UPSC NDA 2026 Selection Process, Written Exam & SSB Interview
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Exam 2026 ( NDA )
Registration - 10 Dec '25 - 30 Dec '25
NDA Selection Process 2026 comprises written exam and SSB Interview. Both male and female candidates can apply for the exam. Candidates between16.5 to 19.5 years and who have passed Class 12 pass can apply for the exam. The written exam of NDA carries 900 marks. Those qualifying the written exam are called for SSB Interview. The SSB interview carries 900 marks. Read below for more details on NDA selection process.
- Training Process of Girl Cadets in NDA
- NDA Selection Process FAQs
Training Process of Girl Cadets in NDA
The girls of the age group 16 ½ to 19 years are eligible to undergo three-year training in NDA. The military training of the girl cadets is conducted in a gender-neutral manner. A total of 1.7 lakh women candidates applied for UPSC NDA 2 exam 2021. Out of these 1002 women candidates had qualified the written exam. The training objective of the girl cadet at NDA continue to remain as centre excellence for producing military leaders equipped with professional, moral and physical attributes with minimum changes to the existing curriculum in training, drill outdoor training, etc. Owing to the physiological differences between male and female cadets, there might be certain changes in the physical training of girl cadets.
Commonly asked questions
NDA is the joint training institute for all three services-Army, Navy and Air Force. After joining the NDA cadet undergo training for three years. After graduating from NDA candidates are sent to their respective training academies for one year of training before commissioning. Army cadets are sent to the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), naval cadets to the Indian Naval Academy (Ezhimala), and Air Force cadets to the Air Force Academy (Dundigal, Hyderabad).
NDA Selection Process FAQs
Candidates can check below the FAQs related to NDA selection process.
Commonly asked questions
The step-by-step selection process of NDA exam is explained below:
Filling the Application Form
The application process is completely online. Interested candidates need to apply from the official website. The application fees are INR 100, however, SC/ST candidates/Sons of JCOs/NCOs/ORs were exempted from paying the fees. NDA application form comprises two parts: Part I (Registration) and Part II (Filling the application form).
Release of Admit Card
NDA admit card is released online three weeks before the exam. All registered candidates can download the admit card by logging with either registration number or roll number. The hard copy of the NDA admit card is not sent to candidates by post.
Appearing in Written Exam
The written exam comprises two sections: Mathematics and General Ability Test. The total marks of the written exam are 900. Each paper is held for 2 ½ hours. Total questions asked in GAT are 150 while it is 120 in Mathematics.
Declaration of Result
NDA result is declared in two stages: written and final. The result of both the stages is declared online. The results are made available in PDF format. NDA resultdisplays the roll numbers of qualified candidates. NDA Cutoff is announced after the completion of selection process.
Appearing in SSB Interview
SSB Interview comprises two stages. Stage I comprise Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on the combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT. Stage II comprises Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over four days.
Final Selection
To be acceptable should secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in written exam and SSB Interview. Subject to these conditions the qualified candidates will be placed in a single combined list on the basis of total marks secured by them in the written exam and SSB Interview.
There are negative marks for wrong answers in NDA exam. 1/3 of the marks allotted to each question are deducted for the incorrect answer. There is no deduction in marks for unanswered questions.
NDA Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Here's a forum-style post tailored for the NDA 2 2026 result query:
Waiting for the NDA 2 2026 results can be quite nerve-wracking, especially after months of preparation and anticipation. Many aspirants are anxious to know exactly when the results will be declared and how their efforts translate int
A
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 3 days ago
NDA 2 2024 cut off marks are given below.
| Sl.No. | Name of the Wing | Vacancies | Number of Recommended candidates | Minimum qualifying standard at the written stage (out of 900 marks) | Marks secured by last recommended candidate at Final Stage (out of 1800 marks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Army, Air Force, Indian Navy and Indian Naval Academy Courses | 208 (including 10 for |
792 |
305 (With at least 25% marks in each subject) |
673 |
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
NDA 1 2025 cut off marks are given below.
| Name of the Wing | Minimum qualifying standard at the written stage (out of 900 marks) | Marks secured by last recommended candidate at Final Stage (out of 1800 marks) |
|---|---|---|
Army, Air Force, Indian Navy and Indian Naval Academy Courses | 334 (With at least 25% marks in each subject) | 699 |
I
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
NDA 2 is hard in terms of difficulty level. It is conducted for candidates who have passed Class 12. The test comprises two papers. The total marks allotted are 900. Selection is done based on the written exam and SSB Interview.
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
NDA marks are rounded off up to two decimal digits for all stages. This done by applying the standard rounding off principle,
wherever applicable. While applying the tie-breaking principles, the rounded-off marks upto two decimal digits are considered for resolving all tie cases.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
In case the aggregate final marks are equal then securing more marks in the written exam are placed in higher rank. Candidates securing more marks in Paper 2 (GAT) are placed in higher rank. Age is also given preference while resolving the ties.
C
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
To be acceptable, candidates for the Army/Navy/Naval Academy and Air Force are required to secure qualifying marks separately in written exam and SSB. Candidates for the Air Force, and all the SSB qualified candidates as per their willingness, eligibility and preference for flying branch of Air For
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
NDA 1 result 2026 will be announced in the third week of April. The result will be made available roll-number and name-wise. Candidates need to secure the qualifying marks in the exam.
I
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
A total of 394 vacancies were announced for NDA 1 2026 exam. The break-up is given below.
| Academy | Wings | No. of Vacancies |
|---|---|---|
NDA | Army | 208 (including 10 for female candidates) |
Navy | 42 (including 05 for female candidates) (All Executive Branch) | |
Air Force | (i) Flying –92 (including 02 for female candidates) | |
Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) | - | 24 (including 03 for female candidates) (All Executive Branch) |
Total |
| 394 |
C
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a month ago
The NDA application form for 2026 will be released on December 10, 2025. Here's a summary of the key dates ¹ ²:
- *NDA 1 Application Form:*
- Release Date: December 10, 2025
- Last Date to Apply: December 30, 2025
- Exam Date: April 12, 2026
- *NDA 2 Application Form:*
- Release Date:
Y
Beginner-Level 1
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When NDA 2 result 2026 will be announced?