The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the National Defence Academy (NDA) examinations twice a year, to select officer candidates of the Tri-Services. Candidates who clear the written exam are called for a grueling, six-day personality assessment procedure known as the Services Selection Board (SSB), those who are recommended by the board go on for their medical evaluation, the call letter to join the academy is dependent on the final merit list. The NDA, situated in Khadakwasla, Pune is the country’s premier pre-commission training institute, designed to train cadets of all the three services; The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
The duration of training at the esteemed military college is three years, broken down into six terms, where the cadets are trained in basic military skills and subjects and complete their regular bachelor’s degrees in their respective subjects of interest.
In their fifth term, cadets go into specialised training for their respective services, divided into three wings; The Army Wing, Naval and Air Force wing. Successful candidates, graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and, go on to their respective pre-commission training institutes dedicated to their opted service.
Army cadets train for another year at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Naval cadets train at the Naval Academy, Ezhimala while cadets who have opted for the Air Force train at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad.
| NDA 2 2019 | |
| Date of notification | 07.08.2019 |
| Last date of online applications | 03.09.2019 |
| Date of examination | 17.11.2019 |
| Result Date | Feb 2020 |
| SSB Date | April 2020 |
Eligibility:
Applications for NDA 2 (2019) will start from 7 August and the eligibility criteria as given by the UPSC is as follows:
Nationality:
The appearing candidate must be a citizen of India, Nepal or Bhutan.
A Tibetan refugee came to India before 1 January 1963 with a mindset to become a permanent resident of India are also eligible.
A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan & East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India are also eligible to apply.
Points to remember:
For NDA (2) 2019: Those who have age between 2nd January 2001 to 1st January 2004 are permitted to write the exam. If the candidate bears the age before 2nd January 2001 and after 1st January 2004, they are not allowed to appear the exam.
Only unmarried male candidates are eligible for NDA examination. Girls are not allowed for the NDA entrance examination. Note-1: The DOB mentioned in the Matriculation/Higher Secondary Examination Certificate available or an equivalent certificate will be considered by the commission.
Note-2: Candidates are informed not to marry until they complete their full training. A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his application though successful at this or any subsequent exam will not be selected for training. A candidate who marries during the training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the Government.
Qualification Criteria:
The minimum qualification required for Indian Army wing, Navy and Air Force is as follows:
Eligibility for Indian Army:
The candidates want to apply for Indian Army must have completed 12th (10+2 pattern) or its equivalent exam from a well-recognized board.
Candidates appearing their 12th boards can also apply.
Eligibility for Indian Navy and Air Force:
Those seeking for Indian Navy and Air Force must have passed their 12th/appearing (10+2 pattern) from a recognized board or University with Physics and Mathematics as a compulsory subject.
Note: Students who have debarred by the Ministry of Defence from holding any type of Commission in the Defence Services are not eligible to apply. Those candidates have failed INSB/PABT earlier are not eligible for Air Force.
Candidates must be physically & mentally fit as per the physical standards maintained by the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination 2019.
A candidate who has resigned or withdrawn on disciplinary grounds from any of the training academies of Armed Forces is not eligible to apply.
The detailed physical standards are mentioned here:
Candidates are required rectify minor defects/ailments in order to speed up finalization of a medical examination conducted at the Military Hospital after being recommended at the SSB. Few of such commonly found defects/ailments are listed below:
- Wax (Ears).
- Deviated Nasal Septum.
- Hydrocele/Phimosis.
- Overweight/Underweight.
- Under Sized Chest.
- Piles.
- Tonsillitis.
- Gynaecomastia.
- Varicocele.
- Body Tattoos:
Permanent body tattoos are accepted only on the inner face of a forearm. Tattoos on the inside of elbow to the wrist and on the reverse side of palm/back (dorsal) side of hand/Permanent body tattoos on any other part of the body are not acceptable.
Tribes with tattoo marks on the face or body as per their existing custom and traditions will be permitted on a case by case basis.
Commandant of the Selection Centre will be the competent authority for clearing such cases. Height & Weight Standards:
The minimum height measurement is 157 centimeters (162.5 cm. for Air Force).
For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern areas of India, Garhwal, and Kumaon, the minimum heights will be 5 cms. less.
In case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum height can be reduced by 2 cms.
The detailed height/weight standards are mentioned below:
Height/Weight Standards for Army/Air Force:
Height/Weight Standards for Navy:
Note-1: “Individual’s weight is considered normal if it is within ±10% departure from average given weight”. However, in individuals with heavy bones and broad build as well as individuals with a thin build but otherwise healthy, this may be given some relaxation on merit.
Note-2: Height relaxation is up to 2.5 cm. (5 cm. for Navy) maybe allowed where the Medical Board certifies that the candidate is likely to grow and come up to the required standard on completion of his training.
Candidates recommended by the Services Selection Board will go through a medical examination by the Board of Service Medical Officers. Candidates who are declared fit by the Medical Board will be admitted to the academy. The candidate should be in good physical & mental health and free from any kind of disease/disability which is likely to interfere with the efficient performance of military duties.
There should be no symptoms of weak constitution, bodily defects or underweight. The Candidate should not be overweight or obese.
Well-developed chest. A fully expanded chest should not be less than 81cms. The minimum range of expansion after full inspiration should be 5 cm. Chest X-Ray is compulsory and will be taken to rule out any chest diseases.
No maldevelopment or impairment of a function of the bones or joints, nor any past history of mental breakdown or fits furthermore the applicants hearing should be normal.
A candidate should be able to hear a forced whisper with each ear at a distance of 610 cms. in a quiet room. There should be no evidence of present or past disease of the ear, nose, and throat. Audiometric test will be done for AF. Audiometric hearing loss should not be greater than 20 db in frequencies between 250 and 8000 Hz. There is no impediment of speech.
Blood Pressure should be normal with no signs of functional or organic disease of the heart and blood vessels.
There should be no enlargement of liver or spleen. There will be not any evidence of disease of internal organs of the abdomen.
Un-operated hernias will make a candidate unfit. In the case of Hernia which has been operated, a minimum of 6 months must have passed prior to a final medical examination before commencement of the course.
Urine examination will be done and any abnormality if detected will be a cause for disqualification.
Any kind of skin diseases which is likely to cause disability or disfigurement will also be a cause for rejection. USG abdomen examination will be carried out and any congenital structural anomaly or disease of the abdominal organs will be a cause for rejection in Armed Forces. Candidates should have a sufficient number of natural and sound teeth. A minimum of 14 dental points will be accepted. When 32 teeth are present, the total dental points are 22. The candidate should not be suffering from severe pyorrhoea.
Routine ECG for Air Force candidates must be within normal limits. Past medical history of diseases or any injury of the spine or sacroiliac joints, either with or without objective signs which have prevented the candidate from successfully following a physically active life, is a cause for rejection for commissioning in IAF. History of spinal fracture/prolapsed intervertebral disc and surgical treatment for these conditions will entail rejection. Any of the following conditions detected radiologically during the medical exam will disqualify a candidate for Air Force.
Any of the following conditions detected at the time of X-Ray examination will be disqualified for Armed Forces.
Visual Standards
The distance vision (corrected) should be 6/6 in the better eye (6/9 in the worse eye). Myopia should not be more than 2.5 D and hypermetropia not more than 3.5 D including Astigmatism. Internal examination of the eye will be done by means of ophthalmoscope to rule out any disease of the eye. A candidate should have good binocular vision. The colour vision standard will be (CP-III) for Army.
A candidate should be able to recognize red and green colours. Candidates will be required to produce certificates that neither he nor any member of his family has suffered from congenital night blindness. Candidates who have undergone or have the evidence of having undergone Radial Keratotomy, to improve the visual acuity will be permanently rejected for all the Services. Candidates who have undergone Laser Surgery for correction of refractive error are also not permitted to defence services. The detailed eyesight eligibility is given below:
Eyesight Eligibility for Naval Candidates:
- Uncorrected without glass 6/6
- Corrected with glass 6/6
- Limits of Hypermetropia +1.5
- Limits of Colour Perception I
- Binocular Vision III
Eyesight Eligibility for Air Force Candidates:
- Uncorrected without glass 6/6, 6/9
- Corrected with glass 6/6 (only for Hypermetropia)
- Limits of Myopia Nil
- Limits of Hypermetropia +2.00 D Sph
- Manifest Myopia Nil Re
- Tinoscopic Myopia 0.5
- Colour Vision CP-I (MLT)
- Astigmatism +0.75 Cyl (within + 2.0 D.Max)
- Near Vision N-5 each eye
- Maddox Rod Test
- The details of Maddox Rot Test are as the following:
- At 6 meters Exo-6 prism D
- Eso-6 prism D
Hyper-1 prism D
Hypro-1 prism D
At 33 cms Exo-16 prism D
Eso-6 prism D
Hyper-1 prism D
Hypo-1 prism D
Candidates who permanently need spectacles are not eligible for the Air Force.
Handheld Stereoscope–All of BSV grades Convergence–Up to 10 cm Cover test for distant and near-Lateral divergence/convergence recovery rapid and complete Radial Keratotomy, Photo Refractive Keratotomy/laser in Situ, Keratomileusis (PRK/LASIK) surgeries for correction of refractive errors are not accepted for any Air Force duties.
Candidates having undergone cataract surgery with or without IOL implants will also be not eligible to apply. Candidates must possess a good binocular vision (fusion and stereopsis with good amplitude and depth). Candidates who have undergone LASIK surgery are not declared fit for permanent commission in flying branch in IAF.
Physical Conditioning:
Candidates are required, to keep themselves in a good physical condition, by following the routine given below:
- Running 2.4 km in 15 minutes
- Skipping
- Push-ups and sit-ups (minimum 20 each)
- Chin-ups (minimum 08)
- Rope climbing 3-4 meters.
