The NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam is a prestigious national-level exam conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) to recruit candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It serves as a crucial gateway for aspirants to join the esteemed defence forces and contribute to the service of the nation. The exam is held twice a year (NDA I & NDA II) in April and September. Candidates must qualify for the written test and then appear for the SSB Interview to secure admission.
| Nationality | A Citizen of India, Nepal, Bhutan, A Tibetan refugee who moved to India, before January 1, 1962, with the intention of settling here permanently, A Person of Indian origin who has migrated from the below-specified countries, with the intention of permanently settling in India - Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (Formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Age limit | The age of candidates applying for NDA 2026 must be between 16.5 and 19.5 years. For NDA I 2026, candidates must be born not earlier than July 2, 2006, and no later than July 1, 2009. For NDA II 2026, candidates must be born not earlier than January 2, 2007, and no later than January 1, 2010. |
| Educational qualification | For Army wing, candidates must have passed Class 12/HSC For Air Force and 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme of Indian Naval Academy, candidates must have passed Class 12 with Physics and Mathematics |
| Physical measurement | For Army, Navy and Naval Academy - 157 cm (minimum) For Air Force - 162.5 cm (minimum) |
| Marital status | Unmarried male & female candidates can apply. |
| Process | Subjects | Marks | Chapters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | Maths | 300 | Algebra Matrices Trigonometry Analytical Geometry Differentiation Integral Calculus & Equations Vector Algebra Statistics and Probability |
| Paper II General Ability Test |
English | 200 | Grammar Vocabulary Comprehension Error Detection. Para-Jumbles |
| General Ability Test | 400 | General Science Physics Chemistry Life Science & Space Science History, Polity, Economy Geography Current Affairs |
|
| Interview | Service Selection Board (SSB) | 900 |
Applicants need to choose their branches – Indian Army, Air Force and Navy. Mark your preference in the order 1 to 4 and enter whether he or she is student of Sanik/Military School or Son of JCO/NCO/Other Rank Officer? Click ‘Continue’ to move to the next page
Candidates should verify the details entered by them in the application form. No correction will be allowed after the submission of NDA form. After verifying the details, agree to the terms and conditions by clicking the required checkbox.
With this, the Part I registration was completed. The registration ID is also sent to candidate’s registered email ID.
Candidates will have sign the declaration and submit the form. Candidates can view the application form by clicking View/Print button.
Under Part – II, candidates has to pay the application fees, select the exam centre, and upload scanned images of photograph and signature.
The final merit list will be prepared based on the combined scores of the NDA written exam and the SSB Interview. Candidates will receive their call letters with details regarding the date, time, and venue for the SSB Interview.
| Day 1 |
i) Officer Intelligence Rating Test (OIR) ii) Picture Perception & Description Test (PPDT) |
|---|---|
| Day 2 | i) Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT) ii) Word Association Test (WAT) iii) Situation Reaction Test (SRT) iv) Self-Description Test (SDT) |
| Day 3 & 4 | i) Group Discussion (GD) ii) Lecturette iii) Group/ Individual obstacles iv) Group Planning Exercise (GPE) v) Outdoor Task a) Full Group Task b) Half Group Task c) Command Task d) Final Group Task |
| Day 5 | Conference |
Note: Dates are subject to change. Check the official UPSC website for updates.
My personal advice to all NDA students is that if you want to score good marks in the exams then you need to solve "Mock papers" continuously and get well versed with it as Infomatica does it. I experienced it during my college days.
Professors are well-qualified and always supportive. Every teacher will give you in depth knowledge of the subject, but it's up to you how you can grasp. They have their own qualified teachers. They use new technologies such as projector teaching so that by visualization, the student can understand the concept clearly. They have their own retired armed forces officers to trained each and every aspirant of NDA about SSB Interview.
When I started my NDA Studies it was difficult for me to cope up with several subjects, Although going to various reference books for each subject but thanks to my friend for suggesting me about Infomatica Academy which changed my career and I was selected for NDA.
Yes, as per Supreme Court’s order, women candidates can apply for the NDA exam. Earlier, the women candidates were not allowed to appear for the exam. Women candidates will be granted permanent commission in the armed forces.
As per the NDA eligibility criteria, there is no age relaxation provided to candidates belonging to reserved categories. All applicants must strictly adhere to the specified age limits to be eligible for the examination
Enter Your Mobile Number to know fees through SMS
