The Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment into any of the four defense academies:
- Indian Military Academy (IMA)
- Officers Training Academy (OTA)
- Indian Naval Academy (INA)
- Indian Air Force Academy (AFA)
The examinations CDS(I) and CDS(II) examinations are conducted twice a year, in the months of February and November, respectively.
HOW TO APPLY
Candidates can apply online by using the official UPSC website www.upsconline.nic.in only. Application may not be accepted via any other means.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- AGE LIMIT
| Academy | Age |
| IMA | 19 – 24 |
| AFA | 19 – 24
Note : For candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India), the age limit is upto 26 years. |
| INA | 19 – 24 |
| OTA | 19 – 25 |
NOTE : Only Date of Birth (DoB) as stated in Matriculation / Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSC) / Equivalent Certificate on the date of application submission will be accepted by the Commission. Once a Date of Birth has been claimed and entered in the records of the Commission by an applicant, no change will be allowed later for any reason.
- NATIONALITY
Candidate must be a citizen (or subject) of either:
- India
- Nepal
- Bhutan
- a Tibetan refugee who migrated to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of settling permanently in India.
- a person of Indian origin who has migrated from the any one of the following countries, with the purpose of later settling down in India permanently :
- Pakistan
- Burma
- Sri Lanka
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- Zambia
- Malawi
- Zaire
- Ethiopia
- Vietnam
Note : The Government of India will issue an eligibility certificate for the candidates belonging to the categories above (except being a citizen of India). Such candidates (for whom certificate of eligibility is necessary), will be admitted to the examination on a provisional basis. The Government of India will provide the certificate before the result of the examination is issued by UPSC.
- MARITAL STATUS
- IMA – must be unmarried.
- INA – must be unmarried.
- AFA – candidate below 25 years of age must be unmarried. The candidate may not get married during the process of training. However, if the candidate is married and is also above the age of 25 years, then he is eligible, but with the sole restriction being that accommodation will not be provided for the spouse and the candidate must live within the academy premises only.
- OTA (SSC for men) – must be unmarried.
- OTA (SSC non-technical for women) – Unmarried women, widows and divorcees (both without any children) who have not remarried are eligible. Divorcees must have the necessary divorce documents with them.
- NOTE : Male divorcee/widower candidates are not treated as unmarried male candidates. Hence, they are not eligible for IMA/INA/AFA courses.
- GENDER
- MEN – are eligible to apply for OTA, INA, IMA, and AFA.
- WOMEN – are eligible to apply only for OTA.
EXAM SCHEME
- For IMA / AFA / INA
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
| English | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 100 |
| Elementary Maths | 100 |
| Total | 300 |
- For OTA
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
| English | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 100 |
| Total | 200 |
VACANCIES
| Academy | Vacancies |
| IMA | 100 |
| AFA | 32 |
| INA | 45 |
| OTA | 225 |
NOTE : These numbers may be subject to change as per the official notice on the official UPSC website.
IMPORTANT DATES
| EVENT | DATES (FOR CDS (I)) |
| Application announcement date | 31st October, 2018 |
| Last Date to submit Application Form | 26th November, 2018 |
| Examination Date | 3rd February, 2019 |
FEES
- GENERAL CANDIDATES (MALE ONLY) / OBC – Rs 200/-
- ALL FEMALE CANDIDATES / ST/ SC – no fee
MODE OF PAYMENT OF FEES
- Depositing the money in any Branch of SBI (State Bank of India) by cash.
- By using Visa’s /Master’s Credit Card / Debit Card
- By using net banking facility of the following :
- SBI
- State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur
- State Bank of Hyderabad
- State Bank of Mysore
- State Bank of Patiala
- State Bank of Travancore
NOTE: Payment of examination fee can be done only through the methods described above. Examination fees once paid shall not be refunded under any circumstances.
EXAMINATION CENTRES
The exam will be held at the following centres :
AGARTALA
AHMEDABAD
AIZAWL
ALLAHABAD
BENGALURU
BAREILLY
BHOPAL
CHANDIGARH
CHENNAI
CUTTACK
DEHRADUN
DELHI
DHARWAD
DISPUR
GANGTOK
HYDERABAD
IMPHAL
ITANAGAR
JAIPUR
JAMMU
JORHAT
KOCHI
KOHIMA
KOLKATA
LUCKNOW
MADURAI
MUMBAI
NAGPUR
PANAJI (GOA)
PATNA
PORT BLAIR
RAIPUR
RANCHI
SAMBALPUR
SHILLONG
SHIMLA
SRINAGAR
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
TIRUPATI
UDAIPUR
VISAKHAPATNAM
NOTE : Applicants are advised to apply early so that they can get a centre of their choice.