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Introduction
Combined Defence Services Examination commonly known as CDS is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment of Commissioned Officers in Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Selected candidates undergo training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). The exam is held twice a year usually in February and September (i.e. CDS I & II)
CDS -I notification was released on October 28.
CDS Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the exam, candidates need to fulfill the following eligibility criteria.
Nationality: A candidate must be unmarried and must either be:
(i) a Citizen of India, or
(ii) a subject of Nepal, or
(iii) a person of Indian origin*
A certificate of eligibility will not be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
(* for detail please refer to Official notification)
(b )Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status
| Name of the Service | Age, Gender and Marital Status | Cutoff Date for Age Calculation |
|---|
| For Indian Military Academy (IMA) | unmarried male candidates Between 20 to 25 Years | not earlier than January 2, 1998, and not later than January 1, 2003, |
| or Indian Naval Academy (IMA) | unmarried male candidates Between 20 to 25 Years | born not earlier than January 2, 1998, and not later than January 1, 2003 |
| For Air Force Academy | unmarried male candidates between 20 to 24 Years | born not earlier than 2nd January, 1998 and not later than 1st January 2002 |
| For Officers’ Training Academy,SSC Course for- Men and Women | 21 to 25 years, unmarried candidates or issueless widows/ divorcees and not remarried(only for Females) | born not earlier than January 2, 1997, and not later than January 1, 2003 |
Note: Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and 7 current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 years.
Marital Status: Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Marriage is not permitted during training. Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but during the training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises.
Educational Qualification
| Name of the Academy | Essential Qualification |
|---|
| IMA and Officers’ Training Academy, | Graduate from a recognised University |
| Indian Naval Academy, | degree in Engineering from a recognised University |
| For Air Force Academy | Degree from a recognised University along with Physics and Mathematics in Class 12, or Bachelor of Engineering |
Physical Standard
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to the CDS exam.
Fee
| Category | Fee (in Rupees) |
|---|
| Unreserved, OBC and EWSs( Male Candidates) | 200 |
| Female and SC/ST Candidates | exempted |
| Modes of Payment Cash deposit at any SBI Branch on next day (b)Online Mode | any Branch of State Bank of India (should generate Pay-in-slip during part II of registration ) Using Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit Card or by Internet Banking of SBI |
How to Apply
Candidates are required to apply Online at www.upsconline.nic.in with a two-step registration process.
If multiple applications are submitted by mistake, candidates must ensure that the application with the higher Registration ID is complete in all respects like applicants details, examination centre, photograph, signature, fee, etc.
Candidates must be ready with a scanned photograph(max 300 KB size) and signature(max.20 KB size), anyone photo ID issued by the Central or State Government before registering for Part II.
A candidate must have his Matriculation Certificate ready prior to filling up his application form. The details viz. Candidate’s Name, Father’s Name, Mother’s Name & Date of Birth to be filled in Online Application Form of the candidate should match exactly with particulars mentioned in the Matriculation Certificate.
All candidates, whether already in Government Service, in Government owned industrial undertakings or other similar organizations or in private employment should submit their
applications direct to the Commission. Persons already in Government service, whether in permanent or temporary capacity or as work charged employees other than casual or daily rated employees or those serving under the Public Enterprises are, however, required to inform in writing their Head of Office/Department that they have applied for the Examination
Note:
Candidates serving in the Armed Forces are required to inform their Commanding Officer in writing that they have applied for this examination. They are also required to submit NOC in this regard at the time of SSB interview.
A male candidate is advised to indicate as many preferences as he wishes to, so that having regard to his rank in the order of merit due consideration can be given to his preferences when making an appointment.
Since women candidates are eligible for OTA only, they should give OTA as their first and only preference.
Candidates who desire to join Air Force Academy must indicate AFA as first choice, as they have to be administered Computer Pilot Selection System (CPSS)
NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Army Wing (Senior Division)/ Air Wing/Naval Wing) holders may also compete for the vacancies in the Short Service Commission Course but since there is no reservation of vacancies for them in this course, they will be treated as general candidates for the purpose of filling up vacancies in this course. Candidates who have yet to pass NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Army Wing (Senior Division)/ Air Wing/Naval Wing) examination, but are otherwise eligible to compete for the reserved vacancies, may also apply
Scheme of Examination
The selection process of CDS recruitment includes the following stages.
(a)Written examination
(b) Interview for intelligence and personality test
Written Exam For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy will have the following Components.
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks | Language of Paper |
|---|
| English | 2 Hours | 100 | English |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 | Both English and Hindi |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 | Both English and Hindi |
For Officers’ Training Academy
The test will consist of two sections, English and General Knowledge. The total mark of the test is 200. Candidates qualifying for the written exam are called for SSB Interview for intelligence and personality test.
| Subject | Duration | Max. Marks |
|---|
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
Stage 2
Interview: Candidates selected in Written Exam will have to appear for a two-stage SSB Interview-Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test. Candidates qualifying for stage one are called for the second stage.
Final Selection
The final selection of candidates is done based on their performance in the written exam and SSB Interview. Selected candidates are required to undergo training at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.
Syllabus of written Exam
| Subject | Components |
|---|
| ENGLISH (Code No. 01) | Questions to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. |
| GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (Code No. 02) | current events and matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects which doesn’t need a special study of any scientific subject. Questions on History of India and Geography of nature which candidate should be able to answer without special study |
| ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS (Code No. 03) | Arthematics, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics |
Intelligence And Personality Test
| Stage I (2 parts) | Stage II (4 Parts) |
|---|
| Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) | Interview |
| Picture Perception * Description Test (PP&DT) | Group Testing Officer Tasks |
| Psychology Tests |
| Conference |
Note
These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on the website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in.
In addition, marks for Conference are also allotted based on the initial performance of the Candidate in the three techniques and decisions of the Board. All these have equal weightage.
The various tests of IO, GTO, and Psych are designed to bring out the presence/absence of Officer Like Qualities and their trainability in a candidate. Accordingly, candidates are Recommended or Not Recommended at the SSB
Important Points
- Candidates are advised to keep ready the following documents in original alongwith their self attested copies soon after the declaration of the result of the written part of the examination
- The Original Certificates are to be submitted not later than 1st January 2022 for IMA & INA, not later than 13th November 2021 for AFA not later than 1st April 2022 in case of SSC Course only.
- The candidates must not send the Original Certificates to the Union Public Service Commission.
- Candidates who qualified in the written exam and given their first choice as Army (IMA/OTA) are required to register themselves online on the Recruiting Directorate’s website (www.joinindianarmy.nic.in) in order to enable them to receive call up information for SSB interview.
- Graduates with first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are to submit proof of Graduation/provisional certificates on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview
- at the SSB.
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 the application
In the event of Air Force candidates being suspended from Flying training for failure to learn flying, they would be absorbed in the Navigation/Ground Duty (Non-Tech) Branches of the IAF.
Salary and Allowances
(a) Stipend
Stipend is given to Gentlemen or Lady Cadets during the entire duration of training in Service Academies i.e. during the training period at IMA and OTA will be Rs 56,100/-p.m. (Pay Level 10)
On successful commissioning, the pay in the Pay Matrix of the Officer commissioned shall be fixed in the first Cell of Level 10.
(b)Qualification Pay and Grant
- Qualification Grant (governed by newly proposed Higher Qualification Incentive (HQI)
- Flying allowance:- (for Army Aviators (Pilots) serving in the Army Aviation Corps)- Lieutenant and above Level 10 and above Rs 25,000/-
(c )Other Allowances:
| | |
|---|
| Dearness Allowance | High Altitude Allowance | Siachen Allowance |
| Uniform allowance | Free Rations (In Peace and Field areas) | Transport Allowance |
