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NDA & NA II 2026 | UPSC | Written exam: 13 September 2026
Prepare for NDA 2026 with a clearer plan for Maths, GAT and SSB
Start with the official exam structure. Then use practice to decide what deserves attention next, instead of revising every subject with the same urgency.
- Official-source checked
- Written exam plus SSB pathway
- No invented topic weightage
- Mathematics
- General Ability Test
- SSB pathway
NDA & NA Examination (UPSC)
Current cycle
NDA II 2026 at a glance
Verified 27 August 2026 against official sources.
| Item | Current official position |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Examination | National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2026 |
| Written exam date | 13 September 2026 |
| Current cycle status | Application window closed; examination scheduled |
| Course | 158th NDA Course and 120th Indian Naval Academy Course, scheduled to commence on 1 July 2027 |
| Approximate notified vacancies | 394 in total. Vacancies are provisional and may change. |
| Age and marital status for this cycle | Unmarried male and female candidates born not earlier than 1 January 2008 and not later than 1 January 2011 |
| Army Wing education | Class 12 pass or equivalent. Class 12 appearing candidates may apply, subject to the notification conditions. |
| Air Force, Naval Wings and Indian Naval Academy education | Class 12 pass or appearing with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, subject to the notification conditions. |
| Physical and medical requirement | Candidates must meet the standards in the official notice. Do not self-assess eligibility from summaries alone. |
This snapshot applies to NDA II 2026 and was verified on 27 August 2026 against the UPSC examination page and official notice. Read the current notification before acting on eligibility, dates, vacancies or standards.
- UPSC NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 examination page — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) · checked 27 August 2026
- NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 notification (PDF) — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) · checked 27 August 2026
Refresh trigger: Refresh within 24 hours of a UPSC notification, timetable, admit-card, question-paper, result or eligibility change. Run a monthly cycle check.
The idea
One intelligence system,
read through NDA.
NDA preparation goes wrong in a predictable way: a student attempts a paper, reads only the total, and then revises every weak-looking subject with the same urgency. The written exam and the SSB pathway are one selection journey, and each stage asks for a different kind of work.
This hub keeps official UPSC facts, preparation guidance and product actions clearly separated, so you can start from the part of the process you are actually facing.
Start here
Start from the part of the NDA process you are actually facing.
I need to organise the written syllabus
Separate Mathematics, English and General Knowledge. GAT is one paper, but it is not one preparation problem.
I need practice, not another broad explanation
Use one baseline paper first. Review it before choosing more chapters, books or tests.
I am preparing for the next selection stage
Written-exam preparation, SSB preparation and medical verification are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Written examination
NDA written exam structure
The written examination totals 900 marks. The SSB Test or Interview carries a further 900 marks. Every figure below comes from the official UPSC notification for this cycle.
Mathematics
01- Marks
- 300 marks
- Duration
- 2.5 hours
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Analytical geometry
- Calculus
- Vectors
- Statistics and probability
Set in Hindi and English. Calculators and mathematical or logarithmic tables are not permitted.
General Ability Test
02- Marks
- 600 marks (Part A English 200, Part B General Knowledge 400)
- Duration
- 2.5 hours
- English
- Physics
- Chemistry
- General Science
- History and related social studies
- Geography
- Current Events
Part B is set in Hindi and English. English is a separate 200-mark preparation stream and should not be folded into General Knowledge revision.
Official marking and exam rules
- A wrong answer attracts a penalty of one-third of the marks assigned to that question.
- If more than one answer is marked, it is treated as a wrong answer.
- A question left blank carries no penalty.
- Calculators and mathematical or logarithmic tables are not permitted.
| GAT Part B area | Approximate share of Part B |
|---|---|
| Physics | 25% |
| Chemistry | 15% |
| General Science | 10% |
| History, Freedom Movement and related social studies | 20% |
| Geography | 20% |
| Current Events | 10% |
What this means for preparation
- Do not treat GAT as one undivided 600-mark subject.
- Keep English visible as its own 200-mark preparation stream.
- Use the official Part B proportions to allocate first-pass coverage, then use your own mock evidence to adjust revision time.
- Do not convert the approximate proportions into false chapter-level weightage.
- Practise question selection, because negative marking changes the value of weak guesses.
Written-exam structure, marking rules and GAT Part B proportions on this page come from the official UPSC notification for NDA & NA (II), 2026, verified on 27 August 2026. Cycle-dependent details change between cycles: always read the current notification before acting on dates, eligibility, vacancies or standards.
- UPSC NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 examination page — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) · checked 27 August 2026
- NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 notification (PDF) — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) · checked 27 August 2026
- UPSC previous question papers — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) · checked 27 August 2026
The diagnosis
A mock score is the start of the review,
not the review.
01
Where the marks went
Separate Mathematics, English and the General Knowledge areas inside GAT instead of reading one combined total.
02
Why they went
Distinguish a knowledge gap from a recall, execution or question-selection error. The fixes are not interchangeable.
03
Whether it recurs
One error may be noise. The same error across papers is a preparation problem, and it decides what you change next.
Name the error before choosing the fix
| What the review shows | Category | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| The concept, rule or fact was not understood | Knowledge gap | Relearn the smallest missing syllabus unit, solve guided examples, then retest without notes. |
| The topic was studied but could not be retrieved accurately | Recall gap | Use active recall, short revision intervals and mixed retrieval. Recheck after a delay. |
| The method was known but the answer failed through calculation, reading or process | Execution error | Rework the exact step, add a checking rule, and repeat under realistic time conditions. |
| The question should have been skipped, delayed or approached differently | Decision or selection error | Review attempt order, elimination quality and the point at which a guess becomes poor value. |
| The evidence is too thin or contradictory | Needs review | Do not label the weakness yet. Collect evidence from more than one set or paper. |
Time pressure may contribute to an error, but it is not automatically the root cause. A student who says they ran out of time still needs to find out whether the real problem was slow recall, weak method fluency, poor question selection or an unrealistic attempt plan.
The pathway
The written exam is one gate. Prepare for the full NDA route.
Candidates who qualify the written examination proceed to the Services Selection Board, subject to the official process, eligibility, medical fitness, merit and service preferences.
- 1
Written examination
Build separate control over Mathematics and GAT. Use official syllabus coverage, timed practice, previous year papers and evidence from mocks.
- 2
SSB Stage I
Stage I includes Officer Intelligence Rating tests and the Picture Perception and Description Test. Only candidates who clear Stage I proceed to Stage II.
- 3
SSB Stage II
Stage II includes the Interview, Group Testing Officer tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. UPSC states that these tests are conducted over four days.
- 4
Medical, service and wing decisions
Candidates must meet the notified physical and medical standards. Service preferences matter, and Air Force candidates may face additional CPSS requirements where applicable. Use official documents, not coaching summaries or self-diagnosis.
Beneath the score
Not another mock-test dashboard.
Rank Sarthi is designed to look below the final number. Each layer narrows the question from "how did I do?" to "what exactly do I do next?"
Layers reflect the diagnostic model. Availability of each layer depends on the exam and assessment type you attempt.
- 01Your performance
Everything begins with an attempted paper.
- 02Score
The number every other platform stops at.
- Subject
Where the loss is concentrated.
- 04Chapter
Which parts of the syllabus repeat as problems.
- 05Topic
The specific idea behind the mistake.
- 06Question type
The formats that consistently go wrong.
- 07Error type
Concept gap, application slip or misread.
- 08Time & attempt behaviour
Where minutes and attempts are spent.
- 09Preparation priority
What matters most right now.
- 10Next action
The specific thing to do tonight.
Explore NDARankUp
Go deeper where it matters.
NDARankUp FAQ
NDA questions students ask first.
Straight answers about how Rank Sarthi fits into serious exam preparation.
UPSC has scheduled the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2026 for 13 September 2026. The date is cycle-dependent, so candidates should check the official examination page and their e-admit card for current instructions. Verified 27 August 2026 against the UPSC examination page and official notification.
The written examination has Mathematics for 300 marks and the General Ability Test for 600 marks. Each paper lasts 2.5 hours. The written total is 900 marks, and the SSB Test or Interview carries a further 900 marks. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
Yes. UPSC deducts one-third of the marks assigned to a question when a wrong answer is marked. If more than one answer is marked, it is treated as wrong. A question left blank carries no penalty. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
Yes, Class 12 appearing candidates may apply, subject to the conditions and proof deadlines in the official notice. Class 11 candidates are not eligible for this examination cycle. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
No. The Army Wing requires Class 12 pass or equivalent. The Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA, and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy, require Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Always verify the current notification. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
GAT contains Part A English for 200 marks and Part B General Knowledge for 400 marks. General Knowledge broadly covers Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History and related social studies, Geography and Current Events. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
Candidates who meet the written qualifying requirements may be called for the Services Selection Board process. Stage I includes OIR tests and PP&DT. Stage II includes the Interview, GTO tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. Final selection also depends on eligibility, medical fitness, merit and service preferences. Source: official UPSC notification, verified 27 August 2026.
Read the official syllabus, attempt a realistic baseline paper or sectional set, and review the result by Mathematics, English and General Knowledge areas. Use the evidence to choose the first two priorities. Do not build a complex timetable entirely from assumptions.
You can build useful long-term habits such as clear communication, current-awareness discipline, physical fitness and honest self-observation while preparing for the written exam. Detailed SSB preparation should follow the official process and qualified guidance. Do not let vague SSB activity replace the written work that is immediately measurable.
NDARankUp
Make the next mock useful
Do not finish with only a score. Review where marks were lost, what type of error produced the loss, whether it is recurring and what you will change before the next paper.
NDA & NA Examination (UPSC)