What is the CDS Examination?

CDS stands for Combined Defence Services exam which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This national-level exam is conducted twice a year, around April and September (the dates may vary as per the UPSC’s guidelines). The selection process is a combination of a written exam and an SSB interview. The SSB interview is divided into two stages; only those candidates who pass stage 1 are called for stage 2.

• Stage 1 comprises the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test and the Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT)
• Stage 2 includes an interview, group testing officer tasks, a conference and psychology tests.

The starting salary or stipend during the training period is INR 56,100 monthly. CDS officers fall under the pay grade of level 10. CDS exam II 2023, the total number of vacancies is 349.

Purpose of the CDS Exam

The CDS exam is a qualifying test to recruit candidates for admission into Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy. This exam aims to assess the candidate’s (both male and female) aptitude, knowledge, and skills.

Highlights & Exam Pattern of the CDS Examination

Name of the Exam	Combined Defence Service Exam II
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Frequency	Twice a year
Mode of Exam	Offline
Sections	Written + Interview: – English – General Knowledge – Elementary Mathematics: Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics Intelligence and Personality Test: – For OTA, only English and general knowledge sections are there in the written test
Types of Questions	Multiple choice questions
Marking Scheme	0.33 deducted for each wrong answer
Exam Duration	Two hours for each subject
Number of Questions	– IMA/INA/AFA : 300 – OTA : 200
Total Marks	– IMA/INA/AFA : 300 – OTA : 200
Medium of Exam	Both Hindi and English
Official Website	https://upsc.gov.in/

Eligibility Criteria

According to the official notification on the UPSC website, the candidates are informed that their admission at all stages of the exam is entirely a provisional subject to satisfy the underlining eligibility criteria.

1. Nationality:

The applicant must be unmarried and must be a citizen of India/ subject of Nepal/ or an individual of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, ZaireUganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi,  and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of settling in India permanently. In the case of candidates who are not from India, they need to provide a certificate of eligibility given by the government of India, except for Gorkha subjects of Nepal.

2. Age limit, Sex and Marital Status:

Name of the course	Marital Status	Age Limit
IMA	Unmarried male	Born between 2nd July, 2000 and 1st July, 2005
Indian Naval Academy	Unmarried male	Born between 2nd July, 2000 and 1st July, 2004 (Upper age limit for current Commercial Pilot Licence holders – 2nd July, 1998)
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for Men)	Unmarried	Born between 2nd July, 1999 and 1st July, 2005
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course)	Unmarried/ issueless widower or divorcee (must have divorce documents) who has not remarried	Born between 2nd July, 1999 and 1st July, 2005

3. Educational Qualifications:

• For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai, a candidate must have a degree from a recognised university.
• For the Indian Naval Academy, the candidate should have a degree in an engineering course from a recognised university.
• For Air Force Academy candidates, a degree from a recognised university (with physics and mathematics subjects in 10 + 2 ) or a Bachelor of Engineering degree is required.
• Candidates who are currently in the final year or semester of their degree can also apply, but they will have to submit their proof at the time of the commencement of the course.

4. Physical Metrics:

A candidate must be physically fit as per the standards enlisted by the UPSC for  CDS Examination (II), 2023.

CDS Examination II Date 2023

Date of Notification	17 May 2023
Date of Commencement of Examination	03 Sep 2023
Duration of Examination	One Day
Registration Start Date	17 May 2023
Last Date for Registration	06 Jun 2023 – 6:00 pm
Release of Admit Card	August 2023
CDS II Exam Date	03 Sep 2023
Download Notification	Click here – CDS Exam Notification

Registration Process for CDS Exam II 2023

Applications are to be submitted on the official UPSC website and register himself/herself first at OTR (One Time Registration) platform provided on UPSC’s website before filling up the application.

1. Visit the official UPSC website, and select Examination on the menu bar.
2. From the drop down menu, choose Active Examinations > Online Applications for UPSC CDS 2 Exam on the homepage.
3. Select the Combined Defence Examination (II) 2023 link for part I of the application form.
4. After reading the instructions carefully, press yes to continue, and then you will be transferred to a new page.
5. Fill out all the required information and choose your choices before going ahead to part II of the application.
6. Pay the necessary application fee online or offline.
7. Choose the exam centre as per your convenience.
8. Upload the required documents.
9. Finally, verify all the filled information and press the submit button.

Application Fee for CDS Exam II

All candidates (except females/ SC/ST who are exempted from the fee) have to pay the application fee of Rs 200. Fee can be paid either online or offline by depositing the amount in any branch of SBI Bank. Please note the paid application fee will not be refunded or transferred to any other exam.

CDS Exam II 2023 Admit Card

The e-Admit cards will be made available to the eligible candidates three weeks prior to the exam. Applicants can download the same from UPSC website. No e-Admit card will be delivered by post.

Exam Centres

Agartala	Cuttack	Indore	Mumbai	Siliguri
Agra	Dehradun	Itanagar	Mysore	Srinagar
Ahmedabad	Delhi	Jabalpur	Nagpur	Srinagar
Aizawl	Dharamshala	Jaipur	Navi Mumbai	Thane
Ajmer	Dharwad	Jammu	Panaji	Thiruvananthapuram
Aligarh	Dispur	Jodhpur	Patna	Tiruchirapalli
Amora	Faridabad	Jorhat	Port Blair	Tirupati
Anantapur	Gangtok	Kochi	Prayagraj	Udaipur
Aurangabad	Gautam Budh Nagar	Kohima	Puducherry	Varanasi
Bareilly	Gaya	Kolkata	Pune	Vellore
Bengaluru	Ghaziabad	Kozhikode	Raipur	Vijayawada
Bhopal	Gorakhpur	Leh	Rajkot	Visakhapatnam
Bilaspur	Gurgaon	Lucknow	Ranchi	Warangal
Chandigarh	Gwalior	Ludhiana	Sambalpur
Chennai	Hyderabad	Madurai	Shillong
Coimbatore	Imphal	Mandi	Shimla

CDS Exam II 2023: Exam Syllabus

This competitive exam consists of a written examination and an interview round for intelligence and personality tests. The detailed syllabus of the exam is updated every year on the UPSC’s official website, which broadly covers the areas of English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Appendix – I of the official notification on the UPSC website contains the full syllabus. For mathematics, questions will be of matriculation level and for other subjects will, the standard will be of graduation level.

CDS Exam II 2023: Section-Wise Distribution

For selection in Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy

Subject	Code	Duration	Maximum Marks
English	11	2 hrs	100
General Knowledge	12	2 hrs	100
Elementary Mathematics	13	2 hrs	100

For admission to the Officers’ Training Academy

Subject	Code	Duration	Maximum Marks
English	11	2 hrs	100
General Knowledge	12	2 hrs	100

The maximum marks for both the written exam and interview will be equal for each course.

CDS Exam II 2023: Expected Exam Cut off

To get selected, candidates must secure qualifying marks in each subject which is 20%, during written and personal interview rounds. All the candidates who secured the qualifying marks and are declared medically fit are placed in order of merit. Then based on the number of vacancies, qualified candidates are chosen from the merit list. The cut-off marks for CDS are released upon the completion of the entire examination process. Broadly, the factors that determine the CDS cut-off marks are as follows:

• Number of Vacancies
• Total number of appeared candidates
• The difficulty level of the exam

Important Exam Guidelines

• Carry the printout of your e-admit card, original photo identity card (mentioned in the e-admit card) and three passport-size photographs.
• Entry at the exam centre closes 10 minutes before the exam, so you must enter at least 30 minutes prior to the exam.
• Use only a black pen two to mark the answers on the sheet.
• Do not carry any prohibited item listed in the official notification inside the examination hall. (prohibited items include – books, notes, electronic devices, calculators, log tables, maps, rough sheets, or any sort of communication device)

Preparation Tips for CDS Exam II 2023

• First of all, thoroughly review the syllabus before you start studying to know where to begin and understand the exam’s content.
• Schedule your time for studying new topics, revising the previous ones, practice questions and don’t forget to take occasional breaks to relieve your stress.
• Attempt as many practice questions as possible to check your progress and increase speed.
• While making notes, include a good number of flowcharts and tables. This will make revision easier at the later stage of preparation.
• Do not leave too many questions for the end; try to attempt questions there and then on the exam day.
• Take adequate rest one day before the exam.
• Carefully read the instructions before attempting the paper.

Previous Year Question Papers

Click here to access previous CDS Exam papers

FAQs

Q1. Can I give CDS 2 without CDS 1?

Yes, you can surely apply for CDS 2 without CDS 1 as provided you meet the eligibility criteria of the exam.

Q2. What are CDS 1 and CDS 2?

The CDS exam is conducted twice a year, so CDS 1 and CDS 2 are just the two cycles in which these exams are conducted. There is no difference between them.

Q3. What is the selection process for CDS 2?

The selection process has two stages, including a written exam and an SSB interview round, based on which the merit list is declared.

Q4. What is the age limit to apply for CDS 2?

Only unmarried candidates who fall between the age of 19 to 25 years are eligible to apply for the CDS exam.

Q5. Is there a negative marking in the CDS 2 exam?

Yes, 0.33 marks are deducted for every wrong answer in the CDS exam.