NDA Previous Year Cutoff: The NDA (National Defence Academy) exam is one of India’s most prestigious defence entrance tests. Every year, thousands of candidates appear for it to secure a place in the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings. The NDA previous year cutoff marks help candidates understand the minimum scores required to qualify. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the NDA cutoff along with the official result on its website. Candidates who score above the cutoff marks qualify for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., the SSB Interview. The NDA previous year cutoffs provide insight into the score required to clear the written exam and help candidates set realistic goals for the SSB Interview. Knowing past cutoffs gives aspirants a clear idea of the competition and helps them set realistic preparation goals. This article provides a detailed overview of NDA’s previous year cutoffs and important trends. These cutoff marks are determined by various factors such as the number of test-takers, availability of seats, category, and previous year cutoff trends.
NDA Previous Year Cutoff
The NDA cutoff is the minimum score a candidate must achieve to qualify for the next stage of the selection process, such as the SSB Interview. Remember, scoring well above the cutoff not only ensures qualification for the next round but also increases your chances of making it to the final merit list.
The NDA cutoff is published in two parts:
- Written Exam Cutoff out of 900 marks
- Final Cutoff out of 1800 marks (Written + SSB Interview)
The table below shows the NDA cutoff scores. Let’s take a look at the minimum qualifying marks for both the written exam and the final selection over the past few years.
Year | NDA Exam | Number of Recommended Candidates | Written Exam Cutoff (out of 900) | Minimum Marks in Each Subject |
Final Cutoff (out of 1800) |
NDA 2024 Cutoff | NDA 1 | 792 | 305 | 25% | 673 |
NDA 2024 Cutoff | NDA 2 | 641 | 291 | 20% | 654 |
NDA 2023 Cutoff | NDA 1 | 699 | 292 | 20% | 656 |
NDA 2023 Cutoff | NDA 2 | 628 | 301 | 25% | 664 |
NDA Previous Year Cut Off Trend Analysis
To understand the trends in the NDA cutoff, let’s look at the graph provided below. Understanding these trends can help candidates get a sense of what to aim for during their preparation.
After analysing the trends, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- The qualifying cutoff for the written exam has ranged from around 290 to 305 over the past few years, showing slight fluctuations depending on the exam's difficulty and other factors.
- The minimum percentage required in each subject has also varied, typically ranging between 20% and 25%.
- The final cutoff marks have ranged between 650 and 675.
NDA Previous Year Cutoff Key Highlights
- The cutoff depends on paper difficulty, number of applicants, and performance trends.
- Qualifying the written exam does not guarantee final selection — performance in the SSB interview is equally important.
- Regular practice of previous year questions and mock tests is essential to clear the cutoff.
NDA Previous Year Cutoff: Importance
By going through the NDA previous year cutoff marks, candidates can plan better for the upcoming stages. Knowing the NDA previous year cutoff is important because it helps you:
- Set a clear target for your preparation
- Understand the exam difficulty level
- Plan a smart preparation strategy
Factors Determining NDA Cut-off
There are various factors responsible for determining the cut-off marks, some of which are as follows.
- Number of Test-Takers: The number of candidates appearing in the exam always affects the cut-off marks. The high number of candidates means high competition, which increases the cut-off marks.
- Difficulty Level of Exam: The difficulty level of the exam is also a crucial factor that decides the cut-off marks. If the questions asked in the exam are difficult in nature, then the cut-off marks will definitely come down.
- Number of Seats Available: The number of vacancies is always inversely proportional to the cut-off mark. The lesser number of vacancies means a high cut-off and vice versa.
- Candidate’s performance: The overall performance of candidates also affects the cut-off marks. If a high number of candidates do well in the exam, then the cut-off marks will also be high.