NDA-2 2026 Paper Analysis and Expected Cutoff Marks

NDA 2 2026 paper analysis

The highly anticipated NDA-2 2026 examination was conducted, and all those who have appeared for the written test will be eager to understand the NDA-2 exam analysis. This includes cut-off marks, good attempts, and the difficulty level of the question papers. The UPSC conducted the NDA-2 2026 exam for recruitment to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy.

A detailed analysis of the NDA-2 2026 paper will benefit candidates trying to understand the tentative cut-off marks. The level of difficulty of the test and the topics covered will help a candidate understand how well they performed in comparison to others. Therefore, for a better evaluation of a candidate’s performance in the NDA-2 2026 exam, we bring you the paper analysis, including the good attempts and cut-off marks, in this article. The analysis has been done based on the NDA-2 2026 Mathematics and GAT papers, including their subject-wise and topic-wise breakup.

NDA-2 2026 Exam Overview

The NDA exam consisted of two papers: Mathematics and General Ability Test (GAT), conducted in two shifts on the same day.

Subject

Total Questions

Maximum Marks

Duration

Mathematics

120

300

2½ Hours

General Ability Test

150

600

2½ Hours

Total

270

900

5 Hours

NDA-2 2026 Difficulty Level & Good Attempts

The overall level of NDA-2 2026 was easy to moderate. Candidates with good accuracy and time management could attempt a safe number of questions.

Paper

Level of Difficulty

Good Attempts (Approx.)

Mathematics

Easy to Moderate

90–100

General Ability Test (GAT)

Easy to Moderate

110–130

NDA Exam Analysis 2026 Mathematics Section

The Mathematics section of the NDA 2026 exam consisted of questions from many areas of mathematics. Here’s a preview of the topics covered and the number of questions per topic:

Topics

No. of Questions

Relations and Functions

5

Conic Sections (Parabola, Ellipse, Circle & Sphere)

3

Sequence and Series

3

Indefinite & Definite Integration

5

Straight Lines

8

Binomial Theorem

2

Complex Numbers & Quadratic Equations

9

Application of Derivative

4

Application of Integration

2

Matrices and Determinants

11

Trigonometric Functions

7

Inverse Trigonometric Functions

2

Limits and Derivatives

4

Continuity & Differentiability

3

Differential Equations

4

2-D

11

3-D

9

Statistics

5

Probability

15

Permutation & Combination

1

Properties of Triangles

4

Logarithm

1-2

Sets

1–2

Vector Algebra

6–7

Miscellaneous (Number Theory)

0-2

NDA Exam Analysis 2026 General Ability Section

The General Ability section had questions from different subjects, which formed the overall assessment. Below is the summary of topics with the number of questions:

Topic

No. of Questions

Ordering of words

2

Word classes

2

Antonyms

5

Passage

6

Synonyms

5

Sentence Completion

5

Idioms and phrases

5

Cloze test

5

Current Affairs

15–17

Ancient History

3–4

Medieval History

2–3

Modern History

8–10

Geography

15–17

Polity

5–7

Economics

2–3

Physics

20–23

Chemistry

14–16

Biology

10–12

NDA Cutoff – Overview

The NDA cut-off marks are the minimum marks candidates need to qualify for another selection process in the SSB Interview and Medical Exam. The cut-off is determined based on the following:

  • Total number of candidates
  • Vacancies available
  • Difficulty level of the exam
  • Marks obtained in the written exam

NDA 2 2026 Expected Cutoff

Branch/Wing

Written Exam (Out of 900)

Army

310–325

Navy

340–355

Air Force

345–360

Naval Academy

340–355

The final selection cut-off is out of 1800 marks (900 for the written exam + 900 for SSB/Medical).

NDA-2 2025 Official Cut-Off Marks

The previous year's cut-off provides a useful benchmark for candidates analysing the NDA-2 2026 examination.

 

According to the official UPSC Cut-off Marks Portal, the NDA-2 2025 written cut-off differed for male and female candidates.

NDA-2 2025 Written Cut-Off

Category

Written Cut-Off (Out of 900)

Male Candidates

304.90 marks

Female Candidates

358.84 marks

The NDA-2 2025 written cut-off for male candidates was 304.90 marks out of 900, while the female written cut-off was 358.84 marks out of 900.

These figures matter for candidates because they show that the qualifying benchmark can differ between male and female candidates.

NDA-2 2025 Final Cut-Off

The final merit is prepared using the combined marks obtained in the written examination and SSB/Interview. The final selection cut-off is therefore calculated out of 1800 marks.

Category

Final Cut-Off (Out of 1800)

Male Candidates

666.01 marks

Female Candidates

737.40 marks

For NDA-2 2025, the male final cut-off was 666.01 marks out of 1800, whereas the female final cut-off was 737.40 marks out of 1800.

Candidates should use these figures only as a previous-year benchmark. The NDA-2 2026 cut-off may increase or decrease depending on the examination difficulty, vacancies and overall candidate performance.

NDA Previous Year Cutoff for Written Exam

 

The previous NDA cut-off marks can help candidates understand the variation in qualifying marks across different examination sessions.

Year

NDA 1 

NDA 2

2026

   

2025

334

304

2024

291

305

2023

301

292

2022

360

316

2021

343

355

2020

355

355

2019

342

346

2018

338

325

2017

342

258

2016

288

229

Candidates can use these previous cut-off figures as a reference while evaluating their NDA-2 2026 performance. However, the cut-off can vary significantly from one examination to another depending on the difficulty level and overall competition.

Key Takeaways for Aspirants

  • Analyse your performance on the basis of accuracy as well as the number of attempts.
  • Compare your expected score with previous NDA cut-off trends.
  • Do not get demoralized if you do not meet the expected cut-off; keep your preparation for the SSB interview on track.
  • Candidates who are expecting to clear the written cut-off should start their SSB preparations without waiting for the official result.
  • Focus on building up your conceptual clarity and speed for the next NDA examinations.
  • Keep following current affairs and revise important topics regularly.

Conclusion

The NDA-2 2026 examination has given candidates a chance to evaluate their performance in Mathematics, English, General Knowledge, and current affairs. The actual cut-off will be determined by UPSC, but the paper analysis and previous trends may help the candidates estimate their position.

For candidates expected to qualify, it is time to move on to the SSB (Services Selection Board) preparation, while those who did not perform up to the mark can use the analysis to determine their weak areas and prepare better for the next NDA exam.

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