UPSC NDA 1 Exam 2026 Result Out Soon: Check PDF, Merit List
The UPSC NDA 1 Exam 2026 Result is expected to come out soon as the exam was held on April 12, 2026. 394 vacancies have been announced for this year. Candidates who qualify in written exam and SSB interview will be admitted into National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy.
Key highlights:
Result Date: Results expected on upsc.gov.in between late April and early May, 2026.
Expected cut-off: 340 to 360 marks.
Minimum Marks: You need to get at least 25% on both the Maths and GAT papers to pass.
Total Vacancies: 394 seats available across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Naval Academy.
Next Step: SSB Interview
The Union Public Service Commission will soon post the UPSC NDA Result 2026 on its official website. The UPSC NDA 1 exam took place on April 12, 2026. Candidates can check if they passed the next round (SSB interview) using their roll numbers.
The UPSC NDA 1 Result 2026 is expected to be released in the first week of May 2026 on the official website upsc.gov.in.
Historically, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declares written results within 15 to 25 days of the examination date through an official UPSC notification.
Since the NDA 1 2026 exam was successfully conducted on April 12, 2026, the window for result publication officially opens in the final week of April, with a high probability of release by May 2026.
Once the PDF is live, candidates must check for their roll numbers; successful candidates will then have roughly two weeks to register on the Indian Army's recruitment portal for the SSB Interview.
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The expected written cut-off for NDA 1 2026 is between 305 and 320 marks out of 900, with a mandatory sectional qualifying mark of 25% in each subject.
The difficulty level of the April 2026 session was rated as "Easy to Moderate," which typically drives the cut-off slightly higher than the previous year's 334 marks.
Category | Written Exam (Out of 900) | Final Selection (Out of 1800) |
Expected Cut-off 2026 | 340 – 360 | 710-720 |
Actual Cut-off 2025 | 334 | 699 |
Actual Cut-off 2024 | 291 | 654 |
A "Safe Score" for the 2026 cycle is considered to be 350+ marks to ensure a higher rank in the final merit list, even if the SSB scores are average.
UPSC has notified a total of 394 vacancies for the NDA 1 2026 cycle, which includes 24 seats for female candidates across all wings.
The 157th Course of the National Defence Academy and the 119th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) will commence on January 1, 2027. The distribution of the 394 seats is highly specific:
Army: 208 (including 10 for females)
Navy: 42 (including 5 for females)
Air Force: 92 (including 2 for females for Flying branch)
Naval Academy: 24 (including 3 for females)
This consistent vacancy count highlights the stable intake required to maintain officer strength in the Indian Armed Forces.
Candidates qualifying the written exam will compete for these seats through the 900-mark SSB Interview process.
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Use the formula (Correct x 2.5) - (Wrong x 0.83) for Mathematics and (Correct x 4) - (Wrong x 1.33) for the General Ability Test (GAT).
In the Mathematics paper, which contains 120 questions, each correct answer earns 2.5 marks, while a penalty of 0.83 marks is applied for every error.
In the GAT paper, with 150 questions, each correct answer is worth 4 marks, with a penalty of 1.33 marks for errors.
To qualify, a candidate must not only exceed the aggregate cut-off but also secure at least 75 marks in Maths and 150 marks in GAT (the 25% threshold).
Total Questions: 270
Total Marks: 900
Negative Marking: 1/3rd of the marks assigned to that question.
Note: "The negative marking in GAT is more punishing than in Mathematics.
Candidates who restricted their 'fluke' attempts in GAT generally see a 15% higher net score."
The next step in the selection process is the SSB interview for candidates who pass the exam.
This includes psychological tests, group tasks, and personal interviews. It tests skills like personality, leadership, and knowledge.
Registration for SSB Call Letter: Within two weeks after result declaration, selected candidates must register on joinindianarmy.nic.in
Final selection: It is based on the combined score of the written exam and interview.
The NDA merit list will include only the candidates who qualified in both the written exam and the interview. There will be separate merit lists for Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Successful candidates secure admission into the National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy.
Frequently asked question (FAQs)
When will the NDA 1 2026 result be announced?
Where can I get the UPSC NDA 1 result?
What happens next after the NDA written exam result?
When is the UPSC NDA final merit list released?
Is UPSC NDA equal to IAS?
Clearing the NDA exam enables aspirants to prepare for India’s most prestigious defence careers. The result of NDA 1 Exam 2026 is expected in between April and May 2026. Keep checking the official website for latest updates. Once this stage is cleared, start preparing for the SSB interview in order to move forward in your endeavour.
Gajendra Singh Godara is an IIT Bombay graduate and a UPSC aspirant with 4 attempts, including multiple Prelims and Mains appearances. He specializes in Polity, Modern History, International Relations, and Economy. At PadhAI, Gajendra leverages his firsthand exam experience to simplify complex concepts, creating high-efficiency study materials that help aspirants save time and stay focused.
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