UPSC CDS

Key Dates

  • Notification Date: May 20, 2026
  • Application Period: May 20, 2026 – June 9, 2026
  • Admit Card Release: Expected early September 2026
  • Written Exam Date: September 13, 2026
  • Result Declaration: Expected October/November 2026 

1. Examination Overview

  • Exam Name: UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)
  • Conducting Authority: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
  • Exam Level: National
  • Recruitment Year: 2025
  • Mode of Examination: Offline (Pen & Paper)
  • Total Stages: 2 (Written Examination and SSB Interview)
  • Source Documents Used: Official UPSC CDS Notification (Exemplar), Publicly released documents from reputed national defence coaching institutes (for structure validation)

2. Eligibility Criteria

  • Nationality Requirements: A citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal, or 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, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
  • Age Limits (Minimum & Maximum):
    • For IMA: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2002 and not later than 1st January 2007.
    • For Indian Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2002 and not later than 1st January 2007.
    • For Air Force Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2007.
    • For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Men Course): Male candidates (married or unmarried) born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2007.
    • For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried, born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2007.
  • Gender Eligibility (as officially notified):
    • IMA: Male only.
    • Indian Naval Academy: Male only.
    • Air Force Academy: Male only.
    • Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Men Course): Male only.
    • Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Female only.
  • Marital Status Requirements (Service-wise, if specified):
    • IMA: Unmarried male candidates only.
    • Indian Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates only.
    • Air Force Academy: Unmarried male candidates only.
    • Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Men Course): Both married and unmarried male candidates are eligible. A married male candidate, however, is not eligible for grant of married accommodation or to live with family out of campus.
    • Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried.
  • Educational Qualification:
    • Indian Military Academy (IMA): Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.
    • Indian Naval Academy (INA): Bachelor of Engineering / B.Sc. (with Physics & Mathematics) or equivalent.
    • Air Force Academy (AFA): Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
    • Officers’ Training Academy (OTA): (SSC Men Course & SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.
  • Physical / Medical Standards: Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Combined Defence Services Examination as per guidelines issued.
  • Any Other Eligibility Conditions: For Air Force Academy, the candidate’s height must be at least 162.5 cms. Candidates applying for the Air Force Academy must have a clear vision of 6/6 in each eye.

3. Examination Plan

  • Stage I: Written Examination
    • Papers:
    • Nature of Papers: Objective Type.
    • Marks: English (100 Marks), General Knowledge (100 Marks), Elementary Mathematics (100 Marks).
    • Duration: English (2 Hours), General Knowledge (2 Hours), Elementary Mathematics (2 Hours).
    • Qualifying / Merit-counting status: The papers in all the subjects will be of the objective type. The maximum marks allotted to the question papers are as specified. The Commission have discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
  • Stage II: Services Selection Board (SSB) Interview
    • Nature of Assessment: Intelligence and Personality Test.
    • Intelligence Tests: Verbal and non-verbal tests.
    • Personality Tests: Interview, group testing officer tasks, psychology tests, and conference.
    • Marks: SSB interview/conference carries 300 marks.

4. Service Allocation / Training Academies

  • Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun: 100 Vacancies (approximate).
  • Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala: 32 Vacancies (approximate).
  • Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad: 32 Vacancies (approximate).
  • Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (SSC Men Course): 170 Vacancies (approximate).
  • Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (SSC Women Non-Technical Course): 17 Vacancies (approximate).
  • Any official conditions related to service allocation or merit order: 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. Candidates who clear both stages of SSB are medically examined. Two lists are prepared: (a) Recommended List in order of merit, and (b) Waiting List. The final allocation of Academy is based on merit-cum-preference, subject to medical fitness and vacancy in each academy.

5. Examination Marks Summary

  • Total Stages: 2
  • Total Written Papers: 3 (For IMA/INA/AFA), 2 (For OTA)
  • Objective Papers: 3 (For IMA/INA/AFA), 2 (For OTA)
  • Descriptive Papers (if any): 0
  • SSB / Interview Marks: 300
  • Grand Total Marks: 300 (Written) + 300 (SSB) = 600 (For IMA/INA/AFA), 200 (Written) + 300 (SSB) = 500 (For OTA)

For inquiries and support

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Previous Year Question Papers
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