National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, the cadets of the three services, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force train together before they go on to the respective service academies for further pre-commissioning training.
Combined Defence Services (CDS) is the examination for recruitment into Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy.
Eligibility criteria:
| Parameter | NDA | CDS |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 16 ½ -19 ½ Years | 19 to 25 Years |
| Eligibility | Men, and Women | Men |
| Educational Qualification | Class 12 | Graduation |
Exam Pattern:
| Parameters | NDA | CDS |
|---|---|---|
| Number of papers | Two | IMA, AFA, and INA: Three OTA: Two |
| Name of the subjects | General Ability Test (GAT) and Mathematics | IMA, AFA and INA: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics OTA: English and General Knowledge |
| Exam duration | Each paper is for 2 ½ | Each paper is held for two hours |
| Number of questions | GAT: 150 Mathematics: 120 | Maths: 100 English: 120 General Knowledge: 120 |
| Total marks | Written Exam: 900 SSB Interview: 900 | IMA, INA, and AFA: 300 OTA: 200 The SSB Interview for IMA, INA, AFA is for 300 marks each while for OTA, it is 200 |
| Negative marks | GAT: 1.33 Maths: 0.83 | 0.33 |
| Nature of syllabus | The standard of NDA syllabus is of Classes 10, 11, and 12 levels | The standard of the topics in the CDS Syllabus for Elementary Mathematics will be of Class 10 level. The standard of papers for other subjects will be of Graduation level |
Training, Training Centres and Degrees:
| Parameter | NDA | CDS |
|---|---|---|
| Duration of training | Four to Four and half years Three years at NDA and one year at IMA (For Army cadets) Three years at NDA and one year at Naval Academy (For Naval cadets) Three years at NDA and one and half years at AFA Hyderabad (For AF cadets) | 18 months for IMA Cadets 37-40 months for Navy Officers 74 months for Air Force Officers |
| Training centres | National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune Indian Military Academy, Dehradun Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Indian Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun for Army Cadets Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala for Navy Cadets Indian Air Force Academy, Hyderabad for Air Force Officers Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai |
| Degrees awarded | Army Cadets: BSc/BSc (Computer)/BA /BTech degree Naval Cadets: BTech degree Air Force Cadets: BTech degree | Army Cadets in IMA: PG Diploma in Military and Defence Management OTA Chennai: Post-Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies |