What Agniveer Army is
Agniveer Army is the Indian Army’s recruitment under the Agnipath scheme, a four-year tour of duty for soldiers across General Duty, Technical, Clerk/ Store Keeper Technical and Tradesman categories. It replaced the Army’s older direct-entry soldier recruitment and is a fundamentally different service model from NDA or the graduate-entry officer routes: Agniveers serve as soldiers, not officers, on a fixed four-year engagement rather than a full career, with only a portion of each batch retained afterward. If you are comparing this against the Navy or Air Force’s own Agnipath intake, see Agniveer Navy and Agniveer Vayu, which run their own separate recruitment cycles under the same scheme.
Who can apply
Eligibility depends on which category you are applying for. Agniveer General Duty asks for a Class 10 pass with 45 percent aggregate and 33 percent in each subject. Agniveer Technical and Clerk/Store Keeper Technical ask for Class 12 (10+2) pass with 60 percent aggregate and 50 percent in each subject, English mandatory. Agniveer Tradesman generally asks for a Class 10 pass, though a smaller set of specified trades accept Class 8 pass, with trade-specific minimum marks. The general age band most widely reported for this intake is 17.5 to 21 years at enrolment, though Technical trades run up to 23 and Sepoy Pharma up to 25; the exact reference dates for this window have differed across recent cycles, so confirm the current notification’s precise birth-date range with the age calculator before assuming last cycle’s band still applies.
Physical standards, height, chest and running qualification, are set out in the notification and vary by category, region and gender; regional relaxation applies for candidates from specified hill and northeastern areas.
How selection runs
The Common Entrance Examination (CEE) is a computer based test covering General Knowledge, Mathematics and Science for General Duty candidates, with English and technical subjects added for Technical and Clerk roles. Candidates who clear the CEE proceed to the Physical Fitness Test and Physical Measurement Test, covering the 1.6 km run, pull-ups and other standard events, followed by a Medical Examination. There is no interview stage; selection runs entirely on the written test, physical standards and medical fitness, unlike the SSB interview process that NDA and AFCAT candidates go through for an officer commission.
The four-year tour and what comes after
Agniveers serve a four-year engagement rather than joining for a full career. Up to twenty-five percent of each batch may be selected for retention into regular cadre service after the four years, based on performance and the organisation’s requirements at the time; this is not guaranteed to any individual Agniveer. Those not retained receive a one-time Seva Nidhi package, funded partly by the Agniveer’s own contribution during the tour and partly matched by the government, paid out on completion of the engagement. Weigh this structure carefully against a traditional recruitment route: Agnipath offers earlier entry and a shorter initial commitment, but not the same guaranteed long-term service as a regular Army recruitment used to provide.
Preparing the application
Photograph and signature specifications follow the format given in the current CEE notification. The photo resizer on this site adjusts an existing photo to the required size in the browser.
On exam day
Carry the printed admit card and an original government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card. No electronic devices are permitted inside the examination centre.
For anything this page cannot answer, treat the Join Indian Army official website, linked above, as the last word: category-wise vacancies, exact age windows and the current cycle’s dates are published there each time a new CEE notification opens. For the fuller comparison across all five defence entry routes on this site, see NDA vs AFCAT vs Agniveer.