NDA Selection Process
Last verified 31 Jul 2026
UPSC NDA & NA selection runs through the stages below, each of which must be cleared in sequence.
- Written Examination (Mathematics and General Ability Test)
- SSB Interview — Stage I screening and Stage II psychological, group and personal tests
- Medical examination and merit list
Exam pattern by stage
| Paper | Subjects | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | Mathematics | 120 | 300 | 2½ hours |
| Paper-II | General Ability Test — English (200 marks) and General Knowledge (400 marks) | 150 | 600 | 2½ hours |
| SSB Interview | Stage I screening, Stage II psychological tests, group tasks and personal interview | — | 900 | 4 to 5 days |
Document verification
UPSC verifies eligibility against original documents only after a candidate has qualified for the Interview or Personality Test. Until that point, admission to every stage is purely provisional — the issue of an e-Admit Card does not mean your candidature has been cleared. A candidate can therefore sit and clear a paper and still be found ineligible later.
Final merit
Merit is prepared from the marks that count for this examination, and posts are allotted by merit-cum-preference against the confirmed vacancies. Ties are broken by rules published by the Commission — typically the marks in the compulsory papers, and where those are equal, seniority in age.