NTA Releases Army Cadet College Entrance Exam 2027 Bulletin; Test Scheduled for January 4
The National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Ministry of Education, has released the Information Bulletin for the Common Entrance Examination for Army Cadet College (ACC) – January 2027. The Computer Based Test (CBT) will be held on 4 January 2027 for ACC (10+2)-136, SCO Series 61/Med (NT) and ACC (Graduate)-136.
The examination is Stage 1 of the selection process for eligible serving Indian Army personnel seeking commissioning as officers through the Army Cadet College Wing at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. The ACC offers a route from the ranks to the officer cadre, with training focused on leadership, discipline, professional competence and overall personality development.
Dates, timings and application fee
The examination is conducted twice a year, in January and July, and is bilingual in English and Hindi. The January 2027 cycle will run according to the following schedule:
| Event | Tentative Date |
|---|---|
| Online Registration Opens | 6 November 2026 |
| Last Date for Registration & Fee Payment (without late fee) | 30 November 2026 (up to 09:00 PM registration; fee up to 11:50 PM) |
| Late Submission Window (with ₹500 late fee) | 1–3 December 2026 (up to 11:50 PM) |
| Correction Window | 5–6 December 2026 (up to 11:50 PM) |
| Intimation of Examination Cities | 21 December 2026 |
| Download of e-Admit Card | 28 December 2026 |
| Date of Examination | 4 January 2027 |
| Timing of Examination | 10:30 AM to 01:30 PM (3 hours) |
| Entry Starts / Gate Closing | 08:30 AM / 10:00 AM |
The application fee is payable online. Processing charges and GST are extra, and a duplicate payment will be refunded after reconciliation. No other refund is admissible.
| Category | Application Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| General / Unreserved / OBC / OBC-NCL | ₹1,150 | ₹500 (additional) |
| SC / ST | ₹950 | ₹500 (additional) |
Payment can be made through Net Banking, Debit/Credit Card or UPI using the integrated payment gateways of UBI or Canara Bank.
Eligibility and entry categories
Educational qualifications vary by entry. For ACC (10+2)-136, applicants must have completed Higher Secondary or an equivalent qualification; candidates appearing for 12th may also apply. For ACC (Graduate)-136, a graduate degree or equivalent is required, with final-year candidates also eligible to apply. Eligibility for SCO-61 is as promulgated by the Recruiting Directorate, while requirements for MED (NT) are as promulgated by DGAFMS.
Age criteria for ACC 10+2, ACC Graduate and SCO are set by the Recruiting Directorate; those for MED NT are set by DGAFMS. Existing policies on quotas, categories, relaxations, reservations, subject combinations and preferences continue to apply. Candidates may apply for only one type of entry. Applicants for SCO Ser 61/Med (NT) must select the ACC (10+2) stream.
Exam pattern and syllabus
The three-hour examination will be conducted only in CBT mode, in English and Hindi. It consists of 150 compulsory questions for a total of 300 marks. Candidates receive two marks for each correct answer, with 0.50 mark deducted for each incorrect answer. The minimum qualifying score is 100.
For ACC (10+2)-136 and SCO Ser 61/Med (NT), the paper has six parts, with 25 questions in each: Reasoning, Mathematics, General Knowledge, English, General Science and Humanities.
For ACC (Graduate)-136, the paper has three parts, with 50 questions each: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics.
The syllabus for ACC (10+2), SCO and MED includes verbal reasoning topics such as number and letter series, analogy, coding-decoding, blood relations, ranking, distance and direction, calendars and clocks, as well as non-verbal series, analogy and classification. Mathematics covers arithmetic, algebra, mensuration, trigonometry, geometry, statistics and probability.
General Knowledge includes Who’s Who in India and the world, the Armed Forces, sports, arts, culture and literature, and national and international affairs. English covers spotting errors, direct and indirect narration, synonyms and antonyms, phrases and idioms, and comprehension. General Science includes physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and information technology, and environmental science. Humanities covers history, geography, political science, economics, and national and international organisations.
For ACC (Graduate), English topics include idioms, phrases and proverbs, synonyms and antonyms, sentence ordering and completion, para jumbles, error spotting and cloze tests. General Knowledge covers current affairs; history from ancient to modern times, including the Indian National Movement; geography; environment and ecology; defence and security issues, including cyber security, drone warfare and indigenisation; Indian politics and governance; economic and social development; and science and technology. Elementary Mathematics covers the number system, elementary number theory, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, mensuration and statistics. The detailed syllabus is in the Information Bulletin and on the NTA website.
How to apply and examination requirements
Applications must be submitted online at https://exams.nta.nic.in/acccee/. Applicants need a Randomised Unique Identity (RUID), issued by the Army Education Directorate only when a candidate’s complete details have been received on time. Candidates must provide the mobile number registered with the Directorate. An OTP will be sent for verification, after which the RUID is validated; incomplete or late submissions will not generate an RUID.
The photograph must be in civil dress. A photograph showing a candidate in uniform will result in automatic cancellation. Applicants must submit a live photograph and a recent scanned passport-size colour photograph showing 80% of the face, including the ears, against a white background, without a mask. Sikh candidates may wear a turban. The photograph must be a JPG/JPEG file of 10–200 KB; the signature must be a JPG/JPEG file of 10–50 KB.
Candidates may choose up to two examination cities. The centres listed in Appendix III include Guwahati, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Shimla, Jammu, Ranchi, Bengaluru, Leh, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Pune, Shillong, Delhi, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jhansi, Lucknow, Mathura, Dehradun, Haldwani, Kolkata and Siliguri. Centres are subject to a sufficient number of candidates, and the NTA may merge or reallocate them.
Multiple applications may lead to cancellation. A mobile number and email address can each be used for only one application.
e-Admit Cards will be available for download from the NTA website. Candidates must bring a clear printout of the admit card with the Self Declaration, one additional passport-size photograph matching the uploaded image and in civil dress, and an original valid photo ID. Accepted identification includes PAN, Passport, Aadhaar/e-Aadhaar or a Bank Passbook with photograph.
Candidates must wear civil dress; Army uniforms are not permitted. Those wearing cultural or customary dress, or carrying objects of faith, must report at least two hours early for frisking. Mobile phones, electronic gadgets, calculators, watches, bags, food items other than specified diabetic provisions, metallic items and textual material are among the barred items. Extensive frisking will be carried out.
Reporting begins at 08:30 AM, and the gate closes at 10:00 AM. Late arrival or attempts to enter by force will be treated as Unfair Means (UFM). Candidates must hand in the rough sheets provided after the examination. CBT features include on-screen navigation, a question palette, Save & Next, Mark for Review and a timer; further instructions are in Appendix IV.
Answer keys, results and other provisions
Provisional Answer Keys will be displayed for challenge at a non-refundable fee of ₹200 per question. Recorded responses will also be made available for a limited period. Results will be compiled using the final answer key and shared with ADG AE Dte for the subsequent stages of selection. No re-evaluation or re-checking is permitted.
The NTA will not entertain correspondence about admission-related matters; such queries must be directed to ADG AE Dte. Examination records will be preserved for 90 days after the result, and legal jurisdiction will be Delhi/New Delhi.
Unfair Means practices, including impersonation, possession of prohibited items and submission of multiple applications, may lead to cancellation of candidature and referral under applicable provisions, including the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Official contact details
- Website: https://exams.nta.nic.in/acccee/
- Email: acccee@nta.ac.in
- Helpline: 011-69227700 / 011-40759000
Candidates are advised to read the full Information Bulletin, check their eligibility and submit accurate applications within the prescribed timelines. Official communications will be sent only to the registered email address and mobile number. Applicants should check the NTA website for updates on examination-city allotment, admit cards and other instructions.
