NDA Exam Guide
~5 min readThe NDA written exam is 900 marks — Mathematics (300) and General Ability Test (600) — over one day, in two 2.5-hour papers. Followed by a 900-mark SSB interview, selection depends on 1800 marks total. Here is the exact pattern, the negative marking, the full syllabus and who can appear.
NDA has two written papers, totalling the 900 marks: Paper 1 Mathematics — 120 questions, 300 marks, 2.5 hours, 2.5 marks per right and 0.83 negative per wrong — and Paper 2 GAT — 150 questions, 600 marks, 2.5 hours, 4 marks per right and 1.33 negative per wrong. GAT splits into English (200 marks) and General Knowledge (400 marks). A 900-mark SSB interview follows the written exam, making a 1800-mark total selection process.
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Mathematics | 120 | 300 | 2.5 hours |
| Paper 2 | General Ability Test (GAT) | 150 | 600 | 2.5 hours |
Both papers on the same day
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 120 |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Duration | 2.5 hours |
| Marks per right answer | +2.5 |
| Negative per wrong answer | −0.83 |
| Paper language | English only |
Accuracy beats speed in Paper 1
| Section | Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Part A | 50 | 200 |
| General Knowledge | Part B | 100 | 400 |
| Topic | Typical weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | ≈ 25% | Class 10–12 level physics, everyday phenomena |
| Chemistry | ≈ 15% | Basic chemistry and materials around us |
| General Science (Biology) | ≈ 10% | Basics from NCERT science |
| History & Freedom Struggle | ≈ 20% | Modern and ancient India history |
| Geography | ≈ 20% | Indian and world geography |
| Current Affairs | ≈ 10% | Last 12 months of events |
GAT is 600 of the 900 written marks
| Paper | Right answer | Wrong answer (1/3 negative) |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | +2.5 | −0.83 |
| GAT | +4 | −1.33 |
Negative marking in NDA is one-third of the marks allotted per question. Unattempted questions carry no penalty. The smart NDA strategy is to skip when a question is a 50-50 guess — one right guess out of three compensates for two wrong ones.
The whole syllabus is Class 11–12 level
Part A — English (50 questions, 200 marks): grammar and usage, vocabulary, fill-in-the-blanks, spotting errors, sentence improvement, reading comprehension, paragraph reformulation.
Part B — General Knowledge (100 questions, 400 marks): Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History and freedom struggle, Geography, Current Events. The syllabus is the Class 10–12 NCERT range.
Prepare GK from NCERTs, revise from one digest
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 (Screening) | Officer Intelligence Rating test + Picture Perception and Discussion Test, same day |
| Stage 2 (5 days) | Psychology tests (thematic, word association), Group Testing (GD, GOREs, command tasks), personal interview |
| Medical | Full medical examination after the SSB |
Selection is 900 written + 900 SSB
Check the notification before applying
The pattern rewards consistency, not cramming
FAQ
The NDA written exam is 900 marks: Paper 1 Mathematics (120 questions, 300 marks, 2.5 hours) and Paper 2 GAT (150 questions, 600 marks, 2.5 hours). English carries 200 marks and General Knowledge 400 within GAT. A 900-mark SSB interview follows, making 1800 total marks.
NDA deducts one-third of the per-question marks for a wrong answer. Maths: −0.83 for a wrong 2.5-mark question. GAT: −1.33 for a wrong 4-mark question. Unattempted questions score zero with no penalty.
Yes. The NDA Maths syllabus is exactly Class 11–12 level — algebra, matrices and determinants, trigonometry, analytical geometry, calculus, vector algebra, statistics and probability. NCERT Maths plus NDA-standard practice covers it fully.
GAT Part A is English (grammar, vocabulary, spotting errors, comprehension). Part B is General Knowledge — Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Geography and Current Affairs — at the Class 10–12 NCERT level.
Yes, for the Army wing, which needs a Class 12 pass in any stream. The Air Force and Naval wings require Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 12.
No. The written exam is 900 of 1800 marks. The remaining 900 come from the SSB interview — psychology tests, group tasks and a personal interview. Many high written scorers are not selected because the SSB is an independent skill.
Twice a year — NDA 1 (roughly April) and NDA 2 (roughly September). Candidates within the 16.5–19.5 age window can appear for both in the same year.
Download the free NDA exam pattern & syllabus PDF from ClassApna — it lists Paper 1 Mathematics (300 marks) and Paper 2 GAT (600 marks) with the English and General Knowledge breakdown, the negative-marking rules, the full Maths and GAT syllabus and the SSB stage. No signup needed.
ClassApna hosts free NDA chapter-wise and full-length mock tests in the NDA exam pattern. Solved papers in exam conditions — 2.5 hours, one sitting — are the best free source of real difficulty and timing.
Next Chapters
The NDA pattern is stable, but the SSB decides most selections. Narayan Gurukul Academy runs a complete Class 11–12 NDA course — chapter-wise theory, NDA-format test series and a dedicated SSB programme — at Mohali and online across India.
Classes 11–12 NDA · Mohali centre + live online across India