NDA 2026 Notification; The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is an organising body that conducts the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA). As per the official calendar, the NDA 1 Notification 2026 pdf announcing more than 400 vacancies for unmarried boys & girls to be recruited for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy will be released on 10th December 2025. The selection of eligible males & females will be done through a written Examination and SSB interviews. For details information regarding the NDA 1 Exam 2026, refer to the article.
UPSC NDA Exam 2026
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA) is a gateway to joining the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force as an officer. The NDA Exam is a national-level defence exam conducted twice every year to select eligible candidates for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy Courses (INAC). Unmarried male and female 12th pass candidates born not earlier than 01st January, 2006 and not later than 1st January, 2011 can submit their application forms for the NDA Exam 2026.
NDA 2026 Notification Out Today
NDA 1 Notification PDF for the NDA 1 Exam will be released on 10th December 2025 by the UPSC at www.upsc.gov.in for the recruitment of 12th pass candidates for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy for FY 2026-27. UPSC conducts the NDA exam twice a year for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the Indian Defence Forces. The official NDA 1 notification 2026 PDF link will be provided below.
NDA Exam 2026 Summary
| Exam Name | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA) |
| Organisation | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Total vacancies | 394 |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Registration Dates | 10th to 30th December 2025 |
| Frequency of exam | Twice a year |
| Exam stages | Written Test and SSB Interview |
| Exam mode | Offline |
| Exam duration | Five hours (Mathematics: 2½ hours, General Ability Test (GAT): 2½ hours) |
| Exam pattern | GAT: 150 Objective type questionsMathematics: 120 Objective type questions |
| Eligibility | Unmarried Boys & Girls |
| Language of Exam | English and Hindi |
| Official website | www.upsc.gov.in |
NDA 2026- Important Dates
| Events | NDA 1 2026 |
| NDA Notification 2026 | 10th December 2025 |
| NDA Application Form 2026 | 10th December 2025 |
| Last date to apply | 30th December 2025 |
| Application Withdrawal | — |
| NDA Admit Card 2026 | April 2026 |
| NDA Exam Date 2026 | 12th April 2026 |
NDA 1 2026 Application Fee
| Categories | Application Fee |
| General | Rs. 100/- |
| SC/ST candidates/female candidates/Wards of JCOs/NCOs/ORs | Exempted |
UPSC NDA 1 Vacancy 2026
The total number of vacancies to be recruited through the NDA 1 2026 exam will be released along with the official NDA 1 Notification 2026 of the UPSC NDA/NA 1 2026 exam on 10th December 2025. Check the table below for detailed vacancy distribution for this year’s vacancy (updates will be made after the release of the official notification).
| NDA 1 Vacancy 2026 | ||
| Department | Vacancies | |
| National Defence Academy | Army | 394 |
| Navy | ||
| Air Force | ||
| Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) | ||
| Total | ||
UPSC NDA 1 2026 Eligibility Criteria
The candidates must hold the minimum qualification to be eligible for Defence Jobs. Below we have mentioned the details for Education Qualification, Age Limit, Nationality, and Physical Standards.
Education Qualification
For Army Wing of National Defence Academy: The candidate should be 12th pass/HSC or equivalent examination from a State Education Board or a University
For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy: The candidate should have completed their 12th Class/HSC or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics from a State Education Board or a recognised University
NOTE: The candidates appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 School Education or equivalent examination are also eligible to appear in the UPSC NDA examination.
Age Limit
Only unmarried male/female candidates born not earlier than 2nd July 2006 and not later than 1st July 2009 are eligible to apply for the NDA 1 Exam 2026.
UPSC NDA Selection Process 2026
UPSC NDA 1 is the examination process that is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to provide the opportunity to the youth of the country who wish to join the defense services. The NDA will be conducted in two stages:
- Written examination
- Intelligence & Personality Test (SSB)
A candidate who qualifies in a written examination will be called for a personality test, which will be conducted to check the intelligence and personality. The candidates have to clear both stages to get their names on the merit list. The merit list/final result will be generated by UPSC with the cumulative score of the Written Exam and the SSB will be considered for final selection.
NDA 2026 Exam Pattern
The candidates who are preparing for the NDA Exam 2026 must be familiar with the exam pattern that is followed by UPSC. We have discussed the details for the NDA Exam Pattern 2026 below:
1. The exam will be conducted in an offline mode
2. The questions will be in multiple-choice format
3. The questions will be asked in bilingual languages (English & Hindi)
4. There will be a negative marking of 0.83 marks for Maths, 1.33 for English, and 1.33 marks for GK
5. Have a look at the detailed exam pattern for the NDA 1 Examination
| NDA-NA 2026 Exam Pattern | |||
| Code | Subject | Max. Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Mathematics | 300 | 2.5 hours |
| 2 | General Ability Test | 600 | 2.5 hours |
| Total | 900 | 5 hours | |
Important Links
| NDA 2026 Notification | NOTIFICATION |
| NDA 2026 Notification | APPLY ONLINE |
Are girls eligible to apply for NDA 2026 Exam?
Yes, unmarried girls are now eligible to appear in NDA Exam.
