Education, Careers & Professional News
Join the NDA, serve the nation
Source
THE HINDU
Date
2005-10-31
Information
The NDA is your cup of tea, if you fancy a top-notch career in the defence services. All about the examination and how to approach it.
IF YOU dont have a partner… it is time to visit the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Pune - that is an advertisement posted on the Net for the November 19 NDA Ball. Interested? This is the time to apply. Not for the Ball, but for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination that can land you on NDA campus.
The UPSC will conduct an examination on April 16, 2006, for admission to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force wings of the NDA for the courses beginning in January 2007. The last date to apply is November 14.
There are 300 services vacancies to be filled up through the NDA - 195 of them for the Army, 39 for the Navy and 66 for the Air Force. So, applicants should indicate whether they prefer the Army, the Navy or the Air Force.
Entry test
The examination will be held at 41 centres across the country. The UPSC examination, however, is only a preliminary step. Admission to the NDA will be on the basis of an intelligence and personality test, conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB) for candidates who qualify in the written examination. Apart from the officer potentiality test, there will be a pilot aptitude test for Air Force candidates. A candidate who fails in pilot aptitude test in the first attempt can never again apply for NDAs Air Force wing.
Preparation
Career advisors have no two opinions about preparing for the NDA. The written examination, consisting of 900 marks in general ability and mathematics, is generally considered manageable for plus-two students. However, most studentstake the NDA test without preparing for the psychological and physical fitness test of the SSB.
General studies and mathematics can be easily cracked as there are plenty of study aids available in the market. But our students generally fail to get through the SSB tests chiefly owing to lack of preparation, says M.S. Jalil, a career counsellor. Mr. Jalil suggests that a few months of special preparation for the five-day SSB tests will help the candidates land a prestigious job in the Defence forces. There are a few academies offering exclusive and complete training for NDA aspirants.
If they spend a full year for preparation, what they get is not an admission to a course, but an entry into a career that carries a lot of respect in the society, says Mr. Jalil, exhorting parents to give their children a proper orientation towards the NDA.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for the NDA examination if you are a bachelor born between January 2, 1988, and July 1, 1990. A pass in Plus Two is the educational qualification for the Army wing.
For the Navy and the Air Force wings, candidates should pass Plus Two with physics and mathematics as subjects. Those appearing for the Plus Two examination are also eligible to apply.
How to apply
The application forms are available for Rs. 20. For details, candidates can contact the UPSCs facilitation counter. The syllabus and other details of the examination are available at the following.
Candidates should pay a fee of Rs. 50. It should be made only through a single Central Recruitment Fee Stamp, duly cancelled from the issuing post office. The UPSC will not accept any other mode of payment such as postal order, demand draft, crossed cheque, money order or treasury challan.
Physical fitness
Candidates have to meet certain physical standards. The UPSC advises candidates to get themselves medically examined even before submitting their applications to avoid rejection at the final stage.
The academy will admit only candidates recommended by the Board of Service Medical Officers.
The minimum acceptable height for the NDA is 157.5 cm. Weight should be proportionate to the height and age. The chest should be well developed. Fully expanded chest should not be less than 81 cm. The minimum range of expansion after taking in full breath should be 5 cm.
Training
The candidates who make it to the NDA will be given preliminary training for three years. The training will be common to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings during the first two and half years. On passing out, the cadets will be awarded a bachelors degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.