CDS 2024 Exam: Hall Ticket Out, Notification, Exam Date (1 Sep), Syllabus & More

  • Exam Mode -
    Online
  • Exam is on -
    1 September 2024

Shiwani Kumari

Updated On - Aug 30, 2024 16:26 IST

The UPSC conducts the top most defence exam in the country for graduate candidates which is the UPSC CDS exam. The exam is held two times in a year. The exam for the CDS 2 is scheduled for 1 September while the apply online is now active up to 4th June 2024. A total of 459 vacancies will be filled for IMA, INA, AFA & OTA. 

CDS 2024 Exam: Hall Ticket Out, Notification, Exam Date (1 Sep), Syllabus & More

What is CDS Exam?

CDS is one of the most sought-after defence exams in India for the recruitment of officers in the Indian Armed Forces. The full form of CDS is Combined Defence Services. It is held two times a year.  The exam for CDS 1 has successfully been completed in the month of April while the registration for CDS 2 is underproces up to 4th June. The candidates are appointed through a written test followed by an SSB interview. The interview assesses the candidate's general leadership qualities, personality, etc. Candidates must go through this post to gather more information on CDS exam. The shortlisted candidates are placed at the following academies based on their preferences and merit.

Academy State/City
Indian Military Academy  Dehradun
Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala
Air Force Academy Hyderabad
Officers' Training Academy (SSC Men) Chennai
Officers' Training Academy (SSC Women) Chennai

CDS 2024 Exam Latest Updates

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the CDS 2 2024  notification on its website on 15th May 2024. Candidates can apply online for the UPSC CDS 2 exam 2024 by visiting the official website of UPSC. The apply online link for the CDS 2 exam is active from 15th May to 4th June 2024. The CDS 2 exam will be held on 1st September 2024. Get the latest updates on the CDS 2 exam on this page. 

CDS 2024 Exam Highlights

Candidates selected through CDS exam join as commissioned officers. They undergo training in the respective defence academies. The table below provides some important exam highlights for CDS 2 2024 exam.

CDS Exam Particulars

Details 

Name of the exam

Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)

Conducting Body

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

Exam level

National

Frequency of the exam

Two times in a year

Type of exam

Competitive exam

Subjects in the exam

Maths, English and General Ability Test (GAT)

Mode of exam

Offline, i.e. pen and paper mode

Eligibility 

Graduate in any discipline

Exam purpose

Admission of candidates for Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers Training

Exam website

upsc.gov.in

UPSC CDS 2 2024 Exam Date

CDS 2 2024 notification has been released on 15th May 2024. The exam date for CDS 2 exam is 1st September 2024.

UPSC CDS Exam 2024- Important Dates
Events CDS 2 Dates
CDS 2 Notification 2024 Release Date 15th May 2024
CDS 2 Application Form 2024 15th May 2024
Online Registration End Date  04th June 2024 (06:00 pm)
Last Date to Pay Fee  04th June 2024 (06:00 pm)
CDS 2 Admit Card 2024 07 to 10 days before the exam date
CDS 2 Exam Date 2024 1st September 2024

CDS 2 2024 Notification PDF

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) officially released the UPSC CDS 2 Notification 2024 on its website on 15th May 2024. The candidates can apply for the CDS exam for recruitment into the Army, Air Force and Navy of the defence forces up to 4th June 2024. We have updated the direct link to download the latest CDS 2 2024 Notification PDF below.

CDS 2 2024 Notification PDF Download Link Download PDF

CDS 2 2024 Vacancy

UPSC has released the CDS 2 vacancy along with the notification on 15th May on its website. A total of 459 vacancies have been released for the UPSC CDS 2 exam. Check the latest vacancy distribution in the table below academy wise. 

CDS 2 2024 Vacancy
Name of the academy Number of Vacancies
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
158th (DE) Course commencing in January 2025 
100
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala
Course commencing in January 2025
32
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad
Training Course commencing in January 2025
32
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men
121st SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in April 2025
276
Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women
35th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in April 2025
19
Total Vacancies 459

CDS 2024 Application Form

(i) Candidates are required to apply online ONLY on the official website of UPSC. Candidate should have details of one Photo ID Card viz. Aadhaar Card/Voter Card/PAN Card/Passport/Driving Licence/Any other Photo ID Card issued by the State/Central Government. 

(ii) Upload a scanned copy of the Photo ID whose details have been provided in the online application by him/her. This Photo ID Card will be used for all future referencing and the candidate is advised to carry this Photo ID Card while appearing for Examination/Personality Test/SSB.

(iii) Upload Photograph & Signature (Image should be in .jpg format of minimum 20 KB and maximum 300 KB)

(iv) Select the examination centre, Pay Exam Fees and accept the Declaration, and Submit. Download a copy of the application form for future use.

Note: On successful completion of the application process, an auto-generated email message will be sent on the registered email-ids of the candidates. Moreover, the candidates need to carry the same Photo ID proof uploaded by them on the application form to the exam centre. The eligible candidates shall be issued an e-Admit Card three weeks before the commencement of the examination.

Check: Last 5 Years CDS GK Questions

CDS Application Fee

The candidates are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- (Rupees two hundred only) [except female/SC/ST candidates who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India or by using Visa/Master/Rupay Credit/Debit Card.

All female candidates and candidates belonging to scheduled castes/scheduled tribes are not required to pay any fee. No fee exemption is, however, available to OBC candidates and they are required to pay the full prescribed fee.

UPSC CDS 2 Eligibility

UPSC has prescribed the CDS eligibility criteria in the notification. The CDS 2 eligibility criteria involve the fulfilment of the following parameters.

Nationality for CDS Exam

(i) a Citizen of India, or

(ii) a subject of Nepal, or

(iii) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates will have to produce a Certificate issued by Indian authorities certifying their claim.

CDS Age Limit, Education Qualification

Only unmarried male and female candidates are eligible to fill the CDS application form. The candidates who are willing to fill the CDS application form must make sure that they have fulfilled the given age limit, and educational qualification as mentioned in the table below. 

Name of the Academy

Age Limit for CDS 

Educational Qualification for CDS

Indian Military Academy

19 to 24 years

Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university

Air Force Academy

20 to 24 years

 (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and
current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 yrs. 

B.E/B.Tech from a recognized university OR Degree from a recognized university with Physics & Mathematics as subjects

Indian Naval Academy

19 to 24 years

B.E/B.Tech from a recognized university or equivalent

Officers Training Academy

(SSC Course for men)

19 to 25 years

Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or equivalent

Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course)

19 to 25 years

Bachelor’s degree from a recognized

CDS Exam Pattern

The CDS exam pattern is based on the pattern that is set by the UPSC. The exam is held in offline mode. It is mandatory to qualify for each section of the CDS exam. Candidates who wish to join the Indian Navy, Air Force have to appear for English, Mathematics and GK. In contrast, candidates who plan on joining only the Indian Army will have only English and GK subjects. Given below is the CDS exam pattern based on which the CDS Question Paper

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

SNo

Subject

Maximum Marks

Duration

1

English

120

2 hours

2

General Knowledge

120

2 hours

3

Elementary Mathematics

100

2 hours

For Officers’ Training Academy

SNo

Subject

Maximum Marks

Duration

1

English

100

2 hours

2

General Knowledge

100

2 hours

CDS Syllabus 2024

The UPSC CDS syllabus 2024 is composed of objective questions from subjects that are English, General Awareness, and Maths. The syllabus is based on the Graduate level. The candidates are advised to practice the previous year CDS question papers to be well versed with the questions asked in the examination. 

CDS Cut off 2024 

UPSC shall release the CDS cut off marks for the written exam after final selection of the CDS recruitment. Candidates have to obtain the CDS cut off marks for each subject as well as overall cut off marks to appear for the SSB. The minimum qualifying for each subject is 20% The selection of the candidates will be done on the basis of the marks obtained in the written exam and SSB. We have provided you with the CDS cut off marks in the table that is given below. 

CDS 2 Cut off 2021

Course

CDS 2 2021 Written Result

CDS 2 2021 Final Result

Minimum qualifying marks in each Subject

Minimum aggregate marks of the last qualified candidate

Marks of last recommended candidate

IMA

20 marks (i.e. 20%)

138 marks (i.e. 46%)

263

INA

20 marks (i.e. 20%)

132 marks (i.e. 44%)

256

AFA

20 marks (i.e. 20%)

148 marks (i.e. 49.33%)

270

OTA (Men)

20 marks (i.e. 20%)

102 marks (i.e. 51%)

183

OTA (Women)

20 marks (i.e. 20%)

102 marks (i.e. 51%)

184

CDS 2 2021 Cutoff

Academy

Written Exam

Final Exam

 

Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate

Marks of last recommended candidate

IMA

145

268

INA

136

260

AFA

158

281

OTA (Men)

107

189

OTA(Women)

107

191

CDS Result 2024

UPSC CDS 2 result 2024 shall be declared by the UPSC on its website on a few days after the exam has been completed. Candidates who appear for the CDS 2 exam will be able to download the CDS result from the UPSC website of the direct link that will be shared here. 

You may also apply for other Government Jobs 

Trending Exam: CTET SSC JE | NDA | SSC CPO | AP TET

Other Exams

View All

Trending

Just Now

Result Updates