UPSC NDA II Online Form 2026 — Apply for Army/Navy/Air Force + Naval Academy at upsc.gov.in

UPSC NDA-II Online Form 2026: 394 Class-12 Cadet-Entry Posts — Apply by 9 June at upsconline.nic.in

Key Highlights

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the NDA & NA Examination (II) 2026 notification on 20 May 2026 for 394 cadet-entry posts.
• Wing-wise split: Army (208) + Navy (42) + Air Force (120) + Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry (24) = 394.
• Application window: 20 May 2026 to 09 June 2026 (6:00 PM).
• Written Examination: 13 September 2026 (Sunday — same day as CDS-II).
• Apply at: upsconline.nic.in. Notification PDF: upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-NDA-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf.
• Eligibility: Army Wing — Class 12 (any stream); Navy + Air Force + Naval Academy — Class 12 with Physics + Chemistry + Mathematics.
• Age: Born between 02 January 2008 and 01 January 2011 (both inclusive) — unmarried.
• Fee: ₹100 (Gen/OBC Male) · FREE (SC/ST/All Female).
• Selection: Written → SSB Interview (5 days) → Medical → Final Merit + Wing Allocation.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the NDA & NA Examination (II) 2026 notification on 20 May 2026 — for 394 cadet-entry posts at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune + the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala (under the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme). NDA is the only Class-12 entry route to the Indian Armed Forces' officer cadre — successful candidates undergo 3 years of integrated military, academic, and physical training at NDA followed by 1 year of service-specific academy training (IMA / INA / AFA). This page walks you through the wing-specific eligibility, application flow, exam pattern, and the critical scheduling conflict with CDS-II 2026.

⚠️ Critical scheduling note — NDA-II vs CDS-II on the SAME day

The NDA-II 2026 Written Exam is on 13 September 2026 — the SAME date as UPSC CDS-II 2026 Written Exam. Candidates eligible for BOTH (e.g. graduates aged 19-19.5 who are also Class 12 holders) must choose ONE stream:

• NDA-II: Suited for Class-12-passing 17-19-year-olds aiming for early cadet entry + 3-year NDA training.
• CDS-II: Suited for graduates (21-25 years old) aiming for direct officer commissioning post-academy training.

Choose based on your age, education stage, and career timeline.

How to apply online

1. Open upsconline.nic.in (the UPSC Online Recruitment Application portal).
2. Click "Online Application for Various Examinations of UPSC" → select "National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (II) 2026".
3. Complete the One-Time Registration (OTR) if you haven't already (mobile + email + Aadhaar OTP-based).
4. Log in and fill in personal, educational (Class 12 details), and category details; select your wing preferences (Army, Navy, Air Force, Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry — order them strategically per your eligibility + interest).
5. Upload photograph, signature, photo ID proof, Class 10 + Class 12 certificates (or appearing-status proof).
6. Pay the ₹100 application fee (Gen/OBC Male) via UPI / debit / credit / net banking. SC/ST/All Female candidates: NO fee.
7. Submit and download the confirmation PDF for permanent reference.

Last date: 09 June 2026 at 6:00 PM. UPSC strictly enforces this deadline.

Wing-wise vacancy + eligibility

Army Wing (208 posts)

• Eligibility: Class 12 (10+2) pass in any stream from a recognised board.
• Training pathway: 3 years at NDA Khadakwasla → 1 year at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun → Commission as Lieutenant in the Indian Army.

Navy Wing (42 posts) + Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry (24 posts)

• Eligibility: Class 12 (10+2) pass with Physics + Chemistry + Mathematics.
• Training pathway:
  • Navy Wing: 3 years at NDA + 1 year at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala → Commission as Sub-Lieutenant in the Indian Navy.
  • Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry: Direct 4-year B.Tech at INA Ezhimala → Commission as Sub-Lieutenant.

Air Force Wing (120 posts)

• Eligibility: Class 12 (10+2) pass with Physics + Chemistry + Mathematics.
• Training pathway: 3 years at NDA → 1 year at Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad → Commission as Flying Officer (Flying Branch / Ground Duty Branch per allocation).

Age + marital status

Age (as per UPSC NDA-II 2026 notification)

• Date of birth between 02 January 2008 and 01 January 2011 (both inclusive)
• Effective age band: 16.5 – 19.5 years at the time of joining

Marital status

• Unmarried male and female candidates only.
• Female candidates may apply for all three wings (Army / Navy / Air Force) — the women officer-entry option was introduced in 2022 following the Supreme Court ruling.

Citizenship

• Indian citizen.
• Subject of Nepal or Bhutan or Tibetan refugee may also apply per UPSC NDA rules.

Application fee

Payment online via UPI / debit / credit / net banking. Non-refundable.

NDA-II Written Examination — 13 September 2026

Pattern (per UPSC NDA standard)

Single Written Examination with 2 papers (same day, full day exam):

• Paper-I: Mathematics (120 questions · 300 marks · 2.5 hours)
• Paper-II: General Ability Test (GAT) (150 questions · 600 marks · 2.5 hours)
  • GAT sub-sections: English (200 marks) + Physics (100) + Chemistry (60) + General Science (40) + History/Freedom Movement (80) + Geography (80) + Current Affairs (40)
• Total: 270 questions · 900 marks · 5 hours (single day)

Marking

• Mathematics: +2.5 per correct, -0.83 per wrong (1/3 of +2.5)
• GAT: +4 per correct, -1.33 per wrong (1/3 of +4)
• 0 for unattempted

SSB Interview — the actual selection stage

NDA Written is qualifying for SSB; the SSB Interview is where actual selection happens.

SSB Stage-I (Day 1)

• Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) — battery of intelligence tests
• Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PPDT) — perceive a picture, write a story, then discuss in a group
• Outcome: Approximately 40-50% of candidates are screened out at Stage-I — they leave the SSB centre the same evening.

SSB Stage-II (Days 2-5) — for Stage-I cleared candidates

• Psychology Tests: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situational Reaction Test (SRT), Self-Description Test (SDT)
• Group Testing Officer (GTO) Tasks: Group Discussion, Group Planning Exercise (GPE), Progressive Group Task (PGT), Half Group Task (HGT), Command Task, Lecturette, Snake Race, Group Obstacle Race
• Personal Interview: 30-60 minute interview by the SSB Interviewing Officer
• Conference: SSB board's final discussion on each candidate

SSB Medical

• Standard Armed Forces medical board — strict for NDA cadets given the long training duration. Vision (uncorrected 6/6 for AFA — strict colour vision normal), hearing, dental, BMI, no chronic conditions, no major orthopaedic issues.
• Failure rate at medical: 10-15% of SSB-recommended NDA candidates.

Final Merit + Wing Allocation

Final merit = Written marks + SSB Interview marks (subject to medical fitness). Wing allocation per merit rank + candidate preference + wing-wise vacancy availability.

Pay + career trajectory

Training stipend at NDA: ₹56,100/month (cadet stipend per current pay rules)

Commissioned officer pay (post-training):

• Lieutenant (Army) / Sub-Lieutenant (Navy) / Flying Officer (Air Force): Pay Level 10 — ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 (starting) + Military Service Pay (MSP) + DA + Kit + Uniform + Field/Hazard allowances
• Gross monthly (approximate): ₹1,00,000-1,35,000+ depending on posting

Career trajectory (Permanent Commission via NDA):

• Lt → Capt → Maj → Lt Col → Col → Brig → Maj Gen → Lt Gen → Gen (Chief of Army / Naval / Air Staff equivalents)
• Retirement: 54-60 years (rank-based)

For broader defence-services context, see our AFCAT vs NDA vs CDS comparison, UPSC CDS-II Online Form 2026 (graduate sibling — same exam day), AFCAT 02/2026 Online Form, and Indian Army TES 56 (alternate engineering-entry route).

UPSC NDA-II Online Form 2026: हिंदी सारांश

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) ने NDA & NA Examination (II) 2026 की अधिसूचना 20 मई 2026 को जारी की — 394 cadet-entry पदों के लिए। Wing-wise split: Army Wing — 208; Navy Wing — 42; Air Force Wing — 120; Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry) — 24। आवेदन अवधि: 20 मई से 09 जून 2026 (शाम 6 बजे तक)। Written Examination: 13 सितंबर 2026 (रविवार) — UPSC CDS-II 2026 के समान दिन। दोनों exam एक ही दिन — eligible candidates को एक चुनना होगा (NDA-II Class 12 के लिए, CDS-II Graduate के लिए)। पात्रता: Army Wing — Class 12 किसी भी stream से; Navy + Air Force + Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry — Class 12 with Physics + Chemistry + Mathematics। आयु: 02 जनवरी 2008 से 01 जनवरी 2011 के बीच जन्म; unmarried male और female candidates (Supreme Court ruling 2022 के बाद women सभी 3 wings के लिए apply कर सकती हैं)। आवेदन शुल्क: ₹100 (Gen/OBC Male); SC/ST/All Female नि:शुल्क। आवेदन upsconline.nic.in पर; Notification PDF: upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-NDA-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf। Written Exam pattern: Paper-I Mathematics (120 Q · 300 marks · 2.5 hrs · +2.5/-0.83) + Paper-II General Ability Test (150 Q · 600 marks · 2.5 hrs · +4/-1.33) — कुल 900 marks · 5 hours। Training pathway: Army Wing — 3 साल NDA Khadakwasla + 1 साल IMA Dehradun → Lieutenant; Navy Wing — 3 साल NDA + 1 साल INA Ezhimala → Sub-Lieutenant; Air Force Wing — 3 साल NDA + 1 साल AFA Hyderabad → Flying Officer; Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry — direct 4-year B.Tech at INA Ezhimala → Sub-Lieutenant। SSB Interview (5-day stage-2 assessment): Stage-I (OIR + PPDT, 40-50% screened out same evening) → Stage-II (Psychology Tests + GTO Tasks + Personal Interview + Conference) → Medical। Final Merit = Written + SSB marks subject to medical। Training stipend NDA: ₹56,100/महीना। Commissioned officer pay (Lt/Sub-Lt/Flying Officer): Pay Level 10 — ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 + MSP + DA + allowances; gross ₹1,00,000-1,35,000+/महीना।