UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) is the bi-annual exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The candidates who are selected from this exam undergo training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA).
UPSC CDS exam is held twice a year, CDS(I) is held in February, and CDS(II) is held around September. Lakhs of candidates appear for the national level common defence services entrance examination.
The much-awaited UPSC CDS(2) 2021 notification has finally been released by UPSC on its official website. The notification bears the information about eligibility criteria, exam pattern, the timeline of the exam, exam centre details, etc. Candidates should carefully read the notification before applying for the exam.
Candidates need to fulfil the following eligibility criteria in order to appear for the UPSC CDS exam:
Age Limit, Marital Status & Gender |
For Indian Military Academy (IMA), unmarried candidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1998 and not later than 1st July 2003. For Indian Naval Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1998 and not later than 1st July 2003. Candidates applying for Air Force Academy should be born not earlier than 2nd July 1998 and not later than 1st July 2002. For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for men), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1997 and not later than 1st July 2003 For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course), candidates should be unmarried and born not earlier than July 1, 1997, and not later than July 1, 2003. |
Educational Qualification |
For IMA and Officers’ Training Academy, candidates must be a graduate For Indian Naval Academy, candidates must have a degree in Engineering from a recognized university. For Air Force Academy, a degree or Bachelor of Engineering is necessary. Students must have studied Physics and Mathematics in Class 12 |
Events |
Important Dates |
CDS 2 2021 Notification Release Date |
4th August 2021 |
CDS 2 2021 Apply Online Begins |
4th August 2021 |
Last date to Apply online |
24th August 2021 |
CDS Admit Card 2021 |
3 weeks before the exam (14th October 2021 tentatively) |
CDS 2 2021 Exam Date |
14th November 2021 |
CDS 2 Result 2021 |
December 2021 |
The online application link for the CDS 2 exam has been activated by UPSC. Candidates who wish to have a career in defence services can apply for this exam. Interested candidates can fill and submit the CDS application form latest by August 24. The application fees for General and OBC male candidates is 200/-. And Female/SC/ST candidates are exempted from payment of application fees.
UPSC has notified the vacancies under the CDS (II) Exam in the CDS Exam notification. The post-wise breakup of vacancies are as tabulated below:
Department |
Number of Vacancies |
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun- 153rd (DE) Course commencing in July 2022 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
100 |
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala- Course 22 commencing in July 2022 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 03 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing through NCC Special Entry) holders] |
22 |
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad- (Pre-Flying) 32 Training Course commencing in July 2022 i.e. No. 212 F(P) Course. [including 03 vacancies are reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Spl. Entry] |
32 |
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras)- 116th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October 2022 |
169
|
Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras)- 30th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October 2022. |
16 |
Total |
339 |
The defence professionals receive a lucrative salary in addition to other perks and benefits. The rankwise salary for different defence professionals are as below:
Rank |
Level |
Grade Pay |
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, 15,900 |
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) |
The selection process of CDS recruitment include the following stages:
Written Exam
SSB Interview
Candidates who are registered successfully for the exam are required to appear in the written exam. According to the CDS exam pattern, the written exam for IMA, INA and Air Force comprises three sections, English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. The total mark of the test is 300. However, the written exam for Officers’ Training Academy consists of two sections – English and General Knowledge. The total mark of the test is 200. Candidates qualifying the written exam will be called for SSB Interview for intelligence and personality test.
Mode of Exam |
Offline |
Number of Questions asked in IMA, INA and Air Force |
300 MCQ Type (Objective Type) - English, General Knowledge, and Maths |
Number of questions in OTA |
200 MCQ Type (Objective type) - English and General Knowledge |
Maximum Marks |
300 ( Indian Military, Navy and Air Force) and 200 (OTA) |
Duration of Exam |
2 hours (120 minutes) for each paper |
Medium |
Hindi or English |
Negative marking |
One-third marks deducted for every incorrect response |
There are two stages in SSB Interview - Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test. Candidates qualifying the stage one will be called for the second stage. Final Selection: Final selection of candidates is done based on their performance in the written exam and SSB Interview. Selected candidates will have to undergo training at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.
A. No, to be eligible for the UPSC CDS exam candidates must have passed graduation.
A. A salary of Rs 56,100 per month is paid to the cadets. However, during training, the trainees in ORA are paid 6000 per month, while in IMA, INA, and Air Force, the cadets are paid Rs 12,000 per month.
A. Yes, girls can apply for the CDS exam. They are eligible to apply for OTA and are allotted SSC (Short Service Commission) in a non-Technical cadre.
A. There is no limit on the number of attempts. However, you need to be in the prescribed age bracket to sit for the exam.
A. Candidates need to apply online for the CDS exam. The exam application form for CDS (II) is now active on official website of UPSC. You can apply from there.
A. Yes, the CDS exam is conducted twice a year, in February and September.
An. UPSC CDS Admit Card will be released on the official website of UPSC two weeks before the Prelims exam. Candidates will be able to download the admit card by logging in with their registration ID.
Check out other exams conducted by UPSC here.