UPSC NDA & NA syllabus

Entry to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA and the Indian Naval Academy's 10+2 scheme: Mathematics (300 marks) and the General Ability Test (600 marks), each 2½ hours, then the SSB.

Paper I: Mathematics

120 questions, 300 marks · 2½ hours (150 minutes)

Code 01. Each question carries 2.5 marks; a wrong answer loses one third of that (0.83). No calculator or log tables.

  • Algebra: sets and relations, complex numbers, binary numbers, progressions, quadratic equations, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, logarithms
  • Matrices and determinants
  • Trigonometry, inverse trigonometric functions, heights and distances, properties of triangles
  • Analytical geometry of two and three dimensions
  • Differential calculus: functions, limits, continuity, derivatives, maxima and minima
  • Integral calculus and differential equations
  • Vector algebra
  • Statistics and probability

Paper II, Part A: English

50 questions, 200 marks · Shares the 2½ hours of the General Ability Test with Part B

In English only. Each question carries 4 marks; a wrong answer loses one third (1.33).

  • Spotting errors
  • Sentence improvement
  • Synonyms and antonyms
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Ordering of words and sentences
  • Reading comprehension

Paper II, Part B: General Knowledge

100 questions, 400 marks · Shares the 2½ hours of the General Ability Test with Part A

In Hindi and English. Each question carries 4 marks; a wrong answer loses one third (1.33).

  • Physics (about 25% of the marks)
  • Chemistry (about 15%)
  • General Science (about 10%)
  • History, freedom movement, Constitution and the modern world (about 20%)
  • Geography (about 20%)
  • Current events (about 10%)