For a bright career in the armed forces

Updated on: Tuesday, June 08, 2010

The Union Public Service Commission conducts various competitive examinations for recruitment to different services in the government. We discussed in some detail the Civil Services Examination during the past few weeks. Let us now focus on some of the other UPSC examinations.

“The security challenges facing India are varied and complex”, says our Ministry of Defence. We have to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of our country, defend our borders, protect the lives and property of citizens against war and terrorism, secure the country against the use of weapons of mass destruction by the enemies, and develop military equipment through research. We need the services of competent trained personnel for effectively carrying out these functions. The three wings of the armed forces are the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Each one of these should have specially trained officers and men.

It is reported that there is a shortage of more than 14,000 officers in the three services. When it comes to recruitment, the Defence Ministry never dilutes the qualifications or competence levels of the candidates. This indicates that men and women endowed with adequate qualifications and competence have rich opportunities in the defence forces.

There are different styles of entry to the armed forces. A popular one is through the NDA examination, the full name of which is the ‘National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination'.

NDA and NAVAC

After the experiences of World War II, it was felt that India should have an Inter Services Academy, where future officers of the three services could be trained together. It could be on the lines of the Sandhurst Military Academy in England. After detailed studies the Joint Services Wing (JSW) was started at Dehradun on December 15, 1948. The Academy was later renamed National Defence Academy (NDA). In Dec 1954, the NDA was shifted to Khadakwasla (Pune). The campus sprawling over an 8,000 acre estate has excellent facilities for training.

The Naval Academy at Ezhimala in Kerala (NAVAC)), with its idyllic setting and picturesque and tranquil environment, is the premier training establishment of the Indian Navy. It conducts basic training for officers inducted into the Indian Navy under various schemes.

NDA examination

The UPSC conducts a national level competitive examination twice every year at nearly 35 centres for the selection of candidates to NDA and the Naval Academy. Each notification would be for the recruitment of nearly 370 candidates. NDA trains candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Naval Academy however trains candidates, only for the Executive Branch of the Navy.

Unmarried male candidates who have passed the 12 {+t} {+h} Standard, whose age is between sixteen-and-a-half and nineteen years, can apply for selection.

Those who are appearing in the 12 {+t} {+h} Standard examination will also be considered. Girls cannot apply for this selection.

For Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA and for Naval Academy (Executive Branch), applicants should have studied physics and mathematics at the Plus Two level. For the Army wing, any combination of optional subjects is acceptable.

It may be noted that though candidates with any subject combination are eligible to apply for admission, the questions in the written test cover substantial portions of mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Those who have not studied these subjects in the higher secondary classes should prepare adequately in these subjects for facing the test questions. So also, science students should make special efforts to master the relevant areas of history and geography.

All the candidates should update their knowledge of current affairs and general awareness. Further, adequate practice through repeated drill is necessary for effectively answering objective questions, within the limited duration in the competitive test. You may have to simulate the examination hall environment at home and practise answering questions in the previous NDA tests or other tests of comparable standard. You should count the number of questions you can answer during thirty minutes or other convenient duration, which you measure with precision. Drills will help in gradually increasing your speed.

The candidates must be in good physical and mental health and free from any disease / disability which is likely in interfere with the efficient performance of military duties. There should be no evidence of weak constitution or bodily defects. They should be neither obese nor under-weight. The minimum acceptable height is 157.5 cm. But for Air Force, it is 162.5 cm. There are relaxations in height for candidates from specified regions. The notification for selection will show a table of acceptable height-weight values.

The chest should be well developed. Fully expanded chest should not be less than 81cm.

The minimum range of expansion after full inspiration should be 5 cm. There should be no mal-development or impairment of function of the bones or joints.

There are three phases in the selection process: a written examination held by the UPSC, SSB interview, which lasts for four or five days. Candidates for the Air Force have to pass the Pilot Aptitude Test, which a person can take only once in his life. There is a two-stage selection procedure for the SSB interview.

Only those who qualify at stage one on the first day will be admitted to stage two to be held on the subsequent days. There will be a medical examination by the Services Medical Board for candidates who passed the interview.

For a bright career in the armed forces

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