Books to Refer for NDA Exam 2023-24

NDA books are available in the market in huge numbers. Some of them are truly great reads with extensive coverage. Others are not that great. In this article, we will discuss in detail the NDA books and tell you which books are the best for the written exam. There are some books that will give you an idea of the SSB interview questions as well. Along with the use of NDA books by UPSC, you must also start exercising regularly as you cannot pass the NDA exam just by reading the books. You need to enhance your physical fitness to a significant level. Read on to know more.

Why you Need Good NDA Books

The first part of the NDA exam is the written test. In the written test, there are two papers - Maths and General Science and Intelligence (GAT). The format is going to remain the same in NDA Exam 2022. The Maths paper will have 120 questions and the GAT paper will have 150 questions. The total marks of the written test are 900. So, it is vital that you prepare well for the written test and for that you need good NDA books. 

NCERT Books are your Best Friend

The NDA exam consists of questions that are of Class 12 standard or below. If you follow the NCERT books thoroughly and grasp all the concepts mentioned in the books, you will not need any other reference book to pass the exam. For the GAT portion too, you will need to brush up your knowledge in history and geography by reading the Class 9/10 textbooks.

NDA Maths Best Book

There are many NDA books for Maths. Not all are good. You must be careful while choosing a book. Some books will confuse you and your time will be wasted. However, there are some great Maths books available in the market for the NDA exam.

1. Pathfinder For NDA and NA: Pathfinder for NDA and NA is one of the best NDA books available in the market. The book comes from Arihant Publication. The book contains detailed explanations of the theories on Maths topics. Then there are solved questions. The previous years’ solved questions are also there. This book covers almost all the topics of the Maths paper that come in the NDA exam. However, sometimes the explanations can be very difficult to understand and you might need to take the help of other books. All in all, it is a good book with detailed analysis and solved questions. What’s more, the book also includes chapters on General Ability. So it can act as a standalone book for you.

2. Mathematics For NDA and NA by R.S Agarwal: If you already know the fundamentals of the Maths topics, this book can help you find a variety of questions that can be asked in the NDA and NA exams. The chapters are not discussed in detail, but the sheer number of questions will help you be prepared for the NDA exam in a solid way. 

3. Online Maths Classes and Study Materials: There are top online education platforms like Vedantu that provide in-depth study materials for the NDA exam. These study materials if practiced thoroughly alongside attending the online Maths classes can give any NDA preparation a great boost. The online NDA study materials are no way less insightful than any of the NDA books available in the market. 

NDA GAT Books 

If you want to score high in the GAT paper of NDA 2022, you have to keep your eyes and ears open. Here are some helpful resources that can help you score high in GAT -

1. Newspapers and The TV News- GAT consists of current affairs questions. You need to be aware of the incidents happening around the world 24*7. This can only be done if you read newspapers on a daily basis. The best thing about newspapers is that they also analyze the news - this will come in handy during the SSB interview. You should also watch the news on TV so that you can be aware of the new incidents. You can also learn spoken English by watching English news broadcasts and Vedantu’s live online classes. 

2. Manorama Yearbook - Manorama Yearbook is the market leader when it comes to GK books. The book not only incorporates current events but also has history and geography topics organized in an impressive manner.

3. Lucent’s GK Book- If you get scared by the sheer size of the Manorama Yearbook, you can take the help of Lucent’s GK books. The book is short, to the point and includes most of the popular GK topics.

We would like to reiterate once again that NCERT books are your best ally when it comes to preparing for the NDA exam. The NDA exam is conducted by the UPSC. It follows a strict pattern and never digresses from the path of framing questions in a sane manner. Now, let us discuss the syllabus for Maths and GAT and you will understand why you are being asked to focus on the NCERT books so much. 

SSB Interview  

For the SSB interview of the NDA Exam, you can follow these books -

1. SSB Interview: The Complete Guide: This book by Dr N K Natarajan can help you understand to a great extent what actually happens in the interview, how to handle the psychology tests and group tests and how to respond to the questions of the interviewers. 

2. SSB Interviews: This book by Maj (retd) Ravindran Vasudevan is another gem that can teach you how to behave in front of the interviewers and what to say and what not to say. This book is not for psychology test help; it will help you polish your behavioral skills. 

Syllabus for the NDA Exam 

Maths 

The Syllabus for Maths Include: 

• Algebra

• Operations on Matrices, The Determinants of a Matrix

• Trigonometry

• Analytical Geometry of Two and Three Dimensions

• Differential Calculus

• Integral Calculus and Differential Equations

• Vector Algebra

• Statistics and Probability

All these topics are discussed in your Class 11 and Class 12 books. The topics are discussed in an organized way. The other books also explain these books but they are a little haphazard. That is why among the NDA books, NCERT books are the best. 

GAT 

Although the GAT paper does not follow a strict outline, apart from the current affairs questions, the questions on English, history, geography, etc are basically based on the class 9/10 syllabus.

NDA 2022

This year NDA 2022 was going to be held in April. However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the exam was postponed. Now after much delay, the UPSC officials have decided to conduct the exam on 10th April 2022. There will be just one NDA exam this year unlike the usual two in the previous years. So, get ready to face huge competition this year. Yes, you need good NDA books this year to crush the competition. 

NDA books can help you to a certain extent. At the end of the day, it will be your body and brain that will help you enter the hallowed grounds of the NDA. So prepare yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually if you want to crack the NDA exam and the interview.

Preparation Tips

1. Start Early

There is no shortcut passage for hard work similarly, there is no substitute for starting early with revision. You have to give yourself ample time to review everything that you have studied earlier and make sure that you understand it well. Last-minute cramming is much less productive. So plan ahead. Review each subject as you go like a story, and make sure that you understand every single part of it, as this will make revision much easier. In the end, the best tip is to study hard and know your strengths and weakness when it comes to subjects. By far starting early is the best way to prepare yourself.

2. Organize your Time

You may find some subjects easier than other subjects. You may face situations like, you have more to revise for some subjects than other subjects. This happens due to poor time management. Studies show that It is worth taking the time to plan your revision and consider how much time you might need for each subject and note it down. It will be of great help to you if you consider when and how long you plan to spend studying each day and how much time will you be able to manage on daily basis. Keep in mind other commitments that you have during your study period or near your study period. Planning your revision helps you to use your time in an optimum way for the best advantage. Observe what works for you is it morning, afternoon or evening that you study more efficiently and effectively. Are you capable of reading more at particular times? Make sure you keep yourself flexible to adapt to any unwanted situations.

3. Understand your Exam

Make sure to understand past exam papers to get an estimate about the current year. This will boost your confidence for the type of exam you will be sitting, whether fill in the blanks, short answer or essay. Set expectations: for example, how many questions from each segment do you have to answer? you still have to follow the instructions on the paper itself and look that they are the same and this will help you to feel confident with what will be expected. Be pretty sure that you have practised the correct type of questions and know what will be expected by the auditors a good and bad answer.

4. Try out every Revision Techniques

Try out multiple revision techniques, for example, reading over your notes on a subject is exhausting. Turn up the heat, change the revision period by trying different ways. Answering practise papers and questions to challenge your understanding that what you can remember, and then checking them against your actual notes. Notice where you lack or miss something out and go back and review those back. Discuss with some friends, a different approach will always help.

5. Look after yourself

You will be able to study better if you eat healthily, and get well-needed shut-eye.

Junk food is not a good idea for a healthy life. It is better to do regular exercise when studying. Walking or doing vigorous exercise, will get your blood pumping and that will ensure that you are able to concentrate better.

6. Take Regular Intervals

You cannot work for 8 hours at a stretch. Researches prove that it is very hard to study in a concentrated way for more than about an hour or two. You may find that for some days you can do more exceptionally well considering your mental state and motivation, but mostly, one to one and a half hours is likely to be your limit before you end your studies. Self-distraction becomes important when it comes to breaking the chain and restarting and carrying it out for long.