CDS 1 Exam Cut off 2026 - Check Expected & Previous year Cutoff Marks
UPSC CDS Cut off 2026 - Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 1 cut off 2026 on the official website after the final round. The UPSC CDS 2026 cut off pdf will be available at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC CDS cut off is the minimum score a candidate must obtain in the CDS exam. The CDS cut off 2026 will be determined based on many factors like the the difficulty level of the exam, number of vacancies, number of candidates who have appeared and the final SSB interview. After the SSB Interview, a merit list will be prepared, and the final UPSC CDS result will be available to candidates on the UPSC website.
Factors Affecting the CDS Cut off 2026
This Story also Contains
- CDS 2025 Expected Cut-Off
- CDS Result 2026
- CDS Answer Key 2026
Several factors affect the UPSC CDS cut off 2026. Candidates can check the factors affecting the cut off of CDS 2 exam below.
Number of applicants
Number of vacancies
Difficulty level
Previous year CDS Cutoff trends
Quick links:
How To Check CDS Cut off 2026?
Step 1: Visit the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in.
Step 2: Click on the examination tab and select cut off marks from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Select CDS 1 cut off 2026 from the list.
Step 4: Download the CDS 2026 cutoff PDF for future reference.
Stages of CDS Cut off 2026
Union Public Service Commission will release the CDS 1 cut off for written exam and final cut off. For more details regarding the CDS cut off, candidates can check the below mentioned stages.
CDS Cut off 2026 - Written Exam
The written UPSC CDS 1 2026 is the first stage of the CDS exam. Candidates appearing for the exam must score equal to or more than the CDS 1 qualifying marks to qualify for the next stage. The minimum cut off marks for CDS 2026 will be 20% in all three papers. The written exam of CDS 1 2026 comprises three papers while candidates appearing for OTA have to appear for only two CDS papers.
CDS Cut off 2026 - Final Merit List
The final merit list of CDS 2026 will be released based on the performance of candidates in the CDS 2026 written exam, SSB interview, and medical exam. Candidates who clear the CDS written exam 2026 will be called for an SSB interview and medical examination. After qualifying in all these stages they will be recruited to the vacant posts as released by UPSC.
CDS 2025 Expected Cut-Off
CDS levels | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff |
AFA | 132-135 | 130-135 |
IMA | 118-121 | 120-123 |
INA | 109-112 | 108-111 |
CDS OTA Cut Off 2025 (Expected)
CDS levels | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff |
OTA (female) | 81-84 | 80-83 |
OTA (male) | 81-84 | 82-85 |
Previous Years' CDS Cut off
Candidates can check the CDS previous year's cut off mark to check the past year's trends. With the help of the previous year's CDS 2 cut off marks, candidates can check the expected cut off and safe scores to qualify for the exam. For more details of CDS total marks and cut off, refer to the table given below.
CDS 1 2024 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 120 (out of 300 marks) | 244 (out of 600 marks) |
INA | 100 (out of 300 marks) | 230 (out of 600 marks) |
AFA | 128 (out of 300 marks) | 250 (out of 600 marks) |
OTA (Men) | 87 (out of 200 marks) | 168 (out of 400 marks) |
OTA(Women) | 87 (out of 200 marks) | 168 (out of 400 marks) |
CDS 2 2023 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 127 marks (out of 300) | 250 (out of 600) |
INA | 110 marks (out of 300) | 237 (out of 600) |
AFA | 136 marks (out of 300) | 259 (out of 600) |
OTA (Men) | 104 marks (out of 200) | 185 (out of 400 |
OTA(Women) | 104 marks (out of 200) | 188 (out of 400) |
CDS 1 2023 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 132 | 257 |
INA | 122 | 247 |
AFA | 142 | 266 |
OTA (Men) | 101 | 181 |
OTA(Women) | 101 | 184 |
CDS 2 2022 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 126 | 249 |
INA | 118 | 248 |
AFA | 136 | 258 |
OTA (Men) | 98 | 180 |
OTA(Women) | 98 | 179 |
CDS 1 2022 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 136 | 258 |
INA | 128 | 256 |
AFA | 147 | 269 |
OTA (Men) | 100 | 181 |
OTA(Women) | 100 | 184 |
CDS 2 2021 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 138 | 263 |
INA | 132 | 256 |
AFA | 148 | 270 |
OTA (Men) | 102 | 183 |
OTA(Women) | 102 | 184 |
Note: *Subject to a minimum of 20% marks in each CDS paper.
CDS 1 2021 cut off
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 |
Note: *Subject to a minimum of 20% marks in each paper.
Quick links:
CDS Result 2026
The Union Public Service Commission releases the CDS 1 2026 result at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC CDS result 2026 will be released in PDF format having names and roll numbers of all the qualified candidates. Candidates need to obtain marks equivalent to the CDS cut off to qualify for further stages. Candidates who get shortlisted in the CDS result 2025 are called for an SSB interview. Qualified candidates from SSB will be called for a Medical examination.
Quick links:
CDS Answer Key 2026
The CDS exam conducting authority release the CDS 1 2025 answer key after the conclusion of the selection process. The CDS exam 2025 answer key will be released for all the sets of CDS question papers. Some coaching institutes also release the CDS 1 2025 answer key right after the examination. With the help of the answer key, candidates can check the answer key to calculate their estimated score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Where CDS 2025 result will come?
A:
The CDS 2 result released on October 9, 2025, on the official website at upsc.gov.in.
Q: How do I check my CDS 2 results?
A:
To check the CDS results, candidates must visit the official website.
Q: Where can I get the CDS cut off subject wise?
A:
Candidates will be able to get the CDS cut off 2025 on the official website after completion of the written exam. The CDS cut off subject-wise can be found online on the official website.
Q: Is CDS cut off 2025 released?
A:
yes, the commission releases the CDS 2 cut off 2025 after the recruitment process is over.
Q: What is the full form of CDS 2025?
A:
The CDS Full Form is Combined Defence Services exam.
Q: What is the selection process of the CDS exam 2025?
A:
The CDS selection process 2025 comprises of a written exam, SSB interview and medical examination.
Q: How will the cut off of CDS 2025 be released?
A:
Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 2025 cut off on their official website.
Q: What is a good score in CDS?
A:
Going by the previous year cut off trends, a good score in IMA is 255+, in INA it is 240+, in AFA it is 270+ while in OTA men and women it is 175+ and 178+ respectively.
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Have a question related to CDS ?
Yes you're eligible . If you're born on 1 july 2003, you're eligible for UPSC CDS 2 in 2026 for IMA . For IMA the candidate must be born between 2 july 2002 and 1 july 2007
Choosing the best CDS coaching in Lucknow really depends on what kind of learning environment you’re looking for. Some students prefer centres with strict discipline and regular mock tests, while others focus more on experienced faculty or smaller batch sizes. From what I’ve observed and heard from fellow aspirants, Shield
Hello aspirant,
No, after tenth grade, you are not eligible to take the CDS exam. Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in order to sit for the CDS exam. It is intended for people who are in their last year of graduation or who have finished their college education. You
Hey! Since your date of birth is 07 Nov 2006 and you will complete graduation in 2029, here’s how many chances you’ll get for CDS (INA, IMA, AFA) and AFCAT:
For CDS exams, the age limit is usually 19–24 years.
For AFCAT, Flying Branch requires 20–24 years and Ground Duty
Dear Candidate,
You are eligible for CDS 2026, but for IMA, INA and AFA post, you must be born between 2 Jan 2003 – 1 Jan 2008.
For OTA ( male and female ), all 2003 born candidates are eligible.
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