Most NDA candidates spend two-thirds of their preparation on Mathematics. Mathematics is worth one-third of the paper. That single misallocation costs more selections than any weakness in the syllabus itself.
Before planning anything, look honestly at how the examination is scored.
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I — Mathematics | 120 | 300 | 2½ hours |
| Paper II — GAT, Part A: English | 50 | 200 | 2½ hours |
| Paper II — GAT, Part B: General Knowledge | 100 | 400 | |
| Total written | 270 | 900 | 5 hours |
The General Ability Test carries 600 of the 900 marks — twice the weight of Mathematics. Both papers carry negative marking of one-third of the marks allotted to a question, so a wrong answer in the GAT costs you 1.33 marks while a correct one earns 4.
Two consequences follow immediately, and they should shape every week of your preparation:
- A candidate who is average at Mathematics and strong at the GAT will usually outscore one who is strong at Mathematics and average at the GAT.
- Guessing is not free. On the GAT, three wrong answers cancel one correct answer.
What the General Knowledge section actually contains
Part B is not one subject. In a typical year it divides roughly as follows — the proportions move a little from paper to paper, so treat these as weightings rather than guarantees:
| Section | Approx. marks | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | ~100 | The largest single block in the whole GAT |
| Chemistry | ~60 | Largely Class 10–12 fundamentals |
| General Science | ~40 | Biology, human body, nutrition, disease |
| History & Freedom Movement | ~80 | Heavily weighted to modern India |
| Geography | ~80 | Physical geography and Indian geography |
| Current Events | ~40 | Roughly the preceding twelve months |
Physics alone is worth about a third of what the entire Mathematics paper is worth. A candidate who is comfortable with Class 11 and 12 Physics has a considerable advantage — which is precisely why we run Mathematics and Physics with IIT-JEE level instructors rather than with generalists.
The six-month plan
Months 1–2 — Build the base
No mock papers yet. You cannot usefully test what you have not yet learned.
- Mathematics: Algebra, Matrices and Determinants, Trigonometry. These three carry the most questions and everything later depends on them.
- Physics: Mechanics and Properties of Matter, from the NCERT texts rather than a guide.
- English: Thirty minutes daily on vocabulary in context. Reading a newspaper properly does more than a word list.
- Current affairs: Begin the daily habit now. Six months of steady reading cannot be replaced by six weeks of cramming — which is why we brief the news daily and issue the cuttings in a folder, so that a candidate's notes accumulate instead of evaporating.
Months 3–4 — Widen and start testing
- Mathematics: Calculus, Analytical Geometry (2D and 3D), Vectors, Statistics and Probability.
- Physics: Heat, Light, Sound, Magnetism, Electricity.
- Chemistry and General Science: Begin properly. They are smaller sections and reward late, efficient study.
- History and Geography: One focused session each per week. Modern Indian history first.
- Weekly sectional tests from month 3. Test what you learned last week, not what you learn this week.
Month 5 — Full-length papers
One complete mock every week, sat under real conditions: 2½ hours, no interruption, at the same time of day as the actual paper.
The test matters far less than what you do afterwards. Spend twice as long analysing a paper as you spent writing it. Classify every wrong answer into one of three types:
- I did not know it — a syllabus gap; go and close it.
- I knew it and made an error — a practice problem; drill that question type.
- I guessed — a discipline problem, and the most expensive of the three.
If category three is more than a handful of questions, your score will not improve however much new material you learn.
Month 6 — Consolidation
No new topics. Two full mocks a week, revision of your own error log, and the last twelve months of current affairs. In the final week, reduce the load: a tired candidate makes category-two errors.
A note on the paper you have not planned for
The written examination is 900 marks. The SSB interview is also 900 marks. Candidates routinely give six months to the first and six days to the second, then are surprised by the result.
Clearing the written paper gets you to the gate. It is the five days after it that decide whether you go in.
— Brigadier's Institute
Begin building the qualities the board assesses while you are still preparing for the paper — physical fitness, speaking in front of a group, and reading the news properly rather than scrolling it. Those cost nothing extra during these six months, and they are the difference at the end of them.