Army

Career as an Officer

The most prestigious recruitment process in Armed Forces is through NDA (National Defence Academy), NDA Entrance Examination is conducted twice every year. A candidate must be an unmarried male and have attained the age of 16 1/2 years and must not have attained the age 19 years on the 1st January or 1st of July of the year succeeding the year of examination to be eligible to write the examination.

For Army wing of National Defence Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 (Executive Branch) Course at the Naval Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equilvalent with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University.

Apart from these there is a minimum height requirement and other physical standards, the same would be clearly mentioned in the application forms.

The candidates are short listed on the basis of the entrance examination and then called for SSB interviews. The candidate goes through a medical test & PABT (Pilot aptitude Test , only in case of Air Force) once he has been shortlisted after the SSB.

The final selected candidates spend 3 years or six terms in National Defence Academy (NDA, Khadakwalsa) before they move to their respective training to IMA-Dehradun (Army), Airforce Academy - Hyderabad & Naval Academy - Goa. The trainees are awarded a degree from JNU on completion of their course in NDA. The candidates then spent 1 year in their respective Academies before they are commissioned as officers.