CDS 2024 Exam: Hall Ticket Out, Notification, Exam Date (1 Sep), Syllabus & More
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.
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.
- 15th May 2024: UPSC CDS 2 notification 2024 has been released.
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 | |
| 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 | 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.
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