UPSC NDA Exam Analysis 2024: Check Subject Wise Analysis!
Union Public Service Commission conducted the UPSC NDA 2 Exam on 1st September 2024. The NDA 2 exam 2024 was held in pen and paper mode with a duration of 2.5 hours. Over the past 5 years, the overall difficulty level has consistently been reported as moderate. The UPSC NDA 2 2024 Paper included Objective Multiple-Choice Questions, with sections on Mathematics and the General Ability Test (GAT). The Mathematics paper comprised 120 questions totaling 300 marks, while the GAT included 150 questions worth 600 marks. The exam time for Mathematics was from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and for the GAT, it was from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The UPSC NDA Examination is conducted twice a year to recruit candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Over 5 lakh aspirants attempt the examination every year. In this article, we are going to provide you with the detailed Exam Analysis of UPSC NDA 2024.
- The candidates should know the weightage of each topic as it helps the candidate to prepare for the examination strategically.
- The exam consists of 2 sections - Section I (Mathematics) and Section-II (General Aptitude Test).
- There will be a total number of 270 questions asked in the examination (120 from Mathematics and 150 from the General Ability Test).
- Each section will be conducted for 2.5 hours.
Go through the article to get the complete details regarding the UPSC NDA Exam Analysis 2025.
To get the detailed NDA Previous Year Question Paper, candidates can visit the linked article.
UPSC NDA Online Coaching - Crack NDA in your first attempt
UPSC NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2024 – Difficulty Level
The difficulty level of the exam differs across subjects and can also vary from student to student. Below is a table summarizing the difficulty level and the number of questions asked from each subject.
Attempt Logical Reasoning Quiz For NDA
Your Daily Quiz is ready!
Test your knowledge with this Short Quiz
Choose the correct answer and click Submit button. At the end of the quiz, you can review your score and view explanations.
UPSC NDA 2 Exam Analysis for Mathematics
The topic-wise distribution of questions in Maths is given below.
UPSC NDA 2 Exam Analysis for GAT Paper
In the GAT paper, questions were drawn from subjects like Polity, History, Economics, Biology, and others. Refer to the table below for the number of questions asked from each subject.
UPSC NDA Exam Analysis 2024 – Difficulty Level
The overall difficulty level of the UPSC NDA 1 exam is moderate. Check the detailed overview below.
|
Paper |
Difficulty Level |
|
Mathematics |
Moderate |
|
General Ability |
Moderate to Difficult |
UPSC NDA Good Attempts
Below is the detailed subject wise good attempts analysis.
|
Subjects |
Good Attempts Range |
|
Mathematics |
50-55 |
|
General Ability |
110-115 |
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2023 - Overview
The details regarding the difficulty level and a number of good attempts are out for the Mathematics as well as GAT paper. The good attempts and difficulty level are as follows:
|
Subject |
Good Attempt |
Difficulty Level |
| Mathematics | 45-55 | Moderate |
| General Ability Test | 105-115 | Moderate |
NDA 1 Exam Analysis 2023 for GAT
Current Affairs carried questions related to Govt Policies and Schemes, Defence Acquisitions and Deals. Below are the topic-wise distribution of questions in GAT paper.
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|
English |
50 |
Moderate |
|
History |
16 |
Moderate |
|
Geography |
19 |
Moderate |
|
Polity |
1 |
Easy |
|
Current Affairs |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Physics |
25 |
Difficult |
|
Chemistry |
16 |
Moderate |
|
Biology |
10 |
Moderate |
NDA 1 Exam Analysis 2023 for Maths
The topic-wise distribution of questions in Maths is given below.
| Topics | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence & Series | 8 | Normal |
| Trigonometry | 9 | Easy |
| Height & Distance | 2 | Easy |
| Circle | 2 | Easy |
| Complex number | 5 | Hard |
| Inequality and Logarithms | 1 | Easy |
| Binomial theorem | 3 | Normal |
| Quadratic equation and cube roots | 4 | Easy |
| Permutation and combination | 7 | Easy |
| Matrices and Determinants | 7 | Normal |
| Probability | 7 | Normal |
| Differential Equation | 6 | Easy |
| Sets Relations and Functions | 7 | Easy |
| Lines and Angles | 7 | Normal |
| Differentiation & its application | 6 | Hard |
| Integration & its application | 9 | Easy |
| Limits, Continuity and Differentiability | 6 | Normal |
| Vector | 6 | Hard |
| Conic Section | 2 | Hard |
| Static & DI | 11 | Normal |
| 3D Geometry | 4 | Hard |
| Binary | 1 | Easy |
NDA 1 Exam Analysis 2023 - Overview
The details regarding the difficulty level and a number of good attempts are out for the Mathematics as well as GAT paper. The good attempts and difficulty level are as follows:
|
Subject |
Good Attempt |
Difficulty Level |
| Mathematics | 95-105 | Moderate |
| General Ability Test | 125-130 | Easy to Moderate |
Check out the NDA Cut Off Marks here.
NDA 1 Exam Analysis 2023 for GAT
Current Affairs carried questions related to Govt Policies and Schemes, Defence Acquisitions and Deals. Below are the topic-wise distribution of questions in GAT paper.
| Topic | Total Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | Normal |
| History | 16 | Normal |
| Polity | 1 | Easy |
| Geography | 19 | Normal |
| Current Affairs | 10 | Normal |
| Static GK | 2 | Easy |
| Physics | 25 | Hard |
| Chemistry | 16 | Normal |
| Biology | 10 | Normal |
| Spotting Errors | 10 | Normal |
| Idioms & Phrases | 10 | Normal |
| Ordering of words in a sentence | 10 | Normal |
| Synonyms | 10 | Normal |
| Antoynms | 10 | Normal |
NDA 1 Exam Analysis 2023 for Maths
The topic-wise distribution of questions in Maths is given below.
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|
Trigonometry |
9 |
Easy |
|
Height & Distance |
2 |
Easy |
|
Sequence & Series |
8 |
Moderate |
|
Complex Number |
5 |
Difficult |
|
Inequalities & Logarithms |
1 |
Easy |
|
Permutation & Combination |
7 |
Easy |
|
Quadratic equation & cube root |
4 |
Easy |
|
Binomial Theorem |
3 |
Moderate |
|
Matrices & Determinants |
7 |
Easy |
|
Probability |
7 |
Moderate |
|
Binary |
1 |
Easy |
|
Set Relations & Functions |
7 |
Easy |
|
Limits Continuity and Differentiability |
6 |
Moderate |
|
Differentiation |
6 |
Difficult |
|
Integration |
9 |
Easy |
|
Differential equation |
6 |
Easy |
|
Vector |
6 |
Difficult |
|
Conic Section |
2 |
Difficult |
|
Lines & Angles |
7 |
Moderate |
|
3D Geo |
4 |
Difficult |
| Circle | 2 | Easy |
| Static & DI | 11 | Moderate |
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2022 for GAT
Current Affairs carried questions related to Govt Policies and Schemes, Defence Acquisitions and Deals. Below are the topic-wise distribution of questions in GAT paper.
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
|
English |
50 |
|
History |
12 |
|
Geography |
15 |
|
Polity |
9 |
|
Current Affairs |
13 |
|
Physics |
22 |
|
Chemistry |
16 |
|
Biology |
12 |
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2022 for Maths
The topic-wise distribution of questions in Maths is given below.
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty |
|
Trigonometry |
14 |
Easy |
|
Height & Distance |
2 |
Easy |
|
Sequence & Series |
5 |
Moderate |
|
Complex Number |
2 |
Easy |
|
Logarithms |
1 |
Easy |
|
Permutation & Combination |
8 |
Moderate |
|
Quadratic equation & cube root |
6 |
Easy |
|
Binomial Theorem |
3 |
Moderate |
|
Matrices & Determinants |
10 |
Easy |
|
Probability |
8 |
Moderate |
|
Binary |
2 |
Easy |
|
Set Relations & Functions |
8 |
Easy |
|
Limits Continuity and Differentiability |
4 |
Moderate |
|
Differentiation |
9 |
Easy |
|
Integration |
5 |
Moderate |
|
Differential equation |
4 |
Moderate |
|
Vector |
5 |
Moderate |
|
Conic Section |
3 |
Easy |
|
Lines |
4 |
Easy |
|
3D |
6 |
Moderate |
|
Miscellaneous |
11 |
Easy |
The Mathematics paper was of Moderate difficulty. A total of 65-70 questions shall be a good attempt. The questions were asked on the following topics:
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Trigonometry | 14 |
| Height & Distance | 2 |
| Sequence & Series | 5 |
| Complex Numbers | 2 |
| Inequality & Logs | 1 |
| Permutation & Combination | 8 |
| Quadratic Equation | 6 |
| Binomial Theorem | 3 |
| Matrices & Determinants | 10 |
| Probability | 8 |
| Binary | 2 |
| Set Relations & Functions | 8 |
| Limits, Continuity & Differentiability | 4 |
| Differentiation | 9 |
| Integration | 5 |
| Differential Equation | 4 |
| Vectors | 5 |
| Conic Section | 3 |
| Lines | 4 |
| 3D Geometry | 6 |
| Static | 11 |
| Total | 120 |
NDA 1 GAT Exam Analysis 2022
The GAT paper has been concluded. The overall difficulty of this paper was Easy to Moderate. The topic-wise distribution of questions is as follows:
| Topics | No. of Questions | |
| English | Spotting Errors | 10 |
| Idioms & Phrases | 10 | |
| Ordering of Words | 10 | |
| Synonyms | 10 | |
| Antonyms | 10 | |
| History | 12 | |
| Geography | 15 | |
| India Polity | 9 | |
| Physics | 22 | |
| Chemistry | 16 | |
| Biology | 12 | |
| Current Affairs | 14 | |
| Total | 150 | |
UPSC NDA 2 2021 Exam Analysis
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2021 - Overview
The details regarding the difficulty level and a number of good attempts are out for the Mathematics as well as GAT paper. The good attempts and difficulty level are as follows:
|
Subject |
Good Attempt |
Difficulty Level |
| Mathematics | 58 - 66 | Moderate |
| General Ability Test | 105-112 | Moderate |
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2021 - Mathematics
The exam analysis for the Mathematics section is as follows. The topics asked and the number of questions is as follows:
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Matrices & Determinants | 8 to 10 |
| Trigonometry | 20 |
| Analytical Geometry | 20 |
| Differentiation | 15 |
| Integration | 10 |
| Statistics | 10 to 12 |
| Vectors | 5 to 7 |
| Misc/Algebra | 20 to 25 |
NDA 2 Exam Analysis 2021 - GAT Paper
The 2nd paper of the UPSC NDA 2 exam has been concluded. The various topics and the number of questions asked are as follows:
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| English | 50 |
| Geography | 10 to 12 |
| Current Affairs | 5 to 8 |
| Static GK | 4 to 5 |
| Biology | 10 |
| Chemistry | 15 |
| Physics | 18 to 21 |
| Indian Polity | 9 |
| Economy | 8 |
| History | 10 to 13 |
UPSC NDA 1 2021 Exam Analysis
Exam Analysis 18th April 2021 - Overview
The details regarding the difficulty level and a number of good attempts are out and are updated below.
|
Subject |
Good Attempt |
Difficulty Level |
| Mathematics | 55 - 60 | Moderate |
| General Ability Test | 90 - 105 | Easy to Moderate |
Check How to crack the NDA exam in first attempt here.
NDA Exam Analysis 2021 - Mathematics
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty |
|
Sets, Relations, and functions |
06 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Complex Number |
05 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Quadratic Equations |
04 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Permutations and Combinations |
03 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Binomial Theorem |
04 |
Moderate |
|
Sequences and Series |
08 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Matrices and Determinants |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Vector Algebra |
05 |
Moderate |
|
Three-dimensional Geometry |
05 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Straight Lines |
06 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Circles |
02 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Conic Sections |
02 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Trigonometric Functions |
13 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Inverse Trigonometric Functions |
02 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Heights and distance |
02 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Limit and Continuity |
04 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Differentiation |
04 |
Moderate |
|
Applications of Derivatives |
05 |
Moderate |
|
Integral Calculus |
07 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Differential Equations |
04 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Statistics |
10 |
Easy to Moderate |
|
Probability |
05 |
Moderate |
|
Miscellaneous |
04 |
Easy to Moderate |
Attempt UPSC NDA Mock Test now and boost your preparation level!
NDA Exam Analysis 2021 - General Ability Test [GAT]
The General Aptitude Test is conducted for 600 marks. A total number of 150 questions are asked. The difficulty level of the examination is easy to moderate. Below is a detailed analysis of GAT.
|
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty |
|
English |
50 |
Moderate |
|
History |
15 |
Moderate |
|
Geography |
18 |
Moderate |
|
Polity |
4 |
Moderate |
|
Current Affairs |
5 |
Moderate |
|
Economics |
1 |
Easy - Moderate |
|
Static GK |
2 |
Easy |
|
Defence Specific |
2 |
Easy - Moderate |
|
Physics |
22 |
Easy - Moderate |
|
Chemistry |
17 |
Moderate |
|
Biology |
11 |
Moderate |
|
Sports |
3 |
Moderate |
To get the detailed UPSC NDA Selection Process, candidates can visit the linked article.
NDA Exam Analysis 2021 - Physics
The details regarding the number of questions and topics are listed for Physics in the table below.
|
Topic |
No. of questions |
Difficulty |
|
Optics |
8 |
Easy-Moderate |
|
Units, Dimensions, and Measurements |
1 |
Easy |
|
Fluids |
1 |
Easy |
|
Dual Nature, Atom and Nuclei |
2 |
Easy-Moderate |
|
Semiconductor |
1 |
Easy |
|
Laws of Motion |
1 |
Easy-Moderate |
|
Thermal Properties of Matter |
2 |
Easy |
|
Wave and Oscillations |
4 |
Easy-Moderate |
|
Electric Charges and Coulomb's Law |
1 |
Easy |
|
Current, Resistance and Electricity |
1 |
Easy |
Check and download Latest UPSC NDA Syllabus
NDA Exam Analysis 2021 - English
The details regarding the difficulty level and a number of questions for English are mentioned in the table below.
|
Topic |
No. of questions |
Difficulty |
|
Fill in the Blanks |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Spotting of Errors |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Idioms & Phrases |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Synonyms |
10 |
Moderate |
|
Antonyms |
10 |
Moderate |
Read about How to prepare for NDA exam in one month here.
NDA Trend Analysis of Question Papers
The following is a trend analysis of NDA question papers from 2013, 2014, and 2015.
|
Topics |
2013(I) |
2013 (II) |
2014 (I) |
2014 (II) |
2015 (I) |
2015 (II) |
|
Spotting Errors |
10 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
15 |
9 |
|
Synonyms |
10 |
10 |
Nil |
10 |
4 |
5 |
|
Antonyms |
10 |
10 |
4 |
10 |
4 |
5 |
|
Selecting words & fill-ups |
Nil |
10 |
4 |
10 |
Nil |
15 |
|
Comprehension Passage |
Nil |
4 |
7 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
|
Rearrangement of Sentences |
Nil |
6 |
Nil |
Nil |
6 |
6 |
|
Cloze Comprehension |
20 |
Nil |
12 |
Nil |
6 |
Nil |
|
Sentence Improvement |
Nil |
Nil |
12 |
10 |
15 |
10 |
Trend analysis of Mathematics paper
|
Topics |
2012 (II) |
2012 (I) |
2011 (II) |
2011 (I) |
2010 (II) |
2010 (I) |
|
Sets, Relations & Function |
6 |
9 |
2 |
11 |
7 |
8 |
|
PNC |
2 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
|
Binomial Theorem |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
|
Logarithm |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Matrix, Determinants |
8 |
11 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
|
Binary Numbers |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Sequence, Series |
4 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
|
Probability |
10 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
|
Statistics |
12 |
6 |
20 |
7 |
10 |
4 |
|
3D |
7 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
|
2D |
10 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
|
Circle |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Trend analysis of General Knowledge question papers
|
Topics |
2012 (II) |
2012 (I) |
2011 (II) |
2011 (I) |
2010 (II) |
2010 (I) |
|
World Physical |
21 |
19 |
19 |
22 |
18 |
21 |
|
Human (Tribe) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Timing |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Agro-geography |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Prehistoric |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
NDA Exam Pattern
The candidates will be attending two papers which are the mathematics and General Ability Test. The mathematics paper will be conducted for 300 marks whereas the General Ability Test will be conducted for 600 marks. The time duration for both the papers will be 150 minutes or 2 1/2 hours.
|
Papers |
Subject |
Questions |
Maximum marks |
Duration |
|
Paper 1 |
Mathematics |
120 |
300 |
150 minutes |
|
Paper 2 |
General Ability Test |
150 |
600 |
150 minutes |
- The exam is conducted for 900 marks.
- The exam consists of 2 papers.
- The duration of each paper is 150 minutes.
Check out NDA Eligibility criteria here.
We hope you found this article informative and helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us for any doubts. You can also download our Testbook App which is free and start preparing for any competitive examination. This app provides you with Test Series, Mock tests, PDFs, Previous years' question papers, and much more. So what are you waiting for? Download the app and start your preparation to fulfil your dreams.
