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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

Read More:

• NDA Preparation Tips
• NDA Books 
• NDA previous Years Question papers
• Why is NDA the best career option to join Defence?