How to Join NDA After 12th (Commerce, Arts, Science) - Eligibility, Application, Selection Process

Edited By Vishnukumar V | Updated on Jul 15, 2024 11:54 AM IST | #NDA

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NDA Exam Date : 14 Sep' 2025 - 14 Sep' 2025

How To Join NDA After 12th?- The NDA and NA exam is one of the most popular exams in India meant for candidates looking to join the Indian defence services. The UPSC conducts this exam twice yearly. The NDA exam can be attempted after 10+2 by candidates who want to join the Indian Defence Services.

It is an extremely competitive exam with strict standards. On this page, we shall discuss in detail how to join the NDA. We will be going over details such as how to join the NDA after 12th, the eligibility criteria etc. Candidates looking to attempt the NDA can go through the material below.

How To Join NDA After the 12th?

Candidates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria of NDA can apply for it.
To apply for NDA candidates will have to visit the official website of UPSC and apply online.
Those who successfully apply for UPSC NDA will have to appear in the NDA exam and qualify for it.
Post clearing the NDA candidates will have to go through a course for the initial 3 years.
After completing the course, they will be stationed as a lieutenant in the Indian defence services.

This Story also Contains

How To Join NDA After the 12th?
How To Join NDA After 12th? - NDA Eligibility Criteria 2025
How To Join NDA After 12th? - Application Process

How to Join NDA After 12th (Commerce, Arts, Science) - Eligibility, Application, Selection Process

Quick links:

How To Join NDA After 12th? - NDA Eligibility Criteria 2025

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prescribes the NDA eligibility criteria and mentions them in the official notification. As per the eligibility criteria, only unmarried candidates who have completed their Class 12 or equivalent examination can apply for the exam.

The eligibility criteria also include nationality, age limit, educational qualification and physical standards which candidates need to fulfil in order to be eligible for the exam. From the following table, candidates can check the detailed eligibility criteria of NDA 2025 consisting of academic qualification, age limit and physical requirements.

Quick links:

NDA educational qualification 2025

NDA Wings	Qualifying Exam details
For Indian Army	Passed 12th standard from State Education Board or a University
For Air Force and Naval	Passed 12th standard with Physics and Mathematics from State Education Board or a University

NDA 1 & 2 age limit 2025

Exam	Age limit	Date of Birth Criteria
NDA (1) 2025	16.5 years - 19.5 years	July 2, 2005 to July 1, 2008
NDA (2) 2025	16.5 years - 19.5 years	To be announced

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Height and Weight Requirements: Indian Army & Air Force- Males

Height and Weight Requirements: Indian Army & Air Force- Females

Height (in cm)	Minimum weight	Age in years
		17-20	20-30	30-40	40+
		Weight (in kg)
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.1
145	37.8	46.9	49.0	50.5	51.8
146	38.4	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3
151	41.0	50.2	52.4	54.7	57.0
152	41.6	50.8	53.1	55.4	57.8
153	42.1	51.5	53.8	56.2	58.5
154	42.7	52.2	54.5	56.9	59.3
155	43.2	52.9	55.3	57.7	60.1
156	43.8	53.5	56.0	58.4	60.8
157	44.4	54.2	56.7	59.2	61.6
158	44.9	54.9	57.4	59.9	62.4
159	45.5	55.6	58.1	60.7	63.2
160	46.1	56.3	58.9	61.4	64.0
161	46.7	57.0	59.6	62.2	64.8
162	47.2	57.7	60.4	63.0	65.6
163	47.8	58.5	61.1	63.8	66.4
164	48.4	59.2	61.9	64.6	67.2
165	49	59.9	62.6	65.3	68.1
166	49.6	60.6	63.4	66.1	68.9
167	50.2	61.4	64.1	66.9	69.7
168	50.8	62.1	64.9	67.7	70.6
169	51.4	62.8	65.7	68.5	71.4
170	52	63.6	66.5	69.4	72.3
171	52.6	64.3	67.3	70.2	73.1
172	53.3	65.1	68	71	74
173	53.9	65.8	68.8	71.8	74.8
174	54.5	66.6	69.6	72.7	75.7
175	55.1	67.4	70.4	73.5	76.6
176	55.8	68.1	71.2	74.3	77.4
177	56.4	68.9	72.1	75.2	78.3
178	57	69.7	72.9	76	79.2
179	57.7	70.5	73.7	76.9	80.1
180	58.3	71.3	74.5	77.8	81
181	59	72.1	75.4	78.6	81.9
182	59.6	72.9	76.2	79.5	82.8
183	60.3	73.7	77	80.4	83.7
184	60.9	74.5	77.9	81.3	84.6
185	61.6	75.3	78.7	82.1	85.6
186	62.3	76.1	79.6	83	86.5
187	62.9	76.9	80.4	83.9	87.4
188	63.6	77.8	81.3	84.8	88.4
189	64.3	78.6	82.2	85.7	89.3
190	65	79.4	83	86.6	90.3
191	65.7	80.3	83.9	87.6	91.2
192	66.4	81.1	84.8	88.5	92.2
193	67	81.9	85.7	89.4	93.1
194	67.7	82.8	86.6	90.3	94.1
195	68.4	83.7	87.5	91.3	95.1
196	69.1	84.5	88.4	92.2	96
197	69.9	85.4	89.3	93.1	97
198	70.6	86.2	90.2	94.1	98
199	71.3	87.1	91.1	95	99
200	72	88	92	96	100
201	72.7	88.9	92.9	97	101
202	73.4	89.8	93.8	97.9	102
203	74.2	90.7	94.8	98.9	103
204	74.9	91.6	95.7	99.9	104
205	75.6	92.5	96.7	100.9	105.1
206	76.4	93.4	97.6	101.8	106.1
207	77.1	94.3	98.6	102.8	107.1
208	77.9	95.2	99.5	103.8	108.2
209	78.6	96.1	100.5	104.8	109.2
210	79.4	97	101.4	105.8	110.3

Height and Weight Requirements: Indian Army & Air Force- Females

Height (in cm)	Minimum weight	Age in years
		17-20	20-30	30-40	40+
		Weight (in kg)
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.1
145	37.8	46.9	49.0	50.5	51.8
146	38.4	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3
151	41.0	50.2	52.4	54.7	57.0
152	41.6	50.8	53.1	55.4	57.8
153	42.1	51.5	53.8	56.2	58.5
154	42.7	52.2	54.5	56.9	59.3
155	43.2	52.9	55.3	57.7	60.1
156	43.8	53.5	56.0	58.4	60.8
157	44.4	54.2	56.7	59.2	61.6
158	44.9	54.9	57.4	59.9	62.4
159	45.5	55.6	58.1	60.7	63.2
160	46.1	56.3	58.9	61.4	64.0
161	46.7	57.0	59.6	62.2	64.8
162	47.2	57.7	60.4	63.0	65.6
163	47.8	58.5	61.1	63.8	66.4

Height and Weight Requirements: Indian Navy- (Males/females)

Height (in cm)	Age in years
	Upto 17		17-18		18-20		20-30		30+
	Weight (in kg)
	Min	Max	Min	Max	Min	Max	Min	Max	Min	Max
1.47	37	45	40	45	40	48	40	50	40	52
1.48	37	46	41	46	41	48	41	50	41	53
1.49	38	47	41	47	41	49	41	51	41	53
1.5	38	47	42	47	42	50	42	52	42	54
1.51	39	48	42	48	42	50	42	52	42	55
1.52	39	49	43	49	43	51	43	53	43	55
1.53	40	49	43	49	43	51	43	54	43	56
1.54	40	49	43	49	43	52	44	55	44	57
1.55	41	50	44	50	44	53	44	55	44	58
1.56	41	51	45	51	45	54	45	56	45	58
1.57	42	52	46	52	46	54	46	57	46	60
1.58	42	52	46	52	46	54	46	57	46	59
1.59	43	53	47	53	47	56	47	58	47	61
1.6	44	54	47	53	47	56	47	59	47	61
1.61	44	54	48	54	48	57	48	60	48	62
1.62	45	55	49	55	49	58	49	60	49	63
1.63	45	56	49	56	49	58	49	61	49	64
1.64	46	56	50	56	50	59	50	62	50	65
1.65	46	57	50	57	50	60	50	63	50	65
1.66	47	58	51	58	51	61	51	63	51	66
1.67	47	59	52	59	52	61	52	64	52	67
1.68	48	59	52	59	52	62	52	65	52	68
1. 69	49	60	53	60	53	63	53	66	53	69
1.7	49	61	53	61	53	64	53	66	53	69
1.71	50	62	54	62	54	64	54	67	54	70
1.72	50	63	55	63	55	65	55	68	55	71
1.73	51	64	55	64	55	66	55	69	55	72
1.74	51	64	56	64	56	67	56	70	56	73
1.75	52	65	57	65	57	67	57	70	57	74
1.76	53	66	57	66	57	68	57	71	57	74
1.77	53	66	58	66	58	69	58	72	58	75
1.78	54	67	59	67	59	70	59	73	59	76
1.79	54	67	59	67	59	70	59	74	59	77
1.8	55	68	60	68	60	71	60	75	60	78
1.81	56	69	61	69	61	72	61	75	61	79
1.82	56	70	61	70	61	73	61	76	61	79
1.83	57	70	62	70	62	74	62	77	62	80
1.84	58	71	63	71	63	74	63	78	63	81
1.85	58	72	63	72	63	75	63	79	63	82
1.86	59	73	64	73	64	76	64	80	64	83
1.87	59	73	65	73	65	77	65	80	65	84
1.88	60	74	65	74	65	78	65	81	65	85
1.89	61	75	66	75	66	79	66	82	66	86
1.9	61	76	67	76	67	79	67	83	67	87
1.91	62	77	67	77	67	80	67	84	67	88
1.92	63	77	68	77	68	81	68	85	68	88
1.93	63	78	69	78	69	82	69	86	69	89
1.94	64	79	70	79	70	83	70	87	70	90
1.95	65	80	70	80	70	84	70	87	70	91

Quick links:

Vision requirement - Indian Navy

Requirements	Vision Standard
Uncorrected without glass	6/6, 6/9
Corrected with glass	6/6, 6/6
Limits of Myopia	-0.75
Limits of Hypermetropia	1.5
Binocular vision	III
Limits of colour perception	I

Vision requirement - Indian Air Force

Requirements	Vision Standard
Minimum distant vision	6/6, 6/9
Corrected with glass (for Hypermetropia)	6/6, 6/6
Colour vision	CP-I
Hypermetropia	+2.0 D
Sph Manifest Myopia	Nil
Retinoscopic Myopia	0.5 in any Meridian permitted
Astigmatism	+ 0.75 D Cyl (within + 2.0 D maximum)
Maddox Rod Test at 6 meters	Exo-6 prism D Eso-6 prism D Hyper-1 prism D Hypro-1 prism D
Maddox Rod Test at 33 cms	Exo-16 prism D Eso-6 prism D Hyper-1 prism D Hypo-1 prism D

Quick links:

How To Join NDA After 12th? - Application Process

The NDA 1 application form 2025 will be released on the official website of the UPSC. The NDA form comprises two parts. The first part consists of registration while the second consists of detailed form filling, selecting exam centres and paying the application fee. Check the steps here to fill out the application form.

Registration for the exam by filling in required details
Choosing preferred branches
Verifying the details
Generation of registration ID
Selecting exam centre
Paying application fee
Uploading signature and photograph

Quick links:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How can I prepare for NDA after 12th?

Candidates can prepare for the NDA exam by practising the previous year's question papers, giving mock tests etc.

2. Can a girl join NDA after 12th 2025?

Yes, girls can apply for NDA as long as they have cleared 10+2.

3. Does 12th marks matter in NDA?

No, 12th marks don’t matter for NDA. Candidates must qualify for the 10+2 with PCM.

4. What is NDA salary?

The starting salary of candidates is Rs. 56100 while candidates in training will get a stipend.

5. What are the passing marks in the NDA exam?

There are no passing marks in the NDA exam, however, candidates must score the cutoff marks.

6. How hard is the NDA exam?

Yes, NDA is one of the toughest exams in India. Due to the high competitive level and a lot of candidates applying for it. However, with proper preparations and an effective study plan candidates can qualify it easily.

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Questions related to NDA

Have a question related to NDA ?

I am born on 24/12/2007 .Am I eligible for nda 2 2026 exam .

Dear Candidate ,
- For NDA 1 2026 , you are eligible since your birth date ( 24th Dec 2007 ) lies between 2 Jul 2007 and 1 Jul 2010 .
- For NDA 2 2026 , you are not eligible because the cutoff begins on 2 Jan 2008 .
Because UPSC requires candidates to be at least 16.5 and at most 19.5 years old on exam date ,

Read Complete Answer

Vasundhra 01 July,2025

if filled wrong info in nda 2 form by mistake i cliked yes on that option which was like are you studing in sanik school and ward of jco or OR whichwassupposed to be no what shall i do ive mailed upsc but still no response from last 5days

Hello Aspirant,

If you erroneously marked "Yes" for the question about studying in Sainik School or being the ward of a JCO/OR in the NDA 2 form when the answer was "No", Since you already mailed about this here is what you can do:

Call UPSC to have it resolved quicker
Wait for correction window (if any) - UPSC sometimes provides correction windows but they do this infrequently. If they have not yet announced the correction window, keep checking their official website.
On exam day and at when SSB comes around, just be honest about what happened. In my past experience, as long as the mistake does not directly impact your eligibility or give you unjust advantage, they are usually okay to be sorted out during the document verification stage.

Read Complete Answer

gopi 21 June,2025

I have 6/18 in both eyes (uncorrected vision) and in the notification uncorrected vision allowance is 6/12 and my corrected vision is -1.0D spherical in both with falls right into limits of myopia. Am I eligible for NDA even though i didn't meet the requirements of uncorrected vision?

Being 6/18 in both eyes, you may be able to take the job based on the recruitment medical standards of the recruiting authority particularly, the jobs in the defence services or the government sector.

Most medical standards have certain amounts of uncorrected deficiencies in vision when vision corrected (glasses, contacts) is of the expected standard. The specific allowance depends upon a service and a post.

When the notification explains uncorrected vision allowance, then it probably means that everyone whose vision is worse than normal, but can be corrected to meet the specified requirement, can be afforded.

In order to be sure:

Ensure to read the accuracy of vision standards and allowance as stated in the official notification.

Upon permission, make sure that you attain a legal eye prescription displaying corrected eyesight within a limit.

In case of doubts, a certified medical officer or ophthalmologist is to be consulted to provide a report on eye examination.

Read Complete Answer

hemanth kumar 16 June,2025

I am 22 may 2010 born..... a I'm in 2025 in class 11th ....... so next year where I will be studying in class 12th ..... So am I eligible for nda 1 2026 going to be held in April

Hey! Because your birthday is on May 22, 2010, in 2025 you will be 15. And it is quite normal that at your age you are in Class 11. In 2026, youwill be going up to Class 12. Then simply concentrate on completing Class 11 well, since Class 12 is crucial in terms of board exams and choices of careers. Stay regular with your studies, follow your hobbies and begin to consider which stream or career you require after Class 12. You’ve got plenty of time and opportunities ahead—just stay confident and work smart!

Read Complete Answer

hemanth kumar 14 June,2025

i am November 2006 born, am i eligible for nda 2 2025 exam ? l am really confused because on YouTube it is showing not eligible please tell me whether i am eligible or not please

HEY THERE!!!

Unfortunately, you do not qualify for NDA 2 2025 if your birthdate is in November 2006.
The specified eligibility window requires candidates to have been born between January 2, 2007, and January 1, 2010.
Since your birth falls before this range, you do not meet the age criteria set for this examination.
It would be advisable to explore alternative opportunities or eligibility options.

Read Complete Answer

Tanisha chaudhary 08 June,2025

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