What NDA is
The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination, conducted by UPSC, recruits class 12 candidates directly into the National Defence Academy for training across the Army, Navy and Air Force wings, or into the Indian Naval Academy for a technical entry into the Navy. It is one of the very few central government entry routes open to candidates straight out of class 12, before a degree, which is what makes it distinct from most other defence and civil recruitment on this site.
Selected candidates go through several years of joint academy training before being commissioned as officers in their respective service, so this exam is the start of a full-length military career rather than a single job placement.
Who can apply
Only unmarried candidates who have passed, or are appearing in, class 12 may apply. The Army wing accepts any stream. The Air Force and Naval wings require Physics and Mathematics in class 12. The age band is roughly 16 to 19 years, with the exact bounds set out in each notification since the qualifying birth date range is stated afresh each cycle rather than following a single fixed rule year to year.
How the exam runs
The written examination is a single day OMR test of two papers, Mathematics and General Ability Test, testing school level subject knowledge alongside general awareness and English.
Candidates who clear the written cutoff proceed to the SSB (Services Selection Board) Interview, a multi-day process of psychological tests, group tasks and a personal interview conducted at a designated SSB centre, distinct from a conventional single-sitting interview. Candidates who clear the SSB then undergo a medical examination. Final selection combines written marks and SSB marks, and both the medical and SSB stages carry real weight in the outcome, not just the written score.
Preparing the application
UPSC specifies exact photograph and signature requirements in each notification rather than a fixed year to year standard, so check the current notification’s dimensions and file size before uploading. The tools on this site can resize your photograph to whatever specific target the notification states.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed admit card, a government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card, one recent passport size photograph, and a black ballpoint pen for the OMR sheet. No electronic devices are permitted, and only material issued by UPSC at the centre may be used.
The SSB stage happens on a separate schedule at a separate location, notified only to candidates who clear the written exam, and typically runs several days, which candidates should plan time and travel around separately from the written exam day.
The official UPSC notification and website, linked above, carry the exact age bounds, wing-wise vacancies and current schedule for the cycle you are applying to.