Combined Defence Service exam is conducted by UPSC twice every year for recruitment to office cadre of the Army, Navy and Air force. CDS exam is conducted generally in the months of May and October.
Candidates qualifying the written test are interviewed by the Service Selection Board and if finally selected, depending upon the choice given by the candidates and their merit list ranking, are sent to one of the following institutes for orientation training: -
- Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun
- Naval Academy, Goa
- Air Force Academy, Begumpet, Hyderabad
- Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai
Those joining the first three institutes get permanent commission, however cadets passing out of OTA get short service commission. Applicants are required to mention their preferences while filling up the application forms.
Eligibility Criteria Educational Qualifications:
- For IMA /OTA : A degree from a recognized University or equivalent.
- For Naval Academy: B.Sc. with Physics and/or Mathematics or Bachelor of Engineering.
- For Air Force Academy: B.Sc. of a recognized University or equivalent with Physics and/or Mathematics as subjects or Bachelor of Engineering
Age:
- For IMA: Unmarried male candidates between 19-24 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.
- For Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates between 19-22 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding; the year of examination.
- For Air Force Academy: Unmarried male candidates between 19-23 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.
- For Officers Training Academy: Male candidates (married or unmarried) between 19-25 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.
Application Examination :
- Written Examination
- Interview for intelligence and personality test of such candidates as may be called for interview at one of the Services Selection Centers
Examination Subjects:
The following will be subjects for the written examination (each of 2 hours duration):
The following will be subjects for the written examination (each of 2 hours duration):
- For admission to Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:
- English - This paper tests the understanding of the English language.
- General Knowledge - This tests the general knowledge, current events, history of India, geography of nature and other matters of everyday observation.
- Elementary Mathematics - This paper covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics.
- For Admission to Officers Training Academy (OTA):
- English - This paper tests the understanding of the English language.
- General Knowledge - This tests the general knowledge, current events, history of India, geography of nature and other matters of everyday observe
