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NDA Exam Pattern 2024: Marking Scheme, Question Distribution

By BYJU'S Exam Prep  |   Updated on: January 2nd, 2024
NDA Exam Pattern for Maths and GAT is released by UPSC. Check the latest NDA Exam Pattern for the written exam and interview, NDA Marking Scheme, distribution of marks, etc., here.
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NDA Exam Pattern comprises two papers, Mathematics and General Ability Test, which have to be completed in a duration of 2.5 hours each. Understanding the paper pattern is one of the first steps in ensuring greater success rates in any exam. It will help you prepare for the upcoming exam competitively and secure a good rank. By going through the NDA exam pattern provided here, you will understand the entire structure of the recruitment process, including the written exam and interview process, negative marking, if any, NDA marking scheme, etc.

The Union Public Service Commission conducts the National Defence Academy recruitment exam twice every year. Get a complete overview of how many parts the paper will be divided into, the marking scheme for each section of the paper, and more by going through the NDA exam pattern given below.

NDA Exam Pattern 2024

With an understanding of the NDA Exam Pattern, you will get a clear picture of the paper format. This will help you realize the subject-wise relevance of topics, which will consequently help you with your exam preparation. The NDA 2024 paper pattern consists of two stages, which are as follows:

  • Stage 1: Written Test (Mathematics and GAT)
  • Stage 2: Intelligence and Personality Test (SSB)

A thorough understanding of the NDA exam pattern is an extremely crucial milestone on the road to clear the exam. One must be well versed with the NDA paper pattern for both papers to strengthen their core and ace each stage of the exam. Find the details about the exam duration and marks in the given scheme as mentioned in the official notification:

Code

Exam Name

Duration

No. of Questions

Maximum Marks

01

Mathematics

2 ½ hours

120

300

02

General Ability Test

2 ½ hours

50

200

100

400

SSB Interview

50

900

Total

1800

NDA Paper Pattern: Overview

Take a quick glance at the overview of the NDA exam pattern below, consisting of the number of sections, mode of the exam, paper type, etc:

Attributes

Details

Exam Mode and Medium

Offline (Pen Paper Based) in English and Hindi

Number of Sections

2

Question Paper Type

Objective or MCQ

Total Number of Questions

270 Questions (120 from Mathematics and 150 from GAT)

Total Marks for Entrance Test

900 Marks (300 Marks for Mathematics and 600 Marks for GAT)

Negative Marking

– 0.83 marks for Mathematics and – 1.33 marks for GAT

Exam duration

2.5 hours (Each Section)

NDA Written Exam Pattern

NDA exam pattern for written tests will consist of two subjects, Mathematics and GAT. The paper is going to be conducted on 21 April 2024. This papers will be in written mode (pen & paper format). You can get an in-depth insight into the NDA exam pattern for both subjects below.

NDA Maths Exam Pattern

Mathematics paper of NDA comprises various important topics like Matrices and Determinants, Statistics & Probability, Differential calculus, and more. The exam is for 300 marks and the maximum time allotted for you to attempt it is 2.5 hours. The table given below illustrates a detailed NDA exam pattern for the Mathematics paper:

NDA Exam Pattern for Maths

Total Marks

300 Marks

Total No. of Questions

120

Correct Answer

2.5 marks

Marks deducted for each wrong answer

0.83

Total duration of Mathematics Paper 

2 Hours 30 Minutes

NDA GAT Marking Scheme

As per the NDA exam pattern, the General Ability Test (GAT) holds the maximum weightage in terms of marks. Hence, you should be thoroughly prepared to answer a good number of questions for this paper. The NDA exam pattern for GAT will comprise the following subjects:

  • English – The candidate must be thorough with English Grammar and Usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Cohesion.
  • General Knowledge – For this paper, the candidate must have subject knowledge of Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Freedom Movement, Geography, and Current Affairs.

Take a look at the table below for a detailed overview of the NDA exam pattern of GAT:

Elements

Total Questions

Total Marks

NDA GAT Paper

150 Questions 

600 Marks

English

50 Questions

200 marks

GK 

100 Questions

400 marks

Marks for Correct Answer

+ 4 marks in each section

Marks for Incorrect Answer

– 1.33 marks in each section

Total Duration of GAT Paper – 2 Hours 30 Minutes

NDA Exam Pattern for SSB Interview

According to the NDA exam pattern, the SSB Interview is the last stage of the NDA Selection Process. Only the candidates who obtain the required cut-off marks in the written exam will be eligible for the interview round. Given below is a detailed depiction of the NDA exam pattern 2024 for the SSB Interview:

NDA Exam Pattern for SSB Interview

Stage 1

Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) through Picture Perception & Description Test (PP & DT).

Stage 2

– Interview

– Group Testing Officer Tasks

– Psychology Tests

– Conference

Here are some key points about the NDA paper pattern for the Interview that every candidate must know: 

  • The SSB Interview Stage 2 tasks are conducted over a span of 4 days. 
  • For assessing a candidate’s personality, a Group Testing Officer (GTO), Interviewing Officer (IO), and a Psychologist will interact with the candidate. 
  • All the interview tests have equal weightage in terms of determining the candidate’s final selection.

NDA Marking Scheme

Along with the NDA Exam Pattern, you would want to know the maximum marks awarded for each of the papers. The NDA marking scheme for the written exam is as follows:

Elements 

Mathematics

GAT

Total Questions

120

150

Total Marks

300

600

Marks allotted to each correct answer

2.5

4

Negative marking for each incorrect response

-0.83

-1.33

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