Defence Exams 2026 — NDA, CDS, AFCAT, CAPF AC, Agniveer | Complete List & Dates

⚔️ Defence Exams 2026: Complete List of Upcoming Defence Exams

Defence exams in India are conducted by UPSC, Indian Armed Forces, and Ministry of Defence to recruit officers and soldiers into the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and paramilitary forces. Major exams include NDA, CDS, AFCAT, CAPF AC, Agniveer (Army / Navy / Air Force), and various technical entry schemes.

Exam	Body	Posts	Vacancies	Qualification
NDA (I) 2026	UPSC	Army / Navy / Air Force (Officer Cadet)	~400	12th Pass (PCM for AF/Navy)
CDS (I) 2026	UPSC	IMA / OTA / Naval / Air Force Academy (Officer)	457	Graduation
AFCAT (1) 2026	Indian Air Force	Flying / Technical / Ground Duty (Short Service Commission)	~300	Graduation (Engg for Tech)
AFCAT (2) 2026	Indian Air Force	Flying / Technical / Ground Duty	~300	Graduation (Engg for Tech)
CAPF AC 2026	UPSC	Assistant Commandant — BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB, NIA, SSF, AR	~350	Graduation
NDA (II) 2026	UPSC	Army / Navy / Air Force (Officer Cadet)	~400	12th Pass (PCM for AF/Navy)
CDS (II) 2026	UPSC	IMA / OTA / Naval / Air Force Academy (Officer)	~450	Graduation
Agniveer Army 2026	Indian Army	Agniveer GD / Technical / Clerk / Tradesman	25,000+	10th / 12th Pass
Agniveer Vayu 01/2027	Indian Air Force	Agniveer Vayu (Science / Other)	~3,000	12th Pass (PCM)
Agniveer Navy MR / SSR 2026	Indian Navy	Agniveer — Senior Secondary Recruit / Matric Recruit	~3,000	10th / 12th Pass
Army TES 2026	Indian Army	Technical Entry Scheme (Short Service Commission — Engineer)	90	12th Pass (PCM 70%+)
Territorial Army 2026	Territorial Army	Officer — Territorial Army (Part-Time Commission)	~100	Graduation (Age 18–42)
Indian Coast Guard Yantrik / Navik 2026	Indian Coast Guard	Yantrik (Mechanical / Electrical / Electronics) / Navik GD & DB	~500	10th / 12th / Diploma
SSC Tech / JAG Entry 2026	Indian Army	Short Service Commission (Technical / Judge Advocate General)	200+	B.Tech / LLB

💡 Defence Exam Preparation Strategy 2026

📐

Maths & Physics Foundation

NDA / CDS / AFCAT all test Mathematics heavily. Build a strong foundation in Class 11–12 Maths (Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Coordinate Geometry). For NDA, Maths is 300 marks out of 900.

📰

GK / Current Affairs Daily

General Ability Test (NDA) and GK sections in CDS/AFCAT require deep current affairs coverage. Read national newspapers daily — defence, science, history, and geo-politics are key areas.

🏃

Physical Fitness from Day 1

Written exam is only the first gate. SSB and medical have strict physical standards. Start running (2.4 km in 10–12 min), push-ups (40+), pull-ups (8+) from Day 1 of preparation.

🧠

SSB Personality Development

SSB tests 15 Officer Like Qualities (OLQ). Read 'SSB Cracker' or similar guides. Practice GTO tasks, lecturette, WAT, TAT, and group discussions at least 3 months before SSB.

🎯

Apply for Both Cycles

NDA, CDS, and AFCAT are each conducted twice a year. Apply to both cycles simultaneously to double your attempt count. This allows recovery if one written exam goes poorly.

📖

English Is Critical

English comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary carry significant marks in CDS and AFCAT. Practice RC passages, sentence correction, and fill-in-the-blanks from PYQs daily.