NDA Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

Written exam

A wrong answer costs one third of the question's marks. The GAT is Part A, English (200) and Part B, General Knowledge (400). It's worth twice the maths paper.

SSB interview: 900 marks, four to five days

• Stage I on day one: Officer Intelligence Rating test and Picture Perception and Description Test. Most candidates don't clear it and go home the same day.
• Stage II: psychological tests (TAT, WAT, SRT, self-description), group tasks (discussion, planning, progressive group tasks, command task, lecturette) and a personal interview, then a conference.

Final merit is 900 + 900 = 1,800, followed by a medical.

Mathematics

Algebra: sets, relations, complex numbers, quadratic equations, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, logarithms, matrices and determinants. Trigonometry: ratios, identities, inverse functions, heights and distances. Analytical geometry in two and three dimensions: lines, circles, conics, planes, direction cosines. Calculus: functions, limits, continuity, derivatives and their uses, integration, differential equations. Vectors. Statistics and probability.

GAT Part A: English (200)

Grammar and usage, vocabulary, comprehension and cohesion: spotting errors, synonyms and antonyms, ordering words and sentences, fill in the blanks, idioms and phrases, passages.

GAT Part B: General Knowledge (400)

• Physics: motion, force, work and energy, gravitation, properties of matter, heat, light, sound, magnetism, electricity, simple machines, measurement.
• Chemistry: physical and chemical changes, elements and compounds, air and water, acids, bases and salts, carbon, oxidation and reduction, fertilisers, everyday chemistry.
• General Science: the cell, living things, the human body and nutrition, common diseases, the solar system.
• History and Freedom Movement: Indian history and culture, the freedom struggle, the Constitution, panchayati raj, and world history including the French and Russian revolutions and the United Nations.
• Geography: the earth and its movements, atmosphere, climate, ocean currents, rocks, and India's agriculture, industries and transport.
• Current events: national and international news, sports, prominent people.

Age

For NDA II 2026: born between 1 January 2008 and 1 January 2011. Each cycle has its own window, roughly 16½ to 19½. No relaxation for any category.

Education

• Army wing: class 12 in any stream.
• Air Force and Navy wings, and the Naval Academy course: class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Class 12 students can apply and show proof by the set date.

Sex and marital status

Open to men and women, who must be unmarried. Marry during training and you're discharged and must repay what the government spent on you.

Nationality

An Indian citizen, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came before 1 January 1962, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from certain specified countries.

Medical standards

Height, weight and vision standards differ by service, the Air Force's being strictest. They're in the NDA and NA (II) 2026 notification and they eliminate at the medical.

1. Written exam: 900 marks, Mathematics and GAT.
2. SSB interview: 900 marks over four to five days. Air Force candidates also take the pilot selection test.
3. Medical examination.
4. Merit list out of 1,800, then allotment to a wing on merit and preference.

NDA gets you into training, not a salary. Cadets get a stipend, with board, lodging, uniform and medical care provided, and are commissioned after three or four years.

Military Service Pay comes on top of basic pay for all officers, and field, high-altitude, flying and submarine duty add more. Housing, rations, medical cover for the family and canteen access are provided. The stipend amount comes from the service pay rules, not the notification.

Fee

If a parent is a JCO, NCO or in the Other Ranks, check whether you qualify for the waiver; many entitled candidates don't know about it. Pay by net banking, card or UPI.

Wing preferences

You list the Army, Navy and Air Force wings and the Naval Academy course in order on the form. The wings have different education and medical requirements, so only list ones you qualify for.

Vacancies in the NDA and NA (II) 2026 notification (approximate):

The Army sets male and female vacancies separately for each entry, so women compete for 24 places, from 10 of 208 in the Army to 2 of 92 in Flying.

All wings train together at NDA Khadakwasla for three years, then move to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy or Air Force Academy. 10+2 Cadet Entry candidates go straight to the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

The written exam is at centres across India, picked when you apply. Centres fill first come, first served and can't be changed afterwards, so apply early.

The SSB is run by the services, not UPSC, at boards in cities such as Allahabad, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kapurthala, Varanasi, Coimbatore, Mysore, Dehradun and Gandhinagar. You stay four to five days. Travel is reimbursed for your first attempt at a given entry.

UPSC holds NDA twice a year, NDA I and NDA II, with dates fixed in advance in its exam calendar.

The birth-date window changes between NDA I and NDA II, so read it in the notification for your cycle.

Download the e-Admit Card from upsconline.nic.in. Nothing is posted or emailed. It's released on the last working day of the week before the exam, or three days before if you changed your scribe in the last seven days. Keep your registered email working.

The SSB call letter comes separately from the Services Selection Board after the written result. Bring originals of your matriculation certificate (for date of birth), class 12 certificate, and ID and category documents.

1. Written result: who is called to the SSB. No marks at this stage.
2. Final result: a merit list on 1,800 marks (900 written, 900 SSB), then allotment to wings by vacancy and preference.

A strong written score is worth exactly as much as a strong SSB, and no more. UPSC then publishes category-wise cut-off marks, the marks of recommended candidates, and marks for those not recommended.

UPSC publishes NDA cut-offs for the written stage and the final result after each cycle, on its cut-off marks page. Use those, not copied figures.

There's also a minimum in each paper, so you can clear the total and still fail on Mathematics alone. The final cut-off, out of 1,800, is always well above twice the written one, and both differ between NDA I and NDA II.

1. Put more time into the GAT. It's 600 marks against 300 for maths, 4 a question against 2.5.
2. Guess carefully. A wrong GAT answer costs 1.33 marks. Narrow it to two options or leave it.
3. Start SSB preparation now. It's worth both papers together, and day one sends most people home.
4. Pick your wing early. Air Force and Navy need PCM in class 12.
5. Check your eyesight and fitness against the standards early, especially for the Air Force.
6. Use school textbooks for GK. NCERT books for classes 9 to 12 cover Part B well.
7. Practise on real papers. UPSC's previous question papers include both NDA papers.

UPSC publishes the actual NDA papers (Mathematics and GAT) in its previous question papers archive after each cycle, with answer keys once the cycle closes. There's nothing equivalent for the SSB.

• upsc.gov.in
• upsconline.gov.in, online application
• NDA and NA (II) 2026 notification (PDF)
• UPSC exam calendar
• UPSC previous question papers and cut-off marks
• Join Indian Army

How much is the SSB worth?

900 marks, the same as both written papers together. Final merit is out of 1,800.

Which paper carries more marks?

The GAT: 600 against 300 for maths.

How much do I lose for a wrong answer?

0.83 in Mathematics and 1.33 in the GAT.

Is there any age relaxation?

No, for anyone.

Can women apply?

Yes, if unmarried.

Do I need PCM?

For the Air Force and Navy wings and the Naval Academy course, yes. The Army wing takes class 12 in any stream.