UPSC NDA Exam 2026 – The Union Public Service Commission has announced notification for the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (I), 2026. There are 394 openings for the Army Wing of the National Defence Academy and the Air Force and Naval Wings of the National Defence Academy. Candidates who completed the 12th standard are eligible to apply for this job. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online at (www.upsconline.nic.in) on or before 30 December 2025. The detailed eligibility and application process are given below. Interested candidates can also try UPSC CDS Combined Defence Services Exam.
UPSC NDA & NA Exam (I) 2026 – Details:
| Exam Name | National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (I) |
| Job Type | Central Govt Jobs |
| Qualification | 12th Pass |
| Total Posts | 394 Posts |
| Experience | Freshers |
| Salary | Rs. 56,100/- to 2,50,000/- |
| Job Location | Across India |
| Last date | 30 December 2025 |
Detailed Eligibility for UPSC NDA & NA Exam 2026:
Educational Qualification:
For Army Wing of National Defence Academy:
- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by 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:
- 12th Class pass with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
Note: Candidates appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination can also apply for this examination.
Age Limit:
- Only unmarried male/female candidates born not earlier than 01 July 2007 and not later than 01 July 2010 are eligible.
Salary Details:
- Lt to Maj:
- Lt – Level 10 (56,100 – 1,77,500)/-
- Capt – Level 10 B (61,300-1,93,900)/-
- Maj – Level 11 (69,400 – 2,07,200)/-
- Lt Col to Maj Gen:
- Lt Col – Level 12A (1,21,200 – 2,12,400)/-
- Col – Level 13 (1,30,600 – 2,15,900)/-
- Brig – Level 13A (1,39,600 – 2,17,600)/-
- Maj Gen – Level 14 (1,44,200 – 2,18,200)/-
- Lt Gen (HAG Scale): Level 15 (1, 82, 200-2,24,100/-)
- Lt Gen (HAG+ Scale): Level 16 (2,05,400 – 2,24,400/-)
- VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG): Level 17 – 2,25,000/-(fixed)
- COAS: Level: 18 – 2,50,000/-(fixed)
Note: Stipend to male/female Cadets during the entire duration of training in Service academies i.e. during training period at IMA. be Rs. 56,100/- per month (Starting pay in Level 10) (On successful commissioning, the pay in the Pay matrix of the Officer commissioned shall be fixed in first Cell of Level 10 )
UPSC NDA Vacancy Details: 394 Posts
For National Defence Academy:
- Army Service: 208 Posts (Male – 198 Posts, Female – 10 Posts)
- Navy: 42 Posts (Male – 37 Posts, Female – 05 Posts)
- Air Force
- Flying: 92 Posts (Male – 90 Posts, Female – 02 Posts)
- Ground Duties (Tech): 18 Posts (Male – 16 Posts, Female – 02 Posts)
- Ground Duties (Non Tech): 10 Posts (Male – 08 Posts, Female – 02 Posts)
For Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme):
- 24 Posts (Male – 21 Posts, Female – 03 Posts)
Selection Procedure for UPSC NDA & NA Exam-I:
- The NDA selection process is a two-stage procedure based on the Psychological Aptitude Test and the Intelligence Test
- All the candidates will be put to stage-one test on first day of
reporting at Selection Centres/Air Force Selection Boards/Naval Selection Boards. - Only those candidates who qualify at stage one will be admitted to the second stage/remaining tests.
- Those candidates who qualify stage II will be required to submit the Original Certificates along with one photocopy each of : (i) Original Matriculation pass certificate or equivalent in support of date ofbirth, (ii) Original 10+2 pass certificate
or equivalent in support of educational qualification.
Scheme of UPSC NDA Selection:
Written Test:
- The paper in all the subjects will consist of Objective Type questions only
- The question papers (Test Booklets) of mathematics and Part B of General Ability Test will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English
Note: Candidates should note that there will be a penalty (Negative Marking) for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the Objective Type Question Papers.
| Description | Marks | Duration |
| Mathematics | 300 | 2½ Hours |
| General Ability Test | 600 | 2½ Hours |
| Total | 900 | |
| SSB Test/Interview | 900 |
SSB Interview:
- Candidates who qualify the written exam are called for the Service Selection Board (SSB) interview. The SSB procedure consists of two stage Selection process: stage I and stage II.
- Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II.
- Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT.
- Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on the website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in
Candidates who cleared the written exam must log in to the website to know the SSB centre and the interview date.
- www.joinindianarmy.nic.in
- www.joinindiannavy.gov.in
- The candidate with the Air Force as their first choice is also to register on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in for AFSB and date selection
Application Fees:
- For Others: Rs. 100/-
- SC/ST/Female/Wards of JCOs/NCOs/ORs specified are exempted from the application fees.
Mode of Payment: Fee can be paid by using Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit Card/UPI Payment, or by using the internet banking of any Bank.
How to Apply for UPSC NDA Exam 2026?
All interested and eligible candidates can apply for this position online at (www.upsconline.nic.in) website on or before 30 December 2025 (6.00 PM).
The applicant needs to register himself/herself first at the One Time Registration (OTR) platform if you are a new user.
For More Details: Click here.
To Apply: Click here.
Important Dates:
- Starting Date for Submission of Application: 10 December 2025
- Closing Date of Application: 30 December 2025 (6.00 PM)
- Date of Examination: 12 April 2026
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