The UPSC NDA exam is conducted for the candidates that want to join the Indian Defence Forces. It is the gateway for candidates that wish to join the Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy. The exam is very difficult to crack. Therefore, the candidates need to have a study plan ready to prepare for the exam smartly. A study plan helps in preparing for the exam in a better and efficient way. Before the candidates start the preparation, they must make sure they are aware of the UPSC NDA Eligibility criteria like age limit, nationality, educational qualification, marital status, etc, It should be noted that only male candidates are allowed in the UPSC NDA recruitment process. Once it is known that you meet all the criteria, you can then learn everything about the exam like the UPSC NDA Cut Off, exam pattern, syllabus, etc.
The candidates that have decided to crack the NDA exam must have a preparation strategy ready. Further in this article, we will have a look at some general tips to prepare for the exam and then the paper wise NDA preparation tips.
General Tips to Prepare for UPSC NDA Exam
Candidates preparing for the exam should have clear knowledge about the exam. They must know all the details about the exam like the exam pattern, syllabus, etc. Follow these steps to prepare for the exam in a better way.
Know the NDA Syllabus and Exam Pattern Well
If you know the exam pattern as well as the syllabus well, it can easily help you achieve success in the exam. The NDA written exam has two papers. Mathematics is in Paper 1 that consists of 120 questions of 300 marks. General Ability Test (GAT) is paper 2 that contains 150 questions of 600 marks. Each paper will be of 2.5 hours. For the selection of the candidates, they are tested for a total of 1800 marks. The NDA written test carries the remaining 900 marks.
Solve Previous years’ papers
If you go through the NDA previous year question papers, you can get an idea of the type of questions that are asked in the exam. There are only multiple-choice questions asked in the exam and the language of the questions is either Hindi or English. The marking scheme is different for both sections. In the mathematics section, 2.5 marks will be given for every correct answer, and 0.83 marks deducted for each wrong answer. Whereas in GAT, 4 marks will be given for every correct answer and 1.33 marks deducted for each wrong answer
Paper-wise Preparation Tips for UPSC NDA
Now that you are aware of the syllabus, exam pattern, and marking scheme, you are ready to check below the paper-wise preparation tips for the UPSC NDA exam.
NDA Preparation Tips for Mathematics
In Maths, questions are asked from Differential Equations, Algebra, Integral Calculus, Trigonometry, Matrices and Determinants, Vector Algebra, Analytical Geometry, Statistics & Probability. Given below are the preparation tips for this section.
- You need to have clarity in concepts
- You must clear your basics if concepts are not clear.
- Try to practice as many mathematical problems as possible
- In this section, you need to utilize time very wisely. You can improve your time management by practicing more questions.
NDA Preparation Tips GAT
GAT has two parts. Part A is English while Part B has subjects like Chemistry, History, Freedom Movement, General Science, etc. Preparation tips for both the parts are discussed below.
Part A: English
English is a total of 200 marks. It covers topics from grammar and usage, vocabulary, and comprehension. Read newspapers and magazines daily to prepare this section. Have all the basics of grammar clear and always keep a dictionary handy while preparing for this section.
Part B: General Knowledge
The GK test is of 400 marks. It tests the candidate’s understanding of Current Affairs. The test has questions from Indian history, General Science, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, and Current Events. The preparation tips are given below
- Stay updated with the latest news
- Be aware of events like arts, sports, literature, etc
- Read about the topics related to India and its neighboring countries and current economic scenario, the recent and past policy.
We hope you found this article helpful. Follow the steps to prepare well for the UPSC NDA exam. Let us know in the comment box below if you have any doubts about the UPSC NDA Exam.