Combined Defence Services Examination commonly known as CDS is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission 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. Lakhs of candidates appear for the national level defence entrance examination.
CDS 2020 Highlights
| Name of exam | Combined Defence Services Examination |
| Conducted by | Union Public Service Commission |
| Exam level | National |
| Exam frequency | Twice a year |
| Exam mode | Online |
| Exam mode | Two hours |
| Language of question paper | English and Hindi |
| Exam Fees | Rs 200 |
| Exam purpose | To select candidates as Commissioned Officers in Indian Army, Navy and Air Force |
| CDS 1 vacancies | CDS 1: 418 CDS 2: 344 |
| No of test cities | 41 |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC will prepare a list of candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in the written examination as fixed by the Commission in their discretion. Candidates who are declared successful in the written exam will be detailed for intelligence and personality test at the Service Selection Board based on their preference by the respective service HQ.
UPSC CDS 2 2020 Important Dates:
- UPSC CDS 2 Notification Release Date and Registration date – 05 August 2020
- Last Date ofUPSC CDS 2 2020 Registration – 25 August 2020
- UPSC CDS Online Applications can be withdrawn from – 01 September to 07 September 2020
- CDS 2 Exam Date – 08 November 2020
- CDS 2 Exam Result Date – to be announced later
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2020
To be eligible for CDS 2020 exam, candidates need to fulfil the following eligibility criteria.
Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status
- For Indian Military Academy (IMA), unmarried candidates born not earlier than July 2, 1997, and not later than July 1, 2002.
- For Indian Naval Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than July 2, 1997, and not later than July 1, 2002.
- Candidates applying for Air Force Academy should be between 20 to 24 years as on July 1, 2021 (born not earlier than July 2, 1997, and not later than July 1, 2001).
- For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for men), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than July 1, 1996, and not later than July 1, 2002, are eligible for the exam.
- For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course), candidates should be unmarried and born not earlier than July 1, 1996, and not later than July 1, 2002.
Educational Qualification
For IMA and Officers’ Training Academy, candidates must be a graduate
For Indian Naval Academy, candidates must have a degree in Engineering from a recognised university
For Air Force Academy, a degree or Bachelor of Engineering is necessary. Students must have studied Physics and Mathematics in Class 12
UPSC CDS 2020 Other Eligibility:
- The candidates should be citizens of India. Subjects of Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibetan refugee who came to India before the 1 January 1962
- A person of India origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
- The candidates will be required to produce Certificate issued by Indian authorities certifying their claim.
Physical Fitness
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to CDS exam.
CDS Exam Analysis 2020
The overall difficulty level of CDS (1) 2020 conducted on February 2 was moderate to difficult. English and General Knowledge sections were easy to moderate. The Elementary Mathematics section was difficult. Check below CDS exam analysis by students.
CDS Exam Centres 2020
The written exam of CDS will be conducted across 41 cities. The details about the CDS exam centre are mentioned on the admit card. Candidates are required to select the exam centres while filling the application form. CDS exam centres are allotted to candidates on the first-apply-first-allot basis. Once a particular exam centre is filled, the same is frozen. Candidates are required to choose from the remaining ones.
| Agartala | Ahmedabad |
| Aizawl | Allahabad |
| Bengaluru | Bareilly |
| Bhopal | Chandigarh |
UPSC CDS 2 2020 Vacancy Details:
- Indian Military Academy (INA),Dehradun, 149th (DE) Course commencing in July, 2020 — 100 Posts
- Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala—Course commencing in July, 2020 Executive – 26 Posts
- Air Force Academy (AFA) —(Pre-Flying), Training Course commencing in July, 2020 – 32 Posts
- Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (Madras) 114th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October, 2021 — 169 Posts
- Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (Madras) 28th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October, 2021— 17 Posts
UPSC CDS 2 2020 Educational Qualification:
- Indian Military Academy (INA) – UNMARRIED : Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- Indian Naval Academy (INA) – UNMARRIED : B.E/B.Tech from a recognized university or equivalent.
- Air Force Academy (AFA) – UNMARRIED: B.E/B.Tech from a recognized university OR degree from a recognized university with Physics & Mathematics as subjects.
- Officers Training Academy (OTA) – UNMARRIED : Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or equivalent.
- Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical course) – UNMARRIED, ISSUELESS WIDOWS and ISSUELESS DIVORCEES who have not remarried: Bachelor’s degree from a recognized
UPSC CDS 2 Exam Pattern:
For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 Hours | 100 |
For Admission to Officers’ Training Academy :—
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
The papers in all the subjects will consist of objective type questions only. The question papers (Test Booklets) of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English
UPSC CDS Cut off Marks
Candidates must score the Cutoff marks to qualify the Combined Defence Services examination. The UPSC CDS Cut off marks are generally declared after the announcement of Results. Check here the Cutoff of previous year examination:
| Academy Courses | Written Exam | Final Score |
| Indian Military Academy | 102 | 225 |
| Indian Naval Academy | 109 | 225 |
| Air Force Academy | 129 | 264 |
| Officers Training Academy (Male) | 86 | 168 |
| Officers Training Academy (Female) | 86 | 172 |
UPSC CDS Syllabus 2020
| English | General Knowledge | Elementary Mathematics |
| Questions will test candidates’ understanding of English and vocabulary | Current events History Geography | Arithmetic Algebra Trigonometry Geometry Mensuration Statistics |
UPSC CDS 2 Interview
UPSC will prepare a list of candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in the written examination as fixed by the Commission in their discretion. Candidates who are declared successful in the written exam will be detailed for intelligence and personality test at the Service Selection Board based on their preference by the respective service HQ. CANDIDATES WHO QUALIFY IN THE WRITTEN EXAM AND GIVEN THEIR FIRST CHOICE AS ARMY (IMA/OTA) ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THEMSELVES ON THE RECRUITING DIRECTORATE WEBSITE joinindianarmy.nic.in. IN ORDER TO ENABLE THEM TO RECEIVE CALL UP INFORMATION FOR SSB INTERVIEW. THOSE CANDIDATES WhO HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED ON THE RECRUITING DIRECTORATE WEBSITE ARE ADVISED NOT TO REGISTER AGAIN.
The email ID registered with DG Recruiting website i.e. www.joinindianarmy,nic.in and that given to UPSC must be same and unique to the applicant. Results of the test conducted by Service Selection Board will hold good for all the courses [i.e. Indian Military Academy (DE) Course, Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Course, Air Force Academy (Pre-Flying) Course, Hyderabad and SSC (NT) Course at OTA, Chennai] for which the candidate has 16 qualified in the written exam, irrespective of the service HQ conducting it.
The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e. the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.
CDS SSB Interview 2020
Candidates who qualify the written examination will be called for the UPSC CDS II 2019 Interview. The CDS SSB Interview 2019 involves 2 stages of intelligence and personality test:
- Stage 1 consists of Officer Intelligence Rating, Picture Perception and Description Test.
- Stage 2 involves Interview, Group Testing Officer Task, Psychology Test and Conference.
CDS SSB Interview 2019 is a 4-day long process. Candidates are judged physically, mentally and psychologically in the Interview round.
How to Apply for UPSC CDS 2 Recruitment 2020 ?
Candidates can apply online through official website www.upsconline.nic.in from 05 August to 25 August 2020 by following steps:
- Go to the official website of UPSC – upsc.gov.in
- Click on the link “Exam Notification – Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2020” in What’s New section
- Now,go to “Click Here”
- A new window will open where you need click on “Click Here for PART I” followed by “Click Here for Part 2: for registration
- Enter personal details and detail of any Photo ID Proof – Aadhaar Card/Voter Card/PAN Card/Passport/Driving Licence/Any other Photo ID Card issued by the State/Central Government
- Upload a scanned copy of the same Photo ID, Photograph & Signature
- Select your examination centre
- Add Payment details and accept Declaration
- Print a copy of the application form for future use
UPSC CDS 2 2020 Application Fee:
General/ OBC – Rs 200 (No Fee for female/ SC/ ST candidates)
| What to carry to the Exam Centre? | What to avoid? |
| Admit Card | Mobile Phones |
| Photo ID Proof | Calculators |
| Black Ball Pen | Any electronic gadget |
| Clip board | Books & sheets |
UPSC CDS 2 Notification PDF – For More Info Click here
UPSC CDS 2 Online Application Link – For More Info Click here
