UPSC NDA 2 2026 Exam Today LIVE: Exam Day Guidelines, Shift Timings & Paper Analysis

The candidates appearing for the Shift 2 exam will have to bear the negative marking as per the conventional UPSC pattern. The paper two (GAT) carries four marks for a correct answer, while one loses 1.33 marks for a wrong answer (one-third penalty). Questions left unanswered are not penalized.

General Ability Test Part B consists of 100 questions, each carrying 4 marks, making the total marks for Part B 400, and the questions are divided into two segments – General Knowledge and General Science. In the General Science segment, questions from Physics, Chemistry, and General Biology are usually asked.

For the written test for NDA 2 2026 recruitment, candidates need to score at least 25% marks in each subject separately (Mathematics and GAT), apart from the cutoff for aggregate marks specified by UPSC. The total written examination is held out of 900 marks, which helps in selecting for the further stage of SSB Interview.

As candidates have already gathered outside the examination venue for Shift 2, which will start at 02:00 PM and conclude at 04:30 PM. The General Ability Test will be of 600 marks with 150 objective type questions. The paper II will have two parts: Part A – English (200 marks) and Part B – General Knowledge (400 marks).

Test I assessed the candidates for their knowledge of mathematics of secondary and higher-secondary standard using 120 MCQs which carried a total score of 300. Two and a half marks were allocated for each correct answer, but an incorrect answer deducted 0.83 marks from the total score of the candidate (negative marking at 1/3rd scale).

A strict rule about electronic devices was followed in all examination centers. Items like smart watches, mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, health bands, calculators, and other digital storage devices were not allowed to be taken into the examination rooms. Those candidates who brought any such prohibited items had to keep them outside the examination center area.

The UPSC made it clear that the aspirants were required to use only black ballpoint pens for writing answers. The marking done through pencil, gel pen or blue ink is invalid for the process of optical mark recognition, resulting in rejection of the answer sheet. They had been asked to darken the circles completely without folding the OMR sheets.

Security personnel in these centers conducted biometric and document verification of all the candidates appearing for the test. The candidates had to carry physical copies of their e-Admit cards along with their original photo identification proofs, like Aadhar Card, PAN Card, or Driving Licenses. Those aspirants who had blurry photographs on their admit cards had to furnish two physical passport-size photographs.

As per the UPSC instructions, the gate of the examination centers was locked exactly 10 minutes prior to the commencement time of the morning shift, that is, at 09:50 AM. All late comers were refused entry in order to maintain the sanctity of the examination process. The same rule regarding closure of the gates holds true for Shift 2 (General Ability Test).

The first shift of NDA 2 2026 exam, which is exclusively based on Paper I (Mathematics), has successfully ended at 12:30 PM in all exam centers. The duration of 2.5 hours of morning shift started on time at 10:00 AM. As per reports by the invigilators, everything went well since there was a proper check-in process conducted even before locking the gate. Now, candidates will take their afternoon break.

The official notification issued by UPSC is that there are a total of 394 vacancies for NDA 2 2026. Of these, 370 posts are allotted to the National Defense Academy with a distribution of 208 for the army, 42 for the navy, and 120 for the air force. There are 24 vacancies for the Indian Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme).

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is efficiently holding the NDA & NA (II) 2026 examination today, which is Sunday, 13th September 2026. Several defense aspirants from all over the country are appearing for the offline examination in 86 exam centers. The NDA examination acts as the entrance examination for joining the three academies, i.e., Army, Navy, and Air Force Wings of the National Defense Academy and the Indian Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme).