CDS 2 2026

Exam Scheduled

Combined Defence Services Examination

UPSCDefence~10L applicants/yrCDS 1 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 roughly 5 Jun 2003 and 4 Jun 2007 (19-24 years) for IMA/INA/AFA - OTA's upper limit extends to 25 years. (CDS 2 2026's exact notified DOB window wasn't independently confirmed; this shifts CDS 1 2026's confirmed window forward by the same 154 days between the two exam dates, UPSC's standard mechanism for a 19-24 age band.)

Key dates

Registration opens

20 May 2026

Registration closes

11 Jun 2026

Admit card release

3 Sept 2026

Exam date

13 Sept 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