UPSC NDA I Answer Key 2026

UPSC NDA I Answer Key 2026 — a answer key release — is summarised below. The key figures are an application window closing 30 December 2025 and a fee of ₹100 for unreserved candidates. Everything below — dates, eligibility, fee and the official links — is set out in the order you will need it.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts central civil services and specialist recruitment. UPSC timelines and criteria are rarely relaxed, and only upsc.gov.in should be treated as authoritative for the application, admit card and result.

Applications open on 10 December 2025 and close on 30 December 2025, giving candidates 21 days to complete the process. At 21 days this is a normal-length window, but the fee and upload steps are the ones that fail late, so leave a few days of margin. Fee payment closes on 30/12/2025 — note that this can fall on a different day from the form deadline, and an unpaid form is not a submitted form. The exam is currently shown for 12/04/2026; treat this as provisional until the admit card confirms it.

The age limit runs from 16 to 19 years for unreserved candidates. That is a 3-year band, so candidates near either edge should confirm the exact cut-off date the notification measures age against — it is usually a fixed reference date, not the date you apply. On qualifications, the notification states: Male : 90 | Female: 02 — 10+2 Intermediate with Physics & Mathematics in Any Recognized Board in India.  . If your degree is an equivalent under a different name, look for the equivalence clause in the official PDF before paying the fee — a form rejected for a qualification mismatch is not usually refundable.

SC / ST and Female are exempt from the application fee under this notification. All fee-paying categories are charged the same ₹100. Payment is accepted via debit card, credit card, net banking, and offline bank challan. Pay only through the official portal linked on this page; the fee is normally non-refundable once the form is submitted.

Work out a provisional score from the official key before the objection window closes. Objections generally require a fee per question and supporting evidence, and are only worth raising where you can cite a source. Do not use unofficial keys circulating on social media to estimate cut-offs — they are frequently wrong on exactly the disputed questions.