CDS (Combined Defence Services)

Brief Overview   

The “Combined Defence Services”Examination (CDS) is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment into the Indian Military Academy, officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy. The Notification for the examination is usually released in the months of October and June, and the examinations are conducted in February and November respectively. Only unmarried graduates are eligible to sit for the exam. Successful candidates are admitted into the respective Academies after an interview conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB).

 Important Dates CDS II 2022

Events Dates
CDS I CDS II
Commencement of Online Application December 22, 2021 May 18, 2022
Closing date for receipt of application form January 11, 2022 June 14, 2022
Issue of CDS 2021 Admit card March, 2022 August, 2022
CDS Written Exam April 10, 2022 September 4, 2022
Declaration of result To be notified To be notified

 

Scheme of Examination

1. Indian Military Academy
2. Air Force Academy
3. Indian Naval Academy

Important Notification

Register Now

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality:

Marital Status:

Age:

Education:

Note:

Candidates who are studying in the final year/semester Degree course and have yet to pass the final year degree examination can also apply provided candidate should not have any present backlog upto the last semester / year for which results have been declared upto the time of submission of application and they will be required to submit proof of passing the degree examination at the time of commencement of course.

Physical Standard:

 

Exam Pattern

The CDS Exam comprises:
(a) Written examination as shown in para 2 below.
(b) Interview for intelligence and personality test (vide Part ‘B’ of this Appendix) of such candidates as may be called for interview at one of the Services Selection Centres.

1.  For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:—

2. For Admission to Officers’ Training Academy :—

 Application Procedure

Application Form can be filled up by following these steps:

Stage 1: Basic Registration

  • Log on to the official site of UPSC Online and click on the Examination tab.
  • Select the option of ‘Combined Defense Services Examination (I)’.
  • The Part I Registration page will open.
  • Aspirants will have to provide general details such as Name, Date of birth, Mailing Address, Category, etc.
  • They will then have to choose their preference for IMA, NA, AFA and OTA. Preference for the various fields should be indicated using numbers 0/1/2/3/4 with 1 being the highest preference.
  • Applicants must indicate whether they have obtained or likely to obtain NCC ‘C’ certificate (Sr. Division). They will also have to specify whether they are serving the armed forces.
  • Candidates can then verify the information mentioned in the Application form and can modify it in case of any mismatch/ discrepancy. No changes or modifications will be permitted after this stage.
  • After all the above steps are complete, individuals must print out the confirmation page of Part 1 Registration which will have their unique Registration ID and other details for reference.

Stage 2: Uploading of Documents & Fee Payment

  • Select the option of ‘Part I Registration’ after completing the first part. Enter the Registration ID and Date of Birth.
  • Applicants will first have to pay the application fees. They can choose any 1 out of the 3 options- Pay by Cash, Card or Pay by Net banking to pay the fees.
  • The next step is to upload scanned images of Photograph and Signature. Candidates must upload their recent, passport-sized, color photograph and signature as per the desired specifications.
  • Aspirants can view the uploaded images by clicking on ‘Preview’ and can confirm it once they are satisfied with quality of images.
  • They will then have to select the exam centers from the drop-down menu for appearing in the CDS I 2019 Examination. All the exam centers will be allotted on first come first serve basis.
  • After all the above steps are completed, a confirmation page will be generated. Candidates should take a print out of this page for future correspondence.

Payment of Application Fee

  • Pay by Cash– On selecting this option, a system generated bank challan of State Bank of India will appear on the screen. Applicants must print out this challan and submit the requisite fees by cash at any branch of the bank.
  • Pay by Debit/ Credit Card or Net banking

 Syllabus

 Preparation Resources

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 1 2019

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 2 2018

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 1 2018

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 2 2017

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 1 2017

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS- 2 2016

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

Previous Year Papers CDS-1 2016

Elementary Mathematics

General Knowledge

English

 

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