How to Pass the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Exam

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Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is one of the most usually-chased universities in Nigeria. The university is well sought after because it's a military university, for one reason. For another, it's still a tuition-free federal-owned university in Nigeria.

Whether for the beauty of it or for financial reasons, you don't just gain admission into NDA without facing some challenges. Well-known obstacles may include passing JAMB (as that will equally be required), allegedly having the right connection and passing the entrance exams.

In this post, I will be showing you what it takes to pass the entrance exam and consequently gain admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). This guide will be different from the generic guide given in my post "How to Gain Admission into NDA".

1. Passing NDA Exams Starts With JAMB

In case, you don't know, JAMB UTME is a major requirement for NDA admission just like the SSCE. You won't be asking "how to study for and pass the NDA entrance exams" if you fail out at the UTME stage.

As of the time of this writing, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) demands 180 or above for candidates seeking admission for Art courses and 210 or above for those seeking science courses. Apparently, these cut-off marks are not likely to change in the nearest future. 

Even though all aspirants will fill out the application form to start the admission process, very many will be dropped and won't be invited for the university's entrance exam if they score any less than that depending on the proposed courses.

So I have to warn you here. It won't matter how much you love the Academy or whether you've registered on its portal, as instructed, if you don't have the right JAMB score, you just have to wave bye to your dream this year or probably forever.

To avoid throwing in the towel at this stage, you need to study smart for JAMB and win big in the compulsory exam. Hence, you will find the following resources as best friends on your way to scoring higher in UTME.

1. 5 Recommended Tips to Prepare and Pass UTME Within Days
2. How to Study UTME Questions To Score 270+
3. How to Solve the 3 Types of Questions in JAMB UTME
4. How JAMB Will Mark in This Year's UTME: Official Explanation
5. How to Pass JAMB Without Enough Studying/Reading

Recommended: 18 Challenges You May Have As You're Set For UTME

2. Study NDA Past Questions (Compendium)

If you should cross the hurdle of JAMB, NDA is equally waiting for you in its exams. This is why you should be ready to face what is to come - preparing with the past questions of the Academy.

Luckily for you, the NDA has officially compiled its past questions and answers in a book called the compendium. You can study these for your concerned subjects. Covering them should give you some confidence over aspirants who are just generic about their reading.

However, to have the paper copy of the NDA compendium, you may have to visit the NDA Headquarters in Kaduna or the Headquarters of Zenith banks around you.

NDA headquarters is where you can get its past questions and answers (compendium)

Whereas, I have personally got a copy of these official past questions and answer in a PDF file. Though it's for sale at a price of N3000 (for now). 

Click to buy the compendium

To buy now, click HERE!. You're going to have exactly what is in the paper pack in this PDF copy too. This is just a scanned and converted copy of the latter.

NDA past questions and answers cover all subjects. However, you're to study specifically for the subjects you'd picked in JAMB UTME or those especially related to your proposed course.

While studying the past questions, trust your gut. As a matter of fact, experience has shown that the Academy doesn't patronize a new set of questions to place before you on your exam day. Questions set in the past years are still repeated (though not word for word). 

While some questions had been observed to be exactly the same in past years, some are just related in a familiar way. One or two questions may be taken from different recent years and compiled to form a new set of questions for the current year.

In short, let the past questions be your most important go-to friend if you want to buy some confidence before going into the NDA exams hall.

You will also find the following posts helpful in your preparation for the entrance exams.

1. How to Prepare For and Pass Post-UTME
2. Post UTME Subjects, Questions and What to Expect
3. Admission or Post-UTME, Which Comes First?
4. What to Take Along for Post UTME/Screening
5. How To Know My Post UTME/Screening Dates and Venue

Recommended: NDA Screening/Interview: Stages and Questions To Expect

3. Be Timely To The Exam Hall

Don't trust your usual "African time" if NDA schedules you to 7am for its test. The officials had consistently kept to the time (to date).

If you're scheduled to be too early, don't doubt it and be there even before that time.

In 2022, at Ibadan centre, very many candidates were locked outside the exam halls just because they came a minute later than scheduled. The year before that, the officials even stopped entry about 30 minutes before the time they stated on the exam slips.

By now, you should be thinking that's callous. You're wrong! Being punctual is part of the exam and for the military exams, for that matter, you shouldn't expect otherwise.

Recommended: List of Subjects That Are/Are Not in JAMB UTME

4. Go to the Exam Hall with Only the Instructed Materials

Apart from the exam slip that is the norm for any exam, NDA will usually require applicants to come to its exam hall with passport photographs of a certain size. See that below.

TWO (2) postcard sized (3.5 x 5 inches) photographs to the Screening Test Centre. The photographs should show only from the chest upwards and should contain the candidate's Name, Exam number, State, Exam Centre, Course of study and Signature at the back.

It's important to get this size right and follow similar instructions usually to be included on your exam slips. If you won't get a photographer that will get the size right within your locality, being in the exam area a day before will help you see regular photographers who are used to that size.

Apart from the fact that following the instructions accurately can be part of the exams, it is more deadly to get to the exam hall and be sent back just because you'd not done some things right.

Similarly, make sure you print your exam slip in color as this will make all the content more presentably original including the uploaded passport photo.

Recommended: Do Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Go To War?

5. Be Time Conscious During the Test

I've been producing NDA aspirants for years. Some of these candidates would return to tell me that time was not enough.

Well, that may sound cruel too. But it's still one of the problems to expect in any exam. NDA is no exception when it comes to not allowing students to use up their period.

As a student, prepare for the worse. My best guide to solving this kind of challenge is to first attend to questions that are easier to get. Then, return to those that are more difficult. With this approach, you'll cover more questions than those who are following the order of the set questions.

NDA entrance exam is a paper-and-pencil type. That's different from what you had in UTME (which was CBT). Luckily, you're familiar with paper-pencil exams right from your secondary school classes. This exam is no different.

Try to work faster and round off a few minutes to the deadline. And if they allow you to use your time, you can use the saved minutes to revise before the final submission.

Recommended: After Graduating From NDA, Can I Work Elsewhere?

6. Be Orderly During the Exams

The military officials are not your civilian teachers. These people can be unmotherly in most cases. This is why you have to be orderly all through the time of inspection and writing of the exam.

It won't surprise you if you see some students being sent off the exam hall because they're rude to staff or invigilators.

Recommended: Items/Documents Required For NDA Screening/Interview

7. Don't Attempt to Cheat

Do I need to remind you of this? Well, let me! 

Don't even try to cheat in any exam not to say the NDA entrance test.

The level of security here should not be strangely tough and if you're caught, your sanction may be worse than being sent off the exam hall.

Recommended: Can I Enter NDA Without JAMB or UTME?

Conclusion

Similar to various exam-related guides I've given in the past, this is for the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). While passing the exam is your priority at this level, there is more to achieving that than reading. Take note!

NEED a guide, update, or answer on something? You can spend just #1000 to get professional answers and guides. Click here to request Mr. Techie's INSTANT REPLY. 

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