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NDA Exam Pattern 2019, Marking Scheme, Syllabus, Books

NDA 2019 Exam held two times in a year through offline mode (written test). The exam consist of 2 sections- Mathematics and General Ability Test. Total duration of NDA 2019 was 5 hours combinedly for both sections.

Those who clear the written exam will proceed to the NDA SSB Interview Process. UPSC sets the cut off score to prepare the merit list of candidates who are called for the five day selection process.

NDA Preparation BooksNDA Syllabus in HindiType of Questions Asked in NDANDA Exam Eligibility
  • All the questions in the exam will be objective i.e., Multiple Choice Questions will be asked.
  • The medium of the exam will be bilingual with total 900 marks.
  • Out of 270 questions, 120 questions are from Mathematics and 150 questions from General Ability section.
  • There is provision of negative marking as per the marks allotted to questions asked.
  • The syllabus covered under NDA 2019 is of CBSE 10+2 standards.

NDA 2019 Exam Pattern Highlights

Exam Mode and MediumOffline (Pen Paper Based) in English and Hindi
Number of sections2
Question Paper TypeObjective or MCQ
Total Number of Questions270 Questions (120 from Mathematics and 150 from General Ability Test)
NDA 2019 Total Marks for Entrance Test900 Marks (300 Marks for Mathematics and 600 Marks for General Ability Test)
Exam duration2.30 hours (Each Section)

NDA Exam Pattern for Mathematics and General Ability Test

NDA 2019 was conducted in offline mode and all the questions was of MCQ type. The exam is held in both English and Hindi language. Candidates are asked to attempt two sections- Mathematics and General Ability Test. 

Other details related to exam pattern from both the sections have been tabulated below:

SubjectPaperTotal No of QuestionsDuration of ExamMaximum Marks
Mathematics11202 ½ Hours300
General Ability Test21502 ½ Hours600
Total270900

After qualifying the NDA 2019 entrance test, all candidates have to appear for NDA Interview. Details are as below:

Second RoundDurationMaximum Marks
SSB Interview4-5 days900

Candidates are advised to go through the syllabus of the examination along with NDA 2019 Exam Pattern. It will help them to have better preparations for both Entrance Test as well as Interview. APPLY NOW CHECK ELIGIBILITY GET UPDATES


NDA 2019 Marking Scheme

NDA consists of two sections- Mathematics and General ability test.

  • In Mathematics section, there will be total 120 questions of 300 marks.
  • All questions will carry 2.5 marks each, which will only be allotted for choosing the correct answer. 0.83 Marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
  • General ability test will comprise 600 marks; 200 marks are allotted to English and 400 marks in total are allotted to General Knowledge.
  • In this section, there will be total 150 questions, 50 from English and 100 from General Knowledge.
  • Candidates will be awarded 4 marks for each correct answer in this section.
  • A deduction of 1.33 Marks will be there for each wrong answer. There will be no mark for unanswered questions.

What Type of Questions are Asked in NDA Exam?

NDA will have questions from two sections mainly- Mathematics and General Ability section. The questions will mainly be asked of 10+2 level. Solve as many NDA Previous Year Question Papers as possible.

  • In mathematics, candidates must thoroughly prepare-
  1. Arithmetic
  2. Mensuration
  3. Algebra
  4. Geometry
  5. Trigonometry
  6. Statistics, etc.
  • For general ability section, it is important to prepare well for both the sub-sections, i.e., English and General Knowledge.
  • For English section, candidates must focus on grammar, comprehension and reading abilities.
  • General knowledge questions can be asked from current events, physics, chemistry, general science, history, etc.

Given below is the bifurcation of both the sections of NDA Exam. Marks allotted to each section and sub-sections have been expounded below:

SubjectsNumber of QuestionsMarksMarking schemeNegative Marking
Mathematics120300+2.5-0.83
English50200+4-1.33
General Knowledge:100+4-1.33
Physics100
Chemistry60
General Science40
History, Freedom Movement, etc.80
Geography80
Current Events40
Grand Total270900

NDA Exam Syllabus

The syllabus of NDA 2019 has been divided into two parts namely Mathematics and General Ability Test. The General Ability Test will contain questions from various topics such as General Knowledge (GK), English, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, General Science and Current Events. Check Complete NDA Syllabus 2019

Most of the questions asked in NDA exam will come from 10+2 level, especially in Mathematics. For preparing General Ability test section candidates should read newspaper on daily basis.

SectionsRelated TopicsNumber of questions
MathematicsTrigonometry, Differential Calculus, Algebra, Integral Calculus & Differential equations, Logarithms and their applications, Statistics, Probability, Vector Algebra, etc.120
EnglishGrammar and usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and cohesion.50
General KnowledgePhysics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Geography, Current Events.100

Candidates, who will be shortlisted on the basis of written exam, will be called for SSB interview which will be conducted for 4-5 days. Candidates, who successfully qualify SSB round, will further call for medical test and document verification process.


NDA 2019 Recommended books

In NDA 2019, questions are asked from class 12 Mathematics. Also, candidates are required to be aware of the current happenings around the world to attempt General Ability test. Some of the recommended books for candidates are mentioned below.

  • These books contain a vast explanation of mathematical concepts.
  • It covers every minor topic mentioned in the syllabus like Sets and relations along with functions, quadratic equations, logarithms, trigonometry and geometry topics like circles, triangles, coordinates etc.
  • These books also include the tricks and shortcut methods for solving the questions.
SubjectsBooksAuthor
MathematicsMathematics for NDA and NA: National Defence Academy and Naval AcademyR S Aggarwal
MathematicsQuantitative aptitude for competitive examinationsRS Aggarwal
EnglishNDA and NA National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Entrance Examination: 10 Practice Sets (English)Expert Compilations
EnglishNDA INA Practice Papers: Conducted by UPSC (English)Sachchida Nand Jha
General KnowledgeObjective General Knowledge & Current Affairs (Level 1)Disha Experts
General KnowledgeObjective General Knowledge & Current Affairs (Level 2)Disha Experts