“We sleep peacefully in our beds only because rough men stand ready to defend us from enemies day and night.” The ‘Rough Men’ are none other than ‘Our Indian Armed forces’. The career in defence forces promises one of the most spectacular and honorable positions in our country. The armed forces make their ordinary life less ordinary and more adventurous.They are the backbone of a country.

India has the world’s largest volunteer army. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces and is looked after by the Ministry of Defence. It is led by the Union Cabinet Minister of Defence. The Indian Armed Forces consist of three professional uniformed services: The Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy. Additionally, they are supported by Indian Coast Guard, various paramilitary organizations and various inter-service commands and institutions .The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the management of armed forces in India. Recruitment to the Armed Forces is voluntary and open to all the citizens of India irrespective of their caste, class, religion and community provided the laid down physical, medical and educational criteria are met.

The following examinations offer you a chance to join Defence forces as an officer after successful completion of your 10+2 course.

1. NDA (National Defence Academy) and NA (Naval Academy) exam :

The NDA exam is conducted by UPSC for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA. This exam is a gateway for candidates looking forward to joining Defence Forces including Army, Navy and Air Force.
The examination is a two-step process where candidates first need to take the exam and then qualify the personality test or interview conducted by the Service Selection Board (SSB). UPSC is solely responsible for issuing guidelines for selection and the final conduct of the entrance examination.
This examination is for the students of 10+2 level.

Exam details

NDA 1: March – April
NDA 2: August – September

Eligibility: age between 16 and half years to 19 years

Medium: bilingual

Mode of examination: offline

Subjects:

• General Ability (150 questions)
• Mathematics (120 questions)

Exam duration: 2.5 hours (for each section)

2. TES (Technical Entry Scheme):

TES stands for Technical Entry Scheme. As the name suggests it is a technical entry to get into Indian army as an officer. TES is an opportunity for the aspirants to join the technical branch of Indian army after 10+2.

Those who have passed 10+2 level exam with a minimum aggregate of 70% in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics are eligible for the 10+2 TES (Technical Entry Scheme) Course.
On successful completion of 4 years of the course cadets will be granted Permanent Commission in the Army in the rank of Lt.

Exam details
Exam 1: November – December
Exam 2: May – June

Eligibility: age between 16 and a half to 19 and a half

Both these entry schemes are suited for young Defence aspirants but getting recommended from SSB is the real job.

A report by Vaishnavi and Riya for IHOIK Education Desk