NDA & NA 2026 — Complete Written Exam Preparation Course

The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination is conducted by the UPSC, normally twice a year, as the route for school-leavers into the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA at Khadakwasla and the Indian Naval Academy. It is one of the very few national examinations open to candidates straight out of Class 12. The written examination is 900 marks across two separately timed objective papers taken on the same day: Mathematics in the morning — 120 questions for 300 marks in 150 minutes — and the General Ability Test in the afternoon — 150 questions for 600 marks, also in 150 minutes. GAT itself splits into Part A, English (50 questions / 200 marks), and Part B, General Knowledge (100 questions / 400 marks), with no internal time lock, so you can move freely between English and GK inside the GAT window. The weighting is the fact most candidates underestimate. GAT carries 600 of the 900 written marks — twice Mathematics — and General Knowledge alone is worth 400. Negative marking is one-third of the marks allotted, which works out to −0.83 per wrong Mathematics question and −1.33 per wrong GAT question, so a careless GAT guess is the most expensive error available in this paper. Beyond the written exam lies a 900-mark SSB Interview; this course prepares the written stage that gets you there. Eligibility & who can join: • Unmarried candidates only. For the Army wing, a Class 12 pass from a recognised board is sufficient; for the Air Force and Naval wings and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy, Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics is required. • Candidates appearing in Class 12 may apply, subject to producing proof of passing by the prescribed date. • Age criteria follow a narrow date-of-birth window notified for each examination cycle — candidates must be within roughly 16½ to 19½ years as on the notified date. • Candidates must also meet the prescribed physical and medical standards, which are assessed after the written examination. • Always confirm eligibility, wing-specific subject requirements and dates against the official notification at upsc.gov.in. How the course is structured: The course is taught paper by paper, exactly as the exam is administered. Mathematics is built from Class 11 and 12 foundations with Algebra, Trigonometry and Analytical Geometry front-loaded, since those three alone account for over half the paper. The General Ability Test is taught as one continuous block rather than as two separate subjects, because that is how it is timed — you may move freely between English and General Knowledge within its 150 minutes. Within GK, Physics carries the largest single share, so it is treated as a priority subject rather than as general revision. Full-length mocks are always taken as a morning-plus-afternoon pair to reproduce the real exam-day load. NDA is normally notified twice a year; always confirm dates against the official UPSC notification.