NDA is a great opportunity for all the aspirants who wish to serve their nation and be a part of the defence system. UPSC conducts the NDA exam twice a year and selects around 5000-6000 aspirants from the 4-6 lakh candidates every year. Hence, it is not that simple to clear the exam, and you require study materials like lectures, books from eminent scholars and authors. Here we have shared the best books for NDA written exam for your reference.

Best books to prepare for NDA written exam

There are various writers and authors publishing preparatory books; hence, selecting one authentic work is quite challenging. The question paper comprises eight subjects and these are.

• English
• Current affairs
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Physics
• General science
• History 
• Geography

Apart from these, if you want a particular subject or topic book, you may refer to the bottom list. This list contains subject-wise books name along with the author’s name to reduce the chances of confusion.

GAT books

This paper consists of two parts, namely English, and general knowledge.

Part A- English

Applicants are required to have knowledge about synonyms, antonyms, spotting errors, selecting words, comprehension, sentence improvement, sentence arrangements.

English paper books

This section checks the vocabulary and grammar of the applicant; you may refer to.

Part B- General Knowledge

This includes diverse topics from various subjects, including history, physics, chemistry, freedom movement, general science, current events, mathematics, geography, etc. 

Mathematics books

You can practice various topics like determinants, calculus, trigonometry, equations, etc., from the following books.

Current affairs books

To improve your general awareness, you should regularly read newspapers, including The Indian Express, The Hindu, TOI (Times of India), etc. In addition, there are magazines and yearbooks like Partiyogita Darpan, C.S.R. (Competition Success Review) by S.K.Sachdeva and Manorama Yearbook.

Chemistry books

The syllabus includes topics covered in the 11 and 12 class NCERT. Hence, it is best to buy a book or to prepare from an e-book available at the official website of NCERT. The chapters are as follows:

• Acid, bases & salts
• Air & water
• Physical & chemical changes
• Reduction, Oxidation
• Elements, mixture & compound
• Formulae and chemical equations
• Symbols
• Law of chemical combinations, etc.

Physics books

Ensure you cover topics like mass, density, volume, weight, Archimedes principle, pressure, gravity, physical properties, state of matter, etc. These are all the topics of 11 and 12 NCERT. Hence, for preparation, you may buy NCERT books for both classes or download the pdf of these books from NCERT’s official website. Besides, Arihant’s Exemplar of Physics is also a good alternative for the preparations.

History, general science and geography books

Objective GK is a common book for the preparation of general topics like history, geography and other subjects.

Points to remember before buying books

Many applicants often fail to buy apt books for their preparations, which affects the result and eventually the selection of the candidate. Here are some tips one should keep in mind while buying books for their exam.

• Go through the syllabus and then check, which book covers the topics mentioned in the syllabus.
• It is best to buy books having past 5-10 past years question papers, as regular evaluation is necessary.
• You can practice sample papers and mock test papers from BYJU’s Exam Prep to add benefits to your preparation. Moreover, topic wise question solving can help the candidate to understand their weak and strong points.
• Check the reviews and ratings of the book on the internet, if available. This will help you in finding errorless study material; hence, you get an authentic matter to prepare for.
• Ask your seniors or instructor to guide you regarding the syllabus and pattern.

NDA Preparations Tips

Apart from book knowledge, your analytical skill, vocabulary, aptitude skills, etc., are evaluated in the exam. Therefore, there are other points that you need to keep in mind for your preparations; these are:

• Time management: Prepare a timetable and study schedule, which will include the duration you can spend on a particular topic.
• Know the exam pattern: Smart study is an essential key to success; hence, see the marking scheme, stages, weightage of topics and subjects and prepare accordingly.
• Regular practicing and revision with BYJU’s Exam Prep NDA are mandatory for the selection in the written exam. There are times when one forgets to remember the matter even though they have studied the topic. But, if you regularly revise the topics, you will not encounter such issues.

If you follow the above tips and start preparing from the books mentioned in the above section, you will not face problems in covering the syllabus and relevant topics. Hence, without wasting any time, go and buy books previously mentioned for preparations.