NDA 2026: Notification, Application Form, Eligibility, Exam Dates

Union Public Service Commission is the authority to conduct NDA 2026 examination. NDA (National Defence Academy) exam will be organized two times in a year at national level. Candidates seeking for entry in Defence forces (Army, Navy & Air Force) can apply through this exam. UPSC will release the notification for vacancies of Defence forces to be filled through NDA scores. The number of vacancies may vary depending upon the avilability of training capacity in NDA & Indian Naval Academy. After qualifying the NDA 2026 exam, candidates have to go through the SSB interview & medical examination for final selection. Check here for all details about NDA 2026 exam, application form, eligibility, pattern, syllabus etc.

NDA 2026 Overview

NDA 2026 Exam Dates

Candidates can check below the tentative dates of NDA examinations:

For NDA 1 2026:

For NDA 2 2026:

NDA 2026 Application Form

Some important instructions regarding UPSC NDA 2026 application form are provided below:

• UPSC will issue the application form through online mode. Candidates can not apply for NDA through any offline mode.
• For NDA 1, application form will be released from 3rd week of December 2025 and will be available till first week of January 2026.
• Candidates must fill the application form as per their provided documents & Photo ID proof.
• Application procedure will comprises of various steps like OTR registration, details filling, uploading images, fee payment etc.
• For NDA 2, candidates can fill application form between second week of May 2026 to first week of June 2026.
• Upload the scanned images of signature and photograph carefully.
• The authority will also provide the correction facility after the completion of application process.
• Do not forget to take printout of the filled-in application form for further use.

Application Fee:

• The application fee will be payable through online and offline both modes.
• The NDA application fee will be Rs.100/- for general candidates.
• SC/ST candidates/female candidates/Wards of JCOs/NCOs/ORs candidates are exempted from application fee.
• Online payment will be done through Master, Visa, Rupay debit/credit card, UPI etc.
• Offline payment will be initiated through challan of SBI bank.

NDA 2026 Application Correction

UPSC will provide a seven days window for any modification in OTR or application form. NDA application correction will be done through online mode only. It will be organized from second week of January 2026 (NDA 1) and second week of June 2026 (NDA 2).

Candidates should make any correction during the window as later no facility will be provided. Candidates will be able to do modification in their application form through online mode by entering login details.

Steps to Apply for NDA 2026

• Step-1: Go through the website of UPSC (Link will be given above).
• Step-2: Click on the OTR Registration portal.
• Step-3: Fill the details required for OTR form and register yourself.
• Step-4: Login again and proceed to fill the application form.
• Step-5: Enter personal, qualification, address & other required details.
• Step-6: Upload the scanned images of photograph & signature.
• Step-7: Pay the application fee through online or offline mode.
• Step-8: After the successful fee payment, take printout of the filled application form.

NDA 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Below we have mentioned the eligibility criteria of NDA examination 2026:

Nationality:

• Indian National & Subject of Nepal are eligible to apply.
• Person of Indian origin migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Age Limit:

• Gender: Male & Female both candidates can apply for NDA & NA.
• Marital Status: Only unmarried candidates are eligible to apply.
• Age Limit (NDA 1): Candidates should born on or between 2nd July 2007 to 1st July 2010.
• Age Limit (NDA 2): Candidates DOB should fall on or between 2nd January 2008 to 1st July 2011.

Qualification:

• Army Wing (NDA): Applicants must have passed 10+2 or equivalent exam from any recognized board.
• Air Force & Naval Wings (NDA & NA): Qualified 12th or equivalent exam with Chemistry, Physics & Mathematics subjects from recognized state or national board.
• Candidates appearing in qualifying exam are also eligible to apply.

Physical Standards:

• Candidates should be physically & mentally fit to apply for NDA exam.
• Candidates have to complete all the medical tests after clearing the entrance exam.

NDA 2026 Exam Pattern

Candidates appearing for the exam can check the NDA exam pattern 2026 below:

• Exam Mode: The exam will be conducted through pen and paper based mode.
• Sections: There will be two sections, i.e. Mathematics & General Ability Test.
• Duration: Two and half hours will be given to each section.
• Type of Questions: Objective type questions will be asked in the examination.
• Language: Mathematics section will be in English language and GAT section will be asked in English & Hindi both languages.
• Negative Marking: 0.33% of the marks assigned to the question will be deducted for each wrong answer.

Section wise Distribution of Marks:

NDA 2026 Syllabus

UPSC will release the syllabus along with the notification. While preparing for the exam candidates must refer the officially prescribed syllabus. Some important topics of NDA syllabus 2026 is given below:

Mathematics: Trigonometry, Algebra, Differential Calculus, Vector Algebra, Integral Calculus and Differential equations, Matrices and Determinants, Analytical Geometry of two and three dimensions, Statistics, Probability etc.

General Ability Test: English, General Knowledge, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Geography, Current Events etc.

NDA 2026 Preparation Tips

Preparations can be made in a right way by following the beneficial NDA preparation tips & strategy:

• The main step for every exam preparation is to follow the right syllabus & exam pattern.
• Prepare a suitable time table and give time to every subject.
• Practice mock test every day to analyze your performance.
• Solve previous year question papers & sample papers & follow the good study materials.
• Make short notes on important topics and revised them later.
• Take care of your health and diet and take proper sleep of around 6 to 7 hours daily.

NDA 2026 Exam Centers

NDA 2026 examination may be conducted in following cities:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

NDA 2026 Admit Card

The admit card will be released seven days before the examination. NDA admit card 2026 will be available from fourth week of March 2026 (NDA 1) and second week of June 2026 (NDA 2). It will available through online mode only.

No NDA hall ticket will be send through post or offline mode. To download the admit card, candidates have to enter their RID, Roll Number, DOB & other required details. In case candidates does not receive their admit card or any query regarding this they can contact to commission.

NDA 2026 Answer Key

UPSC will not provide any official answer key of NDA examination. Some coaching institutions may release the NDA answer key 2026 after the examination. It will be released on same day or within a week after the exam.

For NDA 1, it will be available in the month of April 2026 and for NDA 2, it will be released in the month of September 2026. It will be available through online mode in the PDF format. The answer key will contain the expected answers of questions asked in the examination.

NDA 2026 Result

Students appeared in the exam will be able to download the NDA Result 2026 through online mode. Result will be published in the first week of May 2026 (NDA 1) and September 2026 (NDA 2). The result will be available in the PDF format containing the roll number of the qualified candidates.

UPSC NDA result will be published in two stages. Firstly, result will be published for written exam qualified candidates and final result will be declared after qualifying the SSB interview process. Candidates must take printout of the result and keep it safe for further use.

NDA 2026 Cut-off

NDA Cut-off 2026 will be released after the declaration of result. As per the cut off marks candidates will be qualified for the next rounds. The cut off will be announced through online mode only.

The cut off will depend on various terms like number of candidates, marks scored by the candidates, difficulty level of the exam, previous cut-offs, category etc. To appear for the SSB interview, it is necessary to come under the released cut off marks.

NDA 2026 SSB Interview

NDA SSB Interview process will be organized after the declaration of result. Candidates appearing for SSB must bring their original documents & ID for verification process. It is necessary to report for the interview as per the dates specified in the interview letter.

SSB Interview is a two stage selection procedure. Stage 1 contains Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR), Picture Perception (PP) and Description Test (DT). Stage 2 will comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Test and the conference. To get selected in NDA & NA, candidates have to clear all these tests carefully. After SSB interview, the final result will be published on the website.

For any other queries about NDA 2026, you can ask us by leaving your comments below.