Know this. Clearing the written paper is only half of it: the SSB interview carries as many marks as the written exam, and many who clear the written fail the SSB or the medical.
- Run by
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC); interviews by the Services Selection Boards (SSB)
- Admits you to
- Officer training at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla (Army, Navy and Air Force wings), which also awards a JNU degree, and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy. Open to unmarried men and women.
- Who can sit
- Unmarried men and women, roughly 16½ to 19½ years old at course start (for the September 2026 exam: born between 1 January 2008 and 1 January 2011). Army wing: Class 12 pass in any stream. Air Force and Navy wings and the Naval Academy: Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Class 12 students can apply and submit proof later.
- Pattern
- Written exam (pen and paper, objective): Mathematics, 2½ hours, 300 marks; General Ability Test (English plus general knowledge including physics, chemistry, general science, history, geography and current events), 2½ hours, 600 marks. Wrong answers are penalised. Those who qualify face a five-day SSB Intelligence and Personality Test and interview worth 900 marks, then a medical examination.
- When
- Twice a year: NDA (I) usually in April and NDA (II) usually in September; each feeds a course starting in January or July of the following year.
- Limits
- No fixed attempt limit; the age window (about 16½–19½) allows roughly four to six attempts in practice.
Courses it leads to
Sources, checked 2026-09-28: www.upsc.gov.in · www.upsc.gov.in