Expert tips to ace in UPSC NDA entrance exam

The NDA national level written competitive exam comprises two sections, i.e., Mathematics and GAT (General Ability Test). The mathematics includes about 120 questions of 2.5 marks, each carrying a total weightage of 300 marks. The GAT section has 150 questions, which includes 50 questions for English and 100 for general knowledge spanning general science, geography, history and polity, with each question carrying 04 marks. The candidates will get 2.5 hours duration for each section and are expected to complete within the time limits. 

The candidates should be aware that there is Negative Marking. A penalty of 0.83 and 1.33 marks is deducted for each incorrect answer in the Mathematics and GAT sections respectively. Every year nearly 5 lakh aspirants appear for the NDA exams every year, but due to the immense competition and the level of examination is very high, only a handful of candidates make it to the selection.

Tips to crack NDA Exam

Many academic experts who were part of the Question Paper Panel have tried to give some of the tips and tricks that can help the students to crack the NDA exam at ease. The article tries to explain them in detail.

Revise thoroughly NCERT Books

The NDA exam trend shows that every year, 30 to 40 percent of questions will be directly picked from NCERT books. So, the aspirants can anticipate therefore, a complete revision of the same will boost your confidence as they can expect a good number of questions picked from the NCERT Books. Further the revisions come in handy to understand better our weaknesses and work towards rectifying it.

Solve previous year question papers

Going through previous years' question papers (up to 10 years) will help aspirants become familiar with the examination pattern and help to effectively manage time.

They will also get a fair understanding of their state of preparedness; assess weaknesses and strengths. By referring to the previous years question papers the candidates can get an idea of question paper patterns and they can plan strategies to solve it effectively. 

Attend to Mock Tests

The internet has given unlimited access to several mock tests and the candidates have to use this effectively. The mock tests help the candidates to get the jist of competition and his/her preparedness for the exam. Practising mock tests helps the candidates to perform better, it also helps them to plan a proper time management.

Reference Books

In the market there are a huge number of reference books available, the candidates can refer to more reference books during their preparations. It is always advisable that the candidates should stick to a few standard and quality reference books instead of lurking around other reference books. This leads to confusion and this impacts the preparation for the candidates.

Time Management

Time management plays a crucial role in achieving success in the NDA exams. The proper time management helps the candidates to answer more questions in lesser time thus increasing his/her chances to succeed in the NDA exams. Time management comes with proper practice and right preparation methodologies

Stay Hydrated

Many candidates will neglect their health while preparing for NDA exams, this may lead to severe consequences in the future. With no proper health the candidates cannot prepare well for the exams. So it is always advised to maintain a healthy diet while preparing. Drink lots of water, maintain a healthy diet and maintain a good physical activity. These aspects help the candidates to prepare well and also achieve success in the exams.

Conclusion

The above are some of the tips & tricks given by the experts for all the candidates who aspire to clear NDA Exams. If the above tips are rigorously followed, then any aspirant can easily perform better in the NDA exam and reach his/her goals.