Quick answer: The NDA 2 2026 question paper was held by UPSC on Sunday, 14 September 2026 in two papers — Mathematics (120 questions, 300 marks) and the General Ability Test (150 questions, 600 marks: Part A English 50 questions for 200 marks, Part B General Knowledge 100 questions for 400 marks), each of two and a half hours, with one-third negative marking. Both official papers are available below as PDF from NCA Academy (New Careers Academy, Chandigarh, since 1967), with our page-cited analysis of the English section.
NDA 2 2026 exam snapshot
| Exam | UPSC National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2026 |
| Exam date | 14 September 2026 (Sunday) |
| Papers | Mathematics · General Ability Test (English + General Knowledge) |
| Questions / marks | Mathematics 120 Q / 300 marks · GAT 150 Q / 600 marks (English 50 Q / 200, GK 100 Q / 400) |
| Duration | 2 hours 30 minutes per paper |
| Negative marking | One-third of the marks for each wrong answer (Maths −0.83, GAT −1.33) |
| Answer key | NCA solved key for all sets — NDA 2 2026 answer key |
| Conducting body | upsc.gov.in |
Download the NDA 2 2026 question paper PDF
These are the official UPSC question booklets from the 14 September 2026 sitting, scanned and compressed for download. Open the paper, mark your responses against the answer key, and estimate your score before the result.
| Paper | Questions | Pages | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 120 | 48 | NDA 2 2026 Mathematics question paper PDF (3.8 MB) |
| General Ability Test | 150 | 52 | NDA 2 2026 GAT question paper PDF (6.6 MB) |
Need the answers? The NDA 2 2026 answer key has NCA’s solved key for Maths and GAT, all sets.
NDA 2 2026 paper analysis — where the English questions came from
After every NDA paper, NCA faculty trace each question back to the page of NCA material where it was taught. For the NDA 2 2026 GAT English section (Part A, Q1–50), the verified, page-cited trace shows:
- 23 questions where the exact word, phrase or sentence is on an NCA page — for example Q1 (equivocal — antonym) appeared in NCA’s 1 March 2026 class paper in the same sentence; Q3 (capricious) and Q4 (idealistic/pragmatic) are word-for-word matches with class papers from 15 and 22 February 2026.
- 18 more questions where the question type is drilled in NCA papers in the identical four-option format.
- Antonyms (Q1–10): nine of ten traced; Q1, Q4 and Q10 are word-for-word matches with a class paper or notes page.
Science and GK traces for NDA 2 2026 are being published on the answer key page as they are verified.
NDA 2 2026 English — page-cited source trace
After the 14 September 2026 paper, NCA faculty traced every English question (GAT Part A, Q1–50) back to the NCA page where it was taught. 23 questions have the exact word, phrase or sentence on an NCA page; 18 more are question types drilled in NCA papers in the identical four-option format. The table below is a selection — every row cites the file and page number.
| Q | What the exam asked | What the NCA page says | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | equivocal — antonym | Same sentence in the 1 March 2026 class paper: “The minister’s statement was deliberately equivocal to avoid controversy”; the exam’s wrong option (ambiguous) is the synonym taught. | English paper, 1 Mar 2026, p.1, 6, 16 |
| 3 | capricious — antonym | “The committee’s decision was widely criticized as capricious…” with key “capricious → arbitrary”; 22 Feb paper adds the definition. | English Paper Part 2, 15 Feb 2026, p.1, 11; 22 Feb 2026, p.9 |
| 4 | idealistic — antonym | “The leader was pragmatic… (a) optimistic (b) idealistic…” — the exact pair the exam tested, on one line. | English notes, p.77 |
| 10 | professional — antonym | “Dilettante — amateur with superficial interest”, taught as a match item three weeks before the exam. | English Paper, 22 Feb 2026, p.10, 29, 30 |
| 13 | munificence — synonym | “The munificence of the businessman was great. (a) generosity…” — same word, same answer. | English notes, p.37; NCA Difficult OWS, p.9 |
| 16–20 | Foreign phrases: ipso facto, via media, quid pro quo, a posteriori, modus operandi | All five taught with meaning, most of them twice — e.g. “Via media — middle path” as a match item in the 8 March 2026 paper. | CDS English 120Q Advanced, p.6; Foreign Words, p.7–8; English paper, 8 Mar 2026, p.3 |
| 25 | Idiom: pour oil on troubled waters | “To pour oil in troubled water — (d) To calm…” — the exam’s answer is the NCA option (d). | English notes, p.320; Synonyms, Idioms and Phrases, p.22 |
| 26–30 | Word class of the underlined word | Identical instruction and the same four options (Preposition / Conjunction / Adverb / Determiner); the key discusses “in spite of” by name. | English paper, 1 Mar 2026, p.4, 14; Parts of Speech Hack Sheet |
| 31–35 | Reorder the PQRS set | Same PQRS format with the same four answer codes — 200 questions across 20 sets plus a 50-question print sheet. | English paper, 1 Mar 2026, p.2–3; Advanced Rearrangement 200Q |
| 41–43 | Spot the error (a)/(b)/(c)/no error | Identical three-part format with “(d) No error”, worked through in papers and keys. | English paper, 1 Mar 2026, p.7–8; CDS Mock 10, p.2 |
| 46 | Direct → Indirect: “Alas! I am undone.” | “The old man said, ‘Alas! My only son has left me forever.’ → exclaimed sadly that…” — the exam’s correct construction; rules page lists Alas! under “exclaimed sadly”. | Direct–Indirect Speech Practice Set, p.1; Direct to Indirect Speech, p.1, 5 |
| 48 | One-word substitution: omniscient, omnipotent, apostate | All three on one sheet: “all powerful — Omnipotent”, “knows everything — Omniscient”, “abandons religion — Apostate”. | One Word Substitution, p.1–2; NCA Master OWS v3, p.2 |
How to use the NDA 2 2026 question paper
- Download Mathematics and GAT from the table above.
- Mark your responses against the NDA 2 2026 answer key.
- Score it: Maths +2.5 per correct and −0.83 per wrong; GAT +4 per correct and −1.33 per wrong.
- Compare with the NDA cut-off 2026 to judge whether to begin SSB preparation now.
- Preparing for NDA 1 2027? Solve the paper as a timed mock, then use the free NDA mock test to check your speed on the Maths paper.
Preparing for NDA 1 2027 or NDA 2 2027?
NCA Academy (New Careers Academy), founded in 1967 with 39,000+ defence selections, teaches the NDA written exam and the SSB interview on one campus. Classroom batches run at the Sector 91 Mohali campus through NDA coaching in Chandigarh — 3 months ₹32,000, 6 months ₹48,000, 2-year programme ₹1,60,000, 45-day crash course ₹18,000 — with a new batch every Tuesday. The same classes stream live through online NDA coaching across India from ₹8,000. See the full NDA coaching fees breakdown.
Frequently asked questions — NDA 2 2026 question paper
When was the NDA 2 2026 exam held?
UPSC held the NDA and NA Examination (II) 2026 on Sunday, 14 September 2026 — Mathematics in the morning session and the General Ability Test in the afternoon, each of two and a half hours.
How is the NDA 2 2026 paper scored?
Mathematics has 120 questions for 300 marks (2.5 marks each); GAT has 150 questions for 600 marks (4 marks each). One-third of a question’s marks is deducted for each wrong answer: 0.83 in Maths and 1.33 in GAT. The written total is 900; the SSB interview carries another 900.
Are the NDA 2 2026 question papers the same for all sets?
Yes — the questions are identical across booklet series; only the order of questions and options changes. Match by question content if you sat a different series from the PDF.
Where is the NDA 2 2026 answer key?
NCA’s solved key for Maths and GAT, all sets, is on the NDA 2 2026 answer key page, published on exam day.
How many NDA 2 2026 English questions came from NCA material?
23 English questions have the exact word, phrase or sentence on an NCA page, and 18 more are question types drilled in NCA papers in the identical format, each cited to the page.
Written by
Capt. Dhaliwal · Director, New Careers Academy
Ex-Indian Army officer and SSB mentor at NCA Academy, Chandigarh (est. 1967), coaching NDA, CDS, AFCAT and SSB aspirants since the 1980s. About the author →
Reviewed by Hartaj Dhaliwal — SSB Strategist, NCA · third-generation officer · recommended by the SSB three times.
