NDA Exam Syllabus 2026

What is NDA Exam?

NDA (National Defence Academy) is India's premier tri-services defence training institution. The NDA entrance exam is conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) twice a year — NDA I (April) and NDA II (September) — to select candidates for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

After selection, candidates undergo 3 years of training at NDA, Khadakwasla, followed by 1-year specialised training at the respective service academy (Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy or Air Force Academy).

Eligibility 2026: - Age: 16.5 to 19.5 years (must be unmarried) - Education: Class 12 passed or appearing (PCM mandatory for Air Force and Navy; any stream for Army) - Nationality: Indian (and certain categories of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan refugees) - Gender: Male candidates only (SSB — Service Selection Board — selection is male only as of 2025; female eligibility for NDA was upheld by Supreme Court in 2021 but implementation has been phased)

NDA Exam Pattern

Written examination (900 marks total) + SSB Interview (900 marks) = 1800 marks total.

Paper I — Mathematics: 300 marks. 120 questions. Duration: 2.5 hours. Negative marking: 0.83 marks per wrong answer (1/3 of marks). Each correct answer: 2.5 marks.

Paper II — General Ability Test (GAT): 600 marks. 150 questions. Duration: 2.5 hours. Negative marking: 1.33 marks per wrong answer. Each correct answer: 4 marks. Sections: English (200 marks, 50 questions) + General Knowledge (400 marks, 100 questions).

SSB Interview (900 marks): 5 days. Tests Officer Like Qualities (OLQs), psychological assessment, group tasks, personal interview. Conducted at Selection Centres. Only written exam qualifiers are called for SSB.

Final merit: Based on written exam + SSB combined. Medical fitness mandatory after final selection.

Mathematics Syllabus (Paper I)

Algebra: Concept of set, Venn diagrams, De Morgan laws. Relations and functions. Complex numbers, quadratic equations, permutations and combinations. Binomial theorem. Logarithms and applications.

Matrices and Determinants: Types of matrices, operations on matrices, determinant of a matrix, basic properties. Adjoint, inverse of a matrix. Applications to solving simultaneous equations.

Trigonometry: Angles and their measures, trigonometric functions, inverse trigonometric functions. Trigonometric identities, sum and product formulae. Heights and distances applications.

Analytical Geometry — 2D: Rectangular Cartesian coordinate system. Distance formula, section formula. Locus of a point, equation of a line in various forms. Distance between lines, angle between lines. Equation of circle, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola in standard forms.

Differential Calculus: Concept of real-valued function, domain and range. Composite functions, one-to-one, onto, inverse functions. Notion of limit, standard limits. Continuity, algebraic operations on continuous functions. Derivative and differentiation, standard derivatives. Derivatives of composite and implicit functions. Second-order derivatives. Applications — increasing/decreasing functions, maxima and minima.

Integral Calculus and Differential Equations: Integration as inverse of differentiation. Standard integrals. Definite integrals. Areas under curves. Formation of a differential equation. Solution of first-order differential equations.

Vector Algebra: Vectors in 2D and 3D, magnitude and direction, unit vector. Addition and scalar multiplication. Dot product and cross product and applications.

Statistics and Probability: Measures of central tendency and dispersion. Random variable, probability distribution, Binomial distribution. Expected value and variance.

GAT Syllabus — English Section (200 marks)

The English section tests English language proficiency at approximately Class 12 level.

Grammar and Usage: Spelling, fill-in-the-blanks (vocabulary), antonyms and synonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, common grammatical errors.

Comprehension: Unseen passages with questions testing understanding, inference and vocabulary. Passages are typically 200–400 words.

Note: This section is specifically designed to assess whether a candidate can communicate effectively in English — a critical requirement for officer training. Vocabulary and grammar accuracy are both tested.

GAT Syllabus — General Knowledge (400 marks)

Physics (50 marks approximate): Physical properties of matter, states of matter. Motion, mass, weight, gravity, work, energy, power. Heat and thermometry. Sound and light. Static and current electricity. Magnetism and magnets. Atomic structure basics.

Chemistry (25 marks approximate): Physical and chemical changes. Mixture and compound, symbols and formulae. Chemical equations, valency. Acids, bases and salts. Carbon and its forms. Common chemical compounds (uses, properties). Oxidation, reduction.

General Science: Difference between living and non-living. Basis of life — cells, protoplasm. Plant and animal classification. Human body — reproduction, nutrition, respiration, excretion, nervous system. Food and nutrition. Diseases and their causes and prevention. Achievements of Indian scientists.

History (India and World): Freedom movement broadly. Indian Constitution, administration. Panchayati Raj. Five-Year Plans. National integration. Major events in world history (including wars, industrial revolution, French Revolution etc.).

Geography: Earth's shape, latitude and longitude, time zones. Rock and their classification. Weathering. Atmosphere and climate. Ocean currents. Continents and countries (capitals, currencies). Indian rivers, mountains, climate, soil.

SSB Interview Process

The SSB (Services Selection Board) is the second stage of NDA selection and carries 900 marks — equal weight to the written exam.

Day 1 — Screening: Officer Intelligence Rating test, Picture Perception Description Test (PPDT). About 50–60% of candidates are screened out on Day 1.

Day 2–4 — Psychology, GTO, Personal Interview: - Psychological tests: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situation Reaction Test (SRT), Self Description Test (SD) - Group Testing Officer tasks: Group discussions, Group Planning Exercise, Progressive Group Task, Half Group Task, Final Group Task, Command Task - Personal Interview: 20–30 minutes with an Interviewing Officer assessing leadership qualities, general knowledge, motivation for defence service

Day 5 — Conference: Board conference with all assessors. Final result announced.

Officer Like Qualities (OLQs) tested: Effective intelligence, reasonableness, social adaptability, cooperation, sense of responsibility, initiative, self-confidence, speed of decision, ability to influence the group, courage and determination.