Agniveer
Four-year enrolment as a soldier, sailor or airman in the Indian Army (Agniveer GD/Technical/Clerk etc.), Indian Navy (Agniveer SSR/MR) or Indian Air Force (Agniveer Vayu), with up to 25% retained in the regular cadre thereafter.
Eligibility
Unmarried men and women aged 17.5 to 21 years. Education varies by trade: Class 10 with about 45% aggregate for Army GD, Class 12 with Physics-Chemistry-Maths for Navy SSR and IAF Science stream, and Class 12 or ITI for technical trades. Enrolment is for four years; up to 25% are retained as regulars, and Agniveers get one Seva Nidhi exit package.
Age limit: 17.5-21 years (unmarried)
Exam pattern
Each service tests separately, but all follow written-test-first pipelines. Army: online CEE (MCQs at Class 10/12 level, with negative marking and bonus marks for NCC/ITI), then a recruitment rally with Physical Fitness Test, measurements, document verification and medicals. Navy: a single Stage I online test (English, Science, Maths, GK/Reasoning) shortlists for Stage II PFT, written verification and medicals, feeding two batches a year. IAF (Agniveer Vayu): an online test — English, Maths and Physics for the Science stream; English plus Reasoning and General Awareness (RAGA) for others, marked +1/-0.25 — followed by PFT, Adaptability Tests and medicals.
Syllabus at a glance
Broadly Class 10-12 NCERT level across services: English grammar and comprehension, mathematics, physics (and general science), plus general knowledge, current affairs and logical reasoning. Technical trades add basic trade/ITI-level questions, and the IAF Science stream mirrors Class 12 PCM depth.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Agniveer Vayu Intake 02/2027 online test (IAF) | 22-23 Sept 2026 | confirmed |
| Navy Agniveer SSR/MR (01/2027 & 02/2027) Stage I INET result | From Aug 2026 (tentative, on candidate dashboard) | expected |
| Agniveer Vayu Intake 01/2028 notification (IAF) | Jan 2027 (expected) | expected |
| Army Agniveer CEE 2027 notification and registration | Feb-Apr 2027 (expected) | expected |
| Army Agniveer CEE 2027 online exam | Jun 2027 (expected) | expected |
| Navy Agniveer SSR/MR 2027 (next INET cycle) notification | Early 2027 (expected) | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Indian Army Agniveer GD Recruitment Exam Guide — Arihant Experts
- Agniveer Vayu (IAF) Exam Guide — Arihant Experts
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations — R.S. Aggarwal
- General Knowledge — Lucent Publications
- NCERT Science and Mathematics (Classes 10-12)
How toppers play it
- Pick your trade/stream by eligibility first — GD vs Technical vs Clerk (Army), SSR vs MR (Navy), Science vs Other (IAF) — since syllabus depth differs sharply.
- Physical standards eliminate as many as the written test: build the 1.6 km run, push-ups and pull-ups months before the rally or PFT date.
- Army CEE gives bonus marks for NCC certificates (C certificate is substantial) and ITI qualifications — declare them at registration or lose them.
- The papers are NCERT-level: revise Class 10-12 science and maths first, then hammer each service's own previous papers and the free official Vayu mocks.
- Get domicile, education and category documents verified early — document-verification rejections at rallies are common and unappealable.