Agniveer 2025-26: exam pattern, marks, negative marking, age limit

Every figure on this page is copied from an official document linked next to it, with the date we last checked it. Pattern, age limit and dates are from the Recruiting Year 2025-26 notification. Last verified: 16 October 2026.

At a glance

Selection stages: Phase I: Online Common Entrance Examination (CEE) → Phase II: Recruitment Rally
First stage: Questions / Marks / Time: — / 200 / —
Negative marking: Not stated in the notice

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Exam pattern

Phase I: Online Common Entrance Examination (CEE)

Applies to: All five categories: Agniveer (General Duty), Agniveer (Technical), Agniveer (Clerk / Store Keeper Technical), Agniveer Tradesman 10th pass and Agniveer Tradesman 8th pass

Computer-based objective test (multiple choice)

Marks: 200. 50 questions in one hour or 100 questions in two hours, depending on the category applied for; the notice does not print which category gets which.

Maximum marks 200 for every category (the notice's bonus-marks table heads each category 'Total Max Marks 200'). Marking: full marks for every correct answer, nil for an unattempted question, and every attempted question counts even if marked for review. The notice does not state any deduction for a wrong answer.
Held in 13 languages: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Odia, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati, Marathi and Assamese. Scores are normalised across sessions to allow for differences in paper difficulty.
Agniveer Clerk / Store Keeper Technical candidates also take a typing test during the CEE; 30 words per minute in English is desirable, and only those who qualify the typing test are called for Phase II.
Bonus marks are added to the CEE score for eligible candidates and have no relation to CEE performance: 20 for the son of a serving soldier, ex-serviceman, war widow or widow (one son only); 5 to 20 for sportsmen by level; NCC 'A' 5, 'B' 10, 'C' 20 (GD) or 15 (other categories), and 'C' with the Republic Day Parade 25 (GD) or 20; an 'O' level IT certificate 15 for Clerk / SKT; ITI or Diploma 20 to 50 for Agniveer Technical. The cap is 25 marks in all, except 50 for Agniveer Technical with ITI / Diploma.
Candidates are shortlisted for Phase II by a cut-off applied to the CEE result, in proportion to the vacancies; the roll numbers in merit are published on the Join Indian Army website and those candidates get a second admit card for the rally.
A candidate may apply for any two categories he is eligible for, filling a separate form and appearing in a separate CEE for each; the rally and medical are done once, for the category with the higher physical standard. Examination fee: Rs 250 per category, paid online.

Phase II: Recruitment Rally

Applies to: Candidates shortlisted on the CEE result, at the rally venue of their Army Recruiting Office

Physical Fitness Test (PFT)

1.6 km run, marks by time group: up to 5 min 30 s = 60 marks (Group I); 5 min 31 s to 5 min 45 s = 48 (Group II); 5 min 46 s to 6 min = 36 (Group III); 6 min 01 s to 6 min 15 s = 24 (Group IV). The Army can change the timings and marks before the rally - check the Join Indian Army website first.
Beam (pull-ups): 10 pull-ups = 40 marks, 9 = 33, 8 = 27, 7 = 21, 6 = 16. The 9 ft ditch and the zig-zag balance only need to be qualified.
Agniveer Technical and Agniveer Clerk / Store Keeper Technical candidates only need to qualify in all the physical tests; the marks above matter for the other categories.

Physical Measurement Test (PMT)

This part is qualifying only: it does not add to the merit score.

Height, chest and weight are measured against the region-based, category-wise standards published on the Join Indian Army website ('as per policy in vogue'); the ARO notice itself prints no general table.
Special standards printed in the notice: Gorkhas - height 157 cm, chest 77 cm; tribals of recognised tribal areas - height 162 cm, chest 77 cm. Outstanding sportsmen (international, national, state, or district / college / school / university / board championships) get a relaxation of 2 cm in height, 3 cm in chest and 5 kg in weight.

Adaptability Test

This part is qualifying only: it does not add to the merit score.

Taken on a tablet or mobile phone by every candidate who clears the PFT and PMT; a question-and-answer format with no fixed syllabus, meant to judge whether a candidate can adapt to military life. Only those who qualify go on to the medical examination.

Medical Examination

This part is qualifying only: it does not add to the merit score.

Conducted at the rally site by an Army medical team under Army medical standards, which can differ from civil standards. Candidates found unfit may ask for one review by a specialist at a Military / Base / Command Hospital; there is no further appeal. Contact lenses are not permitted, and the medical is repeated if 270 days or more pass between the rally and despatch.
Permanent tattoos are allowed only on the inner forearm and the back of the hand (religious), or anywhere for candidates from tribal communities who produce the two certificates the notice prescribes.

Source: Recruitment Notification, Indian Army - Army Recruiting Office Cuttack: Agniveer intake for Recruiting Year 2025-26 under the Agnipath Scheme (dated 11 March 2025, 23 pages, read in full). Every Army Recruiting Office issues this notice with the same scheme, eligibility and tests but its own dates and districts; find your own ARO's copy under Notifications on the Join Indian Army portal (login required). ↗ · Last verified: 16 October 2026 · Report an error

Age limit and qualification

17½ to 21 years for every category. For this recruiting year the effective date for age is 1 October 2025, so candidates born between 1 October 2004 and 1 April 2008 (both days inclusive) were eligible. Only unmarried men may apply, and an Agniveer undertakes not to marry during the four-year engagement. Age is counted as on 1 October 2025.

Posts	Requirement
Agniveer (General Duty)	Class 10 / Matric pass with 45% marks in aggregate of five basic subjects and at least 33% in each of those five subjects; for boards that grade, the equivalent grades count. Gorkhas need a simple Class 10 pass. A valid LMV driving licence earns preference for driver requirements.
Agniveer (Technical)	One of three routes: (1) 10+2 / Intermediate in Science with Physics, Chemistry, Maths and English, 50% in aggregate and 40% in each subject; or (2) 10+2 Science with Physics, Chemistry, Maths and English from any recognised State or Central board, including NIOS, plus an ITI course of at least one year in the required field at NSQF level 4 or above; or (3) Class 10 with 50% in aggregate and 40% in English, Maths and Science, plus two years of ITI training or a two / three-year Diploma from a recognised institution in one of the 20 listed streams (for example Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Electrician, Fitter, Draughtsman, Electronics, Computer Science).
Agniveer (Clerk / Store Keeper Technical)	10+2 / Intermediate in any stream (Arts, Commerce or Science) with 60% in aggregate and at least 50% in each subject; 50% in English and in Maths / Accounts / Book Keeping in Class XII is mandatory.
Agniveer Tradesman (10th pass)	Simple Class 10 pass with 33% in five basic subjects; no aggregate percentage is stipulated.
Agniveer Tradesman (8th pass)	Simple Class 8 pass with 33% in five basic subjects; no aggregate percentage is stipulated. Candidates awaiting their Class 10 or 12 board result may apply in any category, but are selected only if they produce the original mark sheet at Phase II.

The notice fixes no minimum qualifying marks for the CEE: Phase II call-ups go by a cut-off on the (normalised) CEE score plus bonus marks, proportionate to the vacancies, and the notice does not print vacancy numbers. Clerk / Store Keeper Technical candidates must also qualify the typing test. Candidates applying through this ARO had to be domiciles of Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur or Puri; every ARO recruits from its own districts, and a candidate may attend only one rally per recruiting year, from his home district.

Important dates

Event	Date	Source
Online registration (ARO Cuttack, Recruiting Year 2025-26)	12 March 2025 to 10 April 2025	official notice ↗
Online CEE (Phase I)	June 2025 onwards (tentative); the firm dates were to be announced on the Join Indian Army website.	official notice ↗
Recruiting year	Runs from 1 April to 31 March, with one recruitment drive per district; dates differ from one Army Recruiting Office to the next, so check your own ARO's notice.	official notice ↗

Free notes (PDF)

Notes for every topic in this exam’s syllabus, one PDF per subject: each lesson ends with a quick-revision box, and each PDF ends with a revision sheet. Written by an AI assistant and not reviewed by a subject-matter expert.

Quantitative Aptitude (89 pages, 1.1 MB)
Reasoning (74 pages, 954 KB)
English (65 pages, 819 KB)
General Awareness (208 pages, 2.3 MB)

Notes for every subject →

Agniveer admit card, result and answer key: every notice →

Recent current affairs for this exam

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Frequently asked questions

What are the selection stages of Agniveer?

Phase I: Online Common Entrance Examination (CEE) → Phase II: Recruitment Rally, as per the Recruiting Year 2025-26 notification.

Is there negative marking in Agniveer?

Phase I: Online Common Entrance Examination (CEE), as per the Recruiting Year 2025-26 notification: Not stated in the notice.

Which parts of the Agniveer exam are qualifying?

As per the Recruiting Year 2025-26 notification, these are qualifying: Phase II: Recruitment Rally: Physical Measurement Test (PMT); Phase II: Recruitment Rally: Adaptability Test; Phase II: Recruitment Rally: Medical Examination.

What is the age limit for Agniveer?

Can students awaiting their result apply for Agniveer?

As per the Recruiting Year 2025-26 notification: Agniveer Tradesman (8th pass): Simple Class 8 pass with 33% in five basic subjects; no aggregate percentage is stipulated. Candidates awaiting their Class 10 or 12 board result may apply in any category, but are selected only if they produce the original mark sheet at Phase II.

What are the minimum qualifying marks in Agniveer?

How this page is made

These facts are transcribed from the official documents linked above and checked against them on the date shown. If anything here differs from the official notification, the official notification is right. Please tell us through the Contact page. See also our editorial standards. Contact · Editorial standards