NDA (National Defence Academy) Syllabus 2026

NDA & NA EXAM PATTERN

Current cycle: UPSC NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 — Notice No. 10/2026-NDA-II, notified 20.05.2026, written exam 13.09.2026. The same scheme applied to NDA & NA (I), 2026.

SELECTION STAGES

- Written examination (offline, OMR based) — 900 marks

- SSB Test / Interview (Intelligence and Personality Test) — 900 marks

- Final merit total — 1800 marks, followed by medical fitness and merit-cum-preference allotment to the Army, Navy or Air Force wing of the NDA, or the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy.

WRITTEN EXAMINATION

Paper I — Mathematics (Code 01) — 300 marks — 2 hours 30 minutes

Paper II — General Ability Test (Code 02) — 600 marks — 2 hours 30 minutes

Part A — English — 200 marks

Part B — General Knowledge — 400 marks

Both papers are wholly objective with four alternatives per question, answered on an OMR sheet in black ball pen only. Both fall on one day — Mathematics 10.00 AM to 12.30 PM, General Ability Test 2.00 PM to 4.30 PM.

QUESTION COUNTS

Mathematics 120 questions; General Ability Test 150 questions — Part A English is items 1 to 50 and Part B General Knowledge items 51 to 150. All questions carry equal marks, so Mathematics works out to 2.5 marks a question and the GAT to 4.

NEGATIVE MARKING

- One third (0.33) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer.

- More than one answer marked counts as wrong and attracts the same penalty.

- Blank questions carry no penalty.

WEIGHTAGE INSIDE GAT PART B (of 400 marks)

Physics about 25 percent, Chemistry 15 percent, General Science 10 percent, History and Freedom Movement 20 percent, Geography 20 percent, Current Events 10 percent.

LANGUAGE

Mathematics and Part B of the General Ability Test are set bilingually in Hindi and English. Part A (English) is in English only.

OTHER RULES

The Commission may fix qualifying marks in any or all subjects. Calculators and mathematical or logarithmic tables are barred. No scribe is allowed, and only the metric system is used.

SSB TEST / INTERVIEW — 900 MARKS

- Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating test and Picture Perception and Description Test; only those who clear Stage I go to Stage II.

- Stage II: Interview, GTO tasks, Psychology tests and the Conference, over four days.

- No test carries a separate weightage — the Interviewing Officer, GTO and Psychologist award marks on holistic performance, and Conference marks carry equal weight. The result is Recommended or Not Recommended.

NDA & NA SYLLABUS

Per Appendix-I of the UPSC NDA & NA (II), 2026 notification. GK topics are indicative, not exhaustive.

PAPER I — MATHEMATICS (300 MARKS)

Algebra — Sets, Venn diagrams, De Morgan laws, Cartesian product, relations and equivalence relations; complex numbers, modulus, argument, cube roots of unity; binary system and conversion; AP, GP and HP; quadratic equations; linear inequations by graphs; permutation and combination; binomial theorem; logarithms.

Matrices and Determinants — Types and operations; determinants and properties; adjoint and inverse; linear equations by Cramer's rule and the matrix method.

Trigonometry — Degree and radian measure; ratios and identities; sum, difference, multiple and sub-multiple angles; inverse functions; height and distance; triangles.

Analytical Geometry of Two and Three Dimensions — Cartesian coordinates and distance formula; straight lines; circle; parabola, ellipse, hyperbola; direction cosines and ratios; plane, line, sphere.

Differential Calculus — Functions, limits and continuity; the derivative and its geometrical meaning; derivatives of sums, products, quotients and composites; second order derivatives; maxima and minima.

Integral Calculus and Differential Equations — Integration by substitution and by parts; standard integrals; definite integrals and area under curves; order, degree and formation of differential equations; growth and decay.

Vector Algebra — Vectors in two and three dimensions; unit and null vectors; dot and cross products; work done and moment of a force.

Statistics and Probability — Frequency distributions, mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, correlation and regression; sample space and events, classical and statistical probability, conditional probability, Bayes' theorem, binomial distribution.

PAPER II — GENERAL ABILITY TEST (600 MARKS)

Part A — English (200 marks) — Grammar and usage, vocabulary, comprehension and cohesion in extended text.

Part B — General Knowledge (400 marks)

Section A, Physics (25 percent) — States and properties of matter, density, Archimedes principle, pressure; motion, Newton's laws, momentum, equilibrium, gravitation, work, power and energy; heat and heat transfer; sound; light, mirrors, lenses and the eye; magnets; static and current electricity, Ohm's law, effects of current, cells and X-rays.

Section B, Chemistry (15 percent) — Physical and chemical changes; elements, mixtures and compounds; formulae and equations; air and water; hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide; oxidation and reduction; acids, bases and salts; forms of carbon; fertilizers; materials used in soap, glass, paper, cement and paints; atomic structure and valency.

Section C, General Science (10 percent) — Living and non-living; cells, protoplasm and tissues; growth and reproduction; human body and organs; epidemics and prevention; food and balanced diet; solar system, meteors, comets and eclipses.

Section D, History and Freedom Movement (20 percent) — Indian history and culture; freedom movement; the Constitution; Five Year Plans; Panchayati Raj; Bhoodan, Sarvodaya, national integration, Gandhian teachings; Renaissance, American, French, Industrial and Russian Revolutions; India's world role.

Section E, Geography (20 percent) — Shape of the earth, latitudes and longitudes, time and the Date Line, earth movements; rocks, weathering, earthquakes and volcanoes; ocean currents and tides; atmosphere, winds, cyclones and climate types; regional geography of India — climate, vegetation, minerals, power, farming, industry, ports and trade.

Section F, Current Events (10 percent) — Important recent events in India and the world; prominent Indian and international personalities in culture and sports.

SSB — INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY TEST (900 MARKS)

Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating test and Picture Perception and Description Test. Stage II: Interview, GTO tasks, Psychology tests and the Conference, over four days.