NDA Exam Pattern 2026: Marking Scheme, Question Distribution & Syllabus
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Exam 2026 ( NDA )
NDA 2 2026 application
20 May '26 - 9 Jun '26
NDA Exam Pattern 2026: The Union Public Service Commission will release the the exam pattern for the NDA 2 exam for both written and SSB interview. Candidates who will qualify the NDA 2026 exam will give SSB interview. The NDA written exam consists of two subjects namely Maths and GAT. There is a negative marking in the UPSC NDA exam and total marks allotted are 900.
The NDA exam pattern is very crucial for the candidates to understand as it provides the overall structure of an exam. It highlights marking scheme, total marks, duration of an exam, shift timings, etc. Scroll down for more information about the NDA exam pattern.
- NDA Exam Pattern 2026
- NDA Exam Pattern 2026 for Written Exam
- NDA Exam Pattern 2026 for SSB Interview
- NDA Syllabus 2026
- NDA Exam Pattern FAQs
NDA Exam Pattern 2026
The NDA exam is conducted twice every year in April and September. The mode of an exam is offline. Candidates who will clear the written exam will be called for the SSB interview. Knowing the exam pattern is necessary for the exam. It helps to know the structure of the paper. Candidates can check below a few important highlights related to the NDA exam pattern.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Mode |
Offline |
| Number of papers |
GAT and Mathematics |
| Duration of test |
GAT: 2 ½ hours Mathematics: 2 ½ hours |
| Exam time |
GAT: 10 am to 12.30 pm Mathematics: 2 pm to 4.30 pm |
| Number of questions |
GAT: 150 Mathematics: 120 |
| Language of question paper |
English and Hindi |
| Total marks |
Written Exam: 900 (600 for GAT and 300 for Mathematics) SSB Interview: 900 |
Also Read:
NDA Exam Pattern 2026 for Written Exam
Candidates should have clear understanding about the NDA exam pattern. As it helps in the preparation. The structure of the NDA exam pattern for the written exam is given below.
| Papers | Subject | Maximum marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 |
Mathematics |
300 |
2 ½ |
| Paper 2 |
GAT |
600 |
2 ½ |
| Total |
900 |
5 hours |
|
Also Read:
NDA Maths Exam Pattern
The Maths paper of NDA carries 120 questions. The Maths section carries a total of 300 marks. Questions are asked from Arithmetic, Mensuration, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Matrices and Determinants.
NDA GAT Exam Pattern
The GAT section carries 150 questions for 600 marks. The GAT section of NDA question paper carries questions from English and General Knowledge. For the English section, candidates must focus on Grammar, Comprehension, and Reading Abilities. In General Knowledge, candidates should focus on Current Affairs, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, etc.Candidates can check below the distribution of questions in the GAT paper.
| Sections | Maximum marks | |
|---|---|---|
| Part A - English |
200 |
|
| Part B - General Knowledge |
Physics |
100 |
|
|
Chemistry |
60 |
| General Science |
40 |
|
| History, Freedom Movement, etc. |
80 |
|
| Geography |
80 |
|
| Current Events |
40 |
|
| Total |
600 |
|
Related Links:
NDA Marking Scheme
There are NDA negative markings for incorrect answers, 1/3 of the marks allotted to each question are deducted for the incorrect answer. There is no deduction in marks for unanswered questions.
| Subject | NDA Negative Marking |
|---|---|
| GAT | -1.33 |
| Maths | -0.83 |
NDA Exam Duration
NDA exam duration is 5 hours, each paper is held for 2 ½ hours. NDA shift timings are given below.
| Shift | NDA Exam Timing |
|---|---|
| Morning | 10.00 am to 12:30 pm |
| Afternoon | 2.00 pm to 4:30 pm |
Also Read:
NDA Exam Pattern 2026 for SSB Interview
The SSB Interview is a five day selection process. It will assesses the candidates leadership skills, physical stamina and also the suitability for a career in the armed forces. As we know, those candidates who will qualify the written exam will be called for SSB interview. Students can check the pattern of the SSB Interview.
| 1 |
Screening Test |
| 2 |
Psychological Test |
| Group Testing Officers Test |
|
| Personal Interview |
|
| Conference |
NDA Syllabus 2026
The standard of the National Defence Academy exam syllabus is of Classes 9, 10, 11, and 12 standards. The same is given below.
- Math-Matrices and Determinants, Integral Calculus and Differential Equations, Trigonometry, Vector Algebra, Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three Dimension and Statistics and Probability, Algebra, etc.
- English- Vocabulary, Comprehension, Cohesion, Preposition, etc.
- General Knowledge-Physics, Chemistry, Social Studies, General Science, Geography, and Current Events.
Candidates will get 2.5 marks for each correct answer and there is also a negative marking of 0.83 marks deducted for each incorrect answer. Candidates can check below the marking scheme as well as the number of questions.
| Total Marks |
300 Marks |
| Total No. of Questions |
120 |
| Correct Answer |
2.5 marks |
| Marks deducted for the wrong answer |
- 0.83 |
| Total duration of Mathematics Paper |
2 Hours 30 Minutes |
The NDA SSB interview consists of two distinct stages namely Stage I and Stage II. The intelligence and personality test and a group interview. On the basis of this, candidates are shortlisted for admission to NDA. SSB Interview is conducted in two stages.
NDA Exam Pattern FAQs
Check NDA exam pattern FAQs below.
NDA exam is highly competitive. Candidates can crack the exam with proper preparation and practice.
The pyschological tests in NDA SSB interview comprises the following:
- Thematic Apperception Test
- Word Association Test
- Situation Reaction Test
- Self Description Test
NDA exam consists of two papers- Maths and GAT. Total marks allotted to the The following tips help candidates to prepare for NDA exam.
Understand the exam
Know the syllabus
Solve the previous years question papers
Prepare a timetable
Follow the study routine
Attempt mock tests
Cracking SSB Interview is not easy task. The difficulty level is high and candidates must have sound knowledge of their subjects to clear the interview. The best books for SSB Interview are given below: SSB Interview: The Complete Guide by Dr N. K. Natarajan SSB OIR & PPDT: Complete Guide to Stage 1 SSB Interview by DDE.
NDA exam is conducted twice a year. The exam written test and SSB interview. The test comprises Maths and GAT. The difficulty level of the NDA exam is usually moderate. Candidates can crack the exam with good preparation.
NDA question papers are released on the exam day. We have provided the previous years question papers on this page. To download NDA question papers for free, candidates need to create their profiles with us. Once it is done, candidates can download question papers pdfs.
GAT paper of NDA comprises a total of 150 questions. The GAT section is divided into two parts. Part A comprises English while Part B consists of General Knowledge. The number of questions in the Maths section of NDA exam is 120. Questions in the Maths section are asked 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 question papers are framed in both English and Hindi by the examination authority.
SSC GD Exam Date 2026 27 Apr '26 - 30 May '26