CDS exam pattern, syllabus and eligibility criteria

The Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year to recruit candidates into the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers Training Academy.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Nationality: The candidate must be a citizen of India, or a subject of Bhutan, or a subject of Nepal, or a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India.

2. Age Limit:

   a. For Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 1999 and not later than 1st January 2004.

   b. For Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2000 and not later than 1st January 2004.

   c. For Air Force Academy (AFA) – Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2000 and not later than 1st January 2004.

   d. For Officers Training Academy (OTA) – Unmarried male and female candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 1998 and not later than 1st January 2004.

3. Educational Qualification:

   a. For Indian Military Academy – A degree from a recognized university or equivalent.

   b. For Indian Naval Academy – A degree in Engineering from a recognized university or institution.

   c. For Air Force Academy – A degree from a recognized university with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level or Bachelor of Engineering.

   d. For Officers Training Academy – A degree from a recognized university or equivalent.

Exam Pattern:

The CDS exam is conducted in two stages:

1. Written Exam: The written exam consists of objective type questions and is conducted in offline mode.

   a. For Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:

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    Paper Subject Duration Maximum Marks 
    I English 2 hours 100 
    II General Knowledge 2 hours 100 
    III Elementary Mathematics 2 hours 100 
   

   b. For Officers Training Academy:

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    Paper Subject Duration Maximum Marks 
    I English 2 hours 100 
    II General Knowledge 2 hours 100 
   

2. SSB Interview: Candidates who qualify the written exam are called for the SSB Interview. The interview consists of two stages – Stage I (Officer Intelligence Rating, Picture Perception and Description Test) and Stage II (Psychological Test, Group Testing Officer Tasks, and Interview).

Syllabus:

1. English: Grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, rearrangement of sentences, and error detection.

2. General Knowledge: Current affairs, geography, history, economics, politics, and general science.

3. Elementary Mathematics: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics.

Note: The syllabus for Officers Training Academy is the same as that of Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy except for the Mathematics section.

I hope this information helps. Good luck with your preparation for the CDS exam!