.0
198	70.6	86.2	90.2	94.1	98.0
199	71.3	87.1	91.1	95.0	99.0
200	72.0	88.0	92.0	96.0	100.0
201	72.7	88.9	92.9	97.0	101.0
202	73.4	89.8	93.8	97.9	102.0
203	74.2	90.7	94.8	98.9	103.0
204	74.9	91.6	95.7	99.9	104.0
205	75.6	92.5	96.7	100.9	105.1
206	76.4	93.4	97.6	101.8	106.1
207	77.1	94.3	98.6	102.8	107.1
208	77.9	95.2	99.5	103.8	108.2
209	78.6	96.1	100.5	104.8	109.2
210	79.4	97.0	101.4	105.8	110.3

Height Weight for Navy and Airforce (Male)

Height (cms)	Weight (kgs)
Without shoe	16 years	18 years	20 years
152	44	45	46
155	45	46	47
157	46	47	49
160	47	48	50
162	48	50	52
165	50	52	53
167	52	53	55
170	53	55	57
173	55	57	59
175	57	59	61
178	59	61	62
180	61	63	64
183	63	65	67

Height, Sitting Height, Leg Length, and Thigh Length for Male Candidates (Airforce-Male)

The Minimum height for Flying Branch is 162.5 cm. The acceptable measurements of leg length, thigh length and sitting height for the aircrew is as follows-

Height Standards		length
Sitting height	Minimum	81.5 cm
	Maximum	96.0 cm
Leg Length	Minimum	99.0 cm
	Maximum	120.0 cm
Thigh Length	Maximum	64.0 cm

The minimum acceptable stands for height is 157cm however, the following category candidates will be provided with special consideration-

Sn.No	Category	Minimum Height for Male Candidates
(i)	Tribals from Ladhakh Region	155 cm
(ii)	Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands	155 cm
(iii)	Gorkhas, Nepali, Assamese, Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Uttarakhand	152 cm
(iv)	Bhutan, Sikkim & North East Region	152 cm

Height/Weight for NDA Army (Female)

Age (yrs)	Minimum weight for all ages	Age: 17 to 20 yrs	Age: 20 +01 day-30 yrs	Age : 30 + 01 Day- 40 yrs	Age: Above 40 yrs
Height (cm)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)	Weight (Kg)
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.8
145	37.8	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
146	38.4	46.9	49.0	51.2	53.3
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3
151	41.0	50.2	52.4	54.7	57.0
152	41.6	50.8	53.1	55.4	57.8
153	42.1	51.5	53.8	56.2	58.5
154	42.7	52.2	54.5	56.9	59.3
155	43.2	52.9	55.3	57.7	60.1
156	43.8	53.5	56.0	58.4	60.8
157	44.4	54.2	56.7	59.2	61.6
158	44.9	54.9	57.4	59.9	62.4
159	45.5	55.6	58.1	60.7	63.2
160	46.1	56.3	58.9	61.4	64.0
161	46.7	57.0	59.6	62.2	64.8
162	47.2	57.7	60.4	63.0	65.6
163	47.8	58.5	61.1	63.8	66.4

Height and Weight Standards for Female Candidates joining NDA (Air Force)

The Minimum height for Flying Branch is 162.5 cm. The acceptable measurements of leg length, thigh length and sitting height for the aircrew is as follows-

Height Standards		length
Sitting height	Minimum	81.5 cm
	Maximum	96.0 cm
Leg Length	Minimum	99.0 cm
	Maximum	120.0 cm
Thigh Length	Maximum	64.0 cm

The minimum acceptable height is 152 cm however, there are some special considerations for the following candidates-

Srl No.	Category	Minimum Height for Female Candidates
(i)	Tribals from Ladhakh Region	150 Cm
(ii)	Aandaman& Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands	150 Cm
(iii)	Gorkhas, Nepali, Assamese, Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Uttarakhand	147 Cm
(iv)	Bhutan, Sikkim &North East Region	147 Cm

Eyesight Criteria for both Male and Female

Uncorrected without glass	6/6
Corrected with glass	6/6/
Limits of Myopia	-0.75
Limits of Hypermetropia	+1.5
Limits of color perception	I
Binocular vision	III

Medical Examination Standards

the following are the medical examination standards that the candidate participating must meet in order to get selected in the medical round-

Medical Examination Of Male Candidates

The candidates are required to go through a certain medical examination to be declared fit for the services. The following are the medical stands for recruitment into the armed forces-

• The candidate must have a good  physical  and mental health and free from any disease/syndrome/disability likely to interfere with the efficient performance of military duties
• The candidate must not free form any diseses or weak constitution, imperfect development of any system, any congenital deformities/diseases/syndrome or malformation. There should not be any conditions that could affect the candidates health.

Unfit Candidate

The candidate will be rejected if the following medical conditions are present-

• The candidate will be rejected if Musculo-skeletal deformities of spine, chest and pelvis, limbs e.g. scoliosis, torticollis, kyphosis, deformities of vertebrae, ribs, sternum, clavicle, other bones  of  skeleton,  mal-united  fractures,  deformed  limbs,  fingers,  toes  and congenital deformities of spine.
• Deformities  of  Limbs:  Deformed  limbs,  toes  and  fingers,  deformed  joints like  cubitus  valgus,  cubitus  varus,  knock  knees,  bow  legs,  hyper  mobile joints, amputated toes or fingers and shortened limbs.
• Vision  and  eye:  Myopia,  hypermetropia,  astigmatism,  lesions  of  cornea, lens, retina, squint and ptosis.
• Hearing,  ears, nose and  throat: Sub standard hearing  capability, lesions  of pinna, tympanic   membranes,   middle   ear,   deviated   nasal   septum,   and congenital abnormalities    of    lips,    palate,    peri-auricular    sinuses    and lymphadenitis/ adenopathy of neck. Hearing capacity should be 610 cm for Conversational Voice and Forced Whispering for each ear
• Any Dental conditions like Incipient pathological conditions of the jaws, which are known to be progressive or recurrent. Significant  jaw  discrepancies  between  upper  and  lower  jaw  which may hamper efficient mastication and/or speech will be a cause for rejection
• Chest:  Tuberculosis,  or  evidence  of  tuberculosis,  lesions  of  lungs,  heart, musculo skeletal lesions of chest wall
• Abdomen   and   genitor-urinary   system:   Hernia,   un-descended   testis, varicocele, organomegaly,  solitary  kidney,  horseshoe  kidney  &  cysts  in the    kidney/liver,    Gall    bladder    stones,    renal    and    ureteric    stones,  lesions/deformities      of      urogenital      organs,      piles,      sinuses      and lymphadenitis/pathy.
• Nervous system: Tremors, speech impediment and imbalance.
• Skin:  Vitiligo,  haemangiomas,  warts,  corns,  dermatitis,  skin  infections growths and hyperhydrosis.
• Complex ovarian cyst of any size, Simple ovarian cyst more than six cm, Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, Submucous fibroid of any size, Broad ligament or cervical fibroid of any size causing pressure over ureter

Under certain consideration the following conditions will be declared as fit:-

• Unilocular clear ovarian cyst up to six cm.
• Minimal fluid in pouch of Douglas.
• Medical    fitness    after    laparoscopic    surgery    or    laparotomy. Candidates reporting after undergoing cystectomy or  myomectomy  will be accepted as fit if she is asymptomatic, ultrasound pelvis is normal, histopathology of tissues removed is benign and per operative findings are not suggestive of endometriosis.

Medical Examination Of Female Candidates

The examination process and principle will be the same for female candidates as that of male candidates, however, the following are special points pertaining to the medical examination of the female candidates-

• The candidate has to fill a details menstrual, gynaecological and obstetric history questionnaire form
• A Lady Medical Officer or Gynecologist will examin the candidates physical examination which includes the examination of the following-
  • External genitalia.
  • Hernial orifices and the perineum.
  • Any  evidence of stress  urinary  incontinence or genital prolapsed outside introitus.
  • Evidence of lump breast and galactorrhoea
• For unmarried female candidates, speculum or per vaginal examination will not be carried out
• The candidates has to go though mandatory Ultrasound scan of the abdomen and pelvis duing the initial medical examination
• Any abnormality of external genitalia will be considered on merits of each case. Significant hirsutism especially with male pattern of hair growth along with radiological evidence of PCOS, will be a cause for rejection.

Unfit Female Candidate

The Following conditions will entail female candidates being declared unfit:

• Primary or secondary amenorrhoea
• Severe Menorrhagia or/ and severe dysmenorrhea
• Stress urinary incontinence
• Congenital  elongation  of  cervix  or  prolapsed  which  comes  outside  the introitus
• even after corrective surgery
• Pregnancy. Pregnancy will be a cause of rejection for NDA entry

UPSC NDA/NA 2024 Important Dates

For NDA I

Notification will be released	December 2023
Application Form Available	December 2023
Last date to submit the Application	January 2024
Announcement of Admit card	3 weeks before the exam
Exam Date	April 2024

For NDA II

Notification will be released	2nd week of June 2024
Application Form Available	2nd week of June 2024
End date to submit the Application	4th week of June 2024
release the Admit card	1 or 2 weeks before the exam
Declare Exam Date	1st week of September 2024

How to Apply for NDA 2024?

The following are the steps that the candidate must follow to apply for the NDA which is as follow-

• Visit the official website of the UPSC-www.upsc.gov.in
• Navigate to the tab “Active Examination” and click on NDA/NA Entrance examination
• Now read the instruction on the screen and click Ok.
• The application form will appear, you have to fill the application form
• Some of the details that you must fill on the application form are Date of Birth, Category, Nationality, qualification details such as Year of Passing, Percentage of marks, etc, details to contact, and choice for the exam center.
• Now click on the proceed button
• Now upload the necessary documents mentioned below
• A payment page asking for paying the application fee will appear. You can pay your application fee using a credit/debit card, UPI, Bank Challan, etc.
• A confirmation page will appear that you have to download the payment fee confirmation as well as the application fee for future use

Document Required for Applying NDA

The following are the necessary document that you must upload on the website while filling the application-

• Passport size Photograph of the candidate should be in JPG/JPEG format
• The signature of the candidate should be in JPG/JPEG format
• Left-Hand Thumb Impression of the candidate should be in JPG format
• Class 10th and 12th Certificate of the candidate should be in JPG format
• The Scanned image of Post Card size Photograph of the candidate should be in JPG format

NDA Examination Pattern

The following are the examination pattern for the NDA entrance test-

Subject	Code	Duration	Maximum Marks
Mathematics	01	2½ Hours	300
General Ability Test	02	2½ Hours	600
Total			900
SSB Test/Interview:		5 Days Recruitment Drive	900

Subject wise NDA 2024 Syllabus

The following are the NDA Entrance exam syllabus that is different for different courses-

• Mathematics
• General Ability Test

Mathematics

• Algebra
• Matrices and Determinants
• Trigonometry
• Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three Dimensions
• Differential Calculus
• Integral Calculus and Differential Equations
• Vector Algebra
• Statistics and Probability
• General English

General Ability Test

• General Knowledge (GK)
• Physics
• Chemistry
• General Science
• History, Freedom Movement, etc.
• Geography
• Current Events

Downloading NDA 2024 Admit Card

The admit card is the most important document, without this the candidates will not be allowed to give the NDA exam. You can download the NDA admit card from the official website of UPSC. The date for downloading NDA admit card will be released later and you can keep checking our website. The following are the steps for downloading NDA admit card which is as follows-

• Visit the official website of the UPSC
• Log in to your account user ID and Password
• Navigate to the download admit card button. After the page opens fill in your roll number along with other details and press enter
• A new window with your admit card will open take a printout and carry it with you to the examination center

UPSC NDA/NA Examination-I Centres

The following are the examination centers for UPSC NDA/NA Exams-

• AGARTALA
• GHAZIABAD
• PANAJI (GOA)
• AGRA
• GORAKHPUR
• PATNA
• AJMER
• GURGAON
• PORT BLAIR
• AHMEDABAD
• GWALIOR
• PRAYAGRAJ (ALLAHABAD)
• AIZAWL
• HYDERABAD
• PUDUCHERRY
• ALIGARH
• IMPHAL
• PUNE
• ALMORA (UTTARAKHAND)
• INDORE
• RAIPUR
• ANANTPUR (ANDHRA PRADESH)
• ITANAGAR
• RAJKOT
• AURANGABAD
• JABALPUR
• RANCHI
• BENGALURU
• JAIPUR
• SAMBALPUR
• BAREILLY
• JAMMU
• SHILLONG
• BHOPAL
• JODHPUR
• SHIMLA
• BILASPUR
• JORHAT
• SILIGUDI
• CHANDIGARH
• KOCHI
• SRINAGAR
• CHENNAI
• KOHIMA
• SRINAGAR (UTTARAKHAND)
• COIMBATORE
• KOLKATA
• THANE
• CUTTACK
• KOZHIKODE (CALICUT)
• THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
• DEHRADUN
• LEH
• TIRUCHIRAPALLI
• DELHI
• LUCKNOW
• TIRUPATI
• DHARWAD
• LUDHIANA
• UDAIPUR
• DISPUR
• MADURAI
• VARANASI
• FARIDABAD
• MUMBAI
• VELLORE
• GANGTOK
• MYSORE
• VIJAYAVADA
• GAYA
• NAGPUR
• VISHAKHAPATNAM
• GAUTAM BUDDH NAGAR NAVI MUMBAI
• WARANGAL

NDA Selection Process

The selection process will be done by the UPSC. A merit list will be prepared based on the written exam and the shortlisted candidates will be invited for SSB interviews. If the candidate successfully passed the SSB interview then the candidate will have to go through a medical test and document submission process.

UPSC NDA & NA (I) 2024 SSB Interview

After clearing the written examination the candidates should log on to the following websites for their SSB center & date of interview.

www.joinindianarmy.nic.in

www.joinindiannavy.gov.in

www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in

SSB Interview is organized by the NDA to finalize the candidates who can be selected for the defense services. This interview is conducted for five days and the candidate must attend all five interview sessions.

On the first day, psychological tests will be done. The second-day test will be of situation reaction test, word association test, self-description test, and thematic apperception test.

On the third day, the Military Planning Exercise, Group Discussion Test, Intergroup Obstacle race, Lecturettes, Snake Race, Progressive Group Task, command task & personal interview, half group task will be done.

On the fourth and fifth day of the test, tests will be done related to Final Group Task, Individual Obstacles, and Interview for remaining candidates, final board conference & announcement of results.

For more details on SSB Interview check out SSB Interview 2024, NDA 1 & 2 Exam Date, SSB Registration & Procedure, etc.