Tips to Crack NDA Exam in First Attempt

UPSC conducts the NDA & NA Exam twice in a Year. For the aspirants of NDA, reducing negative marking is of critical importance, as a single mistake in choosing the right answer can turn you into failure.
But don’t be upset about the negative marking scheme. Follow the below given Important tips to Crack NDA Exam in First Attempt and escape the negative mark trap.
To get selected to the NDA training program, a candidate has to go through a two phase selection process. The first phase is written examination and the second phase is an SSB (Services Selection Board) Interview.

NDA WRITTEN EXAMINATION

The written examination is MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) styled. Candidates have to use OMR sheets to record their answers. One has to select the right answer from a set of options given with each question. The examination can be said to be consisting of broadly 3 main parts- Mathematics, English and General Knowledge. Let us see some important facts about these main sections-

1. MATHEMATICS SECTION-

Includes topics that you’ve faced in 12th standard like- Algebra, Trigonometry, Probability, Permutations and Combinations, Analytical question, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Ratio and proportion etc.

2. ENGLISH SECTION-

This section is all about testing your English language skills. Expect questions related to mistake spotting, synonyms, antonyms, article writing, grammar related questions, comprehension etc.

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE SECTION-

Covers variety of topics ranging from science to current affairs! Some of the topics are- Indian history, World History and events, Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc. Now that we have gone through the blueprint and the various different sections of the examination, let us focus on the tips and tricks that will help you score the maximum marks.

USEFUL TIPS FOR CRACK NDA WRITTEN EXAM in 1st Attempt

1.Previous Years question papers
If you are really serious about passing the written exam and scoring well in it, consider solving as many question papers that you can lay your hands upon. The trend so far has been that the blueprint of the written examination has not changed significantly over all these years. The figures in different years question papers may be different, but the style of the questions asked each year are the same! Upon solving previous year question papers, you’ll come across the style of the questions. Since the same styled questions are asked in the exam, you won’t have much trouble solving them! This is also a good way to get the necessary exam practice!

2. Books for NDA written exam guides
One of the best guide book is the one published by Arihant Publication house. It usually covers each and every topic associated with the written examination. Also, as an added bonus, it also contains question papers from previous years and the solutions to those papers too in it!

3. Learn the shortcuts, in Mathematics
The mathematics part of the exam is a bit tricky. The questions asked in it are analytical and needs to be worked upon to find the solution. As long as you don’t know the shortcut method, it will for sure take much time and efforts to find the right answer. This often results in waste of time and marks! Learning the shortcut methods using the guide book will help you save time. This will eventually help you attend all the questions asked in the paper.

4. Most importance key -Time management
It is all about managing the time that has been allotted in a good manner. Try mastering the shortcut methods and save time. Don’t waste time solving a question that you don’t have any idea about. Instead of that, move on to the next question. Always keep an eye on your wrist watch.

5. Negative marking
Like almost all the MCQ styled entrance tests, this examination also has the negative marks system. As per this system, each wrong question attempted by the candidate will result in 0.25 marks being deducted from the grand total! This means that 4 wrong answers can get 1 mark deducted from your score! Thus, keeping this negative marking system in mind, never go for wild guesses while answering the question paper. Leave the questions that you are not quite sure about. To an extent, intelligent guessing can be used. But never attempt wild guessing. It may end up ruining your final score. .

6. Rough work space management skills
Wondering what space management is all about? Well, when it comes to mathematics, to solve questions, some or the other sort of rough work is involved. Such rough work requires blank space. You may do such stuff in your mind too, if you are exceptionally smart! But almost all of us will need to do rough work on the blank spaces provided. But the problem is that the amount of blank space provided is not too much. It is quite limited, to be honest. So, in order to tackle this issue and to prevent ourselves from running out of blank space, we must practice space management. Learn to do calculations and rough work in as limited space as possible. Also, do much of the task using mental arithmetic rather than written work.

7. Importance of TV and NEWS Paper
As mentioned above, Current Affairs forms an integral part of this examination. To clear the exam and score well, this section must be well attended to! The best way to do this task is by making use of Television and NEWS Papers. Make use of them to stay up to date on topics associated with Current Affairs as well as National and International NEWS. Guide books alone won’t help you master Current Affairs. That’s when TV and NEWS Papers comes handy!

8. The Best way to score in English section is Extensive reading
If you are naturally strong in English since your school days, you won’t have much problem dealing with the English section of the examination. Otherwise, you’ll have to polish your skills. The best way to do this is by reading. Reading English story books, novels, NEWS Papers etc will help you improve your language as well as build vocabulary at the same time. Believe me, it will also improve your grammar and writing skills to an extent.

9. History, Geography of India: prepare well
It may well be boring to prepare history& Geography section. But at least don’t skip the part associated with the history of our country! Lots of questions are asked, which are related to Indian history & Indian Geography. Skipping this section will prove to be a costly mistake! Prepare this section well.

10. Practice is the key
To avoid negative marking, one has to be good at one’s preparation. Solving questions using short cuts, especially Mathematics, helps the candidates in saving valuable time. The saved time enables the candidates in allotting more time in solving difficult level questions and arriving at right answer.