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NDA Preparation Tips 2026, Subject Wise Tips and Strategy

Get detailed NDA Preparation Tips 2026 with subject-wise strategies to boost your preparation for the exam. NDA 1 2026 is scheduled for 12 April 2026, so follow these steps to stay on track.
authorImageKanak Joshi15 Dec, 2025
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NDA Preparation Tips

NDA Preparation Tips 2026: Preparing for the NDA 2026 exam requires a well-planned strategy and focused study. The NDA 1 2026 notification has been  released on December 10, 2025, and the exam is scheduled for April 12, 2026. With this timeline in mind, candidates should start their preparation early, focusing on each subject separately to cover the syllabus effectively. Subject-wise tips and strategies help aspirants manage their time, improve accuracy, and clear this prestigious exam with confidence.

NDA Preparation Tips 2026

The NDA 2026 exam is a popular defence exam among aspirants who wish to join the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Acing the NDA exam is no cakewalk, but candidates can still succeed with a focused approach and strategy. To prepare well for the written exam, aspirants must plan an effective timetable for all the subjects. Thus, candidates should use the right NDA preparation tips and books to achieve favorable scores in the exam.

Analyse the NDA Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The first NDA preparation tip is to analyse the NDA Syllabus and Exam Pattern to understand the exam requirements, format, and topics from which questions are asked in the exam. This will help them to focus more on the questions that can be asked in the exam. In brief, the NDA 2026 Exam is divided into two papers i.e. Maths and GAT. Thus, one should understand the NDA Exam pattern and syllabus before commencing the exam preparation.

Clear the Basic Concepts

The next NDA preparation tip is to gain conceptual clarity for all the topics prescribed in the syllabus. After clearing the concepts, they will be able to understand the advanced topics in a better manner. They are advised to refer to the limited books to avoid any conceptual confusion at any preparation stage.

Choose the NDA Books

Candidates are advised to include the books and study material in their NDA preparation strategy. They should check the recommendations of the and previous year toppers when choosing the books to make an informed decision. This will help them to cover all the important topics prescribed in the syllabus and maximise their scores in the exam.

Solve Mock Tests and Previous Year Question Paper

Practising questions from the NDA Previous Year Question Papers and mock tests to get an idea of the questions asked in the exam. It will also help them to analyse the difficulty level of questions and discover the strong and weak areas for improvement. It will also help them to learn time management skills effectively.

Read Newspaper and Magazines

Candidates should inculcate the habit of reading newspapers and magazines to stay updated with all the events happening around the world. They should prepare current affairs notes and revise them regularly to score high marks in the exam.

Manage Time Effectively

Time management is important when preparing for the NDA 2026 Exam. Thus, they should include learning time management skills in their NDA preparation strategy. They should devote more time to higher-weightage topics and take regular breaks to stay focused.

Revise Regularly

Candidates should prepare short notes for all the important topics and revise regularly to obtain high scores in the exam. It will help them retain all the concepts for a longer period, and these short notes are also useful in the last-minute revision.

Subject-Wise NDA Preparation Tips 2026

Candidates should be familiar with the NDA Syllabus and Exam Pattern to prepare for the written exam effectively. The NDA Syllabus covers two subjects, i.e. Mathematics and General Ability Test. Thus, candidates should also focus on the subject-wise NDA preparation tips and strategies. This will also help to understand the subject in a defined manner and score high marks in the exam. Here is the subject-wise NDA Preparation Tips 2026 for Maths and GAT are shared below.

NDA Preparation Tips for Mathematics

Mathematics is one of the toughest sections in the NDA 2026 Exam. Here are the subject-wise NDA Preparation Tips for Mathematics shared below.
  • Clear the basic concepts and advanced chapters for all the topics.
  • Learn short-cut tricks, theorems, and formulas to improve their calculation speed.
  • Solve NDA Maths previous year's question papers and sample papers to identify the strong and weak areas.

NDA Preparation Tips for General Ability Test

The General Ability Test is one of the highest-scoring sections in the NDA 2026 Exam. The NDA GAT Syllabus 2026 is divided into two parts, i.e. English and General Knowledge. The NDA General Knowledge syllabus is subdivided into various subjects, i.e. Physics, Chemistry, General Science, Social Studies, Geography, and Current Events. Here are the subject-wise NDA Preparation Tips for the General Ability Test are shared below.
Subject Subject-Wise NDA Preparation Strategy
NDA Preparation Tips for English Read Newspapers and English books to revise grammar and vocabulary rules. Practice mock papers for favourable results.
NDA Preparation Tips for Physics Master fundamentals and complex physics topics and solve previous year's papers to understand the trending topics.
NDA Preparation Tips for Chemistry Master fundamentals and theories of chemistry and use notes to revise formulas and other factors.
NDA Preparation Tips for History Read the NCERT books to master the fundamentals and prepare short notes for last-minute revision.
NDA Preparation Tips for Geography Clear the basic concepts from the latest syllabus and learn maps, diagrams, etc to maximize their scores.
NDA Preparation Tips for Current Events Read newspapers and current affairs to stay informed about national and international events. Make short notes of the current events for quick revision.

Questions Weightage of NDA General Knowledge

The NDA Paper II is divided into two stages, i.e. English (Part A) and General Knowledge (Part B). As per the official update, Out of the maximum marks assigned to part ‘B’ of this paper, questions on Sections ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, and ‘F’ will carry approximately 25%, 15%, 10%, 20%, 20%, and 10% weightage respectively. Check the section-wise weightage of the NDA General Knowledge subject tabulated below.
Section Number of Questions Marks Weightage
Physics 25 100
Chemistry 15 60
General Science 10 40
History 20 80
Geography 20 80
Current Events 10 40

NDA Study Plan 2026

Candidates are advised to prepare the NDA Study plan based on the latest syllabus and exam requirements. They should allocate more time to the higher-weightage topics to prepare well for the exam. Here is the detailed NDA Study Plan 2026 shared below for reference purposes.
Week Maths General Ability Test
Monday Algebra (2-3 Chapters) Determinants (2-3 Chapters) English (2-3 Chapters) Physics (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Tuesday Trigonometry (2-3 Chapters) Analytical Geometry of Two and Three Dimensions (2-3 Chapters) Chemistry (2-3 Chapters) General Science (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Wednesday Differential Calculus (2-3 Chapters) Integral Calculus and Differential Equations (2-3 Chapters) History, Freedom Movement, etc. (2-3 Chapters) Geography  (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Thursday Vector Algebra Statistics and Probability English (2-3 Chapters) Physics (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Friday Algebra (2-3 Chapters) Determinants (2-3 Chapters) Trigonometry (2-3 Chapters) Chemistry (2-3 Chapters) General Science (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Saturday Analytical Geometry of Two and Three Dimensions (2-3 Chapters) Calculus (2-3 Chapters) History, Freedom Movement, etc. (2-3 Chapters) Geography  (2-3 Chapters) Read Newspaper
Sunday Revise all the covered topics. Practice Mock Tests and Previous Papers. Revise all the covered topics. Practice Mock Tests and Previous Papers.

 

Tips to Prepare NDA 2026 Without Coaching

Preparing for the NDA 2026 Exam is daunting, but candidates can still succeed with a top-notch strategy. Here are the -recommended tips for preparing without coaching.
  • Examine the NDA exam pattern and syllabus prescribed by the officials.
  • Prepare a study plan based on the topic weightage and difficulty level.
  • Memorize current affairs daily.
  • Use the online study material and resources to gain conceptual clarity.
  • Practice questions from mock papers and previous year question papers to enhance their preparation level.

Tips to Prepare for NDA 2026 Online

Some of the NDA preparation tips to prepare for the NDA 2026 Exam online are shared below.
  • Use the online resources to gain conceptual clarity and solve unlimited questions.
  • Enrol in the Physics Wallah NDA Shaurya Warrior for guidance and support.
  • Attempt unlimited mock tests and previous year papers to improve speed and accuracy.
  • Take regular breaks to stay focused on their preparation.

Important Topics for NDA Preparation 2026

The next NDA preparation tip is that the aspirant should focus on the important topics when preparing for the exam. Here are the subject-wise important topics for effective NDA preparation are shared below.
Subject Important Topics
Mathematics Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Trigonometry, Analytical Geometry of Two and Three Dimension, Differential Calculus,  Integral Calculus and Differential Equations, Vector Algebra, and Statistics and Probability.
General Ability English, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Freedom Movement, Geography, and Current Events.
Physics Physical Properties and States of Matter, Mass, Weight, Volume, Motion of objects, Measurement of Electrical Power, Primary and Secondary Cells, etc.
Chemistry Physical and Chemical changes. Elements, Mixtures and Compounds, Symbols, Formulae and simple Chemical Equations, Law of Chemical Combination (excluding problems). Properties of Air and Water, etc
General Science Difference between the living and non-living. Basis of Life-Cells, Protoplasms and Tissues. Growth and Reproduction in Plants and Animals, etc.
History Freedom Movement in India. Elementary study of Indian Constitution and Administration. Elementary knowledge of Five Year Plans of India. Panchayati Raj, Co-operatives and Community Development. Bhoodan, etc.
Geography The Earth, its shape and size. Lattitudes and Longitudes, Concept of time. International Date Line. Movements of Earth and their effects, etc.
Current Events Knowledge of Important events that have happened in India in recent years. Current important world events, etc.

NDA Preparation Books

The next NDA preparation tip is that the candidates should choose the books and study material to cover the concepts prescribed in the syllabus. The team of Physics Wallah has introduced the books for effective preparation for the NDA 1 2026 Exam. Some key features of reading Shaurya NDA/NA books are chapter-wise precise theory available for effective preparation, chapter-wise weightage analysis of the last five years, availability of NDA practice papers with detailed explanations, and endless solved examples with exercise questions for better efficiency. After clearing the basic concepts, candidates must solve mock tests and previous year's question papers to gauge the level of their preparation.
Book Names NDA Book Links
Shaurya NDA/NA Mathematics Book | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Entrance Examination For 2026 Click Here
Shaurya NDA/NA English Book | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Entrance Examination For 2026 Click Here
Shaurya NDA/NA General Ability Science Book | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Entrance Examination For 2026 Click Here
Shaurya NDA/NA General Ability General Knowledge Book | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Entrance Examination For 2026 Click Here
Shaurya NDA/NA General Ability English, General Knowledge, General Ability Science & General Ability Mathematics For 2026 Combo Set of 4 Books Click Here
NDA/NA National Defence Academy Naval PYQs for 2026 Click Here

NDA Preparation Tips 2026 FAQs

Q1. How to Prepare for the NDA 2026 Exam?

Ans. To prepare well for NDA exam, candidates should prepare an effective study plan and clear the basic concepts of all the exam-relevant topics.

Q2. Which Book is Recommended for NDA Preparation 2026?

Ans. Some of the NDA preparation books are Shaurya NDA/NA Mathematics Book by PW, Shaurya NDA/NA General Knowledge Book by PW, etc.

Q3. How to Prepare for NDA 2026 in 4 months?

Ans. Candidates should check the latest syllabus and exam pattern to cover only exam-relevant topics and use online resources to practice unlimited questions for effective NDA preparation.

Q4. What is the minimum time to study for NDA?

Ans. Candidates must devote at least 8-9 hours daily to prepare well for the NDA 2026 Exam.
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