CDS (Combined Defense Services) is the common entrance exam to recruit unmarried male and female (including widows and divorcees who haven’t remarried) candidates in all the three spheres of the Indian defence services, i.e. Indian Military, Navy, and Air Force.
As per the official notification, for Air Force Academy, “Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but during training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises.”.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is entrusted with the responsibility to conduct the CDS exam at all India level.
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Events |
Important Dates |
CDS Notification Release Date |
30th October 2019 |
Start Date Of Online Registration3030th |
30th October 2019 |
Last Date Of Online Registration |
19th November 2019 |
CDS Exam Date |
2nd Febuary 2020 |
CDS Admit Card 2020 |
9th January 2020 |
CDS COURSES |
TOTAL VACANCIES |
Indian Military Academy,Dehradun |
100 |
Indian Naval Academy,Ezhimala |
45 |
IndianAir Force Academy,Hyderabad |
32 |
Officer Tranning Academy,Chennai(Men) |
225 |
Officer Tranning Academy,Chennai(Women) |
16 |
The CDS exam which is also know as Combined Defence Services examination is of the most popular exam among the Indian defense aspirants, CDS exam is conducted by Union Public Service Commission two times every year. Candidate who wish to join the Indian Armed Force like Army, Navy, Air Force as an officer appear in this exam..Candidate qualifying the written test are interviewed by Service Selection Board.There are for different training academies that one can join through CDS exam.
- Indian Military Academy for Indian Army(Only Men)
- Indian Air Force Academy for Indian Air Force(Only Men)
- Naval Academy for Indian Navy(Only Men)
- Officer Training Academy (Men and Women)
1.Nationality:
The Candidate are advice to check eligibility criteria before applying for CDS 1 2020 examination . Candidates should fulfil the eligibilty criteria exam at the following levels:
1.Nationality :A candidate should be:
- The citizen of India , or
- a subject of Bhutan Or Nepal, Or
- a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India,
- a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
2. Age Limit:
19-24 Years: Indian Military Academy Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January, 1995 and not later than 1st January, 2000 only are eligible.
20-24 Years:Indian Air Force Academy born not earlier than 2nd January, 1995 and not later than 1st January, 1999 (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 yrs. i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January, 1993 and not later than 1st January, 1999) only are eligible.
19-24 Years:Naval Academy Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January, 1995 and not later than 1st January, 2000 only are eligible.
19-25 Years:Officer Training Academy 2nd January, 1994 and not later than 1st January, 2000 only are eligible.
Name of the Academy |
Age Limit |
Age limit year wise i.e Born Between |
For IMA |
19 - 24 |
Born between 2nd July 1996 to 1st July 2001 |
For INA |
19 - 24 |
Born between 2nd July 1996 to 1st July 2001 |
For AFA |
20 - 24 |
Born between 2nd July 1996 to 1st July 2000 |
For OTA |
19 - 25 |
Born between 2nd July 1995 t |
3. What Physical StandardS are Required?
The Aspirant who have applied for different posts of CDS exam should be mentally and physically fit in order to meet the physical standard guidelines, as mentioned in the official notification.
4. Educational Qualification: The educational qualifications varies according to the post is listed below:
- For Indian Military Academy and Officer Training Academy : Degree of a recognized University or equivalent.
- For Indian Air Force Academy : Degree of a recognized University(with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
- Naval Academy : Degree in Engineering from a recognized University.
Exam center allocated to candidates to attend the CDS 1 2020 exam. The candidates who will apply for UPSC CDS 1 exams need to choose an appropriate examination center for as per their feasibility. Check the list of state-wise examination centers/cities below:?
Sr. No. |
State |
Examination Centre |
1 |
Tripura |
Agartala |
2 |
Gujarat |
Ahmedabad |
3 |
Mizoram |
Aizawl |
4 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Allahabad |
5 |
Karnataka |
Bengaluru |
6 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Bareilly |
7 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
8 |
Punjab |
Chandigarh |
9 |
Tamil Nadu |
Chennai |
10 |
Tamil Nadu |
Cuttack |
11 |
Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
12 |
Delhi |
Delhi |
13 |
Karnataka |
Dharwad |
14 |
Assam |
Dispur |
15 |
Sikkim |
Gangtok |
16 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Hyderabad |
17 |
Manipur |
Imphal |
18 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Itanagar |
19 |
Rajasthan |
Jaipur |
20 |
Jammu and Kashmir |
Jammu |
21 |
Assam |
Jorhat |
22 |
Kerala |
Kochi |
23 |
Nagaland |
Kohima |
24 |
West Bengal |
Kolkata |
25 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Lucknow |
26 |
Tamil Nadu |
Madurai |
27 |
Maharashtra |
Mumbai |
28 |
Maharashtra |
Nagpur |
29 |
Goa |
Panaji |
30 |
Bihar |
Patna |
31 |
Andaman and Nicobar |
Port Blair |
32 |
Chhattisgarh |
Raipur |
33 |
Jharkhand |
Ranchi |
34 |
Odisha |
Sambalpur |
35 |
Meghalaya |
Shillong |
36 |
Himachal Pradesh |
Shimla |
37 |
Jammu and Kashmir |
Srinagar |
38 |
Kerala |
Thiruvananthapuram |
39 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Tirupati |
40 |
Rajasthan |
Udaipur |
41 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Visakhapatnam |
Selection Process:
The selection process of CDS involves four steps such as:
- Written Exam
- Interview/ Personality Test (SSB)
- Medical Test
- Final Selection/ Merit
The Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Services (CDS) in every year two time.The Exam pattern of CDS exam is:
Question Paper pattern for IMA,INA and AFA:
Subject |
No. of Questions |
Max. Marks |
Duration |
English |
120 |
100 |
2 Hours |
General Knowledge |
120 |
100 |
2 Hours |
Elementary Math |
100 |
100 |
2 Hours |
Total Marks |
340 |
300 |
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Question Paper pattern for OTA:
Subject |
No. of Questions |
Max. Marks |
Duration |
English |
120 |
100 |
2 Hours |
General Knowledge |
120 |
100 |
2 Hours |
Total Marks |
240 |
200 |
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• Negative Marking: For every incorrect response, 0.33 marks will be deducted as negative marking in the examination
• SSB Interview : After clearing the written test, candidates have to go through the SSB Interview. The SSB procedure consists of two stage selection process-Stage I and Stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for Stage II.?
This comprises of English Language, General Knowledge and Mathematics.
English Language |
General Knowledge |
Elementary Math |
Basic Grammar |
Current Events |
Arithmetic |
Comprehension |
Chemistry |
Elementary Number |
Synonyms |
General Science |
Algebra |
Antonyms |
History |
Trigonometry |
Para Jumbles |
Geography |
Geometry |
Error Spotting |
Cureent Events |
Mensuration |
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|
Statistics |
This comprises of English Language, General Knowledge and Mathematics.
English Language
|
General Knowledge
|
Elementary Math
|
Basic Grammar
|
Current Events
|
Arithmetic
|
Comprehension
|
Chemistry
|
Elementary Number
|
Synonyms
|
General Science
|
Algebra
|
Antonyms
|
History
|
Trigonometry
|
Para Jumbles
|
Geography
|
Geometry
|
Error Spotting
|
Current Events
|
Mensuration
|
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Statistics
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Kindly visit the official website for the notification www.upsconline.uc.in reading the instructions carefully and Click Yes
- Fill in the first part of the online application to register yourself for the CDS 2 2019 EXAM
- Upload your recent Photo and Signature according to the specifications mentioned in the notification.
- In case you are applying for the exam, you can submit the application fee immediately after registration.
The fee charges for the general aspirants are Rs.200/- and for those applicants who come under the reserved category and female candidates are exempted from application fee. You can also make the payment by depositing the application fee amount in the nearest SBI bank branch.
Category - wise Application Fees
Name of the Category |
Total Fees |
General/OBC |
Rs. 200/- |
SC/ST |
Nil |
Female Candidate |
Nil |
Candidates can pay examination fee online using any visa/master debit or credit card issued by any bank/institution
The payment of examination fee can also be done online using the internet banking facility of the State Bank of India and SBI Associate banks
Every candidate who registers for CDS II Exam 2020 within stipulated time will be assigned an e-admit card/hall ticket/call letter that can be downloaded from the official website of CDS. The admit card for the CDS I exam will be released before 10 days of the exam.
More information and the download link for the admit card will be displayed post the release of the official notification for CDS. Candidates are advised to keep checking this page for updates.
Result of Combined Defence Services Examination can be checked online at upsc.gov.in, the official website of Union Public Service Commission. Selected candidates have cleared the UPSC CDS Cut Off and are called for later rounds of psychological aptitude test and intelligence test by Service Selection Board.
The salary of all CDS Posts as it follows:
Post |
Salary |
Lieutenant Level 10 |
56,100 - 1,77,500 |
Captain Level 10 B |
6,13,00 - 1,93,900 |
Major Level 11 |
6,94,00 – 2,07,200 |
Lieutenant Colonel Level 12A |
1,21,200 – 2,12400 |
Colonel Level 13 |
1,30,600-2, 15,90 |
Brigadier Level 13A |
1,39,600-2,17,600 |
Major General Level 14 |
1,44,200-2,18,200 |
Lieutenant General HAG Scale Level 15 |
1,82,200 - 2,24,100 |
HAG+Scale Level 16 |
2,05,400 – 2,24,400 |
VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG) Level 17 |
2,25,000/-(fixed) |
COAS Level 18 |
2,50,000/-(fixed) |
CDS exam preparation must be done in a systematic manner, with latest exam pattern in mind. Since the syllabus covers a lot of topics, it is important to choose the right study material so that you can understand the concepts and practice a wide variety of questions as well. Apart from self study, you can join any Coaching and Ofline Test Series for better exam preparation.
IBT classroom programs are most exhaustive coaching Programme in CDS verticals across India. Out of every 5 classroom students of IBT, 3 got selected for CDS in 2015-16.
IBT provides Ofline Test Series for CDS which are well-researched and closely emulate the exact exam pattern. Practice papers are prepared to keep in the mind the last years exam pattern and exptected changed in the pattern and level of questions.
CDS Coaching at IBT Jalandhar:
IBT INSTITUTE is an institute which has become a favorite learning hub for NAVY/ AIR FORCE/ S.S.B /CDS in Jalandhar. IBT has acclaimed no.1 position amongst all the institutes at Jalandhar. The entrance exams for CDS/ NAVY/AIR FORCE/entrance exam is only for those aspirants who want to serve Indian Army selflessly. The career in Defence is very interesting. IBT provides best training for CDS exams by giving well-qualified faculty members, comprehensive study material, weekly mock tests and doubt sessions at regular intervals.