UPSC NDA, NA & CDS exam 2026 schedule out at upsc.gov.in, details here

The NDA and NA exams (I), 2026, are scheduled for April 12, 2026, and will be held in two sessions. The first session will be held from 10 am to 12:30 pm, and the second from 2 pm to 4:30 pm

Exam dates for the 2026 National Defence Academy (NDA), Naval Academy (NA), and Combined Defence Services (CDS) 1 have been released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

 

The official timetable says that all of these exams will be administered on April 12, 2026. UPSC intends to fill 451 posts for CDS and 391 positions for NDA through the exams.

How to check UPSC NDA & NA Exam I 2026?

1. Visit the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in.

 

2. Click on UPSC NDA & NA Exam I 2026 schedule available on the home page.

 

3. A new page will display where candidates can check the exam dates.

 

 

4. Download the page and keep a hard copy of it for later use. 

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UPSC NDA & NA Exam I 2026 exam pattern

On April 12, 2026, the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Exam 1 will take place. There will be two shifts for the exam: one from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and another from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. The first shift will be dedicated to mathematics, while the second shift will be dedicated to the General Ability Test.

 

There will be 300 questions in the math test, and it will last 2 hours and 30 minutes, while the General Ability Test will have 600 multiple-choice questions. Only objective-type questions will be included in the papers for every subject.

 

Indeed, both the CDS and NDA tests have negative marking. According to the guidelines outlined in the question paper, incorrect responses will result in a deduction of marks.