UPSC NDA & NA 2025: NDA 2 Admit Card (Soon), Exam Date (September 14), Syllabus, Pattern, Sample Papers, Cutoff

The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the NDA 2 exam on September 14, 2025. The official notification regarding the exam was published on May 28, 2025. The application form was available from May 28 to June 17, 2025. The selected candidates will be provided an e-admit card from the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in. You must download the admit card about a week before the exam date. A total of 406 vacancies are available for the UPSC NDA 2 exam. Out of the total vacancies, 25 are for women candidates in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Indian Naval Academy.

Previously, the UPSC NDA 1 exam was conducted on April 13, 2025. The result for the same was released on April 28, 2025, online in a PDF format. 

The Union Public Service Commission has released a latest notification regarding the NDA exam on the official website at upsc.gov.in. The notification was released on May 28, 2025. The first step towards preparing for any competitive exam is to download the notification to learn about the basic details. You can access the notification under the “Examination” menu present on the homepage. From the drop-down menu, click on “Active Examination”. You can now select the link for “National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2025” to check the dates and the official notification PDF. 

Important information and dates for UPSC NDA & NA 1 & 2 exams 2025 have been mentioned in the table below:

NDA Exam Timings

The NDA 2025 exam is conducted in two shifts: 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. The NDA 1 2025 exam shift timings are given below:

UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) organizes the NDA & NA 2025 exam. UPSC is India's central recruiting agency, which conducts examinations for All India services and Group A & group B of Central services. It is also responsible for appointments to these services. UPSC is a constitutional body headquartered in New Delhi at Dholpur House, which functions through its secretariat. The entrance examination is conducted to enter Defence Forces like Army, Navy, and Air Force. UPSC organizes the NDA examinations in various cities across the country. Many candidates take the NDA exam every year to make their career in the Indian Defence Services.

The table given below provides an overview of the UPSC NDA & NA 2025 exam: 

The official application form was filled out through the website of UPSC at upsconline.nic.in. The official instruction PDF was also uploaded online. You can follow the simple procedure given below to fill out the application form:

• Step 1: You need to first visit the official website of the Union Public Service Commission at upsconline.nic.in. 
• Step 2: Now, click on “Create Account.”
• Step 3: Tick the declaration box and click on the Proceed for Account Creation button to create an account. 
• Step 4: You have to now verify your email ID by using OTP.
• Step 5: You need to now enter your mobile number and verify the same through OTP. 
• Step 6: You need to now create your password and confirm your account. 
• Step 7: Finally, you have to log in. 
• Step 8: On the login page, you will see the new screen. On this screen, enter your Mobile Number and OTP, URN, and Password or Email ID and Password, along with the captcha verification, and then click the Sign In button to proceed.
• Step 9: You can now proceed with complete profile registration.

NDA Application Fee

• The candidates must pay INR 100 as an application fee for the NDA 2025 examination
• The SC/ ST/ NCOs/ Sons of JCOs/ ORS candidates are exempted from paying the application fee. Female candidates are also exempted from fee payment
• Candidates can pay the application fee via credit card/ debit card/ net banking, or the SBI challan method

Check the table below for category-wise exam fees.

UPSC has set eligibility criteria for candidates appearing for the UPSC NDA exam 2025. The Commission has divided the NDA eligibility 2025 into three parameters: nationality, age limit and educational qualification. Candidates have to ensure to fulfil all the parameters set by the Commission.

Nationality

• He/she must be an Indian citizen/ subject of Nepal/ subject of Bhutan/ refugee of Tibetan who came to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention to settle permanently in India.
• Those who have migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the East African countries of Zambia, Tanzania, Zaire, Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda or Vietnam with an intention of settling in India can also apply.
• Foreign nationals (except Gorkhas) will have to provide a certificate of eligibility which is issued by Govt. of India

NDA Age Limit 2025

• If you are appearing for the NDA 1 exam, then check if you are eligible based on age. The candidate must have been born between July 2, 2006, and July 1, 2009. This applies to both male and female candidates.
• In contrast, for the NDA 2 exam, the eligibility criterion differs. Only unmarried candidates coming from any gender group can apply. Your date of birth should fall between January 2, 2006, and January 1, 2009.

NDA Educational Qualification

Academic and licensing requirements for each academy may vary. Find the individual requirements for each of them in the list below. Make sure to look up the details of the academy you want to join.

Gender and Marital Status

• Both male and female candidates can apply for the NDA 2025 exam.
• Candidates will not be allowed to marry until they finish their training.

NDA Physical Standards

Here’s a breakdown of the physical requirements for the NDA exam, covering aspects like height and vision:

Height

NDA Visual Standards

You can find the NDA 2025 Admit Card on the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in. UPSC NDA 2 admit card will be released in the first week of September 2025. You can follow the simple procedure given below to download the UPSC NDA 2 Admit Card 2025: 

• Step 1: You will first have to visit the official website of the Union Public Service Commission at upsc.gov.in.
• Step 2: On the homepage, you have to click on the option called Admit Cards. 
• Step 3: On the new page, click on “E-Admit Cards for various Examinations of UPSC”
• Step 4: You can download the admit card for UPSC NDA 2. 

Key Details on the NDA Admit Card 2025

Documents Required

In addition to your NDA admit card, make sure to bring the following documents:

• A valid ID proof, such as an Aadhar Card, Voter ID, College ID card, Passport, PAN card, or Driving License.
• 3-4 recent passport-sized photographs.

A total of 400 vacancies are announced for the NDA 2 exam 2025. For the post of Army, a total of 208 (including 10 female vacancies) have been announced, 42 (including 12 female vacancies) for the Navy, and 120 (2 vacancies each have been designated for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical Branches) for the Air Force.

When UPSC issues the NDA exam notification, it simultaneously declares the list of exam centres. More than 70 cities are conducting the exams across the entire country, making it easier for all candidates to access the nearby centre. Once you are filling out your application form, you must select your preferred centre, and below is the list of NDA 2025 exam centres.

General Ability Test (GAT) and Mathematics are the two elements of the NDA syllabus that make up the written exam. Your understanding of history, general knowledge, current affairs of national and international events, English, science, and geography will be tested as part of the GAT. On the other hand, questions based on 10+2 will be present in the NDA's Mathematics paper. The UPSC NDA Syllabus 2025 gives the GAT paper a maximum weight of 600 marks, but the Mathematics part only receives 300. Last but not least, UPSC will hold the SSB/Interview for those who meet the requirements in the written test.

 Knowing the syllabus will help you to plan a strategy to ace the exam, thereby, setting the right direction for your preparation for the exam. NDA 2025 will be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission twice a year. Eligible students will be chosen for the exam to join the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. You can also download the official NDA syllabus PDF in this post for Maths and GAT topics. Some of the important topics that are covered in the UPSC NDA syllabus are as follows:

The UPSC NDA 2025 exam is divided into two papers: Paper I & Paper II. Both the papers are conducted on the same day. Paper I is an advanced mathematics paper while paper II is a general ability test. One important thing to note here is that candidates need to mandatorily clear the cutoff for Paper I and only then the examiner will consider checking the copies of Paper II. Conversely, If a candidate fails to clear the NDA Mathematics cutoff, the answer sheets for paper 2 will not be considered and he/she will be designated as failed. 

Details related to UPSC NDA Exam Pattern 2025from both papers have been tabulated below.

NDA Mathematics Paper 1: Marks Distribution 

This section will give you the information regarding the topics asked in the NDA Mathematics paper, along with their weightage. Refer to the table given below:

NDA Paper 2: GAT Paper Marks Distribution 

The maximum weightage for the English section is 200. Other details are provided below.

NDA Exam Pattern 2025: SSB Interview

The candidates who will be shortlisted in the NDA II written exam 2025 will be called for the SSB Interview. The SSB Interview comprises two stages. The candidates who will be able to clear Stage 1 will be called for the Stage 2 exam. In Stage 1 of the SSB Interview, Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT) will take place. While in Stage 2, the candidates have to undergo Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference. This stage carries a total of 900 marks.

You need to develop a good personality, work on your spoken language, broaden your education, and other things. You can use Topper Piyush Thorve's preparation plan for the written and final exams. The greatest NDA Preparation Tips 2025 are provided below to assist you with such factors:

• Obtain a printed copy of the NDA syllabus and Exam pattern before beginning your preparation. Candidates will be better able to address the themes one at a time and schedule their time properly.
• Candidates must be aware of the amount of time they have left to study for the written exam, prepare a list of the topics they need to cover, and then calculate how much time they will need to finish everything.
• Following the NCERT Books, you should first understand the fundamental concepts, after which you should review the theories of the concepts you have already studied. Then, the areas that have not yet been covered begin with a review of the fundamentals.
• It is necessary to review a sizable number of books and notes when completing NDA preparation work. Therefore, it is preferable to compose brief notes that are practical, easy to review quickly, and truly valuable and significant.

This is the final piece of advice where we mention some of the Best Books for NDA & NA 2025 to ease your UPSC NDA II 2023 preparation. These books will serve as a central location for everyone to timely finish the topics. The material is clear and accurate, which will enable you to give accurate answers.

After the NDA 1 2025 exam, we will update the detailed NDA Paper Analysis 2025 here based on candidates' reactions and experts' advice:

UPSC NDA & NA 2025 Section Wise Paper Analysis

Paper Analysis for Mathematics

Paper Analysis for General Ability

Taking NDA 2025 mock tests is an excellent way to prepare for the actual exam. These tests are similar to the real thing and will get you in the right mindset to sit for the actual exam. By practising them, you can track your progress and know which areas you are strong in and where you need to improve. You can, therefore, concentrate on your weaknesses. Mock tests are also important to prepare the time management skills, whereby one can tackle the time factor well in the real exam.

UPSC NDA answer keys 2025 for sets A, B, C & D will be released on the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in. The answer key is released after the completion of the examination process. The commission uploads the official answer key after the declaration of the final result of UPSC NDA 2025. However, some coaching institutes will release the UPSC NDA Answer Key 2025 for all the sets on their respective websites just after the completion of the exam. We will also provide you with the answers to both papers I and II after the exam is over. 

The NDA 2025 result will be uploaded online through the UPSC. It will have the names and roll numbers of shortlisted candidates in PDF form. After the declaration of final merit, a mark sheet for each individual will also come into sight. If the candidate clears the written examination, one is called an SSB interview.

How You Can Check the NDA Result 2025?

• Visit the official website of UPSC.
• Click on the tab 'What's New.'
• Click on the 'NDA result' link.
• A PDF containing the results will be opened
• Check your roll number in the PDF lists of the qualified candidates
• Download the result PDF and save it for future records.

NDA Marking Scheme

The NDA exam follows a specific marking system, where marks are awarded for correct answers and deducted for incorrect ones. Below, you will find the subject-wise marking scheme for the exam.

While preparing for the NDA exam, it is important to know how the cutoff marks are determined. The NDA 2025 cutoff for both the written exam and final selection is released after the declaration of the final result. The written exam is scored out of a total of 900 marks, and the final cutoff is based on the marks obtained by the last candidate who was selected. This is done out of 1800 marks, which incorporates 900 marks from the written exam and another 900 marks from the SSB Interview.

In each section, the candidates are required to achieve minimum prescribed marks to qualify. For both the written examination and the SSB Interview, there should be at least 25% of marks scored in every subject. All candidates, therefore, need to obtain separate cutoff marks for both the written examination and the SSB Interview.

NDA Cutoff 2025 Expected Cutoff

The expected NDA cutoff marks are given below as per the previous years’ trends. 

UPSC NDA is one of the most prestigious competitive exams nowadays. Getting titled as a grade-A officer in your early 20s is a dream for young aspirants. The career which NDA offers is also commendable. Looking at the luxuries it offers, it is very much certain that the exam is not easy to crack and it has a comprehensive and decisive selection process. UPSC NDA Selection Process 2025 is divided majorly into three stages:

• Stage I: Written Examination
• Stage II: SSB
• Stage III: Medical Examination

Stage I is the UPSC NDA Written examination. Candidates who clear the written examination are called to the SSB (Service Selection Board). The SSB is stage 2 of the NDA exam. SSB is the most important stage of the NDA exam. The whole selection process is centred around the SSB. Clearing the SSB leads you to the third stage i.e. Medical Examination. Candidates undergo a complete body medical as per the requirements of the armed forces. Results of the NDA medical examination are declared on the examination day itself. Finally, a merit list is prepared based on combined performance in Stages I, II & III of the UPSC NDA & NA examination. 

NDA Salary along with allowances are mentioned in the NDA 2025 notification released by UPSC. During the entire duration of training in Service academies, the cadets are given a fixed stipend of INR 56,000 per month. After the successful completion of the training, the NDA Salary received by the cadets begins at INR 56,000/- per month which will be fixed in the first Cell of Level 10, to INR 1,77,500/- and increasing with the higher level rank.

Refer to the table below regarding thestructure of NDA Salary based on the ranks.