National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination
Army wing
Air Force / Naval wing
You qualify if you satisfy all rules within at least one of the paths above.
Registration opens
~Dec 2026
Provisional
Estimate from the UPSC 2027 exam calendar (released 20 May 2026), which lists the NDA & NA (I) 2027 notification for 2 Dec 2026 (last date reported as 22 Dec 2026 by one source only). The detailed notification is not out yet; UPSC says calendar dates are liable to alteration.
Exam date
11 Apr 2027
Application fee
₹100(₹0 SC/ST/reserved)
Provisional - NDA 2 2026 fee
Official website
https://upsc.gov.inNDA is UPSC's entrance exam for the National Defence Academy (Pune) and Indian Naval Academy - the joint training institution for future officers of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. It's held twice a year (NDA I and NDA II), and is one of the few national entrance exams open directly to Class 12 students, with no completed degree required.
Mode
Offline (pen-and-paper)
Duration
5 hours total - 2.5 hours each for Mathematics and the General Ability Test
Questions
120 (Mathematics) + 150 (General Ability Test)
Total marks
900
Marking scheme
-1/3 incorrect
Sections
1/3 of that question's marks is deducted for a wrong answer; unattempted questions lose nothing. You also need at least 25% in each of the two papers just to pass the written stage, separate from the overall cutoff.
Clearing the written exam (900 marks) qualifies you for a 5-day SSB (Services Selection Board) interview - group tasks, a personal interview, and psychological tests assessing leadership and suitability - worth another 900 marks. The final merit list combines both stages equally; the written exam alone does not get you in.
The official notification for this cycle hasn’t been released yet, so there’s nothing to verify against - everything above is an estimate based on past years. Always confirm on the official website once it’s released.
NDA 1 2027
Opens ~Dec 2026 · Provisional
