Can you tell me about the Selection Procedure for NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission)?

The Selection Procedure for NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is in Two Stages:


I. Written Examination:
It will constitute 2 subjects, Maths and General Ability Test and each subject is given the time limit 2 Hours, maximum marks for Maths is 300 & General ability is 600.
The papers in all the subjects will consist of objective type questions only.
The question papers of Mathematics & Part B of General Ability Test will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.
UPSC have discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects at the exam.


II. Interview:
Qualified candidates in the written exam will be called for Interview conducted by SSB (Services selection board).
The Army, Navy Wings & 10 +2 Entry Scheme candidates need to undergo Intelligence Test & Personality Test, but for Air Force Wing one must attend a Pilot Aptitude Test.
The Interview consist both Intelligence & Personality Test.


Intelligence and Personality Test:
The SSB procedure consists of two stages Selection process-stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II:

a. Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT). One is shortlisted on combination of performance in QIR Test and PP and DT.

b. Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days.


The personality of a candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. the Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Psychologist.

There are no separate weightage for each test. The marks are allotted by assessors only after taking into consideration the performance of one holistically in the entire test.

In addition, marks for Conference are also allotted based on the initial performance in 3 techniques and decision of the Board. All these have equal weightage.

Air force given pilot aptitude test only once for the candidate