Combined Defence Services Examination commonly known as CDS is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment of Commissioned Officers in India Army, Navy and Air Force. The exam is held twice a year usually in February and September. Lakhs of candidates appear for the national level defence entrance examination.
Latest updates:
- CDS 1 2020 notification will be released on Oct 30. Last date to apply is November 19.
- CDS 2 2019 result for written exam is likely to be announced in November
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 | 2 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 |
| No of test cities | 41 |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2020
To be eligible for CDS 2020 exam, candidates need to fulfill the following eligibility criteria.
Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status
For Indian Military Academy (IMA), unmarried candidates born not earlier than January 2, 1996 and not later than January 1, 2001 can only apply.
For Indian Naval Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 1996 and not later than January 1, 2001 are eligible.
Candidates applying for Air Force Academy should be between 20 to 24 years (born not earlier than January 2, 1996 and not later than January 1, 2000).
For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for men), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 1995 and not later than January 1, 2001 are eligible for the exam.
For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course), candidates should be unmarried and born not earlier than January 2, 1995 and not later than January 1, 2001.
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 with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering is necessary.
Physical Fitness
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to CDS exam.
CDS 2020 Dates
UPSC has announced CDS 2020 exam dates. As per UPSC 2020 calendar, CDS 1 exam will be conducted on February 2, 2020 while CDS 2 will be held on November 8, 2020. The table below provides CDS exam dates.
| Events | CDS 1 | CDS 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Exam date | February 2, 2020 | November 8, 2020 |
| CDS notification 2020 | October 30, 2019 | August 5, 2020 |
| Release of CDS application form | October 30, 2019 | August 5, 2020 |
| Last date to apply | November 19, 2019 | August 25, 2020 |
CDS 2020 Selection Process
The selection process of CDS recruitment includes two stages –
Written Exam – This is the first stage of CDS selection process. Candidates who registers successfully for the exam are required to appear in the written exam. According to the CDS exam pattern,the written exam for IMA, INA and Air Force comprises three sections – English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Total mark of the test is 300. The written exam for Officers’ Training Academy consists of two sections – English and General Knowledge. Total mark of the test is 200. Candidates qualifying the written exam will be called for SSB Interview for intelligence and personality test.
SSB Interview – There are two stages in SSB Interview – Psychological Aptitude Test and intelligence Test. Candidates qualifying the stage one will be called for the second stage.
Final selection of candidates is done based on their performance in written exam and SSB Interview. Selected candidates will have to undergo training at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.
CDS Exam Centres 2020
The exam centres of CDS provide details of the cities where the written exam is conducted. Candidates are required to select the exam centres while filling the application form. CDS exam centres are allotted to candidates on first-apply-first allot basis. Once a particular exam centre is filled, the same will be frozen. Candidates are required to choose from the remaining ones.
| Agartala | Ahmedabad |
| Aizawl | Allahabad |
| Bengaluru | Bareilly |
| Bhopal | Chandigarh |
CDS Exam Day Guidelines 2020
- Candidates should carry CDS admit card 2020 along with photo identity proof to the exam centre.
- No candidate will be allowed to appear for the exam with the admit card.
- Candidates are allowed to carry clip board or hard board, black ball pen to the exam centre.
- Sheet for doing rough work will be provided by the invigilator.
- Candidates should not bring books, notes, loose sheets, electronic or any other type of calculators, mathematical and drawing instruments, log tables, stencils, slide rules, test booklets and rough sheets.
- Mobiles, phones, Bluetooth, pagers or any other communication devices are not allowed inside the premises of exam centre.
CDS 2020 important dates such as registration date, application date, admit card date, exam date, result date and counselling date. Sign up so that you don’t miss a single exam date or an update on CDS 2020 exam.
| UPCOMING EVENTS | |
|---|---|
| 30 Oct ’19 -19 Nov ’19 | CDS 1 registrationONGOING |
| 30 Oct ’19 | CDS 1 notification 2020ONGOING |
| 2 Feb ’20 | CDS 1 exam 2020 |
| 5 Aug ’20 | CDS 2 registration 2020 |
| 5 Aug ’20 | CDS 2 notification 2020 |
| 8 Nov ’20 | CDS 2 exam 2020 |
CDS 2020 Important Dates
CDS 2020 dates have been announced by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). According to UPSC calendar 2020, CDS 1 exam will be conducted on February 2, 2020. CDS 2 exam will be held on November 8, 2020. CDS 1 notification 2020 will be released on October 30. The notification for CDS 2 will be released on August 5, 2020. Candidates can read below regarding all the important events of CDS exam.
Important events related to CDS exam
CDS application form 2020
The application form of CDS will be available online on the official website. CDS application form 2020 comprises two parts. In the first part, candidates need to register, choose their preferred branches, verify the details and generate their registration ID. In the second part, candidates need to pay the application fees, select the exam centres, upload the scanned images of photograph and signature.
CDS 2020 Entrance Exam
All candidates submitting their application form successfully are required to appear for the entrance exam. The exam comprises two stages – written and SSB Interview. The written exam for Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy comprises three sections- English, General knowledge and Elementary Maths. The written exam for Officers’ Training Academy comprises two sections – English and General Knowledge.
CDS 2020 Answer Key
The answer key of CDS is released by UPSC after completion of the recruitment exam. CDS 2020 answer key will be available on the official website for different codes of test booklets.
CDS 2020 Result
The result will be released in two stages – written exam and final selection. The commission first announces CDS result for written exam followed by the declaration of final result. The result will display the roll numbers of shortlisted candidates in PDF format.