UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination
The Combined Defence Services Examination (abbreviated as CDS Exam) is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment into the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy.
The Notification for the examination is usually released in the months of October and June, and the examinations are conducted in February and November respectively. Only unmarried graduates are eligible to sit for the exam. Successful candidates are admitted into the respective Academies after an interview conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB).
Nationality
Check nationality for the CDS exam mentioned below
- The candidate must be a citizen of India
- A subject of Nepal of Bhutan
- A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962, to forever live comfortably in India or
- An individual initially Indian who has relocated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African nations Kenya, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the expectation of forever living in comfortable India.
Educational Qualification
CDS Exam Educational Qualifications is given below.
For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy | Degree from a recognized University or equivalent |
For Indian Naval Academy | Degree in Engineering from a recognized University or equivalent |
For Air Force Academy | Degree of a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering |
Age Limit
Indian Military Academy | 19–24 years |
Air Force Academy | 19–24 years |
Naval Academy | 19–24 years |
Officers Training Academy | 19–25 years |
Physical Standards
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards criteria given in the official advertisement.
Union Public Service Commission has set the eligibility criteria For Combined Defence Services. Before applying to the CDS exam Candidate must check the eligibility criteria. The basic physical standard for a candidate is:
- The candidate should be physically as well as mentally fit.
- Permanent tattoos on the body are prohibited.
- No hernia anywhere on the body.
- No hearing impairment, deformities/disabilities in-ears vestibule-cochlear system.
- There is no active congenital venereal disease.
CDS Marking Scheme
It is important to know the CDS marking scheme for candidates to devise an effective exam-taking strategy. The CDS marking scheme as prescribed by UPSC is as follows:
- 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer
- 0.33 marks are deducted for each wrong attempt
- Questions left unanswered are not covered under negative marking
- If two answers are marked for one question. It will be considered wrong and negative marks will be deducted.
Intelligence and Personality Test
The SSB interview process consists of a two-stage Selection process – stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who successfully clear the stage I SSB interview are permitted to appear for stage II.
(a) Stage I comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception* Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on the combination of performance in the OIR Test and PP&DT.
(b) Stage II Comprises Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on the Indian Army career portal.
The personality of a candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. The Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO), and the Psychologist. There is no separate weightage for each test. The marks are allotted by assessors only after taking into consideration the performance of the candidate holistically in all the tests.
Test/ Interview by Air Force Selection Board
All candidates who apply for the Air Force through more than one source will be tested/interviewed at the Air Force Selection Boards only once for Air Force. Common candidates who fail in Computer Pilot Selection System (CPSS) and/ or Pilot Aptitude Battery tests as an NCC or Airmen candidate will be called again for OLQ testing for Army/Navy/OTS only if it is found that they have applied through CDS Exam.