NDA Exam Date 2025 OUT: Check UPSC NDA Complete Schedule

NDA 2 2025 exam will be conducted on September 14, 2025. NDA 2 2025 notification will be released on May 28, 2025. The application form will be available till June 17, 2025. NDA 2 notification 2025 will be released to select candidates for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy Courses beginning in July 2025.

The ideal time required for NDA preparation is one year to six months. During the preparation phase, candidates must focus on all subjects and topics relevant to the exam. Candidates must consider solving the NDA question papers. They should also attempt mock tests to increase speed and accuracy. Candidates must be thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus. The tips and tricks to prepare for NDA exam are given below:

• To begin with the preparation, candidates need to understand the syllabus and exam pattern
• Candidates can clear their basic concepts of the topics from the Class 10, 11 and 12 books
• To improve speed and accuracy, candidates can attempt mock tests
• After completing the syllabus, candidates must practice previous years' question papers to know the types of questions asked in the exam
• Candidates must work on improving their weak areas

NDA1 admit card 2025 was released on April 13, 2025. The link to download the admit card is made available on the official website. Candidates can access their admit cards by logging with either registration number or roll number. The admit card comprises candidate's name, roll number, date of birth, address of exam centres, scanned photograph, signature, etc. Candidates need to carry the printed copy of their admit cards to the exam centre. Along with the admit card, candidates are required to take one photo-identity proof to the exam centre for verification process. 

NDA 1 2025 exam was conducted on April 13, 2025. The official notification for NDA 1 2025 exam along with the application form was released on December 11, 2024. The last date to apply for the exam was December 31, 2024.

NDA exam is conducted every year twice in a year. The exam is conducted to select candidates for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy courses. The selection process comprises written exam and SSB Interview. The total marks allotted to the written exam are 900. The SSB interview carries 900 marks. 

Around two to three Lacs candidates apply for NDA exam. The written exam of NDA is cleared by around 8000 to 10,000 candidates. Such candidates are called for SSB interview. The pass percentage in SSB interview is around 10 to 15 per cent. Many students are rejected on medical ground as well. After the medicals, a merit list is prepared which features around 580 to 650 candidates. First 350 to 380 candidates are invited for admission to NDA and INAC. Some candidates do not join and some are not able to cope up with the tough training process. NDA selection process is bit tough therefore it takes about six months preparation to crack the exam.

The ideal time required for NDA preparation is one year to six months. During the preparation phase, candidates must focus on all subjects and topics relevant to the exam. Candidates must consider solving the NDA question papers. They should also attempt mock tests to increase speed and accuracy. Candidates must be thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus. The tips and tricks to prepare for NDA exam are given below:

• To begin with the preparation, candidates need to understand the syllabus and exam pattern
• Candidates can clear their basic concepts of the topics from the Class 10, 11 and 12 books
• To improve speed and accuracy, candidates can attempt mock tests
• After completing the syllabus, candidates must practice previous years' question papers to know the types of questions asked in the exam
• Candidates must work on improving their weak areas

Every year thousands of candidates appear for NDA exam. With so much competition, candidates need to have a proper preparation strategy for the exam. Candidates need to be consistent with their study plans. They should devote few hours every day to study. Candidates need to be thorough with the syllabus. Candidates must revise their notes and important formulae every day. Candidates must practise mock tests and previous years' question papers to get familiar with the exam pattern and syllabus. Candidates must clear their basic concepts of each and every topic given in the syllabus. This will help candidates to solve the questions easily in the exam.

Yes, women candidates can now apply for NDA exam. In 2021, Supreme Court of India has allowed women candidates to appear for NDA exam. The eligibility criteria of women candidates are same as male candidates. Women candidates aged between 16.5 years to 19.5 years can apply for NDA exam. They must have passed Class 12 or equivalent from a recognised board. Candidates who are appearing in Class 12 exam can also apply for NDA. Now women candidates are also eligible for applying to the Indian Naval Academy course. Earlier, they were not allowed to apply for Indian Naval Academy. The eligibility for the women candidates are same as their male counterparts. However, there is a difference in the medical standards of women candidates.

There is no difference between UPSC NDA 1 and 2 exams. NDA 1 exam is conducted for admission to the January batch. Whereas, NDA 2 exam is conducted for admission to July batch.

National Defence Academy or NDA exam is conducted twice a year by Union Public Service Commission for admission to  Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC). It is the most sought-after defence entrance exams in the country where both male and female candidates can apply.

The exam is conducted in two stages: written exam and SSB Interview. In 2020, a total of 5.3 Lacs candidates had applied for the exam, out of which 2.4 Lacs candidates appeared for the exam. UPSC prepares a list of candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks in the written exam. Such candidates are called for SSB Interview for Intelligence and Personality Test.

Also Read: Know the difference between NDA & NA I and II Exams

Though both are defence exams, there are many similarities and differences in the recruitment process, exam pattern, training, salary, perks, promotion, eligibility, etc. NDA is conducted for candidates who wish to join the defence services after Class 12. CDS is the exam conducted for the graduate candidates for training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Air Force Academy (AFA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA). NDA exam is conducted for Class 12 pass candidates. Whereas, CDS exam is conducted for graduate-level candidates. NDA exam carries two subjects-GAT and Maths. CDS exam carries three papers-Maths, English and GK. English and GK section is conducted for OTA, IMA, INA and AFA. Maths paper is conducted for IMA, INA and AFA. The total marks allotted to the written exam of NDA is 900 whereas it is 300 for CDS.

Hi, Eligibility Criteria to write NDA exam- (a) Nationality : A candidate must either be : i) a citizen of India, or ii) a subject of Bhutan, or iii) a subject of Nepal, or iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India with the intention of permanently settling in India, or v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Certificate of eligibility will not, however, be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal. (b) Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status : A candidate must be an unmarried male and have attained the age of 16 1/2 years and must not have attained the age 19 years on the 1st January or 1st of July of the year succeeding the year of examination. Candidates must not marry until they complete their full training. A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his application, though successful will not be selected for training. A candidate who marries during training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the Government. (c) Educational Qualifications : For Army wing of National Defence Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a State Education Board or a University. For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 (Executive Branch) Course at the Naval Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University. Candidates who are appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination can also apply.

Agnipath scheme is conducted for JCO entry whereas NDA exam is conducted for Officer entry. Agnipath scheme is restricted to the recruitment of soldiers. This is just a four-year scheme. NDA exam is conducted for permanent service commission. Therefore, NDA exam is not affected by Agneepath scheme. NDA exam is conducted by UPSC to select eligible candidates for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy courses. Both male and female candidates are eligible to apply for the exam. Through NDA exam, candidates are selected as Commissioned Officers in armed forces. The selection process of NDA comprises written exam and SSB interview. The written exam is conducted for 900 marks and SSB interview carries 900 marks. The final merit list is prepared out of 1800. 

NDA grade pay depend on the post to which they are selected. NDA salary is based on the 10th pay scale as per 7th pay commission. NDA grade pay for different posts is given below.

NDA Rank	NDA Grade Pay (in INR)
Captain	6,100
Major	6,600
Lieutenant	5,400
Lieutenant Colonel	8,000
Brigadier	8,900
Colonel	8,700
Major General	10,000

NDA application form is made available online and candidates can submit it through the official website. To fill NDA application form, candidates need to do the One Time Registration (OTR). NDA application form comprises two parts-1 and 2. NDA apply online part I registration is divided into four pages: candidate's registration, choosing the preferred branch, verifying details and generation of registration ID. In part II, candidates need to pay the application fees, select the exam centre, upload scanned images of photographs and signatures.

The questions that are asked in an NDA SSB interview are given below: 1) What is the meaning of your name? 2) How did your GTO and Psychology go, how many individual obstacles could you do, were you able to answer all the questions in psychology. 3) Why the IAF over the Army and Navy? 4) Tell me about your education background, the schools you've studied in (8th grade onwards), your marks, your favourite teacher, the teacher you disliked, favourite subject, disliked subject. 5) Tell me about the extracurricular and sport activities you actively took part in, your achievements, reason for taking part in those particular activities, level at which you participated. 6) Name few of your best friends from childhood, what do you like in them, what do you dislike in them, who supported you the most, what do they like in you, what do they dislike in you, who was your role model at school, reason for drop in percentage. 7) What are your weaknesses, how do you deal with them, is there any short coming you recently over came, how did you do so. 8) Tell me about your family background, the members of your family, what is their occupation, what do you like in each one of them, what do you dislike, what do they like in you, what do they dislike in you, which parent are you the closest to, why. 9) What is your routine on a holiday, how much pocket money do you get, how do you spend your money. 10) Tell me any 2 national and international news which you've come across recently. 11) Tell me how does an aircraft fly? What's the mechanism and principle. 12) What are your roles and responsibilities in your family, how do you help your family members and friends.

NDA selection process comprises written exam and SSB interview. Candidates need to secure qualifying marks separately in the written exam and SSB interview. Qualified candidates will be placed in a single combined list on the basis of total marks secure in the written exam and SSB interview. Final allocation is done based on the number of vacancies, eligibility, medical fitness and merit-cum-preference of the candidates. The written exam of NDA is conducted for 900 marks. The sectional cutoff marks for the written exam is 25 per cent. The SSB interview carries 900 marks. The SSB interview is conducted in two stages. Stage 1 comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT) whereas Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference.

The written exam of NDA comprises two papers-Mathematics and General Ability Tests (GAT). The Maths paper carries 120 questions and the GAT carries 150 questions. Total marks allotted to the written exam are 900. Candidates qualifying the written exam are called for SSB interview. SSB Interview is divided into two stages. Candidates qualifying the Stage 1 are called for the Stage 2 exam. Stage 1 of the SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference

The monetary benefits given to NDA Officers in case of mishap are given below:

In case of disability

• Monthly Ex-gratia amount of INR 9,000 per month.
• Ex-gratia disability award of INR 16,200 per month
• Constant Attendant Allowance (CCA of INR 6, 750 per month for 100 per cent disable on the recommendation of Invaliding Medical Board (IBM).

In case of death

• Ex-gratia amount of INR 12.5 Lacs to the NoK.
• The Ex-gratia amount of INR 9,000 per month to the NoK.
• The Ex-gratia awards to Cadets (Direct)/NoK, will be sanctioned purely on ex-gratia basis and the same should not be treated as pension for any purpose.

Agnipath scheme is conducted for JCO entry whereas NDA exam is conducted for Officer entry. Agnipath scheme is restricted to the recruitment of soldiers. This is just a four-year scheme. NDA exam is conducted for permanent service commission. Therefore, NDA exam is not affected by Agneepath scheme. NDA exam is conducted by UPSC to select eligible candidates for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy courses. Both male and female candidates are eligible to apply for the exam. Through NDA exam, candidates are selected as Commissioned Officers in armed forces. The selection process of NDA comprises written exam and SSB interview. The written exam is conducted for 900 marks and SSB interview carries 900 marks. The final merit list is prepared out of 1800. 

The selected candidates for the three services-Army,  Navy and Air Force are given preliminary training both academic and physical for a period of three years at the National Defence Academy which is an Inter-Service Institution. The training during
the first two and half years is common to the cadets of three wings. All the cadets on passing out are awarded degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi as under:
(a) Army Cadets: BSc/ BSc (Computer)/ BA
(b) Naval Cadets: B Tech Degree
(c) Air Force Cadets: B Tech Degree /B Sc/BSc  (Computer)
All the cadets undergoing B.Sc/B.Sc (Computer)/BA Degree programme are awarded the degree on the successful completion of Academics, Physical and Service Training at NDA.
All the cadets undergoing B Tech programme are awarded the B Tech degree on the subsequent Pre Commissioning Training
Academies/ Institutions/ Ships/ Air Craft
The selected candidates of the Naval Academy are given preliminary training both academic and physical, for a period of four years at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. The cadets of 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme are awarded a B Tech Degree on successful completion of training.

Around two to three Lacs candidates apply for NDA exam. The written exam of NDA is cleared by around 8000 to 10,000 candidates. Such candidates are called for SSB interview. The pass percentage in SSB interview is around 10 to 15 per cent. Many students are rejected on medical ground as well. After the medicals, a merit list is prepared which features around 580 to 650 candidates. First 350 to 380 candidates are invited for admission to NDA and INAC. Some candidates do not join and some are not able to cope up with the tough training process. NDA selection process is bit tough therefore it takes about six months preparation to crack the exam.

The ideal time required for NDA preparation is one year to six months. During the preparation phase, candidates must focus on all subjects and topics relevant to the exam. Candidates must consider solving the NDA question papers. They should also attempt mock tests to increase speed and accuracy. Candidates must be thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus. The tips and tricks to prepare for NDA exam are given below:

• To begin with the preparation, candidates need to understand the syllabus and exam pattern
• Candidates can clear their basic concepts of the topics from the Class 10, 11 and 12 books
• To improve speed and accuracy, candidates can attempt mock tests
• After completing the syllabus, candidates must practice previous years' question papers to know the types of questions asked in the exam
• Candidates must work on improving their weak areas

Though both are defence exams, there are many similarities and differences in the recruitment process, exam pattern, training, salary, perks, promotion, eligibility, etc. NDA is conducted for candidates who wish to join the defence services after Class 12. CDS is the exam conducted for the graduate candidates for training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Air Force Academy (AFA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA). NDA exam is conducted for Class 12 pass candidates. Whereas, CDS exam is conducted for graduate-level candidates. NDA exam carries two subjects-GAT and Maths. CDS exam carries three papers-Maths, English and GK. English and GK section is conducted for OTA, IMA, INA and AFA. Maths paper is conducted for IMA, INA and AFA. The total marks allotted to the written exam of NDA is 900 whereas it is 300 for CDS.

NDA stands for National Defence Academy. NDA is situated at Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra and it is one of the most prestigious military training institutions in the world. NDA trains cadets for Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. The cadets are trained to become officers in the Indian Armed Forces upon graduation. Cadets are received a Bachelor's degree in the field of engineering or technology or any other field. NDA exam is conducted for two courses every year, one starting in January and the other starting in July. The courses are of three years duration and cadets are trained in various aspects of military and academic education. NDA exam comprises written exam and SSB interview.

NDA syllabus is prescribed by the examination authority so that candidates can know what they need to prepare for the exam. The standard of NDA syllabus is of Class 10, 11 and 12 levels. NDA syllabus is divided into two parts-Maths and GAT. NDA Maths syllabus carries questions from Algebra Calculus, Matrices and Determinants Integral Calculus and Differential Equations Trigonometry Vector Algebra Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three Dimension and Statistics and Probability.. NDA GAT syllabus carries questions from topics such as Usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Cohesion. Questions in General Knowledge are asked from Physics Chemistry Social Studies, General Science, Geography, and Current Events.

 

There are multiple allowances offered to the Officers along with NDA salary such as Uniform Allowance, Dearness and Transport Allowance, Para Reserve Allowance, Technical Allowance, Children Education Allowance, Hostel Subsidy, High Altitude Allowance, etc. The Army Aviators (Pilots) in Lt and above in Level 10 and above serving in the Army Aviation Corps are entitled to flying allowance of INR 25,000 (R1H1 of Risk and Hardship Matrix).. .

The salary that candidates will get after completing their course in NDA is given below. Lt to Major: Lt: Level 10 (56100-177500) Capt: Level 10 B (61,300-193900) Maj: Level 11 (69400-207200) Lt Colonel to Major General: Lt Col: Level 12A (121200-212400) Col: Level 13 (130600-215900) Brig: Level 13A (139600-217600) Maj Gen: Level 14 (144200-218200) Lt Gen AG Scale: Level 15 (182200-224100) HAG + Scale: Level 16 (205400 224400) VCOAS/ Army Cdr/ Lt Gen (NFSG): Level 17 (225000) (fixed) COAS: Level 18 (250000) (fixed). .

The highest NDA salary of an Officer is Level 18 which is INR 2,50,000. This salary is offered to Chief of Army Staff. The highest salary varies for different posts. The salary for the post of Lieutenant is INR 1,77,500 per month. The salary for Major General is INR 2,18,200 per month.

Yes, candidates need to secure 20 to 25 per cent in each subject of NDA exam. Besides, candidates need to secure the NDA cut off separately in the written exam and qualifying marks. The total marks allotted to the written exam are 900, the GAT section carries 600 marks and Mathematics section carries 300 marks. The SSB Interview carries 900 marks.