( Disclaimer: This article is based upon my personal experience of cracking NDA II 2019 in the first attempt)
Every year Union public service commission ( aka UPSC) organizes the National Defence Academy exam twice. Over 4 lakh candidates appear in the exam but only a few hundred (300 to 400 depending upon vacancies) make it to the prestigious National Defence Academy.
Do You Have It In Yourself?
Before starting the preparation of NDA, ask yourself ” Why do I want to join the armed forces?”. Feel the sparks within yourself. Promise yourself that you will do whatever it takes. You will leave no stone unturned. Some targets are so worthy that it’s even glorious to fail.
Pattern of exam
Now lets talk about the very first step i.e clearing the writtenThe NDA written exams consists of two papers:-
- Paper 1: Mathematics -300 marks
- Paper 2: General ability ( English, Physics, Chemistry, biology, history, geography, polity, economics, current affairs) 600 marks
Strategy for PCM students
Since various students from different streams appear for NDA strategies are also different for them. I will discuss the strategies for clearing written stream wise1. For students with Physics, Chemistry, Math ( I will refer them as PCM students).The PCM guys have a great advantage over the other streams since they have mathematics as one of their core subjects. One entire paper is dedicated to mathematics. Since in general PCM people prepare for a bunch of other exams such as JEE Mains and advance, their preparation should be very specific. Maximum stress should be given to clearing the fundamentals of PCM. According to me , PCM people shouldn’t waste their time studying polity, history, geography, etc. It’s not going to be fruitful. Their syllabus is so huge that it will eat the valuable time of preparation which could be invested somewhere else. So straight forward the strategy should be WORK ON BASICS OF PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATH. and study ENGLISH and CURRENT AFFAIRS. In English focus on learning 5 new words every day. Work on vocabulary ( it will help you in SSB a lot), idioms, basic grammar. For current affairs, go through all the events related to sports, awards, military exercises, defence deals for the past 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO EXAM. And last, of all, go through the previous year papers ( 5 years paper would be more than enough). A significant amount of questions are repeated.
Strategy for Non-PCM students
2. For non – PCM guys:-The most difficult hurdle for non-PCM guys are mathematics paper. Since it’s an entire paper consisting of 300 marks, one must score at least 120 to clear cut off. But non-PCM guys don’t panic! There a golden secret….these questions are not tough at all. You will find them difficult in the beginning. But you have a brahmastara in your hand…..The NCERT Math textbook for class 11 and 12. You might think I am joking, but trust me just thoroughly go through NCERT. Practice all the questions in NCERT sincerely. And then try to solve a previous year’s maths paper. You will find it very easy to trust me. Rest Focus on your core subjects and English. Arts steam students have a huge advantage in GS paper( 2nd paper) . You will have an edge over PCM guys since you have a strong grip over history, geography, etc. You need not worry about Physics and chemistry as you have many other subjects to score…just leave it. Just do whatever you do with your whole heart and soul.
Last, of all, I would say it all depends on you and your sincerity. Only you can make it happen. Work hard each and every day till you reach your goal. Remember nothing is easy so don’t give up keep working hard. All the best for your future endeavors.
