NDA Previous Year Question Papers and Exam Papers

How to Use the NDA Previous Year Question Paper Archive

The archive covers NDA examination papers from 2009 to 2026. Most years have two separate sessions — NDA I and NDA II. 2020 is an exception, with one combined entry covering both sessions.

Choosing which year to download

For understanding the recent NDA exam pattern, download a paper from 2022 or later. These reflect the structure students will face. After working through a few recent papers, use older papers from 2015 and earlier for additional practice, especially for subjects whose topics change slowly, such as mathematics, history, and geography.

One approach is to use a 2024 or 2025 paper for your main practice sessions, and save the 2026 papers for a final timed assessment close to your examination date. You may also choose to work with the most recent papers earlier if that suits your preparation.

Choosing between Mathematics and GAT

The two papers test completely different abilities. Download the Mathematics paper when you are practising calculations, geometry or statistics. Download the GAT paper when you are practising English, history, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, polity, economy or current affairs. You do not need to attempt both on the same day.

For topic-level practice, use the subject-wise sections

If you are studying a specific chapter, the subject-wise PYQ sections above are more efficient than downloading a complete paper. They organise past questions by subject and chapter, so you can focus on a particular topic without working through an entire paper to find the relevant questions.

NDA Mathematics and GAT: How to Approach the Two Papers

The NDA written examination has two papers, each 2.5 hours long. Mathematics carries 300 marks across 120 questions. GAT carries 600 marks across 150 questions, making it the heavier paper in both questions and marks. Both papers have negative marking – an incorrect answer in Mathematics deducts 0.83 marks, and in GAT deducts 1.33 marks.

Paper	Questions	Marks	Duration	Wrong answer
Mathematics	120	300	2.5 hours	-0.83
GAT	150	600	2.5 hours	-1.33

Mathematics

The Mathematics paper covers algebra, trigonometry, two- and three-dimensional geometry, differential and integral calculus, statistics and probability.

When you practise Mathematics PYQs, the goal is not just to check whether your answer is correct. The goal is to understand your working method.

After attempting a set of questions, go back to every wrong answer and identify the type of mistake: a conceptual error means revisit the chapter; a calculation error means practise similar problems; a misread means slow down on the question. These need different responses.

REMEMBER Because there is negative marking, guessing is costly. If you are not confident that: an answer is correct, treat that question as a gap rather than a guess.

General Ability Test (GAT)

The GAT covers English and General Knowledge. English carries 200 marks; General Knowledge carries 400 marks. The General Knowledge section includes physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, polity, economy and current affairs.

When practising GAT, work subject by subject rather than attempting the full paper in one go, unless you are doing a timed practice session. Physics and chemistry questions in the GAT are conceptual and similar to what you will find in the subject-wise PYQ sections. English questions test grammar, vocabulary and comprehension: practise these regularly rather than leaving them until the end.

IMPORTANT One important point about older GAT papers: current affairs questions in papers from 2014 or 2015 test knowledge of events from those years, which is not useful for current affairs preparation. Use older GAT papers for static subjects. For current affairs, use current preparation resources.

How to Prepare with NDA Previous Year Question Papers

STEP 1	Study the chapter first Before attempting any NDA previous year question papers on a topic, study the chapter from your notes or textbook. PYQs test what you have studied; attempting them before covering the chapter gives you practice in guessing, not in understanding.
STEP 2	Attempt the relevant subject-wise questions Once you have finished studying a chapter, go to the subject-wise PYQ section for that subject. Attempt the questions without looking at the answers. Write down your answers on paper.
STEP 3	Check your answers and record every mistake For every question you got wrong, note the question number and the reason: you did not know the concept, you made a calculation or logic error, or you misread the question. A brief notebook — one page per chapter — is enough.
STEP 4	Revisit the concept before attempting more questions If you find several conceptual errors on one chapter, go back to your notes or the relevant JOVIK subject page before attempting more questions on that topic. Attempting more questions does not fix a gap in understanding — it only confirms how large it is.
STEP 5	Work through your syllabus chapter by chapter Complete each subject’s PYQs in a continuous block where possible. This makes it easier to notice patterns within a subject and to track which areas need more attention.
STEP 6	Attempt complete papers under exam conditions When you have covered most of the syllabus, download a paper from the archive. Sit it in one session, within 2.5 hours, without stopping to check answers. If you have not yet used the most recent papers, consider saving them for a final timed assessment closer to your examination date.
STEP 7	Use your mistakes to decide what to study next After the session, go through your errors the same way as in Step 3. Your next revision priority is the subjects and chapters with the most errors. Use the subject-wise NDA PYQs sections to practise those areas specifically.

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