Clearing the NDA written examination is one stage in the selection process. The SSB assessment, medical requirements, and final merit conditions still matter. Build your preparation around that whole route from the beginning.
This guide uses NDA and NA Examination II, 2026, with official sources checked on 20 September 2026.
The written examination has two different jobs
Mathematics carries 300 marks and the General Ability Test carries 600. Each paper lasts two and a half hours. The papers are objective; the SSB Test/Interview carries another 900 marks. The official NDA II 2026 notice sets out the scheme, syllabus, and penalty for incorrect answers.
Mathematics practice should show you which topics are dependable under time pressure. Keep separate records for a concept you cannot solve and a familiar problem you solved too slowly. Those need different fixes. A formula revision session helps the first problem only when the formula was actually missing; it will not automatically improve your choice of questions.
For GAT, avoid treating the whole paper as a single general-knowledge block. Review the English component and the broader knowledge component separately. A candidate may be comfortable with science yet lose time interpreting a sentence. Your mock review should expose that difference.
Use UPSC's official question papers to check the style of questions before buying more material. One carefully reviewed paper gives you a better starting point than several unattempted books.
What happens at SSB
The notice describes Stage I screening through Officer Intelligence Rating tests and the Picture Perception and Description Test. Candidates who clear Stage I proceed to Stage II, which includes the interview, group tasks, psychology tests, and conference. Read the service-specific instructions attached to your call-up; the UPSC written result alone does not provide every reporting detail.
Prepare by making your own account of education, activities, and choices clear. If you have written about a sport or a responsibility, be ready to discuss what you actually did. Memorised claims about leadership are difficult to defend when the next question asks for an ordinary example.
Group practice can be useful when it helps you listen and contribute a clear point. Constantly interrupting others to appear active is a poor habit to rehearse. Keep any practice feedback concrete: whether your explanation was understandable, whether you responded to the task, and where you lost track of the discussion.
Eligibility comes before the study plan
The entry and wing you choose have their own educational and other conditions. Read the exact date-of-birth range, schooling requirements, and medical provisions in the notice. Do not infer eligibility from a broad phrase such as “after Class 12”. A school subject combination can matter for one entry even when it does not for another.
Verified dates and the official result route
The NDA II 2026 examination page records 13 September 2026 as the examination date and provisional answer keys uploaded on 16 September. An answer key is not a written result. Check that page or UPSC written results for the relevant result PDF; this article does not claim it has been released.
If your roll number appears, read the registration and SSB instructions in full. Keep your application details accessible for the next stage.
Compare the graduate route in our CDS paper guide. The exam guides directory and government exams after Class 12 guide cover other starting points.