KNOW

ALL ABOUT CDS EXAM

QUICK GUIDE
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PREFACE

I
n our quest to help students in preparation for one of the most coveted
Defence Service Exams, Combined Defence Services (CDS), we are
providing essential details about the exam in this E-Book.

Before you get into preparation mode for Defence Services, it is

important to know about the fundamentals of the exam. The E-Book,
which you have downloaded, outlines the basics of CDS to boost your
exam preparation.

We have also made available well-researched ‘All About Guide’ to help

aspirants like you in reaching closer to your aim of cracking the exam.

You will find this E-Book very helpful in cracking the prestigious Defence
Services Exam. With this hope, we wish you all the success in the exam.

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 KNOW ALL ABOUT CDS EXAM – QUICK GUIDE

CONTENTS
CDS: An Introduction 4
Selection Process 6
Eligibility Criteria 7
Application Form 8
Important Dates 9
Exam Pattern & Syllabus 10
Admit Card 11
Result12
Recommended Products 14

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CDS: AN INTRODUCTION
U
nion Public Service Commission (UPSC)
conducts the common entrance Combined
Defence Services (CDS) exam twice a year,
generally in February (CDS I) and November
(CDS II), for Graduation level pass and appearing can-
didates who are looking to join the Indian Army, Navy
and Air Force wings of Combined Defence Services.
Through each exam in a year, UPSC seeks to fill
up as many as 464 CDS vacancies including 200
for Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, 45 for Indian
Naval Academy, Ezhimala, 32 for Air Force Academy,
Hyderabad, 175 for Officers Training Academy, Chen-
nai (for men), and 11 for Officers Training Academy,
Chennai (for women).
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Selection Process
Aspirants have to qualify the written exam to be able
to be called for SSB round, which includes intelligence
and personality test (including psychological aptitude).
Based on the performance at the SSB, final selection
is made in order of merit, subject to medical fitness
and suitability.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates applying for the Defence Services must
be a citizen of India and appearing or have qualified a
Graduation level exam. Besides, the candidates must
be unmarried and male for all courses except OTA,
and within the age limits specified in the notification.

Application Form
UPSC invites CDS I Application Forms in online mode
generally in November-December, whereas CDS II
Application Forms in July-August every year. The Appli-
cation Procedure of CDS is a two-step process where
candidate needs to fill in the online applications and
then remit a payment against application fee of Rs.100
only for unreserved category candidates (free of cost
for reserved categories (SC/ST/PwD) and females).
Important Dates
UPSC announces the CDS I and CDS II important
dates in the respective notifications each year. Can-
didates must note them carefully, so that they do not
miss out any important event regarding the recruitment
process. CDS I Exam is generally held in April and CDS
II in September.
Exam Pattern
For admission to Military, Naval and Air Force Acad-
emy, candidates are evaluated in English, General
Knowledge (GK) and Elementary Mathematics, each
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paper of 2 hours duration and 100 marks each. For
admission to Officers Training Academy the candidates
are tested in a similar manner as explained above
except that they are exempted from taking Elementary
Mathematics test.
Admit Card
UPSC issues Admit Card of CDS written in online
mode tentatively three weeks prior to the exam. Can-
didates without their admit card is be allowed in the
examination hall. They must retain safe their admit card
throughout the recruitment process. The admit card
can only be downloaded and is not sent to any candi-
date by any other ways.
Result
UPSC announces the Result of CDS written exam ten-
tatively within two months of the exam. Once the result
of written test is declared, the shortlisted candidates
are called for SSB Interview round. To be able to get
admission to Defence Services, candidates have to
qualify the SSB interview round.
 KNOW ALL ABOUT CDS EXAM – QUICK GUIDE

SELECTION PROCESS

T
he selection process of CDS involves two
rounds – written exam and SSB. UPSC pre-
pares a list of candidates who get the minimum
qualifying marks in the written exam. Based on
their preference, candidates are called for intelligence
and personality test (including psychological aptitude)
by the respective SSB. On the basis of the perfor-
mance at the SSB, final selection is made in order of
merit, subject to medical fitness and suitability.

For admission to Military, Naval and Air Force Acad-

emy, the candidates are evaluated in English, General
Knowledge (GK) and Elementary Mathematics, each
paper of 2 hours duration and 100 marks each. For
admission to Officers Training Academy the candi-
dates are tested in a similar manner as explained
above except that they are exempted from taking
Elementary Mathematics test.

SSB round is held in two stages. Stage I of SSB

comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and
Picture Perception & Description Test (PP&DT) and
Stage II consists of Interview, Group Testing Officer
Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

U
nion Public Service Commission specifies in its
notifications an overview of the minimum eligi-
bility required for CDS Exam. Candidates are
required to go through the eligibility criteria of
CDS Exam before filling in the Online Application Form.

Nationality – A candidate may be considered eligible

for CDS, if he/she is:
l A citizen of India

l A subject of Nepal

l A subject of Bhutan

l A Tibetan refugee who came to India before January

1, 1962 with intention of settling permanently in India

l A person of Indian origin who has migrated from

Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries

of Kenya, Uganda, The United Republic of Tanzania,
Zambia, Malawai, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the
intention of permanent settlement in India
Age and Gender Requirement – Applicants apply-
ing for IMA, INA, Air Force Academy and OTA need to
Educational Qualifications – Candidates appearing
for CDS Exam for IMA, INA, Air Force Academy and
OTA need to have following respective educational
qualification to be considered eligible:
l IMA and OTA – Graduation Degree in any discipline

check their respective age limit criteria as given below: from a recognized University or recognized
l IMA and INA – Unmarried Male candidates must not equivalent institution
be aged more than 23 years and less than 18 years l INA – Degree in Engineering from a recognized

as on January 1 for CDS I and July 1 for CDS II University or equivalent institution
l Air Force Academy – Unmarried Male candidates l Air Force Academy – Graduation Degree from a

must not be aged more than 23 years and less than recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics
19 years as on January 1 for CDS I and July 1 for at 10+2 level)/Bachelor of Engineering
CDS II
l OTA – Candidates (both male and female) must not

be aged more than 24 years and less than 18 years

as on January 1 for CDS I and July 1 for CDS II

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APPLICATION FORM

U
nion Public Service Commission invites CDS I Application Forms in online
mode generally in November-December, whereas CDS II in July-August, of
every year for admissions to various courses including IMA Dehradun, INA
Ezhimala, Air Force Academy Hyderabad and OTA Chennai.

The Application Procedure of CDS is a two-step process where candidate needs to

fill in the online applications and then remit a payment against application fee of Rs.200
only for unreserved category candidates only (free of cost for reserved category can-
didates - SC/ST/PwD).

CDS application fee can be paid either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI
by cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India/ State Bank of Bikaner
& Jaipur/State Bank of Hyderabad/State Bank of Mysore/ State Bank of Patiala / State
Bank of Travancore or by using Visa/Master Credit/ Debit Card.

Note: SC/ST candidates / Sons of JCOs/NCOs/ORs / Female candidates as speci-

fied in CDS notification are exempted from payment of fee.

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IMPORTANT DATES

U
nion Public Service Commission notifies the
CDS I and CDS II important dates in the
respective announcements every year. Can-
didates must note them carefully, so that they
do not miss out any important event regarding the
recruitment process.

CDS I Exam is generally held in February and CDS II

in November. CDS Important Dates have been listed
below in the following table

CDS Timeline:

Events CDS I CDS II

Online Applications November-December July-August
Issue of Admit Card Three weeks prior to Exam, i.e. from Three weeks prior to Exam, i.e. from
January October
CDS Exam February November
Result April December
SSB interview June/July February/March

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EXAM PATTERN & SYLLABUS

U
nion Public Service Commission specifies Check below Exam Pattern of CDS:
Exam Pattern & Syllabus of CDS for the can-
For admission to IMA, INA and IAF:
didates looking to appear in the written exam
for Defence Services. The candidates looking Subject Duration Maximum
to get admission in IMA, INA and IAF have to solve the (hours) Marks
test paper carrying a total of 300 in 6 hours and the English 2 100
candidates looking for admission in OTA have to solve General 2 100
the test paper carrying a total of 200 marks in 4 hours. Knowledge
Elementary 2 100
For admission to Military, Naval and Air Force Acad- Mathematics
emy, the candidates are evaluated in English, General
Knowledge (GK) and Elementary Mathematics, each
paper of 2 hours duration and 100 marks each. For
For admission to OTA:
admission to Officers Training Academy the candi-
dates are tested in a similar manner as explained Subject Duration Maximum
above except that they are exempted from taking (hours) Marks
Elementary Mathematics test. English 2 100
General 2 100
Questions asked in Elementary Mathematics are Knowledge
based on Matriculation level and other papers are
based on Graduation standard. Negative marking is
applicable and one third of the mark is deducted for
every wrong answer marked by a candidate in the
answer-sheet. The question papers is available in both Click here to download CDS Syllabus
English and Hindi languages.

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ADMIT CARD

U
PSC issues Admit Card of CDS written in
online mode tentatively three weeks prior to
the exam. Candidates without their admit
card is be allowed in the examination hall.
They must retain safe their admit card throughout
the recruitment process. The admit card can only be
downloaded and not sent to any candidate by any
other ways.

Candidates can download their admit card by any of

the three ways – Registration Number or Roll Number
or Name. Candidates can download their CDS Admit
Card by clicking on the link provided by the UPSC.

STEPS TO DOWNLOAD CDS

ADMIT CARD:
l Enter Registration Number or Roll Number or Name
and Father’s Name
l Enter Date of Birth
l Click ‘Enter’ button
l Admit Card appears on screen
l Download Admit Card
l Take Printout of Admit Card

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RESULT

U
PSC announces the Result of CDS writ-
ten exam tentatively within two months of
the exam. Once the result of written test is
declared, the shortlisted candidates are called
for SSB Interview round. To be able to get admission
to Defence Services, candidates have to qualify the
SSB interview round.

Candidates must qualify in the CDS written exam

to enter the next round – SSB interview, which is the
final round to be qualified for the Defence Services.
Candidates can check their CDS Result by clicking on
the link provided by the UPSC.

CDS Cutoff list based on candidates’ performance

in the entrance exam will be declared by the UPSC.
Candidates are required to obtain minimum required
marks to be selected for SSB interview round.

CDS Cutoff:
Listed below last two years cutoff for CDS I

Year Academy Written Exam Result Final Exam Result

Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* Marks of last recommended candidate#
2014 IMA 99 222
INA 99 222
IFA 129 250
OTA (Men) 78 159
OTA (Women) 78 160
2013 IMA 102 225
INA 75 206
IFA 129 256
OTA (Men) 72 154
OTA (Women) 72 152

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*2014 - Subject to a minimum of 20% in each paper.

*2013 - Subject to having secured 15% marks in each subject.
#2013 - Subject to having secured 40% marks in SSB Test.

Listed below last two years cutoff for CDS II:

Year Academy Written Exam Result Final Exam Result

Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* Marks of last recommended candidate#
2014 IMA 99 marks (i.e. 33%) 224
INA 93 marks (i.e. 31%) 224
IFA 129 marks (i.e. 43%) 257
OTA (Men) 86 marks (i.e. 43%) 268
OTA (Women) 86 marks (i.e. 43%) 170
2013 IMA 111 marks (i.e. 37%) 231
INA 111 marks (i.e. 37%) 231
IFA 135 marks (i.e. 45%) 266
OTA (Men) 76 marks (i.e. 38%) 158

OTA (Women) 76 marks (i.e. 38%) 160

*2013 and 2014 - Subject to minimum of 20% (20 marks) in each paper.

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RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

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downloading this E-Book. By now, you may have sketched
an overview of the exam. All the best for your exam!

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