NDA 2026

Key facts from the UPSC notification for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination, with a calculator for the written papers.

Calculators

Every tool follows the official rule and links its source.

NDA Marks CalculatorMathematics and General Ability, 900 marks

Key facts from the notification

Mathematics120 questions for 300 marks, 2½ hours
General Ability TestPart A English 50 questions for 200 marks; Part B General Knowledge 100 for 400; 2½ hours
Written total900 marks
SSB Test / Interview900 marks, assessed separately, so the final merit is out of 1,800
Negative markingOne third of the marks assigned to that question. More than one answer counts as wrong; a blank carries no penalty
LanguageMathematics and Part B are set in both Hindi and English; Part A is English only

Source: UPSC: National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2026 notification, dated 20 May 2026 — Appendix I scheme (Mathematics 300, General Ability Test 600, each 2½ hours), Part 'A' English 200 and Part 'B' General Knowledge 400, and the penalty: "one third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty". Checked 5 October 2026.

What a wrong answer actually costs

What your answer sheet is worth. Written examination has 270 questions for 900 marks, with a different penalty in each section. The marks calculator works the score out section by section from the official answer key.

The penalty is not the same in both papers. It is a third of that question’s marks, and the two papers value a question differently: Mathematics puts 300 marks over 120 questions, so a question is worth 2.5 and a wrong answer costs about 0.83, while the General Ability Test puts 600 over 150, so a question is worth 4 and a wrong answer costs about 1.33. A wrong guess in the General Ability Test is worth roughly one and a half wrong guesses in Mathematics.

Because the General Ability Test carries twice the marks of Mathematics, it moves the written total twice as far — and within it, General Knowledge carries twice the marks of English.