Defence Exam Planner: NDA, CDS, AFCAT, Agniveer Study Plan, Syllabus & Pattern
Pick your exam and date — get a personalised week-by-week study plan, plus the exam pattern, syllabus and SSB stages.
Updated 24 Oct 2026 · By Defence Pulse – भारतीय रक्षा समाचार और ताज़ा खबरें DeskCreate Your Study Plan
Exam Pattern & Eligibility
NDA & NA (UPSC)
Eligibility (summary): Unmarried men and women, 12th pass or appearing (Physics & Maths required for Air Force and Navy wings), age about 16.5–19.5 years.
| Paper / Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 120 | 300 | 2 h 30 min |
| General Ability Test (English 200 + GK 400) | 150 | 600 | 2 h 30 min |
| SSB Interview | — | 900 | 5 days |
Negative marking of one-third of the marks for each wrong answer.
Key subjects: Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, General Science & Biology, History & Polity, Geography, Current Affairs
CDS (UPSC)
Eligibility (summary): Graduates (engineering degree for Naval Academy; Physics & Maths in 12th or engineering for Air Force Academy). Age limits differ by academy.
| Paper / Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English (IMA / INA / AFA / OTA) | 120 | 100 | 2 h |
| General Knowledge (all academies) | 120 | 100 | 2 h |
| Elementary Mathematics (IMA / INA / AFA only) | 100 | 100 | 2 h |
| SSB Interview | — | 300 | 5 days |
Negative marking of one-third for each wrong answer. OTA candidates take only English and GK (200 marks).
Key subjects: Elementary Mathematics, English, General Knowledge (Static), Current Affairs, History, Geography & Polity
AFCAT (Indian Air Force)
Eligibility (summary): Graduates / engineers as per branch (Flying, Ground Duty Technical, Ground Duty Non-Technical). Flying branch age about 20–24 years.
| Paper / Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFCAT: General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning & Military Aptitude | 100 | 300 | 2 h |
| EKT (Ground Duty Technical only) | 50 | 150 | 45 min |
| AFSB Interview | — | — | 5 days |
+3 for each correct answer, −1 for each wrong answer.
Key subjects: Numerical Ability, Reasoning & Military Aptitude, Verbal Ability (English), General Awareness, Current Affairs
Agniveer Army (CEE)
Eligibility (summary): Age about 17.5–21 years; 10th or 12th pass depending on category (GD, Technical, Clerk/Store Keeper, Tradesman).
| Paper / Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Common Entrance Exam (CEE) — objective questions; number of questions and duration vary by category | — | — | — |
| Recruitment rally: physical fitness test (1.6 km run, pull-ups, etc.) and measurements | — | — | — |
| Medical examination | — | — | — |
Check the latest notification on joinindianarmy.nic.in for category-wise marks and negative marking.
Key subjects: Mathematics, General Science, General Knowledge, Logical Reasoning, Physical Fitness (running & pull-ups)
Agniveervayu (IAF)
Eligibility (summary): Age about 17.5–21 years; 12th with Physics, Maths & English (Science) or 12th in any stream / diploma (Other than Science).
| Paper / Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science subjects: English, Physics, Mathematics | — | — | 60 min |
| Other than Science: English, Reasoning & General Awareness (RAGA) | — | — | 45 min |
| Both groups: all of the above | — | — | 85 min |
| Physical fitness test, adaptability tests & medical | — | — | — |
Online objective test with negative marking — see the notification on agnipathvayu.cdac.in.
Key subjects: Mathematics, Physics, English, Reasoning & General Awareness, Physical Fitness (running)
SSB Interview: The 5-Day Process
Officer entries (NDA, CDS, AFCAT and others) lead to a Services Selection Board (SSB) or Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) interview. It tests Officer Like Qualities (OLQs) rather than book knowledge.
- Day 1 — Screening: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test and Picture Perception & Description Test (PPDT) with a group discussion. Only screened-in candidates stay.
- Day 2 — Psychology tests: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situation Reaction Test (SRT) and Self Description (SD).
- Days 3–4 — Group Testing Officer (GTO) tasks: group discussion, group planning exercise, progressive group task, half group task, individual obstacles, command task, lecturette and final group task.
- Personal interview: held on one of the days with the Interviewing Officer, covering your background, academics, interests and awareness.
- Day 5 — Conference: all assessors discuss each candidate and results are announced. Recommended candidates go for the medical examination.
For AFCAT flying branch, candidates also take the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS).
How to Prepare: A Practical Strategy
1. Foundation first (first half of your time)
Finish NCERT books for Maths and Science (Class 9–12 for NDA and Agniveer, Class 10 level for CDS Elementary Maths). Read a standard general studies book for history, geography and polity. Make short notes as you go.
2. Practice phase
Solve previous years' question papers topic by topic. Track accuracy: with negative marking, an attempt with 85% accuracy usually beats attempting everything.
3. Revision and mock tests (final weeks)
Take full-length timed mocks — two or three per week near the exam — and revise from your notes rather than new books. Analyse every mock for silly mistakes and time loss.
4. Physical fitness from day one
For Agniveer entries the running test is a qualifying stage, and for SSB good stamina helps in GTO tasks. Build up to running 1.6 km comfortably within time, and practise push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.
5. Current affairs daily
Spend 30–45 minutes a day on news — especially defence, government schemes, awards, sports and international relations. Reading Defence Pulse regularly covers the defence part.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the exam pattern of NDA?
The NDA written exam has two papers: Mathematics (120 questions, 300 marks, 2.5 hours) and the General Ability Test (150 questions, 600 marks, 2.5 hours). Qualified candidates face a 900-mark SSB interview. One-third of the marks are deducted for each wrong answer.
What is the marking scheme of AFCAT?
AFCAT has 100 questions worth 300 marks in 2 hours. Each correct answer earns 3 marks and each wrong answer costs 1 mark. Ground Duty Technical candidates also take a 50-question Engineering Knowledge Test.
How many papers are there in the CDS exam?
IMA, INA and AFA candidates take three papers — English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics — of 100 marks each. OTA candidates take only English and General Knowledge.
How many days is the SSB interview?
The SSB interview runs for five days: screening on day 1, psychology tests on day 2, group testing tasks on days 3 and 4, a personal interview on one of these days and the conference on day 5.
How many hours should I study daily for NDA or CDS?
Most aspirants study 4–6 focused hours a day alongside school or college. Consistency matters more than long hours — use the planner above to divide your time based on your weak subjects.
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