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    CDS 1 Exam Cut off 2026 - Check Expected & Previous year Cutoff Marks

    CDS 1 Exam Cut off 2026 - Check Expected & Previous year Cutoff Marks

    Deshamena RachanaUpdated on 08 May 2026, 09:55 PM IST

    UPSC CDS Cut off 2026 - The 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 difficulty level of the exam, the number of vacancies, the 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

    1. CDS 2025 Expected Cut-Off
    2. CDS Result 2026
    3. CDS Answer Key 2026
    CDS 1 Exam Cut off 2026 - Check Expected & Previous year Cutoff Marks
    UPSC CDS Cut Off 2026

    Several factors affect the UPSC CDS cut off 2026. Candidates can check the factors affecting the cut off of the 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 the written exam and the final cut off. For more details regarding the CDS cut off, candidates can check the stages mentioned below.

    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 the 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 has declared the CDS 1 2026 result on May 8, 2026 at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC CDS result 2026 is 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 releases 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: What is the full form of CDS exam?
    A:

    The CDS Full Form is Combined Defence Services exam.

    Q: What is the selection process of the CDS exam 2026?
    A:

    The CDS selection process 2026 comprises of a written exam, SSB interview and medical examination.

    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.

    Q: How do I check my CDS 2 results?
    A:

    To check the CDS results, candidates must visit the official website.

    Q: How will the cut off of CDS 2026 be released?
    A:

    Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 2026 cut off on their official website.

    Q: Where can I get the CDS cut off subject wise?
    A:

    Candidates will be able to get the CDS cut off 2026 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 2026 released?
    A:

    yes, the commission releases the CDS 2 cut off 2026 after the recruitment process is over.

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    Questions related to CDS

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CDS ?

    Hi !!

    As per the UPSC CDS eligibility criteria for IMA, you are eligible to apply for the CDS 2 exam.

    Hello,
    There are certain age limit criteria determined by the conducting body. For more details, you can refer to the article mentioned below regarding the age limit for the UPSC CDS exam.
    Eligibility criteria for CDS candidates

    Hi

    If you are a female candidate with a DOB of May 25, 2002, you can appear for the CDS exam for 4 to 5 more attempts. Check out the CDS exam dates 2026 to learn more about how and when to appear for the examination.

    Yes, you can apply for the CDS 1 2027 and CDS 2 2027 exams, but likely ONLY for the Officers' Training Academy (OTA). You will be overage for IMA, INA, and AFA.

    CDS 1 2027 Eligibility

    For the course commencing in January/April 2028, the approximate age cut-offs will be:

    Academy