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NDA

NDA & NA (I) 2027 exam (tentative): 11 Apr 2027 (official — upsc.gov.in). Official site: upsc.gov.in.

Official result published — 9 Oct 2026 — upsc.gov.in ↗

National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination

UPSC NDA — two papers: Mathematics (300 marks, 2.5 hrs) and General Ability Test (English + GK, 600 marks, 2.5 hrs) for entry to NDA Khadakwasla.

183 days to exam(official)270 Qs900 marks300 minNegative: −1/3📅 Dates & updates📋 Full syllabus🎯 Expected cutoff🧠 Tricks & mnemonics📖 How to crack it🔁 Mistake Notebook⌨️ Typing practice✍️ Essay & letter check

Free NDA mock tests and previous year paper practice — start now.

Full-length mocks with instant scoring and solutions, PYQ-pattern papers, topic-wise tests and Ask Shishya when you're stuck. Your scores and a free day-by-day plan are saved to your account. All free, no credit card. Content is AI-drafted and checked against the official notification.

Sign up with GoogleNo forms. A five-question NDA test opens for you.Start NDA practice now: after you sign up, a five-question starter test opens by itself and NDA is set up as your exam. From then on you can write whole timed mocks, each score is kept, and every mock records your weak topics. Free, with your Google account, no forms.Try a free 5-question quiz — no signup →
🎓 Preparing for NDA? Get a free day-by-day plan to exam day. Rebuilt every morning around what you actually did — miss a day, nothing is lost.Build my plan →
~394 vacancies(indicative / typical)✓ Verify on Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) ↗

Updated 7 Sept 2026 ·Vacancy counts change every cycle — always confirm the exact number in the latest official notification before applying.

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Sourced

Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →

✦ Try a NDA question — free, no signup

A convex lens of focal length 20 cm forms an image of an object placed 30 cm from the lens. What is the image distance?

Tap an option to check your answer.

Start with a diagnostic

5 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.

This becomes your exam: a Daily 5 email on mornings after you visit, and emails about your streak, live tests, exam date and result day, or after a week away. Each has an unsubscribe link.

🧩 Build your own mock — pick exact topics → · every mock readable in हिंदी + 17 languages inside the test

NDA eligibility

Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.

Age
16.5 – 19.5 years (General)Must be 16½-19½ years on the first day of the academy course (varies per cycle — see notification for exact date range).
Education
Class 12 pass for Army wing. Class 12 with Physics + Mathematics for Navy and Air Force wings.
  • Candidates appearing in Class 12 can apply if results are out before joining the Academy.
  • Air Force / Navy: PCM in Class 12 is mandatory (cannot substitute with Biology).
  • Army wing: any Class 12 stream is acceptable.
Attempts
No attempt limit other than the age cap.
Nationality
Indian citizen (or specified categories — Nepal/Bhutan subjects, Tibetan refugees pre-1962, PIOs).
Other
  • Unmarried male / female (women admitted since 2022 following the Supreme Court ruling).
  • Physical and medical standards as per Service Selection Board (SSB) — vision, height, chest expansion, etc.

NDA cutoffs

Historical cutoffs are a guide, not a prediction. Use them to set a realistic target, not to predict next year's exact number.

Written cutoff (qualifying for SSB interview)

out of 900 marks

Final selection cutoff combines written (900) + SSB (900) = 1800 max. Above are official UPSC cutoffs.

YearCategoryCutoff
2024General — NDA I351 (out of 900) · 720 with SSB
2024General — NDA II355 · 711 with SSB
2023General — NDA I360 · 719 with SSB
2023General — NDA II355 · 709 with SSB
2022General — NDA I360 · 728 with SSB
2022General — NDA II355 · 696 with SSB

Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.

NDA paper analysis — what actually got asked

Topic-by-topic weightage averaged across 2022-2024 papers. Use this to decide where to invest study hours, not where to skim. Source ↗ · verified 2026-05.

Mathematics (300 marks)

225/900 marks avg

  • Algebra + Matrices + Complex Numbers

    ~70 marks(8%)

  • Calculus + Differential Equations

    ~65 marks(7%)

  • Trigonometry + Vectors + 3D Geometry

    ~60 marks(7%)

  • Probability + Statistics

    ~30 marks(3%)

GAT (600 marks)

600/900 marks avg

  • English (200 marks)

    ~200 marks(22%)

  • Physics

    ~100 marks(11%)

  • Chemistry

    ~60 marks(7%)

  • General Science (Biology + Misc)

    ~40 marks(4%)

  • History + Freedom Struggle

    ~80 marks(9%)

  • Geography

    ~80 marks(9%)

  • Current Events + Polity

    ~40 marks(4%)

Takeaways for prep planning

  • Mathematics is the highest-leverage section — most candidates lose marks here, so a strong Maths performer gets a 30-50 mark edge.
  • English in GAT is the easiest section to score consistently — basic grammar + vocabulary + comprehension covers it.
  • History and Geography questions follow NCERT Class 9-12 closely — no need for advanced textbooks at this stage.

NDA salary after selection

Approximate starting gross at an X-class (metro) posting. Actual pay depends on post, city, year of joining and prevailing DA.

  • Officer Cadet (training) → Lieutenant on commissioning

    Pay Level 10
    Basic pay
    ₹56,100
    Gross monthly
    ₹85,000 – ₹1,00,000+ (after commission, including MSP ₹15,500 + transport + outfit)
    Perks
    • Free accommodation, ration, kit
    • Free medical for self + dependants
    • Concessional travel
    • Pension under NPS + service pension
    • Subsidised mess + canteen

    Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.

NDA — Frequently asked questions

Is Shishya free for NDA preparation?
Yes. Every NDA mock test, PYQ-pattern paper and study tool on Shishya is completely free — no subscription and no credit card. Questions are written with AI to follow each exam's syllabus topics on Shishya, and re-checked whenever a student reports one.
How many NDA practice questions does Shishya have?
Shishya has 607 NDA practice questions, written with AI. The automated answer check (three independent AI solves and an examiner) has passed 606 of them; for the remaining 1, that check has not run yet. Any question a student reports is re-checked. They are available as adaptive mock tests with a worked solution for every question.
Are NDA previous year question papers available?
Yes. The official NDA previous year papers the conducting body published are linked on this page, and Shishya has free PYQ-pattern practice papers covering 2021–2025 (5 years) — questions freshly worded in the pattern of each year's paper, not the paper itself; each year's page shows how many questions it holds against the real paper's count. Each is a timed practice set with full solutions.
What is the expected cutoff for NDA?
Cutoffs change every cycle with paper difficulty and vacancies. Shishya maintains indicative score-to-rank bands and category-wise (General/EWS/OBC/SC/ST) expected cutoffs — not official figures — at https://shishya.in/exams/NDA/cutoff
Is there a full-length NDA mock test in the real exam pattern?
Yes — Shishya has a free full-length National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination mock built to the exam's pattern, with sections in the paper's order, scored with solutions. It is the "Full-Length Mock (Real Pattern)" tile on this page.
Can I build a topic-wise NDA mock test?
Yes — pick any topics from the NDA syllabus, choose 10, 25 or 50 questions and the difficulty, and attempt it as a timed mock with solutions and weak-topic analysis, free, at https://shishya.in/exams/NDA/build-mock — questions can be read in Hindi and 17 other Indian languages inside the test.
How can I prepare for NDA for free?
Shishya offers NDA preparation 100% free: adaptive mock tests, official previous year papers (linked from the conducting body) and PYQ-pattern practice papers modelled on each year's paper, the full syllabus (https://shishya.in/exams/NDA/syllabus), subject-wise memory tricks (https://shishya.in/exams/NDA/tricks), a free day-by-day coach plan and an AI tutor in 18 Indian languages.

Previous year papers

100 questions across all years

Official papers

Question papers and answer keys as the conducting body published them. Each link opens the body's own file.

Published by Union Public Service Commission

Previous year paper practice: each year is a set of PYQ-pattern questions — freshly worded in the pattern of that year's paper, not the paper itself. Every card shows how many it holds against the real paper's count.

Practise PYQ-pattern questions topic by topic, across all years →

Mock tests

Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).

New to NDA? Start small:a 25-question subject test first — 4 in 5 aspirants finish these; full mocks after your first win.Pick a subject test ↓

  • NDA — Full Mock 1

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 2

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 3

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 4

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 5

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 6

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 7

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 8

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 9

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full Mock 10

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — 2025 PYQ-pattern set (22 of 270 questions)

    SET

    22 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — 2022 PYQ-pattern set (18 of 270 questions)

    SET

    18 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — Full-Length Mock (Real Pattern: 270Q · 300 min)

    FULL

    270 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — 2021 PYQ-pattern set (19 of 270 questions)

    SET

    19 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — 2023 PYQ-pattern set (20 of 270 questions)

    SET

    20 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

  • NDA — 2024 PYQ-pattern set (21 of 270 questions)

    SET

    21 questions · 300 min

    Start mock →

Practice by subject & topic

Full-length subject tests below — 25 questions each, real exam format, instant scoring.Want to drill a single topic? Open it from the syllabus — a topic that has practice questions has a short quiz on its page.

  • Mathematics

    174 Qs

  • General Ability Test — English

    298 Qs

  • General Ability Test — General Knowledge

    135 Qs

🎯 Build my own mock

Tell Shishya exactly what to test you on — topics, size, difficulty — and get a fresh mock in seconds. Leave the box blank and we'll target your weakest topics.

Questions
Difficulty

Your rank

vs everyone who has taken this exam

Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.

Students

16

Mocks taken

104

Average score

55%

Top score

100%

What can I get from NDA?

Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.

AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.

News & timeline

See older updates →

Latest news

Important dates

  1. 🇮🇳NDA 2 2026 exam

    passed

    Sun, 13 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Mathematics (10:00-12:30) and GAT (14:00-16:30)

  2. NDA 2 2026 provisional answer key — Mathematics

    passed

    Wed, 16 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Provisional key for Mathematics paper

  3. NDA 2 2026 provisional answer key — GAT

    passed

    Wed, 16 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Provisional key for General Ability Test

  4. Result — NDA 2 2026 exam

    passed

    Fri, 9 Oct, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    date printed beside the link on upsc.gov.in

  5. NDA 1 2027 — Application start

    53 days away

    Wed, 2 Dec, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Application window opens with notification

  6. NDA & NA (I) 2027 notification (tentative)

    53 days away

    Wed, 2 Dec, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026). Liable to alteration.

  7. NDA & NA (I) 2027 last date to apply (tentative)

    73 days away

    Tue, 22 Dec, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): last date for receipt of applications. Liable to alteration — the notification is final.

  8. 🇮🇳NDA & NA (I) 2027 exam (tentative)

    183 days away

    Sun, 11 Apr, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): Sunday 11 Apr 2027, 1 day. Liable to alteration.

  9. NDA & NA (II) 2027 notification (tentative)

    214 days away

    Wed, 12 May, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026). Liable to alteration.

  10. NDA & NA (II) 2027 last date to apply (tentative)

    234 days away

    Tue, 1 Jun, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): last date for receipt of applications. Liable to alteration — the notification is final.

  11. 🇮🇳NDA & NA (II) 2027 exam (tentative)

    344 days away

    Sun, 19 Sept, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): Sunday 19 Sep 2027, 1 day. Liable to alteration.

Syllabus

Tap any topic for its study notes + a 10-question topic test

Mathematics

General Ability Test — English