NDA Topper: Pune Girl Rutuja Warhade Bags All India Rank 3, Becomes First-Ranked Female Candidate

Pune Girl Rutuja Warhade cracked NDA 2 2024 exam by securing AIR 3. She became the first-ranked female candidate in the NDA 2 2024 merit list. NDA 2 2024 final result was announced on April 12, 2025. Scroll down to read the NDA Topper success story here. 

NDA Topper, Rutuja Warhade, AIR 3

“Where there is a will, there is a way,” is a famous saying. This has been proved right by a Pune Girl, Rutuja Warhade, by cracking NDA 2 2024 exam. With no any defence background to seek advice, Rutuja went on to crack the country’s most competitive defence exam, NDA by securing the AIR 3 out of 12 lakh aspirants. She became the first-ranked female candidate in the NDA 2 2024 merit list. Her recent selection in one of the world’s most prestigious military training institutions, National Defence Academy, is not just a testament to personal determination but also a reflection that women can conquer anything with her will power.

While talking to a national daily, Rutuja Warhade said that she was in Class 9 when NDA began inducting girl cadets in its Army, Navy and Air Force wings. Her father sowed the idea of an armed forces career and a visit to the passing out parade of a defence academy sealed her mind. Read below for more details on NDA Topper.

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NDA Syllabus

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Why NDA Topper Chose Army as a Career?

Rutuja Warhade said that the tri-colour always fascinated her. When she was in Class 9 and was looking for various career options at that NDA started inducting girl cadets. She further added that her father had a significant interest in armed forces and advised her to join the same. She started researching more about the exam and finally decided to give NDA exam and join armed forces.

NDA Topper Shared How She Prepared for Written Test

NDA written is the first stage of selection process, and talking about her preparation journey, Rutuja Warhade said that she began preparing for the written test in Class 11. To prepare for the exam, she joined one coaching renowned coaching institute in Pune and met armed forces veterans to seek guidance for SSB interview. She also paid attention to her physical fitness. She also shared that while preparing for the NDA exam she faced several ups and downs. Warhade added that managing time between academics, fitness, and personality development was not easy. However, her family supported her and asked her to keep herself focused on her goals to join NDA. She credits her mother for building a strong academic foundation that helped her to clear the written exam with ease.

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NDA Preparation Tips

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“Discipline was the only constant for SSB,” Shares NDA Topper

While talking about her preparation for SSB Interview, Rutuja Warhade said that discipline was the only constant. She had to say no to distractions and stay focused every single day. After clearing the written exam, she solely focused on preparing for the toughest hurdle, which is SSB Interview. She took help from the retired officers, teachers and batch mates to prepare for SSB Interview. She also shared that SSB is all about personality development, and that comes from exposure. She also went from trekking during monsoons to conquer her fear. She was introverted kind of girl, and to build her personality, she also contested elections. She added that when in Class 9 her weight was 75 kg, however, with hard work she reduced it to 57 kgs. She started working on her physical fitness and focused on building strength and stamina.

SSB Experience Shared by NDA Topper

She appeared for SSB in 24 SSB Bangalore on January 24, 2025. The first day was the screening test and she also shared that her OIR was quite good. Explaining OIR Warhade said OIR is Officers Intelligence rating and comprises Mathematical and Logical Reasoning questions. There are two parts in OIR-Verbal and Non-Verbal. In her SSB screening test, there were 90 questions, out of which the first set carried 50 questions, out of which 25 were verbal and 25 non-verbal and the second set carried 40 questions, out of which 20 were verbal and 20 non-verbal.

Screening also comprises PPDT, and this test comprises two parts-picture perception and group discussion. We were shown blurred pictures (Two women and one man) and asked to derive a story out of i,t and after that discussion was held based on the story. In Group Discussion, one group of 16 girls was created and everyone narrated their stories individually, and after that, assessors asked to come to a common conclusion based on the stories. She shared that in Group Discussion what matters is the content. In Day 2, a psychology test and an interview were conducted. In the  interview, the panelists asked questions about school and education, family members and friends, how to keep up with general knowledge and social media. The interview was conducted for 45 to 50 minutes.

On GTO Day 1, the individual obstacle was conducted. The two topics for Group Discussion were ‘Which is the most crucial bill for India’ and ‘Uniform Civil Code-One Nation, One Election’. She spoke on ‘Women Reservation Bill’.

What After NDA SSB?

After SSB, Rutuja Warhade shared that there was a document verification process. At times, they were given the option of whether they wanted to appear for CPSS. This test is basically conducted for aspirants who want to join Air Force as pilots. She opted for this test and went to AFSB Mysore to give the exam and cleared the same. Medical tests were held in Bangalore, and she was rejected twice for her spine, but after an appeal medical board cleared her medicals.

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NDA Selection Process

NDA Salary

Women in NDA

Women’s participation in the armed forces in India has evolved significantly. More women officers are assuming command of units in the armed forces. The Supreme Court of India in 2021 passed a historic judgement allowing women to appear in the NDA and Naval Academy exams conducted by UPSC. Women cadets in NDA are trained at par with their male counterparts. Training in the academy is done in a gender-neutral and gender-sensitive manner.