Defence Previous Year Papers
Defence Exams Previous Year Papers — NDA, CDS, AFCAT, INET
Previous Year Papers — Defence (NDA, CDS, AFCAT, INET, Agniveer)
Defence entrance exams — NDA & NA, CDS, AFCAT, INET and Agniveer — are some of the most competitive written tests in India, and every one of them uses negative marking. The single best way to raise your score is to solve real previous year question papers under timed conditions. PYPs show you exactly how questions are framed, how marks are distributed across subjects, and which topics UPSC, the IAF and the Indian Navy repeat every year. Solve them in order — oldest to newest — and you will see your speed, accuracy and selection chances improve dramatically.
One important distinction: NDA and CDS papers are official past papers released free by UPSC, while AFCAT, INET and Agniveer do not publish full past papers — for those, the official bodies release model/sample papers plus syllabus PDFs, which is what we list below. Every link on this page has been verified, and official sources are labelled so you know exactly what you are downloading.
| Exam | Conducting Body | Papers / Sections | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDA & NA | UPSC (twice a year) | Mathematics (300), GAT (600) | ⅓ per wrong answer |
| CDS | UPSC (twice a year) | English, GK, Elementary Maths (100 each) | ⅓ per wrong answer |
| AFCAT | Indian Air Force | 100 questions, 300 marks | 1 mark per wrong answer |
| INET | Indian Navy | 100 questions, 2 hours | 1 mark per wrong answer |
| Agniveer (Navy) | Indian Navy | SSR: 100 Qs; MR: 50 Qs | Depends on entry |
1. NDA & NA (National Defence Academy & Naval Academy) — UPSC
The NDA written exam has two papers: Mathematics (300 marks, 120 questions, 2½ hours) and the General Ability Test (600 marks, 150 questions, 2½ hours). Both carry negative marking of ⅓ mark per wrong answer. UPSC officially uploads every NDA question paper as a free PDF on upsc.gov.in after each exam — download them directly from the links below.
| Exam / Year | Paper | Download |
|---|---|---|
| NDA & NA (I) 2026 | Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (I) 2026 | General Ability Test | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2025 | Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2025 | General Ability Test | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (I) 2025 | Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (I) 2025 | General Ability Test | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2024 | Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2024 | General Ability Test | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2023 | Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| NDA & NA (II) 2023 | General Ability Test | Official PDF (UPSC) |
2. CDS (Combined Defence Services) — UPSC
CDS has three papers of 100 marks each, all with ⅓ negative marking: English (120 questions), General Knowledge (120 questions) and Elementary Mathematics (100 questions). It is conducted twice a year by UPSC, and official PDFs of every paper are available free below.
| Exam / Year | Paper | Download |
|---|---|---|
| CDS (I) 2026 | English | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (I) 2026 | General Knowledge | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (I) 2026 | Elementary Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2025 | English | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2025 | General Knowledge | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2025 | Elementary Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (I) 2025 | English | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (I) 2025 | General Knowledge | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (I) 2025 | Elementary Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2024 | English | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2024 | General Knowledge | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2024 | Elementary Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2023 | English | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2023 | General Knowledge | Official PDF (UPSC) |
| CDS (II) 2023 | Elementary Mathematics | Official PDF (UPSC) |
All NDA & CDS papers: UPSC Previous Question Papers portal — official, free, and always up to date. Prefer the official UPSC PDFs above for accuracy.
3. AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) — Indian Air Force
AFCAT is a 2-hour, computer-based test of 100 questions carrying 300 marks (3 marks per correct answer, 1 mark deducted for every wrong answer). Sections: General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning & Military Aptitude Test. The official IAF portal (run by EDCL) publishes model question papers with answer keys — the closest official practice material available.
| Year / Source | Paper | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Official model paper | AFCAT Model Question Paper-I | Official PDF (IAF) |
| Official model paper | AFCAT Model Question Paper-II | Official PDF (IAF) |
| Official answer key | Answer Keys (both model papers) | Official PDF (IAF) |
| Official portal | AFCAT 02/2026 candidate login | Official portal |
| All years | AFCAT official model question papers (published by IAF) | Official AFCAT portal |
Note: AFCAT conducts two exams a year (AFCAT 1 and AFCAT 2). The official AFCAT portal is afcat.cdac.in; the model papers above are hosted on the official IAF page at afcat.edcil.co.in/modelQuestionPaper.html.
4. INET (Indian Navy Entrance Test) — Indian Navy
INET is the official computer-based exam for entry into the Indian Navy as an officer (Executive, Technical, Education branches). It has 100 questions in 2 hours across four sections — English, Reasoning & Numerical Ability, General Knowledge, and General Science & Mathematical Aptitude — with 1 mark deducted per wrong answer. The Indian Navy publishes an official sample question paper and syllabus PDF on joinindiannavy.gov.in.
| Source | Material | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Official (Indian Navy) | INET Sample Question Paper | Official PDF (Indian Navy) |
| Official (Indian Navy) | INET Syllabus for Officers' Entries | Official PDF (Indian Navy) |
| Official portal | Selection procedure & INET details | Official portal (Indian Navy) |
5. Agniveer — Indian Navy (SSR & MR)
The Agniveer written test pattern is set separately by the Army, Air Force and Navy. For the Indian Navy: the SSR exam is computer-based with 100 questions (1 hour, 100 marks) across English, Science, Mathematics and General Awareness; the MR exam has 50 questions (45 minutes, 50 marks) at Class 10 level. The Navy publishes official sample question papers for both below.
| Entry / Source | Paper | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Agniveer SSR | SSR Sample Question Papers | Official PDF (Indian Navy) |
| Agniveer MR | MR Sample Question Papers | Official PDF (Indian Navy) |
| Agniveer (Navy) | Instructions for written exam (syllabus + samples) | Official portal (Indian Navy) |
| Agniveer SSR | Official recruitment advertisement (exam pattern) | Official PDF (Indian Navy) |
How to use these papers effectively
- Solve under real exam conditions: sit for the full duration with a timer and no breaks; NDA/CDS/AFCAT are speed tests as much as knowledge tests.
- Track negative-marking discipline: with ⅓ to 1-mark penalties, a careless guess can erase three correct answers. Attempt only questions you are at least 50% sure of.
- Go oldest to newest: start with older papers to learn the pattern, then finish with the most recent to gauge current difficulty and cut-off trends.
- Analyse every paper: after solving, list your wrong answers by subject. Repeatedly weak topics in GK, Maths or Reasoning need focused revision before you touch the next paper.
- Repeat the same paper: re-solving a paper a month later reveals whether you actually improved or just memorised answers.
- Check the official answer keys (UPSC posts them separately for NDA/CDS) and re-mark your paper honestly — self-scoring is part of the practice.
- Maintain an error log: keep a notebook of every question you get wrong, with the reason — a silly mistake, a concept gap, or a timing failure. Review this log weekly; it converts practice into marks faster than solving more papers.
- Practise GK and current affairs daily: General Knowledge is a scoring section in NDA, CDS and AFCAT, but it is easy to lose marks to outdated facts. Pair each paper with daily news revision so your GK effort compounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these previous year papers really free?
Yes. UPSC uploads NDA & CDS question papers as free PDFs on its official Previous Question Papers portal, and the Indian Navy hosts official INET and Agniveer sample papers free on joinindiannavy.gov.in. The AFCAT model papers on the official IAF page are also free.
Does UPSC release answer keys for NDA and CDS?
Yes. UPSC publishes official answer keys on its website for both exams after the result is declared. Use the exam's official notification page on upsc.gov.in to find them.
What is the negative marking in NDA and CDS?
Both NDA and CDS deduct ⅓ of a mark for every incorrect answer; unanswered questions carry no penalty. AFCAT deducts 1 mark per wrong answer and INET deducts 1 mark per wrong answer.
Why does the official AFCAT page show model papers instead of past papers?
AFCAT does not publicly release previous years' question papers — the official portal publishes model question papers with answer keys, which are the only official practice papers. For older AFCAT papers, use the labelled external aggregator links above.
Are the INET sample paper and syllabus enough for INET preparation?
The official sample paper mirrors the actual exam pattern and section weights, and the syllabus PDF lists every topic. Together they are the most reliable starting point; supplement with topic-wise practice on English, reasoning, GK, science and maths.
Which years should I prioritise?
Always start with the most recent paper (NDA/CDS 2026 and 2025 above) to learn the current pattern, then work backwards. For AFCAT and INET, official model/sample papers are the priority because they reflect the exact current pattern; external aggregator sets help only if you have time left.
Do I still need the SSB interview preparation if I solve these papers?
Yes. NDA, CDS, AFCAT and INET are only the written/screening stages — clearing them leads to the SSB interview (Services Selection Board), which tests personality and officer-like qualities separately from the written marks.
Are the papers the same for every branch in NDA and CDS?
Yes. The NDA written papers are common for all branches (Army, Navy and Air Force) and for the Naval Academy (NA) entry; CDS papers are common across the IMA, INA, AFA and OTA. Branch choice only affects the later SSB stage, not the written question papers.