Indian Army
Indian Army Recruitment (Officers, Agniveer & Other Ranks)
Indian Army Recruitment — Agniveer & Officer Entries: Complete Guide to CEE, SSB, PFT, Syllabus & Pay
The Indian Army recruitment process is the gateway to a career in the Indian Army, the land component of the Indian Armed Forces. Recruitment is administered by the Ministry of Defence through the Army Headquarters (Directorate General of Recruiting) and is notified exclusively on the official portal www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. Entry is under two broad streams — Officer entries (NDA, CDS, TES, TGC, SSC Tech, NCC Special Entry, ACC and more) and Soldier / Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) entries, all now under the Agnipath Scheme (Agniveer recruitment) introduced in 2022.
Under the Agnipath scheme, soldiers are recruited as Agniveers for a 4-year engagement (6 months training + 3.5 years service); up to 25% of each batch is retained in the permanent cadre, the rest released with a lump-sum Seva Nidhi package. Soldier selection now starts with the online Common Entrance Examination (CEE) at about 200 centres, followed by physical tests. Officer aspirants are shortlisted through UPSC written exams (NDA/CDS) or direct shortlisting (JEE Main for TES, engineering score for TGC/SSC Tech), then the 5-day SSB interview. For CEE 2026, admit cards were issued 18–21 May 2026 and the online exam ran on 01–12 June 2026. Figures marked "tentative" are based on the previous cycle and must be confirmed from the current notification.
Overview / Key Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | Indian Army (Ministry of Defence) — Directorate General of Recruiting |
| Officer Entries | NDA, CDS, TES, TGC, SSC Tech, NCC Special Entry, ACC (via UPSC / SSB) |
| Soldier Entries | Agniveer GD, Agniveer Technical, Agniveer Clerk/SKT, Agniveer Tradesman (10th / 8th), Agniveer GD (Women Military Police) |
| Mode of Examination | Online (CEE for soldiers); Offline/Online as per UPSC (NDA/CDS); SSB interview for officers |
| Selection Stages (Soldier) | Online CEE → Physical Fitness Test (PFT) → Medical → Enrolment as Agniveer |
| Selection Stages (Officer) | Written Exam / Shortlist → SSB Interview (5 days) → Medical → Merit → Commission |
| Negative Marking | Yes — 0.50 per wrong answer in Agniveer CEE (recent pattern); 1/3 in NDA; 1/3 in CDS (tentative) |
| Agniveer Age Limit | 17.5–21 years (relaxed to 23 years only for the 2022 cycle) |
| Application Mode | Online only — www.joinindianarmy.nic.in |
| Official Website | www.joinindianarmy.nic.in & indianarmy.nic.in |
Selection Process
For Soldier / Agniveer Entries
- Online Registration: Aspirants register on the official portal within the notification window and upload documents, photographs and category certificates.
- Online CEE (Common Entrance Examination): A computer-based test of 50 objective questions (50 marks) covering category-wise subjects; shortlists candidates for the physical stage.
- Physical Fitness Test (PFT): A 1.6 km run with qualifying time, followed by push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups at the Rally Site / ARO (Army Recruiting Office).
- Medical Examination: A full medical check-up against prescribed height, weight, chest, vision and general fitness standards.
- Document Verification & Merit: Category and education documents are verified; final merit is prepared from CEE and PFT scores.
- Enrolment & Training: Selected candidates join regimental training centres for the 6-month basic training as Agniveers.
For Officer Entries
- Shortlisting: Through the UPSC NDA/CDS written exam, JEE Main score (TES), engineering aggregate (TGC/SSC Tech) or NCC 'C' certificate (NCC Special Entry).
- SSB Interview (5 days): Stage 1 — Officer Intelligence Rating (Picture Perception & Discussion Test); Stage 2 — Psychology Tests, Group Testing Officer tasks and Personal Interview at an Army Selection Board.
- Medical Examination: Recommended candidates undergo a detailed medical at a Military Hospital.
- Merit & Training: Final merit is drawn on written + SSB marks; selected candidates join the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun) or Officers Training Academy (Chennai) for training.
Exam Pattern
Agniveer Online CEE — Pattern (based on the previous cycle, tentative)
| Category | Subjects | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agniveer General Duty | General Knowledge, General Science, General Mathematics, Current Affairs | 50 | 50 | 1 hour |
| Agniveer Technical | Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 1 hour |
| Agniveer Clerk / SKT | General Knowledge, Mathematics, Reasoning, English | 50 | 50 | 1 hour |
| Agniveer Tradesman (10th / 8th) | General Knowledge, General Science, Simple Arithmetic, Simple English | 50 | 50 | 1 hour |
Notes: The CEE is computer-based with 1 mark per question and 0.50 negative marking per wrong answer as per the recent pattern (tentative). The CEE acts as a screening stage; PFT scores and medical fitness complete the final merit. For CEE 2026, the Army conducted the exam for Agniveer (GD), Agniveer Tradesmen (10th), Agniveer Tech, Agniveer GD (Women Military Police), Agniveer (Clerk & SKT), Agniveer Tradesmen (8th), JCO RT, Sepoy (Pharma) and Havildar Education categories on scheduled dates in June 2026.
Officer Entry Written Exams
| Exam | Papers | Marks | Negative Marking | Conducting Body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDA & NA (I/II) | Mathematics + General Ability Test (GAT) | 300 + 600 = 900 | 1/3 | UPSC |
| CDS (IMA / OTA) | English + General Knowledge + Elementary Mathematics (Maths for IMA only) | 100 + 100 + 100 = 300 | 1/3 | UPSC |
| TES | JEE (Main) score based shortlist, no separate written exam | — | — | Indian Army |
| TGC / SSC Tech / NCC Entry | No written exam — shortlisting on academic merit, direct SSB | — | — | Indian Army |
Note: AFCAT is the officer entry exam conducted by the Indian Air Force for Air Force officer cadres, not for the Army; it is mentioned here only to avoid confusion among aspirants comparing the services.
Detailed Syllabus
General Knowledge (Agniveer CEE)
- Current affairs of national and international importance (last 6–12 months)
- Indian history — ancient, medieval, modern and the freedom movement
- Indian polity — Constitution, Parliament, Judiciary and Panchayati Raj
- Indian geography — rivers, mountains, states, capitals and national parks
- Defence knowledge — Indian Army, ranks, honours and awards, operations
- Sports — tournaments, trophies, Olympic and Asian Games winners
- Books and authors; important days and personalities
- Static GK — abbreviations, currencies, capitals and government schemes
General Science (Agniveer CEE)
- Physics — force, motion, energy, light, sound and simple machines
- Physics — electricity, magnetism, heat and basic electronics
- Chemistry — matter, states of matter, acids, bases and salts
- Chemistry — chemical reactions, metals, non-metals and everyday compounds
- Biology — cell structure, human body systems and nutrition
- Biology — diseases, their causes, prevention and first aid basics
- Environmental science — pollution, conservation and climate basics
- Everyday science — instruments, discoveries and inventions
Mathematics (Agniveer CEE / Clerk / Tech)
- Number system — HCF, LCM, divisibility and rational numbers
- Simplification and approximation using BODMAS
- Ratio and proportion; percentage and its applications
- Profit, loss and discount
- Simple and compound interest
- Time and work; pipes and cisterns
- Time, speed and distance; trains and boats
- Averages, mixtures and alligations
- Mensuration — areas and volumes of 2D and 3D figures
- Algebra — linear equations, polynomials and identities
- Data interpretation — tables, bar graphs and pie charts (Tech/Clerk)
English (Agniveer Clerk / SKT & Tech)
- Grammar — tenses, articles, prepositions and conjunctions
- Spotting errors and sentence improvement
- Synonyms and antonyms; one-word substitution
- Idioms and phrases
- Fill in the blanks — vocabulary and grammar based
- Reading comprehension passages
- Cloze tests
- Sentence and paragraph rearrangement
- Active–passive voice and direct–indirect speech
- Subject–verb agreement and basic writing skills (SKT section)
Reasoning (Agniveer Tech / Clerk)
- Analogies — word and number based
- Number and letter series
- Coding and decoding; blood relations
- Direction sense and distance
- Order and ranking; seating arrangements
- Venn diagrams and syllogisms
- Missing number and odd-one-out problems
- Non-verbal reasoning — figure series, mirror images and embedded figures
Officer Entry Written Syllabus (NDA/CDS)
- NDA Mathematics — algebra, matrices, trigonometry, calculus, vectors, probability and statistics (senior secondary level)
- NDA GAT — English, general knowledge, current events, science, history, geography and social studies
- CDS English — spotting errors, vocabulary, sentence structure, comprehension and idioms
- CDS General Knowledge — history, polity, economy, geography, science and current affairs
- CDS Elementary Mathematics — arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry at senior secondary level
- SSB testing — verbal/non-verbal reasoning, personality, group tasks and officer-like qualities (OLQs)
Marking Scheme
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Marks per question (CEE) | 1 mark per question, 50 questions, 50 marks total |
| Negative marking (CEE) | 0.50 per wrong answer (recent pattern, tentative) |
| Unattempted questions | No penalty for unattempted questions |
| NDA negative marking | 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer |
| CDS negative marking | 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer |
| Qualifying nature | CEE is a screening test; final merit = CEE + PFT performance + medical clearance |
| Cut-off factors | Category-wise vacancies, CEE score, PFT marks and document verification status |
Eligibility Criteria
Agniveer (Soldier) Entries — based on the previous cycle (tentative)
| Category | Educational Qualification | Age Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Agniveer General Duty | 10th pass from a recognised board | 17.5–21 years |
| Agniveer Technical | 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Maths and English (50% aggregate) | 17.5–21 years |
| Agniveer Clerk / SKT | 10+2 in any stream with 50% aggregate and English subject | 17.5–21 years |
| Agniveer Tradesman (10th) | 10th pass; class 8th pass for certain notified trades | 17.5–21 years |
| Agniveer GD (Women Military Police) | 10th pass (as per notification) | 17.5–21 years |
Age relaxations: The 17.5–21 year limit applies under the Agnipath scheme; the upper age relaxation to 23 years was applicable only for the 2022 cycle. Candidates must be unmarried; Agniveers are not permitted to marry during the 4-year tenure. Minimum height, weight and chest standards are region-wise and are notified with each recruitment cycle.
Officer Entries
| Entry | Educational Qualification | Age Limit |
|---|---|---|
| NDA (Army) | 10+2 pass from a recognised board | 16.5–19.5 years |
| CDS (IMA / OTA) | Graduate in any discipline (for IMA); graduate for OTA | 19–25 years (IMA); 19–25 years (OTA) |
| TES (Technical Entry Scheme) | 10+2 with PCM and 60% aggregate; JEE (Main) qualified | 16.5–19.5 years |
| TGC (Technical Graduate Course) | Engineering degree in notified branches | 20–27 years |
| SSC Tech | Engineering degree or final year students | 20–27 years |
| NCC Special Entry | Graduate with NCC 'C' certificate (minimum 'B' grade) | 19–25 years (men) |
| ACC (Army Cadet College) | For serving soldiers — 10+2 pass | As per ACC notification |
Note: Officer eligibility details (age, service/arm percentages, category relaxations) are published in each NDA/CDS/TES notification on upsc.gov.in and the join Indian Army portal.
Application Process & Fees
- Visit www.joinindianarmy.nic.in and click on the "JCO / OR / Agniveer" or officer entry link of the current notification.
- Complete online registration with a valid mobile number and email, fill the application form and upload the required documents (marksheet, category certificate, photo and signature).
- For officer entries via UPSC (NDA/CDS), apply separately on the UPSC website during the notification window and pay the UPSC application fee.
- Keep checking the portal for the admit card release — for CEE 2026, admit cards were issued from 18–21 May 2026 (evening) and the online exam was held on 01–12 June 2026.
- There is no application fee for the Agniveer recruitment (tentative, as per previous cycles); officer entry fees are as per the UPSC notification.
Salary / Pay Scale
| Entry | Pay Details | Approx. In-hand / Package |
|---|---|---|
| Agniveer (Soldier) | Fixed monthly package of ₹30,000 (year 1) rising to ₹40,000 (year 4), all-inclusive; about 30% of monthly emoluments deposited in the Seva Nidhi corpus | ₹30,000–₹40,000 per month (all-inclusive) + ₹48–50 lakh insurance cover |
| Seva Nidhi (on completion) | Lump-sum Seva Nidhi package plus accrued interest on discharge | Approx. ₹10.04 lakh (tax-free, as per the scheme) |
| Officer (Lieutenant, Level 10) | 7th CPC Pay Level 10: ₹56,100–₹1,77,500 + Military Service Pay (MSP) ₹15,500 + DA and other allowances | Approx. ₹80,000–₹1,00,000+ in-hand (varies with posting and allowances) |
| Officer training stipend | Stipend during IMA/OTA training per the Pay Commission rates | As notified by the Army |
Note: Agniveers do not receive pension for the 4-year tenure; up to 25% of each batch is retained in the permanent cadre and then becomes eligible for regular pay, pension and benefits. Agniveers also receive a skill certificate on discharge to help in civilian employment, and several states and CAPFs provide reservation/age relaxation for ex-Agniveers.
Official Links & PDFs
- Join Indian Army (recruitment portal): www.joinindianarmy.nic.in
- Indian Army official website: indianarmy.nic.in
- UPSC (NDA/CDS notifications & application): upsc.gov.in
- Agnipath / Agniveer scheme details: agnipath.cdac.in
- Agniveer CEE 2026 admit card, exam schedule and helpline: available on the Join Indian Army portal (helpline phone/email published on the site)
- Eligibility and medical standards: published in the notification PDF of each cycle on the Join Indian Army portal — download from the "Current Notification" section
Note: Official notification and syllabus PDFs for the current cycle must be downloaded directly from the notifications section of the Join Indian Army portal, as the URLs change with each recruitment cycle.
Preparation Tips & Strategy
- Start with the official notification: note the exact subjects, question count, duration and negative marking for your category before building a study plan.
- For the Agniveer CEE, master NCERT textbooks of Class 6–10 for GK, General Science and Mathematics — the paper rarely goes beyond that level.
- Solve previous-year CEE papers and mock tests online; since the CEE is online with 0.50 negative marking, accuracy matters more than speed.
- Build a habit of reading daily current affairs — the last 6–12 months of national and defence news frequently appears in the GK section.
- For Technical and Clerk categories, give extra time to English grammar and Reasoning, which are the highest-scoring sections for these trades.
- Train for the PFT daily: run 1.6 km under the qualifying time, and practise push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups with proper form; keep a gap between eating and running.
- Maintain medical fitness — sleep, hydration and weight management matter; check height, chest and vision standards against your region early.
- For officer entries, practise SSB Stage 1 (PP&DT) and build confidence in group tasks (GTO), psychological tests and the personal interview with genuine, non-robotic responses.
- For NDA/CDS, solve UPSC previous papers within time limits and revise the negative-marking pattern before the exam day.
- Complete the online application well before the deadline; the portal remains crowded in the last days and registrations close abruptly.
FAQ
Q: What is the difference between Agniveer and regular Army soldier recruitment?
Agniveer is the current entry for soldiers under the Agnipath scheme (4-year engagement, no pension, Seva Nidhi on discharge). Regular soldier recruitment is no longer conducted separately — all PBOR entries now happen through the Agniveer route, and up to 25% of each batch is absorbed into the permanent cadre after 4 years.
Q: Is there any application fee for the Agniveer CEE?
As per the previous cycles, there is no application fee for the Agniveer (soldier) recruitment on the Join Indian Army portal. Officer entries through UPSC (NDA/CDS) carry a separate UPSC application fee.
Q: What is the negative marking in the Agniveer CEE?
Based on the recent CEE pattern, 0.50 mark is deducted for each wrong answer, with no penalty for unattempted questions (tentative). Candidates must confirm the exact scheme from the current notification.
Q: Can women apply for the Indian Army soldier entries?
Yes. The Army recruits women through the Agniveer GD (Women Military Police) entry, notified separately. Women also apply for officer entries (CDS OTA, NCC Special Entry, SSC) as per the respective notifications.
Q: What is the passing physical standard for the PFT?
For male candidates, the 1.6 km run must be completed within the category-specific qualifying time (roughly 5 min 30 sec to 6 min 30 sec), along with minimum push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups. Exact qualifying and scoring standards are region- and category-wise and are published with each notification.
Q: Can I apply for both officer and soldier entries in the same year?
Yes, eligibility permitting, since the notifications are separate. Officer entries (NDA/CDS) run on the UPSC calendar, while Agniveer CEE notifications are published by the Army on the Join Indian Army portal.
Keep following the official website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in for the latest notifications, admit cards, results and schedules of the current recruitment cycle.