NDA Cut-off and Result: Official UPSC Figures Only

UPSC publishes two NDA cut-off numbers for every examination, in a one-page PDF titled “Recommendation Details and Cut-off Marks”. The first is the minimum qualifying standard at the written stage, out of 900. The second is the marks of the last recommended candidate at the final stage, out of 1,800. For NDA and NA (II) 2025 the written minimum was 304.90 for men and 358.84 for women, and the last recommended candidates had 666.01 (men) and 737.40 (women).

This page shows only figures that appear in those UPSC files, each with the date UPSC uploaded the file. We have left out predicted cut-offs and figures from memory, because they are the numbers most often confused with the official ones. Everything below was checked against UPSC’s website on 12 October 2026.

Official NDA cut-off marks for the last four examinations

UPSC’s Cut-off Marks page currently carries four NDA and NA files, for the 2024 and 2025 examinations. The table gives the figures exactly as UPSC prints them.

Two things stand out. First, only the latest of the four files prints separate male and female figures; the 2026 notice states that written results and final merit lists for men and women are prepared separately. Second, the written minimum for men has stayed between 291 and 334 across these four examinations, while the last recommended man’s final marks have stayed between 654 and 699. Both depend on that year’s paper and vacancies, so treat them as a range of past outcomes and not as a promise about the next one.

How the NDA result is built

The NDA result is not one list. It is a sequence of three, and the cut-off files describe the last two of them.

1. Written result. The written examination has two papers: Mathematics (300 marks) and the General Ability Test (600 marks), 900 in all. UPSC fixes the qualifying marks at its discretion, and candidates above that line are called to the Services Selection Board. UPSC posts this as the written result, first as a roll-number list.
2. SSB. The SSB carries another 900 marks. The notice says a candidate must secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in the written examination and in the officer-potential test, so a high written score cannot make up for failing the board.
3. Final result. Qualified candidates are placed in one combined list on their written and SSB marks together (out of 1,800), and seats are filled up to the vacancies for each service, subject to medical fitness and the preferences the candidate gave. UPSC then uploads the “Marks of Recommended Candidates” file, which shows each recommended candidate’s written total, SSB marks and final total.

The dates in UPSC’s own exam pages show how long this takes. The table follows the last two completed examinations.

In both examinations in the table the cut-off file followed the final result by two or three days, so an “NDA final cut-off” quoted before the final result is an estimate.

Is there an NDA cut-off for the Air Force, Navy or Army?

Not in UPSC’s files. Each cut-off PDF lists the vacancies for the Army, Navy, Air Force (flying, ground duties technical and ground duties non-technical) and the Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme, but it gives a single written minimum and a single final-stage figure for the whole examination. A page that shows a separate “NDA cut-off for Air Force” has not taken it from UPSC.

What decides your service is the order of preference you give in the application and your place in the combined merit list. The notice says candidates are considered only for the services they list, in that order, and that allocation goes by merit-cum-preference up to the vacancies. For the Air Force flying branch there is an extra gate: the Computerised Pilot Selection System, which is taken once.

NDA cut-off category wise

The four files above do not split marks by category. The only split they print is male and female, and only for the 2025 (II) examination. Tables that show separate marks for General, OBC, SC and ST candidates are not UPSC figures, and we do not reproduce them.

NDA cut-off 2026 and NDA 1 2027

No cut-off has been published yet for any 2026 examination. This is where each stands on UPSC’s pages as of 12 October 2026:

• NDA and NA (I) 2026: examination held on 12 April 2026, written result roll list uploaded on 8 May 2026 and name list on 13 May 2026. UPSC’s page shows no final result or cut-off yet.
• NDA and NA (II) 2026: examination held on 13 September 2026, written result roll list uploaded on 9 October 2026. The notice expects SSB interviews between December 2026 and January 2027.
• NDA and NA (I) 2027: UPSC’s 2027 calendar lists notification on 2 December 2026, last date for applications on 22 December 2026 and the examination on 11 April 2027, all liable to alteration.

When a 2026 result comes out, the numbers will appear first in UPSC’s final-result notice and later in a file like the ones above. We will add it here only from the file itself. Our exam calendar tracks the dates.

How to read these numbers without being misled

• Last recommended is not the likely mark. It is the lowest total among the recommended candidates. Everyone else who was recommended scored more.
• The written minimum is only the first gate. It decides who is called to the SSB. It says nothing about the SSB half of the 1,800.
• Subject minimums matter. The files print a per-subject floor of 20% or 25%. A candidate can clear the total and still fall at a subject.
• Vacancies and difficulty move the figure. Notice that 2024 (II) had 792 recommended candidates against 404 vacancies, while 2025 (I) had 735 against 406. UPSC recommends more candidates than there are seats, and the notice says final allocation is subject to eligibility, medical fitness and preference.

If you would like help setting a realistic target mark for your own preparation, call or WhatsApp +91 70170 31757 for free counselling. We would rather help you read the official data than hand you a prediction.

Using the cut-off in your preparation

A useful way to read a cut-off is to turn it into habits. Because wrong answers lose one-third of a question’s marks, the written stage rewards accuracy as much as coverage. Practise on UPSC’s own papers, which we list on our NDA previous year papers page, and time yourself against the 2 hours 30 minutes each paper allows. For the book list, see best books for NDA. For the board that carries the other 900 marks, start with our SSB interview process guide.

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What was the NDA cut-off in the latest examination?

For NDA and NA (II) 2025, UPSC's file shows a written minimum of 304.90 for men and 358.84 for women, out of 900, and a last-recommended final mark of 666.01 for men and 737.40 for women, out of 1,800.

Does UPSC publish a separate NDA cut-off for Air Force or Navy?

No. The cut-off files give one written minimum and one final-stage figure for the whole examination, with vacancies listed by service. Your service depends on merit and your stated preferences.

When does UPSC publish the NDA cut-off?

After the final result. For NDA and NA (II) 2025 the final result was uploaded on 8 April 2026 and the cut-off file on 10 April 2026.

Is the NDA cut-off different for girls?

In the latest file, for NDA and NA (II) 2025, UPSC prints separate figures for men and women. The 2026 notice says written results and final merit lists for the two are prepared separately.

What is the minimum mark in each NDA subject?

The cut-off files for 2024 (II), 2025 (I) and 2025 (II) say at least 25% in each subject, and the 2024 (I) file says at least 20%.

Are NDA cut-off predictions reliable?

They are not official. Only the figures in UPSC's cut-off files are. Use predictions, if at all, as a rough guide and never as a target.

Working towards these numbers? GS India Defence Academy runs classroom NDA coaching in Dehradun, with separate hostels for boys and girls and a mess for outstation students. You can see the current options on our fee structure page, or ask us anything at counselling.

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