The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the UPSC NDA Notification 2025 on 11 December 2024, for the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (I) 2025. The application window for UPSC NDA 2025 will be open from 11 to 31 December 2024 (until 6:00 PM). Eligible and interested candidates can submit their applications online via the official UPSC website.
Candidates are strongly advised to apply within the time frame specified in the UPSC NDA Notification 2025. Once the application is submitted, candidates will not be allowed to withdraw their applications. In the Online Application Form, candidates must clearly indicate their preferences for the services they wish to be considered for, in order of preference. For the latest updates on UPSC NDA 2025, please scroll down this page.
The UPSC NDA Notification 2025 has been released, providing all the essential details such as application dates, exam date, eligibility criteria, exam pattern and application process. The UPSC NDA (I) Exam 2025 is scheduled for 13 April 2025. A total of 406 vacancies have been announced through the UPSC NDA Notification. Candidates are advised to carefully review the UPSC NDA Notification 2025 before applying. To be selected for the UPSC NDA 2025 Exam, candidates must undergo a two-stage selection process: the Written Examination followed by the Interview.
The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (NDA & NA Exam) is a prestigious national-level examination organized by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year. Its purpose is to select eligible candidates for the Army, Air Force, and Navy branches. This year, the exam will take place on 13 April 2025, for admission to the 155th Course of the NDA and the 117th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC), which will begin on 1 January 2026.
The UPSC NDA Notification 2025 is now available for candidates who wish to appear in the UPSC NDA (I) 2025. For a quick overview, candidates can refer to the table below, which summarizes all the essential details mentioned in the UPSC NDA Notification 2025:
UPSC NDA (I) Notification 2025: Key Highlights |
|
Exam Conducting Organization |
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Exam Name |
National Defence Services Examination (I) 2025 |
Vacancies |
406 |
Application Dates |
11 to 31 December 2024 |
Application Mode |
Online |
Examination Mode |
Written Exam |
Frequency of Exam |
Twice in a Year |
Job Location |
India |
Selection Process |
|
The UPSC NDA Exam Date 2025 has been announced through the UPSC NDA Notification 2025. Candidates are advised to begin their preparation according to the scheduled date. For a quick reference, here are all the important dates related to UPSC NDA (I) 2025 in the table below:
Event |
Date |
Notification Release Date |
11 December 2024 |
Application Start Date |
11 December 2024 |
Last Date to Apply |
31 December 2024 |
Correction Window |
1 to 7 January 2025 |
Exam Date |
13 April 2025 |
Admit Card Release Date |
To Be Announced |
Answer Key |
To Be Announced |
Result/Final Selection |
To Be Announced |
The UPSC NDA Notification 2025 is now available, and candidates can apply for UPSC NDA (I) 2025 after reviewing it carefully. Below is a table with all the important links related to the UPSC NDA Exam 2025 for candidates' convenience:
UPSC NDA (I) Admit Card 2025 (Inactive) |
UPSC NDA 2025 Answer Key (Inactive) |
UPSC NDA (I) Result 2025 (Inactive) |
The UPSC NDA Vacancy 2025 has been announced through the UPSC NDA Notification 2025. The Commission has stated that the vacancies are provisional and may change based on the available training capacity at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Naval Academy (INA). The approximate number of vacancies to be filled based on the results of this examination is as follows:
UPSC NDA Vacancy (I) 2025 |
||
Academy |
Wing |
Vacancies |
National Defence Academy |
Army |
208 (including 10 for female candidates) |
Navy |
42 (including 06 for female candidates) |
|
Air Force |
|
|
Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) |
|
36 (including 5 vacancies for female) |
Total |
406 |
UPSC NDA Eligibility Criteria has been detailed in an official notification which typically contains nationality, age limit and educational qualification etc. Candidates applying for the examination must ensure they meet all eligibility criteria for admission. Their admission at every stage of the examination will be provisional, contingent upon satisfying the specified eligibility conditions. Check the below points to know the NDA 2 Eligibility Criteria:-
A candidate must be unmarried (male/female) and must either be:
(i) a Citizen of India, or
(ii) a subject of Nepal, or
(iii) 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 intending to permanently settle in India.
Only unmarried male and female candidates who were born between 2 July 2006 and 1 July 2009 are eligible to apply.
The candidates are required to submit Proof/Documents in Support of Age Limit and marital Status.
Important:
Note: A candidate who marries after the date of his application, even if he is successful in this or any later examination, will not be chosen for training. A candidate who marries while in training will be discharged and must reimburse the government for all expenses incurred on his behalf.
Academy/Wing |
Educational Qualification |
Army Wing of National Defence Academy |
Must have passed 12th Class of the 10+2 School Education pattern or similar examination administered by a State Education Board or a University. |
Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and Candidates of the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy |
|
Note:-
Candidates who qualified for the SSB interview but were unable to produce their Matriculation/10+2 or equivalent certificate in original at the time of the SSB interview should send duly self-attested photocopies to 'Directorate General of Recruiting, Army HQ, West Block III, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066' and for Naval Academy candidates to Naval Headquarters, DMPR, OI&R Section, Room No. 204, 'C' Wing. The submission deadline for this request is 24 June 2025. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the cancellation of their candidature.
To be eligible for admission to the National Defence Services Examination (I) 2025, a candidate must meet the physical fitness requirements as per the standards and guidelines established by the respective wings
Candidates willing to participate in the NDA (I) Exam 2025 must apply online by visiting the official website of UPSC. They will be required to complete the Online Application form, which consists of two stages, Part I and Part II. In case any issue persists during the online application process, candidates are suggested to read the steps mentioned below:
Follow these step-by-step instructions mentioned below to apply online for the NDA Exam.
Application fee
Category |
Application Fee |
General and OBC Candidates |
INR 100/- |
SC/ST, Wards of JCOs/NCOs/ORs and Female Candidates |
Exempted from payment of fees |
Mode of Fee Payment:
The application fee can be paid online by Visa/Master/Rupay Credit/Debit Card/UPI Payment, or by using any bank's internet banking facility or in cash at any SBI branch.
The candidates who wish to join the prestigious National Defence Academy will have to undergo the two-stage selection process, which is further divided into two substages:
Stage I - Written Examination
To advance to the next phase, the candidate must pass a written examination.
Stage II - Intelligence & Personality Test
Following the written examination, the next level is the SSB interview, which involves the Personality test/Interview. The SSB interview has two parts. An IQ and personality test is administered initially, followed by a psychology test that comprises an interview, group discussion, and conference round.
Note: Candidates who clear Stage - I of the Personality Test are permitted to appear for Stage - II.
Candidates who pass both the interview and the document verification rounds are eligible for the medical exam.
The NDA exam pattern serves as a guide for students, providing important details on the exam's structure and organization. Knowing the highlights of the NDA test pattern will allow you to optimize your study strategy and increase your chances of passing this difficult exam.
The written exam has two sections: Mathematics and General Ability Test (GAT). The written exam contains objective-style questions in both sections. The structure of the written exam and SSB interview is shown in the table below.
A. WRITTEN EXAMINATION
UPSC NDA Written Exam |
|||
Subject Code |
Subject |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
01 |
Mathematics |
300 |
2 ½ hours |
02 |
General Ability Test |
600 |
2 ½ hours |
Total |
900 |
5 Hours |
B. SSB INTERVIEW (INTELLIGENCE & PERSONALITY TEST)
The SSB interview is worth 900 marks, and the total marks for the written exam and the SSB interview are 1800.
The NDA SSB Interview, as previously stated, is divided into two stages, each of which includes an intelligence and personality test:
(a) Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests include Picture Perception & Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on a combination of performance in the OIR Test and PP&DT.
(b) Stage II: Interviews, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over a period of 4 days.
Now that you understand the exam pattern, have a look at the UPSC NDA Syllabus to assist you in comprehending the topics and arrange your study and time for each paper accordingly. Every year, the syllabus for the NDA Exams (I and II) remains the same.
Subject |
Topics |
|
Mathematics |
|
|
General Ability Test (GAT) |
Part A - English
|
|
|
Part B - General Knowledge
|
The NDA 2 exam will be conducted at various locations throughout India. UPSC announces the NDA 2025 Exam Centres through an official notification. Below is a table listing all the exam centres for the 2025 examination:
UPSC NDA Exam Centre 2025 |
||
Agartala |
Ghaziabad |
Navi Mumbai |
Agra |
Gorakhpur |
Panaji (Goa) |
Ajmer |
Gurgaon |
Patna |
Ahmedabad |
Gwalior |
Port Blair |
Aizawl |
Hyderabad |
Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
Aligarh |
Imphal |
Puducherry |
Almora (Uttarakhand) |
Indore |
Pune |
Anantpur (Andhra Pradesh) |
Itanagar |
Raipur |
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) (Maharashtra) |
Jabalpur |
Rajkot |
Bengaluru |
Jaipur |
Ranchi |
Bareilly |
Jammu |
Sambalpur |
Bhopal |
Jodhpur |
Shillong |
Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) |
Jorhat |
Shimla |
Chandigarh |
Kargil |
Siligudi |
Chennai |
Kochi |
Srinagar |
Coimbatore |
Kohima |
Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
Cuttack |
Kolkata |
Thane |
Dehradun |
Kozhikode (Calicut) |
Thiruvananthapuram |
Delhi |
Leh |
Tiruchirapalli |
Dharamshala |
Lucknow |
Tirupati |
Dharwad |
Ludhiana |
Udaipur |
Dispur |
Madurai |
Varanasi |
Faridabad |
Mandi |
Vellore |
Gangtok |
Mumbai |
Vijayawada |
Gaya |
Mysore |
Vishakhapatnam |
Gautam Buddh Nagar |
Nagpur |
Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban) |
The admit card is an important document that the candidates must bring to the examination centre. It confirms the candidates’ eligibility and allows them to enter the examination hall. The UPSC will issue the NDA (II) admit card 2024 one week priorto the exam date. Candidates can view/download their NDA I Admit Cards from the official website of UPSC.
Candidates can obtain their UPSC NDA I 2025 admit cards by following the steps outlined below:
UPSC NDA (I) 2025 Answer Key will be uploaded by the UPSC after the exam is conducted successfully. Candidates will be able to download the UPSC NDA (I) 2025 Answer Key and raise their objections once the answer key is uploaded. Below you will find the direct link to download the UPSC NDA Answer Key 2025, once the answer key is uploaded:-
UPSC NDA Answer Key 2025 Link (inactive)
The results of the NDA & NA 1 Examination 2054 will be announced approximately one month after the written examination, slated for 13 April 2025. The commission publishes the results of each stage, namely the written exam and the SSB interview, on its official website. Following the steps below, candidates can access their UPSC CDS Results.
Step 1: Navigate to the UPSC website at upsc.gov.in.
Step 2: On the homepage, click the Written Result NDA & NA I Examination 2025 link.
Step 3: The Result PDF will be shown on the screen.
Step 4: Examine the details in the result PDF and use the Ctrl+F key to find your roll number.
Step 5: Save a copy of the UPSC NDA result PDF for future reference.
UPSC NDA (I) Exam Cut-off Marks will be announced after the exam is conducted successfully. Candidates must score above the cut-off marks to secure their seats. Once the cut-off marks is declared by the UPSC, we will update the direct link to download the UPSC NDA 2025 Exam Cut-off Marks:-
UPSC NDA (I) 2025 Exam Cut-off Marks Link (Inactive)
Fixed Stipend for Cadet Training:
Rank |
Level |
Pay scale/ salary (in Rs.) |
Lieutenant |
Level 10 |
56,100 – 1,77,500/- |
Captain |
Level 10 B |
61,300- 1,93,900/- |
Major |
Level 11 |
69,400 – 2,07,200/- |
Lieutenant Colonel |
Level 12A |
1,21,200 – 2,12,400/- |
Colonel |
Level 13 |
1,30,600 – 2,15,900/- |
Brigadier |
Level 13A |
1,39,600 – 2,17,600/- |
Major General |
Level 14 |
1,44,200 – 2,18,200/- |
Lieutenant General (HAG Scale) |
Level 15 |
1,82,200 – 2,24,100/- |
Lieutenant General (HAG+Scale) |
Level 16 |
2,05,400 – 2,24,400/- |
VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lt Gen (NFSG) |
Level 17 |
2,25,000/- fixed |
COAS |
Level 18 |
2,50,000/- fixed |
Military Service Pay (MSP) to the officer is as follows:-
From the rank of Lieutenant to Brigadier |
Rs 15,500 p.m. fixed |