CDS 1 2026

Results Declared

Combined Defence Services Examination

UPSCDefence~10L applicants/yrCDS 2 2026 →

Eligibility

EducationYou need a Bachelor's degree (any discipline for IMA/OTA; Engineering for INA; degree with Physics & Maths at 10+2 for AFA) - final-year students can apply provisionally. Only unmarried candidates are eligible (except female OTA applicants, married or unmarried).
AgeYou need to be born between 2 Jan 2003 and 1 Jan 2007 (19-24 years) for IMA/INA/AFA - OTA's upper limit extends to 25 years.

Key dates

Registration opens

10 Dec 2025

Registration closes

30 Dec 2025

Exam date

12 Apr 2026

Fees & links

Application fee

₹200(₹0 SC/ST/reserved)

Official website

https://upsc.gov.in

About CDS

CDS is UPSC's entrance exam - held twice a year - for bachelor's degree holders seeking a commission as an officer via the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers' Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), or Air Force Academy (AFA). Unlike NDA (12th-pass entry, training starts right after school), CDS candidates already hold or are finishing a bachelor's degree.

Exam pattern

Mode

Offline, pen-and-paper (OMR-based)

Duration

2 hours per paper

Marking scheme

+1 correct / -0.33 incorrect

Selection process

Written exam qualifiers go through the 5-day SSB (Services Selection Board) interview - psychological tests, group tasks, and a personal interview - followed by a medical exam. Final merit combines written score with SSB marks; only SSB-recommended, medically-fit candidates are commissioned.

Related exams

NDA~6L/yr AFCAT~4L/yr