Eligibility Checker
See every entry you qualify for in 10 seconds.
20 entry routes into the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and CAPFs — eligibility, exam pattern, next dates and preparation tips, plus tools and free counselling.
See every entry you qualify for in 10 seconds.
Countdowns to every upcoming cycle.
Rank-wise pay with allowances.
The National Defence Academy exam is the primary route for 12th-pass candidates to become officers in all three services after three years at Khadakwasla and a year at the respective service academy.
CDS is the graduate-entry gateway to permanent commission via IMA, INA and AFA, and short service commission via OTA Chennai.
AFCAT is the IAF's own entry for short service commission in Flying branch and permanent/short service in Ground Duty branches.
The five-day SSB assesses 15 Officer-Like Qualities through psychologist, GTO and interviewing officer. Recommendation rate hovers around 5-10%.
Direct engineering-officer entry for 12th pass; five years of training leads to a B.Tech and permanent commission.
Permanent-commission entry for engineering graduates with one-year training at IMA; no written exam.
Short service commission (10 + 4 years) for engineers, with an option to convert to permanent commission.
Senior-division NCC cadets with a 'C' certificate skip the written test and go straight to SSB for short service commission.
The Navy's graduate short-service commission covering General Service, Pilot, Observer, ATC, Naval Armament Inspection, Logistics, Education and Technical branches.
Four-year B.Tech at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, leading to permanent commission in Executive or Technical branches.
Group A entry into the Central Armed Police Forces — India's largest uniformed employer after the Army.
The 'citizen's army' allows working professionals to serve part-time as commissioned officers, with embodiment for training and operations.
Officer entry into the Coast Guard's General Duty, Commercial Pilot, Technical and Law branches through the CGCAT.
Short service commission for law graduates in the Army's legal branch; shortlisting now uses CLAT PG scores.
Agnipath's four-year enrolment for soldiers; 25% retained as regular cadre after four years. The single largest defence recruitment by volume.
The IAF's Agnipath intake for airmen-equivalent Agniveervayu, tested through the online STAR examination and a physical fitness test.
Senior Secondary Recruit (SSR) and Matric Recruit (MR) entries for sailors under Agnipath; women are inducted in both.
Enrolled-personnel entry for the Coast Guard — regular service, not Agnipath.
The largest single uniformed recruitment in India — vacancies routinely exceed 40,000.
Sainik Schools and RIMC are the traditional pipeline into NDA — a large share of NDA cadets come from these 33+ schools.
Everything a 17-to-21-year-old needs to know about the Agnipath model before registering — the money, the odds of retention, and the exit options.
Around 60 percent of candidates go home on Day 1. Here is the five-day process broken down, with the tests, the timings and the mistakes that end campaigns early.
From the 2020 Supreme Court verdict on permanent commission to women cadets at the NDA and Agniveer intakes — the full map of routes and the current strength.