It's a crucial hour for students across the country who aspire to get into the defence forces as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the exam notification for both the 2024 National Defence Academy (NDA) and Combined Defence Services (CDS) I on Wednesday.
As students take to last-minute scrambling and seek out expert tips, The Free Press Journal (FPJ) talked to a few individuals who aced the process earning a recommendation from the Service Selection Board (SSB) to gather tips on preparation strategy for defence aspirants.
What recommended students have to say?
Sweta Tanwar (22) a female candidate from Delhi, passed the SSB interview on her initial attempt after taking the CDS exam in 2023. An alumnus of Army Public School in New Delhi, Tanwar was fascinated by the adventurous and disciplined life that army personnel follow which she says became her passion.
Sharing preparation tips, she said that aspirants need to focus on the English language as it plays a vital role in the selection.
"It allows you to concentrate on other subjects. My command over the language was quite good so I could concentrate on General Science."
Nishtha Vaid (24) from Jaipur, shared that her grandfather's career as an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot motivated her to pursue a career in the armed forces.
Never give up attitude
Although she initially aimed for the Army Medical Corps (AMC) but was unable to secure a spot at Pune’s Armed Forces Medical College after completing school, she remained steadfast in her determination to join the uniformed services. Presently, she has received recommendations for the Army's OTA Chennai and the Air Force Academy (AFA) – Hyderabad.
Speaking on her preparation for the exam, Vaid said that she focused on studying NCERT books for the General Science section. Additionally, she found online classes to be very beneficial.
On the interview round, she said, "I love challenges which helped me in clearing the SSB round. It is just like a video game – you complete a task and then move on to the next. Just be patient and keep the mindset right."
Vaid also recommended female candidates aspiring to join the defence forces to distinguish themselves from the competition, as there is intense competition and limited availability of positions.
Uttarakhand-based Chirag Bohra (19) cleared the NDA written exam and was selected to OTA Gaya after clearing the SSB round in March 2023.
He said that though his focus was on cracking Mathematics, he saved notes from classes eighth to 12th for GS, which helped clear the exam.
Chirag was recommended by the SSB-11 Allahabad centre on his third attempt.
