Matrices and Determinants Preparation Strategies for UPSC NDA 2022 Exam
The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducts the NDA (National Defense Academy) examination twice a year at the national level, giving candidates a chance to be a part of the incredible men who are an integral part of the country’s defence system and serve as lords of the Land, Air, and Waters of the Indian Subcontinent. The NDA exam, also known as the National Defence Academy Exam, is used to select qualified candidates into the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
There are two parts to the recruitment process. The written test, which will be conducted in offline mode, is the first stage of the NDA 2022. (pen and paper-based). Candidates that pass the written exam will be invited to the following round, which is the personal interview.
Multiple-choice questions are separated into two categories of the written exam: mathematics and general ability. Multiple-choice questions make up the exam. The full exam is worth 900 marks, with mathematics accounting for 300 of those marks. As a result, a solid performance in the Math section is required to pass the written exam.
Students who are thoroughly versed with the important topics carry high weightage in this section will be able to score well in the mathematics section. One such important topic from which 5 to 10 questions are frequently asked every year is Matrix and Determinant.
Not only this, Matrices and Determinant is a topic useful in some concepts of differential equations, the binomial theorem, and other major concepts asked in NDA and other defence exams conducted in India every year. You should master this chapter as it will assist you in scoring high in the mathematics section of the upcoming UPSC NDA exam.
Let’s take a look at a few key sub-topics, strategies, and tips that will help you prepare for such questions in the UPS NDA or any other defence exam.
Important Matrix and Determinant Tips/Tricks
- Begin with learning the basics, such as the definition of a matrix, matrix algebra, and matrix transpose.
- Rather than memorising the Matrix theory, focus on solving numerical problems.
- Then move on to more sophisticated concepts like Adjoint Matrix, Inverse Functions of matrices( Inverse Matrix), followed by systems of equations, determinants, Cramer’s Rule, and homogeneous equations.
- After you’ve gone over these concepts, go over several solved examples before moving on to MCQs and practising the problem.
- Solve the questions in the books you’re reading, then solve previous year’s papers.
- While going through the topics, make sure you understand the derivation of formulae and try to derive them on your own because you won’t always need the exact formula, but understanding the steps of derivation will help you solve the problem.
- Because this is a very calculative topic, you should practise as much as possible. Take several Matrix quizzes and online mock tests to get a better understanding of the topic.
- Try to produce your own fast notes at the end of the chapter for quick revision, and make a list of formulae to revise quickly before tests or whenever you are required to revise the chapter; this will save you a lot of time.
Important Topics: Matrices and Determinants
Operation on Matrices, for example, is one of the most important matrices and determinant subtopics. Asymmetric and skew-symmetric matrices are two different types of matrices. Transformation Matrix and its Types, Determinant of a Matrix, Conjugate of a Matrix Row operations are simple. Cramer’s rule, System of homogeneous linear equations, Adjoint and inverse of a matrix, Minor and cofactor of an element of matrix/determinant, and so on.
