CDS 2023 - Admit card (Soon), exam date, cutoff, result
CDS 2023 - The Union Public Service Commission will issue the UPSC CDS 1 2023 admit card on the official website - upsc.gov.in. Candidates appearing for the UPSC CDS 2023 exam will be able to download the CDS 1 2023 admit card by using their login credentials at upsc.gov.in.
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UPSC will conduct the CDS 1 exam 2023 on April 16, 2023 at various exam centres across the country. UPSC has already released the exam calendar of CDS 2023 on the official website. UPSC CDS 2 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 13, 2023 at various exam centres across the country.
Candidates who qualify for the CDS 2023 written exam will be shortlisted for the SSB interview. UPSC CDS exam 2023 is conducted for candidates who wish to pursue their career as commissioned officers in the Indian Navy, Air Force, and Army after Graduation or candidates appearing in their final year. For more details about UPSC CDS 2023, candidates can go through the article below.
UPSC CDS 2023 Full Form
The full form of UPSC CDS is Union Public Service Commission Combined Defence Services. UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice a year. UPSC CDS exam is conducted in two stages: a written examination followed by the SSB interview. Candidates who qualify for the written CDS exam 2023 will be eligible for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview that includes Personality Cum Psychometric tests and Intelligence Interviews.
UPSC CDS 2023 Highlights
Full Exam Name | Combined Defence Services Examination |
Short Exam Name | CDS |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
Frequency of Conduct | Twice a year |
Languages | English, Hindi |
Mode of Application | Online |
Application Fee | Rs 200 for Offline and Online |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Mode of Counselling | Offline |
Exam Duration | 6 Hours |
Number of Seats (CDS 1) | 341 seats |
Number of Seats (CDS 2) | To be announced |
UPSC CDS 2023 Dates
The Union Public Service Commission has already announced the UPSC CDS exam dates 2023 for both Combined Defense Services 1 & 2. Candidates should check the accurate dates given in the table below so that they won’t miss any major events.
CDS 2023 Exam Dates
Events | CDS 1 2023 | CDS 2 2023 |
CDS notification 2023 | December 21, 2022 | May 17, 2023 |
CDS application form release date 2023 | December 21, 2022 | May 17, 2023 |
The last date to apply for the CDS 2023 application form | January 12, 2023 | June 6, 2023 |
CDS application form correction facility | January 18 to 24, 2023 | To be notified |
CDS 2023 application withdrawal dates | January 18 to 24, 2023 | To be notified |
CDS admit card date 2023 | To be notified | To be notified |
CDS exam date 2023 | April 16, 2023 | September 3, 2023 |
CDS question papers release date | To be notified | To be notified |
CDS result 2023 | To be notified | To be notified |
UPSC CDS 2023 SSB Interview date | To be notified | To be notified |
CDS cut off date 2023 | To be notified | To be notified |
CDS 2023 Vacancy
The fresh vacancies to be filled through CDS 1 2023 examination for the course commencing in January 2024 has been announced along with the official CDS 1 2023 notification. This year, 341 vacancies are announced for Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy. Take a look at the CDS 2023 Vacancy Distribution. The vacancies for CDS 2 2023 exam will be announced along with the release of the official UPSC CDS 2 2023 notification at upsc.gov.in.
CDS 1 2023 Vacancy | |
Name of the Academy | Number of Vacancies |
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 22 |
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai SSC Men | 170 |
Officers’ Training Academy, SSC Women | 17 |
Total Vacancies | 100 |
UPSC CDS 2023 Eligibility Criteria
Aspirants can check the CDS eligibility criteria 2023 like age limit, educational qualification, and marital status to be eligible for the CDS exam 2023.
Nationality
Candidates applying for the CDS exam 2023 must be
An Indian citizen, or
A Tibetan refugee, (before January 1962), or
A subject to Nepal or Bhutan, or
Migrants from Pakistan, Burma, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and East African countries of Kenya, and Uganda, with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Age
Candidates must be 20 to 24 years old.
Educational Qualification marital status as per courses
Courses | Marital Status | Age Limit | Qualification |
Officer Training Academy (OTA - Women, Non-Technical) | Unmarried and Widow | 19-25 years | Degree of a recognized University |
Officer Training Academy (OTA - Men) | Unmarried and Married | 19-25 years | Degree of a recognized University or equivalent |
Indian Naval Academy (INA) | Unmarried | 19-24 years | Degree in Engineering from a recognized University or Institution |
Indian Military Academy (IMA) | Unmarried | 19 to 24 years | Degree of recognized University or equivalent |
Air Force Academy (AFA) | Unmarried | 20-24 years | Degree of recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics |
CDS 2023 Educational Qualification
Courses | Educational Qualification |
Indian Military Academy | Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.Com., B.Sc., B.B.A., B.C.A., B.Tech., etc.) from a recognized University or equivalent institute |
Indian Naval Academy | Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from a recognized University or College |
Air Force Academy | Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor degree in Engineering |
OTA - Men | Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized University or equivalent institute |
OTA - Women (Non-Technical) | Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized University or equivalent institute |
CDS 2023 - Physical Fitness
Candidates applying for CDS should be physically fit in all aspects as prescribed by the three defence departments i.e. Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. A few points are given below for the physical standards required for the CDS exam.
Applicants must be physically fit as per the prescribed standard of UPSC and the relevant Defense department.
Applicants must be good in physical health and sound mental health and free from any disease/disability that can interfere with the performance of their duties.
There should be no evidence of Bodily defects or overweight.
The minimum height requirement for male applicants is 157.5 cm for Army, 157 cm for the Navy and 162.5 cm for Air Force.
The minimum height of female candidates should be 152 cm for OTA (non-technical).
For candidates belonging to Gorkhas and hills of the North-Eastern region of India, Garhwali and Kumaon, 5 cm height relaxation is provided at the minimum acceptable height. In the case of applicants from Lakshadweep, a 2 cm relaxation is provided.
Applicants must have a sufficient number of natural teeth. A minimum of 14 dental points will be acceptable for CDS recruitment. If all 32 teeth are present, the total dental points are 22.
Check the vision standard for all Defence services given in the table below.
CDS Visual Standard for Air Force
Male | Female |
Vision (corrected) better eye 6/6 and worse eye 6/12 | Vision with a better eye 6/6, worse eye 6/12 |
Myopia of not more than minus 3.5 D | Myopia of not more than minus 5.5 D |
Manifest Hypermetropia of not more than plus 3.5 D including Astigmatism | Manifest Hypermetropia of not more than plus 3.5 D including Astigmatism |
CDS Visual Standard for Indian Navy
Uncorrected Without Glass - 6/12 |
Corrected With Glass - 6/6 |
Limits of Myopia - 1.5 |
Limits of Hypermetropia - +1.5 |
For more detailed information on the CDS eligibility criteria, check the CDS 2023 official notification.
CDS Application Form 2023
The Union Public Service Commission has closed the UPSC CDS 1 application form window on January 12, 2023. Before filling up the application form, candidates need to complete the One-Time Registration and then move ahead to apply for the UPSC CDS 2023 application form. Aspirants who wish to withdraw the CDS 2023 application form can use this facility online.
Documents Required While Filling CDS 2023 Application form
Active email address
Matriculation Certificate
Scanned Signature
Scanned Photograph
One photo identity proof like Aadhar Card/Voter Card/PAN Card/Passport/Driving License
Steps to fill UPSC CDS 2023 application form
Access the UPSC official website - upsc.gov.in.
Tap on the “Apply Online Link” available on the web page.
Online One-Time Registration - If candidates have not completed one-time registration, they have to complete it by providing some basic details such as personal and contact details.
Login by using a valid email Id and OTP/password or Mobile Number.
Aspirants have to fill out the UPSC CDS 2023 application form thoroughly and edit the information if required.
Once submitted, candidates can’t make changes to their UPSC CDS 2023 application form.
After submission, a registration number will be generated. Aspirants have to download it as a PDF file and take a printout for future use.
CDS Application Fee
Category | CDS Application Fee |
General & OBC | Rs 200 |
SC, ST and Female candidates | No Fee |
UPSC CDS 2023 Admit Card
Union Public Service Commission will release the CDS 1 admit card 2023 on the official website - upsc.gov.in. Candidates appearing in the UPSC CDS 1 2023 exam will be able to download the CDS 1 admit card 2023 by using registration number/roll number and date of birth at upsc.gov.in.
The CDS exam admit card 2023 will be available for candidates who have successfully filled out and submitted the application form.
Details on UPSC CDS 2023 admit card
Candidate’s name
Scanned signature and coloured photograph
Registration Number
Candidate’s category
Examination date
Reporting time
Address of examination centre
Examination timing
CDS 2023 Syllabus - Written Exam
The Combined Defense Service exam has two written papers for the OTA course and three written papers for other courses. The subjects from which questions are framed in the CDS 2023 exam are Mathematics, General Knowledge and English. English and General Knowledge questions are asked in both the CDS OTA and CDS IMA/INA/IFA courses.
CDS IMA/INA/IFA course has one extra subject which is Mathematics. The questions asked in the CDS 2023 exam are of the 10th and 12th standards. For more information on the CDS syllabus 2023, OTA candidates can go through the table given below.
CDS 2023 Syllabus for Written Exam
Subjects | Topics |
Mathematics |
|
English | The questions are asked to test the candidates’ understanding of English and a working man like the use of words |
General Knowledge |
|
CDS 2023 Exam Pattern
Applicants have to clear the CDS written exam to get selected for the Interview round. Go through the CDS exam pattern 2023 for all posts given below.
There will be Multiple-Choice questions in each paper.
The question paper for General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set in Hindi as well as English.
There will be a penalty of ⅓ marks for a wrong answer.
The duration of each exam is different i.e., 2 hours.
CDS Exam Pattern 2023 - Written Exam
For Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy | |||
S. No. | Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration |
1. | English | 120 | 2 Hours |
2. | General Knowledge | 120 | 2 Hours |
3. | Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 Hours |
For Officers’ Training Academy | |||
S. No. | Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration |
1. | English | 100 | 2 Hours |
2. | General Knowledge | 100 | 2 Hours |
Note: The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the Interview will be equal for each course i.e. The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the Interview will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.
CDS Exam Pattern 2023 - SSB Interview
Stages | Tests | |
Stage-I | Screening Test | Verbal and Non-Verbal Tests PPDT |
Stage-II | Psychological Test | Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Word Association Test (WAT) Situation Reaction Test (SRT) Self Description Test (SD) |
Group Testing Officers Test | GD GPE PGT HGT IOT Common Task Snake Race/Group Obstacle Race Individual Lecture FGT | |
Personal Interview | ||
Conference |
CDS 2023 Exam Centres
The UPSC CDS 2023 exam centres are detailed by the UPSC in the official notification for candidates. Candidates can select the nearest exam centres by filling up exam city depending upon their choice on the UPSC CDS application form. Aspirants can select the exam city centre nearest to their location by going through the table given below.
State | City |
Assam | Jorhat |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
Andhra Pradesh | Tirupati |
Visakhapatnam | |
Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
Bihar | Patna |
Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
Delhi | Delhi |
Tripura | Agartala |
Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
Mizoram | Aizawl |
Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad |
Lucknow | |
Bareilly | |
Karnataka | Bangalore |
Dharwad | |
Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
Punjab | Chandigarh |
Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
Madurai | |
Odisha | Cuttack |
Sambalpur | |
Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
Sikkim | Gangtok |
Telangana | Hyderabad |
Manipur | Imphal |
Rajasthan | Jaipur |
Udaipur | |
Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu |
Srinagar | |
Kerala | Kochi |
Thiruvananthapuram | |
Nagaland | Kohima |
West Bengal | Kolkata |
Maharashtra | Mumbai |
Nagpur | |
Goa | Panaji |
Jharkhand | Ranchi |
Meghalaya | Shillong |
Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
Andhra Pradesh | Tirupati |
Visakhapatnam | |
Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
Documents Required at the CDS 2023 Exam Centres
Admit Card
Aadhar Card
Voter Card
PAN Card
Passport
Driving Licence
Any other photo ID card issued by the State/Central Government
CDS 2023 Answer Key
The Union Public Service Commission will release the official answer key of the Written exam after the conclusion of all stages of the exam. CDS answer key 2023 will be available subject-wise for all test booklets. Aspirants can go through the number of correct and incorrect answers marked by them with the help of the answer key. A few coaching institutes will release the provisional answer key after the completion of the CDS exam 2023 on the same day.
CDS 2023 Result
The Union Public Service Commission will announce the CDS result 2023 in PDF format on the official website. UPSC CDS written exam result and the final CDS result 2023 will be declared separately. Applicants have to secure qualifying marks as prescribed by the UPSC to qualify for the written examination.
Aspirants who qualify for the written exam will be eligible to appear for the SSB Interview. The final CDS result 2023 is calculated by adding marks secured by applicants in Written as well as SSB Interview.
Steps to Check CDS 2023 Result
Go to the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in.
Tap on the “Written Result” tab on the Home Page.
CDS 2023 results for the written exam will be displayed on your screen.
Tap Ctrl+F and check your Roll Number in PDF.
If the name is mentioned in the PDF, the details for the Interview Round will be sent to the candidates’ registered email addresses.
Download and take a printout of the same for future use.
CDS 2023 Cut-off
The Union Public Service Commission will release the CDS 2023 exam cut-off separately for the written examination and SSB Interview on the official website. Candidates who score equal to or more than cut off in the written exam will be called for the SSB Interview.
The CDS 2023 cut-off marks of the Written Test are calculated out of the total score of 300 for INA, IMA, and IFA and 200 for OTA (Men & Women). Go through the CDS previous year’s cut-off for your reference.
CDS 1 Cut Off 2021 | ||
Category | Written Cut Off | Final Cut Off |
IMA (Indian Military Academy) | 144 | 265 |
INA (Indian Naval Academy) | 135 | 258 |
AFA (Air Force Academy) | 155 | 280 |
OTA (Officers’ Training Academy) Men | 104 | 185 |
OTA (Officers’ Training Academy) Women | 102 | 185 |
CDS 2023 Selection Process
The selection process for the CDS exam 2023 is done in two stages - Written exam and SSB Interview. In the first stage, candidates have to appear in three papers to get admission to the Indian Army, Naval and Air Force and two papers for admission to the Officers’ Training Academy.
Documents Required At Counselling
Call Letter
Matriculation/ Secondary School Examination Certificate or Equivalent
Degree/Provisional Degree Certificate/Mark Sheet
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - CDS 2023 - Admit card (Soon), exam date, cutoff, result
Question: What is the educational qualification required for the CDS 2023 exam?
Answer:
A bachelor's degree is required for the CDS 2023 exam.
Question: Can girls apply for the CDS 2023 exam?
Answer:
Yes, girls can also apply for the CDS exam 2023. Girls are considered for OTA and allotted Short Service Commission in the non-technical cadre.
Question: What is the salary offered to candidates selected through the CDS 2023 exam?
Answer:
The cadets are paid Rs 56,100 per month. During training, they get a stipend of Rs. 6000 OTA while Rs. 12,000 per month in IMA, INA, and Air Force Academy.
Question: What are the passing marks on the CDS exam?
Answer:
The written exam of CDS is conducted for 300 marks and candidates must score a minimum of 20% of the total marks i.e., 60. Candidates need to qualify in all three papers of the CDS exam.
Question: How to check CDS marks?
Answer:
CDS marks can be checked on the official website - upsc.gov.in. The CDS marks are released after the announcement of the result.
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Questions related to CDS
What is the educational qualification required for the CDS 2023 exam?
A bachelor's degree is required for the CDS 2023 exam.
Can girls apply for the CDS 2023 exam?
Yes, girls can also apply for the CDS exam 2023. Girls are considered for OTA and allotted Short Service Commission in the non-technical cadre.
What is the salary offered to candidates selected through the CDS 2023 exam?
The cadets are paid Rs 56,100 per month. During training, they get a stipend of Rs. 6000 OTA while Rs. 12,000 per month in IMA, INA, and Air Force Academy.
What are the passing marks on the CDS exam?
The written exam of CDS is conducted for 300 marks and candidates must score a minimum of 20% of the total marks i.e., 60. Candidates need to qualify in all three papers of the CDS exam.
How to check CDS marks?
CDS marks can be checked on the official website - upsc.gov.in. The CDS marks are released after the announcement of the result.