3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 13, 2026 11:08 AM IST
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the date for the forthcoming National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) Examination 2, 2026. As per the timetable released by the commission on Wednesday, the UPSC NDA, NA Exam 2 will be conducted on September 13. The examination will be held offline, in pen-and-paper mode across India at various exam centres in two shifts.
The NDA and NA written examination mainly consists of two papers, namely Mathematics and General Ability Test (GAT). In accordance with the schedule issued by the commission, the Mathematics paper will be conducted from 10 am to 12:30 pm, and the GAT paper will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm.
UPSC will conduct the NDA, NA 2 exam 2026 for a total of 394 notified vacancies. Out of these total vacancies, 370 positions are reserved for male candidates and 24 for female candidates. Earlier this year, the Commission carried out the registration process for the NDA and NA Examination 2 from May 20, with applications accepted until June 11. Candidates who successfully registered for the examination can now prepare according to the announced exam date. The Commission will release the admit cards in due course through its official website – upsc.gov.in.
Check NDA, NA Exam 2 pattern
The written examination carries a total of 900 marks. The Mathematics paper is conducted for 300 marks, while the 600 marks are allotted for GAT. Candidates should note that the written examination also includes negative marking. For every incorrect answer, one-third of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted from the final score. Candidates will get zero marks for questions left unanswered.
The NDA and NA exams are conducted by the UPSC twice a year for all the aspirants seeking admission to the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy to join the Indian Defence Services. Candidates will be required to achieve the cut-off marks to qualify for the written examination. Qualified candidates will then proceed to the next stage of the selection process, i.e., the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview. The SSB assesses candidates based on factors such as intelligence, personality, group tasks, psychological evaluation and a medical examination. The Defence Academy then sends a call letter to all the shortlisted candidates.