NDA Physical Requirements: Height, Weight, Running & Medical Standards

NDA's physical and medical standards aren't uniform across its three wings — Army, Navy and Air Force set different eyesight standards in particular, and several disqualifying conditions catch candidates who assumed "physically fit" was enough without checking the specifics. This guide covers the entry standards by wing, the orthopedic and dental checks that trip candidates up, and what physical training actually looks like once you're selected.

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For eligibility, exam pattern and the SSB process, see our NDA guide; for a comparison against other defence exams' physical standards, see our Defence Physical Test guide.

Height, Weight and Chest

The commonly cited baseline is 157 cm minimum height for male candidates and 152 cm for female candidates across the Army and Navy wings, with the Air Force Flying Branch requiring a higher minimum of around 162.5 cm. Weight isn't assessed as one fixed number — it's checked against height and age using BMI-based medical charts maintained by the Services Medical Board, applied during the post-SSB medical examination. Chest requirements commonly cite a baseline of 77 cm with a mandatory 5 cm expansion. Regional relaxations (North East, Gorkha, Garhwal, Kumaon categories) apply to NDA's height standard as well — see our Army Height and Weight guide for how these compare to Agniveer's different, higher baseline.

Eyesight Standards Differ Sharply by Wing

This is the detail most NDA physical-standards guides understate: eyesight requirements are meaningfully different across Army, Navy and Air Force, particularly for the Flying Branch.

Navy is the strictest wing on colour vision, not Army — this is the single most consequential correction in this article. Two colour-vision categories are commonly confused: NDA(Navy)/INA entrants are held to CP-I, the same perfect-colour-perception standard as Air Force Flying Branch, not the milder standard some guides state. Army requires CP-II, one tier more lenient than Navy and Air Force but still not the loosest tier some sources cite. A candidate with a colour-vision deficiency that clears the Army standard can still fail the post-SSB medical board outright for Navy, with no appeal.

One clarification worth making explicit: the Air Force Flying Branch standard above applies to every candidate admitted to NDA's Air Force wing, not to a branch you separately opt into later — specialisation between Flying and Ground Duty happens at the Air Force Academy after NDA, so there is no milder Ground Duty colour-vision standard available at the NDA entry stage. As covered in our Defence Physical Test guide, Radial Keratotomy is a permanent disqualifier for general entry at every level; LASIK is a permanent disqualifier only at the 10+2/NDA stage — it is conditionally permitted for CDS and post-graduate officer entries, so don't assume the NDA-stage rule carries over if you're applying via CDS.

Orthopedic Standards: Knock Knee and Flat Foot

Neither condition is a blanket disqualifier — both are assessed against a specific, published threshold, and mild cases of each are explicitly accepted as fit. Flat foot (pes planus): if the arch reappears on standing on the toes, and the candidate can skip and run well on the toes with the feet supple, mobile and painless, the candidate is accepted — there is no separate corrective process needed for this shape of flat foot, because it already meets the standard. Knock knee (genu valgum): unfit only above a measured intermalleolar distance of more than 5 cm for men or more than 8 cm for women; below that threshold it is an accepted minor defect, not a disqualifier. If you've been told you have either condition, the question that matters is whether you clear these specific thresholds — not whether the condition is present at all.

Dental Standards

A minimum of 14 dental points (out of a possible ~22 for a full healthy set) is required, assessed on teeth alignment, gum health, absence of severe cavities or infections, and overall dental structure. Missing teeth, poor alignment or significant decay can result in rejection or a temporary "unfit" categorisation pending corrective dental treatment — worth addressing before your medical exam if you know of existing dental issues.

Physical Training After Selection: Life at NDA

Once selected, NDA cadets undergo genuinely rigorous, sustained physical training as part of the three-year course — this isn't a one-time selection hurdle but an ongoing standard cadets must maintain. Daily physical training includes running, calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups), rope climbing and obstacle courses, generally structured around roughly an hour of dedicated PT. Cadets also progressively learn swimming and horse riding, and participate in team sports (football, hockey, basketball, boxing) as part of building both fitness and team cohesion. Cadets must clear periodic Physical Efficiency Tests throughout training, not just at entry — physical standards are a continuing requirement of being at NDA, not a box ticked once during selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NDA have different vision standards for Army, Navy and Air Force?

Yes, meaningfully — and Navy is the wing most guides get backwards. Army allows uncorrected vision as low as 6/36 per eye provided it corrects to 6/6 in both eyes, with CP-II colour vision. Navy requires 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other uncorrected, permits no uncorrected myopia at all, and — the detail most sources miss — requires CP-I, the same perfect-colour-perception standard as Air Force Flying Branch, not a milder one. Air Force Flying Branch requires 6/6 in each eye uncorrected plus CP-I. On colour vision specifically, Army is the only wing with any tolerance at all (CP-II); Navy and Air Force both demand CP-I.

Can I join NDA if I wear glasses?

It depends on the wing and the specific power, and the limits differ by wing rather than sharing one figure. For NDA(Army): myopia up to −2.5D and hypermetropia up to +2.5D are within limits. For NDA(Navy): no uncorrected myopia is permitted at all, and hypermetropia is capped at +1.5D — meaningfully stricter than Army. Air Force Flying Branch requires 6/6 vision without correction — glasses that correct you to normal vision don't satisfy this specific requirement.

Is flat foot always disqualifying for NDA?

No. Flat foot is accepted as fit if the arch reappears on standing on the toes and the foot is supple, mobile and painless — most candidates describing "mild flat foot" already meet this and need no correction at all. It becomes a concern only for a rigid, painful flat foot where the arch does not reappear on tiptoe; that is the case worth discussing with a doctor before your medical examination.

Does physical fitness matter after I'm selected for NDA, or just during selection?

It continues to matter throughout training — NDA cadets undergo daily physical training and must clear periodic Physical Efficiency Tests across the three-year course, not just a one-time standard at entry.

What is the dental requirement for NDA?

A minimum of around 14 dental points, assessed on alignment, gum health and absence of significant decay or infection — worth checking and addressing with a dentist before your medical examination if you have known issues.

Is the height requirement the same for Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA?

Broadly similar for Army and Navy (around 157 cm male / 152 cm female), but the Air Force Flying Branch requires a higher minimum, commonly cited around 162.5 cm.

In Summary

NDA's physical standards aren't one uniform bar — eyesight in particular varies sharply by wing, with Air Force Flying Branch setting the strictest standard on both visual acuity and colour vision. Orthopedic conditions like flat foot are worth addressing well before your medical exam if caught early, since correction takes months, not days. And physical fitness doesn't stop mattering once you're selected — it's a continuing standard throughout the three years of training at NDA.

Sources

• Agnipath terms and the Seva Nidhi package: Ministry of Defence, Agnipath scheme