UPSC NDA 2 Notification 2026 Out for 394 Vacancies, Download PDF

UPSC NDA 2 Notification 2026 PDF has been released on 20th May 2026, announcing 394 vacancies for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the NDA for the 158th Course and for the 120th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 1st July, 2027. The online form is open for unmarried boys & girls to be recruited for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy. Candidates can get complete information regarding the exam from the article. 

Interested an deligible candidates can register online through the UPSC official website https://upsc.gov.in/ from 20th May to 9th June 2026. After successful registration, the NDA 2 Exam will be conducted on 13th September 2026. 

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 2 Notification 2026 PDF Out

UPSC conducts the NDA exam twice a year for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the Indian Defence Forces. Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has officially released the notification PDF for National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination-II, 2026 on 20th May 2026. Candidates interested in applying for the NDA 2 exam must go through the advirtisment PDF to ascertain their eligibility and know the complete details. Download the NDA 2 2026 Notification PDF from the direct link attached here. 

NDA 2 Notification 2026 (Official PDF)

UPSC NDA 2 Exam 2026- Summary

The 12th pass candidates who are looking to don the uniform and join the Indian Armed Forces have a good opportunity to apply for the NDA 2 Exam. The selection of eligible males & females will be done through a written Examination and SSB interviews.

NDA 2 Notification 2026 - Important Dates 

The complete schedule, including registration date and exam date for NDA 2 exams, has been released along with the NDA 2 Notification 2026 PDF. Candidates can start submitting their NDA 2 Application from 20th May 2026, and the application link will remain active till 9th June 2026. 

UPSC NDA 2 Vacancy 2026

A total of 394 vacancies are to be recruited through the NDA 2 2026 exam for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the NDA for the 158th Course and for the 120th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 1st July, 2027.

NDA 2 Exam Date 2026 Out

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has officially announced the exam date for National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA- II) along with UPSC Calendar 2026. NDA 2 Exam 2026 will be conducted on 13th September 2026 (Sunday). The exam will include 2 papers, Paper 1 for Mathematics was held from 10 am to 12:30 pm, and the second paper for the General Ability Test (GAT) was held from 2 pm to 4:30 pm. 

UPSC NDA 2 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 a 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 01st January 2008 and not later than 01st January 2011 are eligible.

Nationality

The candidates must be unmarried male/female and should be:

a Citizen of India, or

a Subject of Bhutan, or

a Subject of Nepal, or

a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st of January 1962 to permanently settle in India, or

a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam to permanently settle in India

Physical Standards

The candidates must be physically fit as per the physical standards for National Defence Academy and Naval Academy. They should be able to fulfill the following criteria:

(a) Running: 2.4 km in 15 minutes

(b) Skipping

(c) Pushups & Sit-ups: Minimum 20 each

(d) Chin-ups: Minimum 08

(e) Rope Climbing: 3.4 meters

Height Requirements

Click for Detailed NDA Eligibility 2026

UPSC NDA 2 Apply Online 2026

The online registration process for the NDA 2 Exam has started at the official website www.upsc.gov.in from 20th May 2026 onwards. The last date for submission of the application form is 9th June 2026. Candidates are advised to complete the online form before the last date to avoid last-minute technical glitches. 

Click for NDA Application Form 2026 Details

NDA 2 2026 Application Fee

The Application fee for a General Category candidate is Rs 100/-

The fee can be deposited in any Branch of SBI by cash or can be submitted by using the net banking facility of the State Bank of India or directly by using Visa/ MasterCard/ Rupay Credit/ Debit Card.

Candidates belonging to SC/ ST categories/ Sons of JCOs/ NCOs/ ORs are exempted from payment of the fee.

UPSC NDA Selection Process 2026

UPSC NDA 2 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:

1. Written examination
2. 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.

UPSC NDA 2 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 2 Examination

NDA 2 Exam 2026 Syllabus 

There would be two subjects, Mathematics & General Ability Test, for which the candidates have to be well-prepared. The candidates are advised not to skip any topic for the NDA Exam and begin their preparation along with the detailed syllabus. There will be questions from English (200 marks) and General Knowledge (400 marks) in the General Ability Test.

Topics covered under Mathematics

Topics covered under the General Ability Test

The questions in this paper will be asked from the English language and General knowledge.

Topics covered under English

Topics covered under General Knowledge

Check Detailed NDA Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026

NDA Previous Year Question Paper PDFs- Click to Download

NDA SSB Interview 2026

The SSB Interview will be conducted to assess the Intelligence and Personality Test. The candidates who have qualified in the written exam have to appear in the 2nd stage, i.e. interview process conducted by the officials. The candidates who qualify for the interview round are required to submit a birth certificate and a pass certificate. The merit list will be prepared based on the candidate's performance in the written examination and interview rounds.

NDA Admit Card 2026

UPSC will release the NDA Admit Card around 10 days before the exam date, i.e., 12th April 2026 & 13th September 2026. The candidates who are going to register for the exam can download their UPSC NDA Admit Card from the official website @upsc.gov.in using their required credentials.

NDA Answer Key 2026

The answer key for the UPSC NDA 2 Exam will be released officially after the conduct of the written test. The commission will be issuing a provisional answer key first, to which the candidates can submit their objections. After the assessment of the provisional answer key and objections, the final answer key will be released.

NDA Exam Result 2026

The result of the written test will be released around a month later, after the conduct of the NDA 2026 Exam, with the names of candidates shortlisted for the interview round. The commission will be releasing the merit list of candidates selected for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the NDA and Indian Naval Academy Courses (INAC) of the NDA for the 155th Course and for the 117th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) after the SSB Interview process.

UPSC NDA 2026 Cut Off

The cutoff for the written exam and final selection is released after the declaration of the final result. NDA cut-off marks for the written exam will be calculated out of 900. The final cutoff marks are calculated on the basis of marks scored by the last recommended candidates out of 1800 marks (900 marks for the written exam and 900 marks for the SSB Interview). The minimum qualifying mark for each subject is 25%. The candidates can check the previous year's cut-off marks for the NDA Exam below.

UPSC NDA Cut Off [Previous Year]- Click to Check

UPSC NDA 2026 Exam Centres

The candidates were given the choice of their preferred cities for the exam centers while filling out their application forms. Below is the list of cities where the UPSC NDA 2 & 2 Exam 2026.

UPSC Calendar 2026 Out- Click to Check