CDS Exam: CDS stands for the Combined Defence Services Exam. It is a national-level test conducted twice yearly by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit officers for the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA).
CDS Exam Overview
The Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination is a prestigious gateway for aspirants aiming to serve as officers in the Indian Armed Forces. The exam emphasises academic skills and officer-like qualities.
Here is an overview highlighting the key aspects:
| CDS Exam Overview | ||
| Particular | Details | |
| Exam name | Combined Defense Services Examination | |
| Conducting institute | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) | |
| Category | Government Exam | |
| Exam Cycle | CDS 1 2026 | CDS 2 2026 |
| Exam Level | National | |
| Exam frequency | Twice a year | |
| Exam Language | English and Hindi | |
| Number of questions | General English: 120General Knowledge: 120Elementary Maths: 100 | |
| Number of papers | IMA, INA, & AFA: 3 (General English, General Knowledge, & Elementary Mathematics)OTA: 2 (General English & General Knowledge) | |
| Exam Mode | Offline | |
| Exam stages | Written exam and SSB Interview | |
| Exam Purpose | Selecting a Candidate as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy. | |
| Exam Duration | 2 Hours for each paper | |
| Total Marks | Written Exam OTA: 200IMA, INA and AFA: 300SSB Interview: OTA: 200 IMA, INA, and AFA: 300 | |
| No. of Exam Centers | 77 | |
| Application Fees | 200 | |
| Qualification | Passed or appearing for graduation | |
CDS Exam Date 2026
The CDS Exam 2026 will be held in two sessions, and the dates have been announced by UPSC on the official website. CDS I will be conducted on 12 April 2026. The official CDS 2026 notification will be out on 10 December 2025 on the official website.
Here are the important dates for the CDS exam 2026:
| CDS Exam Date 2026 | |
| Exam Events | Dates |
| CDS 1 Notification 2026 | 10 December 2025 |
| CDS 1 Application Process 2026 | 10 December 2025 – 30 December 2025 |
| CDS 1 Exam 2026 | 12 April 2026 |
| CDS 2 Notification 2026 | 20 May 2026 |
| CDS 2 Application Process 2026 | 20 May 2026 – 09 June 2026 |
| CDS 2 Exam Date 2026 | 13 September 2026 |
CDS Exam Eligibility Criteria
CDS Exam eligibility criteria include age limit and educational requirements, and vary for posts under the IMA, AFA, Navy, INA, SSC(M), and SSC(W).
Here are the details of the eligibility requirements for the CDS exam:
- To join the Indian Military Academy (IMA) or Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), you need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from any recognized university.
- For the Indian Naval Academy (INA), an engineering degree from a recognized university or institution is essential.
- The Air Force Academy (AFA) requires a bachelor’s degree (with Physics and Math at the 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
- Candidates must be 19-24 years old (born July 2, 2002–July 1, 2007) for IMA/INA recruitment.
- For the Air Force Academy (AFA), candidates must be between 20 and 24 years old. The upper age limit extends to 26 years for those who hold a valid Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).
- For men applying to the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), eligible candidates should have been born between 2 July 2001 and 1 July 2007.
CDS Syllabus
The CDS syllabus outlines the subjects and topics tested in the UPSC Combined Defence Services Exam. It includes English, General Knowledge, and Mathematics for IMA, INA, and AFA, while OTA candidates only appear for English and GK.
Key topics across sections under the CDS Syllabus include:
- English: Grammar, synonyms/antonyms, sentence improvement, error detection, reading comprehension, para-jumbles, etc.
- General Knowledge (GK): History, geography, current events, everyday science, general awareness.
- Elementary Mathematics (for IMA/INA/AFA): Matriculation-level Maths including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, mensuration, arithmetic, etc.