Fewer than 1 in 10 make it from the written exam to the final NDA list. These 8 rural students from Akal Academies did, and their journeys show how.

NDA Success Stories

Every NDA cycle, lakhs of young Indians try for a few hundred seats. For the NDA II 2021 exam, around 5 to 6 lakh candidates registered. In NDA I 2024, 7,020 candidates cleared the written paper and were called for the SSB interview. When the final merit list for that exam came out, only 641 names were on it. So fewer than 1 in 10 of the students who passed the written stage made it to the final list.

The drop starts even before the exam begins. At the Ludhiana centres in 2025, The Tribune reported that only 2,149 of the 3,086 registered candidates turned up for the NDA exam. And for NDA I 2026, UPSC announced just 394 vacancies for the whole country.

These odds are tough for any student, and tougher for a child from a village, where coaching centres are often far away and few people at home have seen the exam up close. But eight students from Akal Academies, the rural schools run by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib, have beaten these odds and cleared NDA. A few of them made it to the final merit list with an All India Rank, and the youngest qualified while still in Class 12.

Their stories also help answer a question many families ask: how to clear NDA when your child comes from a small village. Each path was a little different, but a few things show up again and again. Steady hard work, teachers who cared, and parents who stood behind their children.

Where These Students Come From

Akal Academies are a group of 130 schools spread across the villages of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Along with 2 universities, the Kalgidhar Trust and the Kalgidhar Society educate more than 75,000 students today. The work began small. Akal Academy Baru Sahib has been teaching children since 1986, and over the years one rural school grew into 130 academies.

Most students here come from farming families and modest homes. The schools follow the CBSE syllabus with English as the medium of teaching, and daily prayer and value-based living are part of every school day. Given the right support, rural students clear NDA and other national exams just like students from big cities. The eight names below show what that looks like.

The 8 Students Who Cleared NDA

Shubham Godara, Akal Academy Salam Khera

The newest name on this list is Shubham Godara. He studied in Class 10 at Akal Academy Salam Khera during the 2024-25 session and qualified the NDA exam while he was still in Class 12.

Shubham comes from a farming family. His father farms the family’s land and also treats the village’s animals as a veterinary doctor. Watching his father handle two kinds of work every day taught Shubham early that results come from effort. Read Shubham’s full story.

Eknoor Singh and Narayan Singh, Akal Academy for Defence Training

Eknoor Singh and Narayan Singh were cadets at the Akal Academy for Defence Training (AADT), Chunni Kalan. When UPSC released the final NDA II 2024 merit list, both their names were on it. Eknoor secured All India Rank 154 and Narayan secured All India Rank 457.

For the Akal family, this result carried extra weight. It showed that a planned programme of NDA preparation after 10th, run within a rural school system, can place students on a national merit list. More about the two of them is in Rising Stars from Rural Roots.

Gurpreet Kaur, Akal Academy Bharyal Lahri

Gurpreet Kaur studied at Akal Academy Bharyal Lahri and cleared the NDA examination. Her teachers and staff gave her extra classes to clear her doubts, so she walked into the exam well prepared.

Her school holds a special place in the story of Akal Academies. The Bharyal Lahri campus was once the home of Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, who gave it for the cause of rural education. Years later, a girl from that same campus cleared NDA. Gurpreet has thanked her principal, her teachers and the whole academy for keeping her motivated.

Harinder Singh, Akal Academy Muktsar and Akal Academy Reethkheri

Harinder Singh is from Madhak, a small village. He studied up to Class 10 at Akal Academy Muktsar, then joined Akal Academy Reethkheri for Class 11 and 12, mainly for the special IIT coaching the school offered. Engineering was his plan at the time.

A teacher at Reethkheri encouraged him to fill the NDA form. Harinder went to Bhopal for his interview and tests, cleared them, and earned a place on the merit list. He later said that his IIT coaching made the NDA exam feel easy. When his story was written, he was in the final year of his three-year training at NDA Pune and studying for a B.Sc. alongside.

Students who wonder how to clear NDA can take a clear lesson from Harinder. A strong base in Mathematics and Science, built steadily in school, carries straight into the written paper.

Vikram Singh, Akal Academy Fatehgarh Gandhuan

Vikram Singh, son of Yaadwinder Singh, belongs to the village of Fatehgarh. He studied at Akal Academy Fatehgarh ‘Gandhuan’ from Nursery to Class 10. After completing school in 2011, he joined the National Defence Academy and began his training at Khadakwasla, Pune. His selection made his family, his school and his whole village proud. Read Vikram’s story.

Yuvraj Singh and Karandeep Singh

Yuvraj Singh studied at Akal Academy Gomti, where both his parents work as teachers. He did well in class, played football and volleyball, and prepared for competitive exams without any private tuition. He passed the NDA written exam, cleared the SSB, and secured All India Rank 18.

Karandeep Singh, another Akal Academy alumnus, secured All India Rank 30 in NDA 2013. Theirs are among the earlier NDA success stories from these schools, and they show the results have been coming for more than ten years.

What These 8 Stories Have in Common

Put the eight stories side by side and a few common threads come through.

Teachers played a big part. Gurpreet got extra doubt-clearing classes. Harinder filled the NDA form because a teacher pushed him to try. Eknoor and Narayan had a full defence training programme behind them.

Strong basics mattered too. Mathematics carries a large share of the written exam marks, and students who build that base in school start with an edge. For NDA preparation for rural students, this is good news. A solid school foundation can do much of the work, even when the nearest coaching centre is far away.

Discipline came from school life itself. Morning prayer, fixed routines and sports are part of every day at Akal Academies, and these habits help through long months of study. They help again at the SSB, the stage of the NDA exam selection process where the board looks closely at how a candidate thinks, speaks and behaves in a group.

Behind all eight stories stand the Akal Academies. The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib set up these schools in the villages of rural North India so that children there would not have to move to a city for a good education. Quality teaching at a reasonable cost gave these students a fair chance to compete with students from bigger towns and cities. Put simply, the honest answer to how to clear NDA from a village begins with good schooling close to home, followed by steady practice and a family that keeps faith.

NDA Syllabus and Exam Selection Process

UPSC holds the NDA exam twice a year, as NDA I and NDA II. Unmarried boys and girls can apply, and students still in Class 12 are allowed to apply as long as they submit proof of passing within the time UPSC gives. The age limit changes with every cycle, so always check the latest notification on upsc.gov.in before applying.

Here is a simple look at the NDA syllabus and marks:

Both written papers are 2.5 hours long, with objective questions and negative marking for wrong answers. The NDA exam selection process then moves step by step: the written exam, the SSB interview for those above the cut-off, a medical examination, and finally the merit list that UPSC prepares from written and SSB marks together.

Mathematics needs the most practice, so solving previous year papers regularly is a good habit to build. The General Ability Test rewards students who read the newspaper every day and keep working on their English. At the SSB, confidence and clear communication count as much as marks, which is why personality development should start early. The detailed NDA syllabus for both papers is given in every UPSC notification.

Akal Academy for Defence Training, Chunni Kalan

For students who set their goal early, The Kalgidhar Society runs the Akal Academy for Defence Training (AADT) at Chunni Kalan in Punjab. Students are selected from across the 130 Akal Academies through written tests, interviews and merit. They join after Class 10 and complete Class 11 and 12 while preparing for NDA at the same time.

In simple terms, AADT is a programme of NDA coaching after 10th that runs inside a school. Cadets follow a disciplined daily routine that includes Nitnem, fitness training, personality development, communication skills and leadership training, with guidance from experienced mentors who also prepare them for the SSB. The programme is inspired by the vision of Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji.

This way of NDA preparation after 10th means a student does not have to pick between board exams and NDA. Both go on side by side. Families who want admission details can write to nda@akalacademy.ac.in.

What to Look For When Choosing NDA Coaching

Choosing where your child prepares for NDA is a big decision, and the internet does not make it any easier. Search results are full of advertisements, toppers’ photos and big promises. Many parents who type best NDA coaching in India into a search bar end up more confused than when they started.

A few simple checks help. Can your child finish Class 11 and 12 properly along with NDA preparation? Are physical training and SSB guidance part of the daily routine, or added only in the last few weeks? Can the centre share the names of past students who were actually selected? If you can, visit the campus. The routine you see there will tell you more than any brochure.

Families searching for the best NDA academy for their child often look only at selection numbers. Numbers matter, but so do the habits and values a child picks up in those two years. A good programme prepares a student for the exam and for the responsibilities that come after it.

Cost is a real concern too. For many village families, NDA coaching after 10th in a big city means hostel fees, travel and long months away from home, which is not always possible. A programme closer to home can make this preparation reachable for more children. Wherever you apply, ask about scholarships or sponsorship support, because money should not be the reason a capable child stops trying.

One more simple test is worth keeping in mind. If a centre calls itself the best NDA coaching in India but cannot share the names of students it has actually sent to NDA, treat that as a warning sign and keep looking. Real results can always be named and checked.

Conclusion

Shubham, Eknoor, Narayan, Gurpreet, Harinder, Vikram, Yuvraj and Karandeep came from different villages and different years. Each of them started in a rural classroom at an Akal Academy, and each found a way through one of the most competitive exams in the country. Together, their stories show that how to clear NDA has a practical answer: strong basics, regular practice, teachers who care and a family that keeps faith.

These results grow out of the rural education work of the Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, and The Kalgidhar Society. For four decades, this work has given village children a good school close to home, and stories like these are one result of that long effort. Parents who search for the best rural education schools in India usually want good teaching, strong values and real opportunities for their children. Every village child deserves that kind of school.

You can help the next village student take this step. Sponsor a child’s education through Educate To Save, or support rural education through CSR for CHANGE, an initiative supporting the noble cause of Kalgidhar Baru Sahib.

FAQs

Can students from rural schools clear NDA?

Yes. The eight Akal Academy students above came from village schools and made it through the NDA exam. Their stories show that rural students clear NDA when they get good teaching, regular practice and support at home.

When should a student start preparing for NDA?

Starting right after Class 10 works well for many students. It gives two full years to build Mathematics, English and General Knowledge alongside Class 11 and 12 board studies. That is why programmes offering NDA coaching after 10th plan their teaching around this timeline.

How do I choose the right NDA coaching for my child?

Start with the daily routine. Check whether school studies and NDA preparation are balanced, whether physical training happens every day, and whether students get proper SSB guidance from experienced mentors. Then ask for a record of real selections. Any centre can describe itself as the best NDA coaching in India, but past results and a campus visit will tell you far more.

Is there negative marking in the NDA exam?

Yes. One-third of the marks for a question are deducted for every wrong answer in both written papers. Practising with previous year papers helps students learn when to attempt a question and when to leave it.

Can girls apply for the NDA exam?

Yes. Unmarried girls can apply for NDA just like boys, and the exam pattern and NDA exam selection process are the same for both. Gurpreet Kaur from Akal Academy Bharyal Lahri is one example of a rural girl who cleared NDA with steady preparation and support from her teachers.