National Defence Academy

The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA & NA) Examination is how students who have passed or are appearing in Class 12 can join the Army, Navy and Air Force as officer trainees. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts it twice a year. Successful candidates train at the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla, Pune, or at the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala, Kerala.

NDA II 2026 was held on 13 September 2026 for 394 vacancies, and its written result is expected in October 2026. NDA I 2027 will be notified on 2 December 2026, with the exam on 11 April 2027. This guide covers the latest updates, important dates, the official UPSC candidate login, vacancies, eligibility, fee, selection process, exam pattern, syllabus, admit card, result, SSB, salary and preparation tips. All details are taken from the official UPSC notification, press note and exam calendar on upsc.gov.in.

Table of Contents

1. NDA Exam 2026: Overview

2. NDA Latest Updates

3. NDA Important Dates

4. NDA Official Candidate Login

5. NDA Vacancy 2026

6. NDA Eligibility Criteria

7. NDA Application Fee

8. NDA Selection Process

9. NDA Exam Pattern

10. NDA Syllabus Overview

11. NDA Admit Card, Answer Key and Result

12. NDA Salary and Training

13. How to Prepare for NDA

NDA Exam 2026: Overview

NDA Latest Updates

• NDA II 2026 result: UPSC's notification states the written result is likely to be declared in October 2026.

• Question papers: UPSC uploaded the NDA II 2026 Mathematics and General Ability Test papers on its website on 14 September 2026.

• NDA II 2026 exam: Held on 13 September 2026. The e-admit card was released on 3 September 2026.

• NDA I 2027: As per the UPSC Annual Calendar 2027, the notification will be released on 2 December 2026, the last date to apply is 22 December 2026, and the exam is on 11 April 2027.

NDA Important Dates

NDA II 2026

NDA 2027 (UPSC Calendar)

UPSC notes that these dates may change if circumstances require.

NDA Official Candidate Login

All NDA applications, e-admit cards and answer key representations are handled on UPSC's online portal, https://upsconline.nic.in. The official notification states that candidates must apply only through this website.

How the UPSC Login Works

The portal has four modules:

1. Account creation: Register with your email ID and mobile number.

2. Universal Registration Number (URN): Fill in your profile once. The URN stays the same for all UPSC exams for life.

3. Common Application Form (CAF): Enter details, upload a photo, capture a live photo and upload your signature (signed three times in black ink).

4. Examination-specific module: Choose the NDA exam, service preferences, centre and pay the fee. An application number is generated for each exam.

Steps to Log In

1. Go to https://upsconline.nic.in.

2. Log in with the credentials you created during account registration.

3. Open your dashboard to fill the NDA form during the application window, download the e-admit card, or submit representations on the answer key.

Keep safe: your URN and your NDA application number. You will need both for future communication with UPSC. The URN profile can be edited only once, and the NDA application form cannot be changed after submission.

What You Can Do Through the Login

Helpdesk: 011-24041001 / 011-40303444, email [email protected] (10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on working days during the application window).

NDA Vacancy 2026

UPSC announced 394 vacancies for NDA II 2026:

Men and women are selected separately, and separate merit lists are prepared for each, as per the vacancies notified.

NDA Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

A candidate must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from specified countries to settle permanently in India. Candidates in the last two groups (except Gorkha subjects of Nepal) need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India.

Age Limit and Marital Status

• For NDA II 2026, only unmarried men and women born between 1 January 2008 and 1 January 2011 (both dates inclusive) were eligible.

• The age window usually moves forward by six months with each exam. The exact dates for NDA I 2027 will be in the December 2026 notification.

• Candidates must not marry until they complete training. A cadet who marries during training is discharged and must repay the training costs.

Educational Qualification

Students appearing in Class 12 can also apply. They must submit proof of passing by the date set in the notification.

Physical Standards

Candidates must meet the physical and medical standards set by the services. Details are given in the notification and are checked during the medical examination after SSB.

NDA Application Fee

The fee is paid online through net banking, card or UPI and is not refundable.

NDA Selection Process

1. Written examination by UPSC (900 marks).

2. SSB Intelligence and Personality Test (900 marks) for candidates who clear the written exam.

3. Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) for Air Force candidates.

4. Medical examination.

5. Final merit list based on written and SSB marks, and vacancies.

SSB Interview

The SSB follows a two-stage process:

• Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). Only those who clear Stage I go ahead.

• Stage II: Interview, Group Testing Officer tasks, psychology tests and the conference, held over four days.

After the written result, qualified candidates must register on joinindianarmy.nic.in (Army and Air Force choices) or joinindiannavy.gov.in (Navy choices) to get their SSB centre and dates.

NDA Exam Pattern

• All questions are objective (multiple choice) with four options.

• Negative marking: one-third (0.33) of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. No marks are deducted for unattempted questions.

• Mathematics and the General Knowledge part are set in Hindi and English.

• Calculators and log tables are not allowed.

NDA Syllabus Overview

The Mathematics syllabus is broadly at Class 11 and 12 level. The detailed syllabus is given in the UPSC notification.

NDA Admit Card, Answer Key and Result

• Admit card: UPSC issues the e-admit card on upsconline.nic.in about a week before the exam. No admit card is sent by post. Keep it safe until the final result.

• Exam day: Entry closes 30 minutes before each session (9:30 AM and 1:30 PM for NDA II 2026). Face authentication and frisking are mandatory.

• Answer key: Candidates can raise objections on the question papers and provisional answer keys online from the 3rd to the 7th day after the exam.

• Result: The written result is published on upsc.gov.in as a PDF of qualified roll numbers. The final result comes after SSB and medicals.

NDA Salary and Training

• Training lasts three years at NDA. The first two and a half years are common for all three services.

• Cadets graduate with a degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

• After NDA, cadets go for further training at their service academies (IMA, INA or AFA).

• During training at the service academies, cadets receive a stipend of ₹56,100 per month.

• After commissioning, a Lieutenant (or equivalent) starts at Pay Level 10 (₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500), plus allowances.

How to Prepare for NDA

• Mathematics: Revise Class 11 and 12 topics, especially trigonometry, calculus, matrices and probability. Practise speed without a calculator.

• English: Work on grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension daily.

• General Knowledge: Revise NCERT science, history and geography, and follow current affairs regularly.

• Mock tests: Take full-length timed mocks for both papers, and track accuracy to control negative marking.

• SSB preparation: Build communication skills, physical fitness and general awareness early.

On Testkart, educators publish online tests and study material for defence exams, which you can use to practise the NDA pattern with timed tests.

The NDA exam is the main route for Class 12 students to become officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force. NDA II 2026 results are expected in October 2026, and NDA I 2027 will be notified on 2 December 2026, with the exam on 11 April 2027. Create your UPSC profile on upsconline.nic.in in advance, check the eligibility dates in the new notification, and start preparing with mock tests well before the exam.