What is Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination
Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination (also called CDSE) is an all India exam conducting by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment to the post of Air Force Academy, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and officers Training Academy. The exam is conducting twice in a year.
When is CDSE Conducted?
The exams are conducted twice in a year. Exam dates are mostly coming in second Sunday of February and November months. Notification for the exams are coming at the beginning of November and August respectively for February and November exams. The last date for online applications are ending in almost one month after the notification.
Note: Visit official site of UPSC for exact dates.
Number of Vacancies or Posts
UPSC will publish a tentative number of vacancies available at Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers Training Academy (for Men and Women).
Eligibility Criteria Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination
Age Limit, Gender and Marital Status
Age, gender and marital status for eligible candidates are as follows:
Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Unmarried male candidates with an age between 19 – 24 years.
Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Unmarried male candidate with an age between 19 – 22 years.
Air Force Academy – Unmarried male candidates with an age between 19 – 23 years.
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC course for Men) – Married or Unmarried male candidates with an age between 19 – 25 years.
Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non – Technical course) – Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. They should have age between 19 – 25 years.
There are some concessions are available for some eligible candidates. Please look into the notification for further details.
Educational Qualification
The educational qualification for different posts are as follows:
Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) posts: The candidate should have a degree from recognized university.
Air Force Academy: Degree of Recognized university (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or bachelor’s of engineering.
Naval Academy: Degree in Engineering from a recognized university / Institute.
Note: The candidates who are in the final years of their Degree Course and have yet to pass the final year Degree examination are also eligible to apply. Such candidates are required to submit the proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination by a date to be specified in the Commission’s Notice for the Examination.
Physical Standards
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to.
The candidate must be physically fit and free from any disease as well as free from any disability.
Heights and weights must also come as per the requirement of the notification.
Selection Procedure
The eligible candidates will be appointed on the basis of their performance in the written examination and performance in Interview / Personality test. Medical of physical tests may also conduct as part of the selection procedure.
How to Apply for Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination?
Apply online mode through UPSC website before the stipulated period. Now Candidates are required to apply online by using the website www.upsconline.nic.in. A valid and active e-mail id is required for filling up online application form.
Exam Centres
The following are the exam centres for exam conducted in February 2018.
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 And Visakhapatnam.
Exam Pattern and Syllabus
Objective type questions are there in the exam and the candidate has to mark answers in an OMR sheet. There will be penalty (negative Marking) for wrong answers marked by the candidate.
The standard of the papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation level. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University. English question paper will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on History of India and Geography of a nature which candidate should be able to answer without special study.
There will be an Intelligence and Personality Test for those who are eligible after the exams. The Service Selection Board (SSB) conducts the interview with a procedure consists of two stage Selection process – stage I and stage II. These tests are conducted over 4 days.
Disclaimer: The above article is only for informative purpose only. Please visit official site or see exam notification for exact details.