NDA 2 2026 exam will be conducted in offline mode and all the questions are of MCQ type. The exam is held in both English and Hindi languages. Candidates are asked to attempt two sections- Mathematics and General Ability Test. APPLY NOWCHECK ELIGIBILITYGET UPDATES.
NDA Syllabus 2026 – UPSC sets NDA syllabus. Aspirants must know the latest NDA exam pattern and syllabus if they wish to qualify the NDA exams to get into the Indian Defense Force.
NDA is a Defense entrance exam conducted to recruit eligible personnel to the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force Wing of the National Defense Academy and Indian Naval Academy Course -INAC. The Union public service commission had released the NDA 2 2026 Notification on the official website on 9th June 2026. Candidates can know more about the NDA exam at the given link.
Aspirants of other Government exams can check the link provided for the latest information on upcoming examinations.
This article aims to provide detailed information on the National Defense Academy Syllabus (section-wise and topic-wise) and latest NDA exam pattern knowing which can help candidates make a strategy for the exam preparation in a systematic manner.
NDA Syllabus PDF – Download PDF Here
Other details related to exam pattern from both the sections have been tabulated below:
| Subject | Paper | Total No of Questions | Duration of Exam | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 1 | 120 | 2 ½ Hours | 300 |
| General Ability Test | 2 | 150 | 2 ½ Hours | 600 |
| Total | — | 270 | 900 | — |
Read the following table to get to know about GAT Distribution:
| Sections | Maximum marks | |
|---|---|---|
| Part A – English | 200 | |
| Part B – General Knowledge | Physics | 100 |
| Chemistry | 60 | |
| General Science | 40 | |
| History, Freedom Movement, etc. | 80 | |
| Geography | 80 | |
| Current Events | 40 | |
| Total | 600 |
SSB Interview
NDA Exam Pattern: SSB Interview
After qualifying for the NDA 2026 entrance test, all candidates have to appear for NDA Interview. Details are as below:
| Second Round | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|
| SSB Interview | 4-5 days | 900 |
After qualifying for the NDA 2026 entrance test, all candidates have to appear for NDA Interview. Details are as below:
Candidates are advised to go through the syllabus of the examination along with NDA Exam Pattern 2026. It will help them to have better preparations for both Entrance Test as well as Interview.
SSB Interview: Stage I
There are two tests in this stage and these are the officer’s Intelligence Rating (OIR) Test and the Picture Perception and Description Test (PP and DT). Only the qualified aspirants will be capable to appear for the Stage II interview process.
SSB Interview: Stage II
In this stage, the aspirants should go through the multiple Group testing Officers Tasks and should attend conferences and Psychology Tests. The entire process of this stage will take 4 days time to complete.
| Stages | Tests | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage-I | Screening Test | Verbal and non-verbal tests.PPDT |
| Stage-II | Psychological Test | Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)Word Association Test (WAT)Situation Reaction Test (SRT)Self Description Test (SD) |
| Group Testing Officers Test | GDGPEPGTHGTIOTCommand TaskSnake race/Group Obstacle RaceIndividual lectureFGT | |
| Personal Interview | – | |
| Conference | – |
Marking Scheme
NDA 2026 Marking Scheme
NDA consists of two sections- Mathematics and General ability test.
- In the Mathematics section, there will be a total of 120 questions of 300 marks.
- All questions will carry 2.5 marks each, which will only be allotted for choosing the correct answer. 0.83 Marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
- The general ability test will comprise 600 marks; 200 marks are allotted to English and 400 marks in total are allotted to General Knowledge.
- In this section, there will be a total of 150 questions, 50 from English and 100 from General Knowledge.
- Candidates will be awarded 4 marks for each correct answer in this section.
- A deduction of 1.33 Marks will be there for each wrong answer. There will be no mark for unanswered questions.
| Particular | Mathematics | GAT |
|---|---|---|
| Total Questions | 120 | 150 |
| Total Marks | 300 | 600 |
| Marks allotted to each question | 2.5 | 4 |
| Negative marking for each incorrect response | -0.83 | -1.33 |
Question Types
What Type of Questions are Asked in NDA 2026 Exam?
NDA will have questions from two sections mainly- Mathematics and General Ability section. The questions will mainly be asked of 10+2 level. Solve as many NDA Previous Year Question Papers as possible.
- In mathematics, candidates must thoroughly prepare- Arithmetic, Mensuration, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, etc.
- For the general ability section, it is important to prepare well for both the sub-sections, i.e., English and General Knowledge.
- For the English section, candidates must focus on grammar, comprehension, and reading abilities.
- General knowledge questions can be asked from current events, physics, chemistry, general science, history, etc.
Given below is the bifurcation of both sections of the NDA Exam. Marks allotted to each section and sub-sections have been expounded below:
| Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks | Marking scheme | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 120 | 300 | +2.5 | -0.83 |
| English | 50 | 200 | +4 | -1.33 |
| General Knowledge: | 100 | — | +4 | -1.33 |
| Physics | — | 100 | — | — |
| Chemistry | — | 60 | — | — |
| General Science | — | 40 | — | — |
| History, Freedom Movement, etc. | — | 80 | — | — |
| Geography | — | 80 | — | — |
| Current Events | — | 40 | — | — |
| Grand Total | 270 | 900 | — | — |
NDA Syllabus
NDA 2026 Exam Syllabus
The syllabus of NDA has been divided into two parts namely Mathematics and General Ability Test. The General Ability Test will contain questions from various topics such as General Knowledge (GK), English, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, General Science, and Current Events.
Most of the questions asked in the NDA exam will come from 10+2 levels, especially in Mathematics. For preparing the General Ability test section candidates should read the newspaper on a daily basis.
| Sections | Related Topics | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Trigonometry, Differential Calculus, Algebra, Integral Calculus & Differential equations, Logarithms, and their applications, Statistics, Probability, Vector Algebra, etc. | 120 |
| English | Grammar and Usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and cohesion. | 50 |
| General Knowledge | Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History, Geography, Current Events. | 100 |
Candidates can refer to NDA study materials in which all important topics are covered concisely. In this way, candidates will not have to refer multiple books for learning a concept and lot of time can be saved.
Candidates, who will be shortlisted on the basis of the written exam, will be called for an SSB interview which will be conducted for 4-5 days. Candidates, who successfully qualify the SSB round, will further call for medical test and document verification processes.