CDS 2 Exam 2025 - Answer key, Result, Question Paper, Cutoff
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About CDS 2025
The Union Public Service Commission commenced the CDS 2 exam 2025 on September 14, 2025, in offline mode. Earlier, the UPSC CDS 2 admit card was released on September 4, 2025, at upsc.gov.in/ upsconline.nic.in. The commission provided the CDS application correction window 2025 from July 7 to 9, 2025. Candidates were able to fill the UPSC CDS 2 application form 2025 from May 28 to June 20, 2025.
The application form and the UPSC CDS 2025 notification were released on the same date on the official website. The CDS exam 2025 is conducted for those who wish to pursue their careers as commissioned officers in the Navy, Air Force and Army after graduation or candidates appearing in their final year. There are two stages in the CDS exam 2025: a written exam followed by the SSB interview.
Candidates who qualify in written CDS exam 2025 are eligible for the Services Selection Board (SSB) Interview which includes Personality cum Psychometric tests and Intelligence interviews. Candidates who clear the UPSC CDS exam 2025 selection process will have to undergo training programmes as per their merit and preference for Army, Navy and Air Force jobs. The training of selected candidates will be done at Indian Military Academy (IMA Dehradun), Indian Naval Academy (INA Ezhimala), Air Force Academy (Hyderabad), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA Chennai).
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CDS 2025 Highlights
| Full Exam Name | Combined Defence Services Examination |
| Short Exam Name | CDS |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Frequency Of Conduct | Twice a year |
| Exam Level | Intermediate |
| Languages | English +1 more |
| Mode Of Application | online |
| Application Fee | Offline : 100+1 more |
| Mode Of Exam | offline |
| Mode Of Counselling | offline |
| Exam Duration | 6 Hours |
| No Of Seats | 483 |
CDS Important Dates
CDS Combined Defence Services Examination (session 2025)
Union Public Service Commission will release the result of CDS 2 exam on the official website. Candidates have to secure qualifying marks as prescribed by UPSC to qualify the written exam. Candidates who qualify for the written CDS exam are eligible to appear for an SSB interview.
The CDS 2 exam result for the written exam and final CDS result are declared separately. The final result of CDS is calculated by adding the marks secured by candidates in written as well as SSB Interview.
Candidates must check the CDS exam eligibility criteria like age limit, educational qualification, marital status to be eligible for the CDS exam 2025.
Nationality
Candidates applying for CDS exam 2025 must be
- an Indian citizen, or
- a subject to Nepal, or
- Migrants from Pakistan, Burma, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, with the intention of permanently settling in India
Age
| Academy | Age Limit |
| IMA | Born not before July 2, 2002 and not later than July 1, 2007 |
| INA | Born not before July 2, 2002 and not later than July 1, 2007 |
| AFA | Born not before July 2, 2002 and not later than July 1, 2007 |
Educational Qualification martial status as per courses
Courses | Marital Status | Qualification |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA - women, Non-Technical) | Unmarried and widow | Degree of a recognised university or equivalent |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA - men) | Unmarried | Degree of a recognised university or equivalent |
| Indian Naval Academy (NA) | Unmarried | Degree in Engineering from a recognised university/institution |
| Indian Military Academy (IMA) | Unmarried | Degree of a recognised university or equivalent |
| Air Force Academy (AFA) | Unmarried (Candidates above 25 can be married) | Degree of a recognised university (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering |
The commission was opened the CDS application correction window 2025 from July 7 to 9, 2025. The last date to submit the CDS application form 2025 was June 20, 2025 (extended date). UPSC released the CDS 2 application form today, May 28, 2025. The UPSC CDS 2025 application form was released in online mode only. Candidates have to complete the One-Time Registration and then proceed to apply for the UPSC CDS exam 2025. Candidates are required to fill the CDS application form carefully.
Documents Required While Filling CDS Application Form
- Active Email – ID
- Matriculation certificate
- Scanned signature
- Scanned photograph
- One photo identity proof like an Aadhar card/ Voter card/ PAN card/ Passport/ Driving license
Steps to Fill UPSC CDS Application Form
Open the UPSC official website - upsc.gov.in.
Click on the ‘Apply Online link’ available on the web page.
Online One-Time Registration (OTR)- If the applicants are not completed the One Time Registration, They have to complete it by providing some basic details such as personal and contact details.
Login by using valid login credentials Email ID and OTP/Password or Mobile number and OTP/Password or OTR ID and OTP/Password.
Candidates have to fill out the UPSC CDS 2025 application form in two parts which include filling in other details, fee payment, uploading of scanned documents, signature, photo identity card document and selection of preferred exam centre.
Check all the details furnished in the UPSC CDS application form 2025 thoroughly and edit the details if needed.
Once submitted, Applicants will not be able to make changes to their UPSC CDS application form 2025.
After submission, a registration number will be generated. Candidates have to download it as a pdf file and take a printout for future reference.
CDS Application Fee
| Category | CDS Application Fee |
| General & OBC | Rs.200 |
| SC, ST & Female Candidates | No Fee |
Documents Required at Exam CDS 2025
Combined Defence Services Examination 2025
CDS 2025 Exam Centers
| State | City |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad Bareilly Lucknow |
| Karnataka | Bangalore Dharwad |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| Punjab | Chandigarh |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai Madurai |
| Odisha | Cuttack Sambalpur |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| Delhi | Delhi |
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur Udaipur |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu Srinagar |
| Assam | Jorhat |
| Kerala | Kochi Thiruvananthapuram |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| West Bengal | Kolkata |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai Nagpur |
| Goa | Panaji |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| Andhra Pradesh | Tirupati Visakhapatnam |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
UPSC prescribed the CDS exam pattern 2025 in the official notification. There are two stages in the CDS exam 2025- written and SSB interviews. The written CDS exam 2025 is conducted in pen and paper mode. As per the CDS exam pattern, candidates who apply for Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Indian Military Academy courses have to appear for three subjects - English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics while candidates who have opted for Officers' Training Academy have to appear for two subjects – English and General Knowledge.
CDS Exam Pattern – Written Exam
Structure of CDS exam pattern for admission to Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Indian Military Academy.
| Subject | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 hours |
| English | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 100 | 2 hours |
Structure of exam pattern for admission to Officers’ Training Academy
| Subject | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| General Knowledge | 100 | 2 hours |
| English | 100 | 2 hours |
CDS Exam Pattern – 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 Command Task Snake race/ Group Obstacle Race Individual lecture FGT | |
Personal Interview | ||
Conference | ||
CDS 2025 Syllabus
CDS Combined Defence Services Examination Syllabus
Arithmetic
Algebra
Trigonometry
Geometry
Mensuration
Statistics
Elementary mathematics: Unit 01
Arithmetic
- Number system-natural numbers, integers, rational, and real numbers
- Fundamental operations, addition, substraction, multiplication, division, square roots, decimal fractions
- Unitary method, time and distance, time and work, percentages, applications to simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, variation
- Elementary number theory-division algorithm
- Prime and composite numbers
- Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11
- Multiples and factors
- Factorisation theorem
- H.C.F. and L.C.M.
- Euclidean algorithm
- Logarithms to base 10, laws of logarithms, use of logarithmic tables
Elementary mathematics: Unit 02
Algebra
- Basic operations, simple factors, remainder theorem, H.C.F., L.C.M., theory of polynomials, solutions of quadratic equations, relation between its roots and coefficients (only real roots to be considered)
- Simultaneous linear equations in two unknowns-analytical and graphical solutions
- Simultaneous linear inequations in two variables and their solutions
- Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or inequations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable and their solutions
- Set language and set notation, rational expressions and conditional identities, laws of indices
Elementary mathematics: Unit 03
Trigonometry
- Sine ×, cosine ×, Tangent × when 0° < × < 90° values of sin ×, cos × and tan ×, for × = 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°, simple trigonometric identities
- Use of trigonometric tables
- Simple cases of heights and distances
Elementary mathematics: Unit 04
Geometry
- Lines and angles, plane and plane figures, theorems on (i) properties of angles at a point, (ii) parallel lines, (iii) sides and angles of a triangle, (iv) congruency of triangles, (v) similar triangles, (vi) concurrence of medians and altitudes
- Theorems on (vii) properties of angles, sides and diagonals of a parallelogram, rectangle, and square, (viii) circles and its properties including tangents and normals, (ix) loci
Elementary mathematics: Unit 05
Mensuration
- Areas of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangle, and circle
- Areas of figures which can be split up into these figures (field book), surface area and volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders, surface area and volume of spheres
Elementary mathematics: Unit 06
Statistics
- Collection and tabulation of statistical data, graphical representation frequency polygons, histograms, bar charts, pie charts etc.
- Measures of central tendency
To score well in the written exam of CDS, candidates must know the preparation tips and strategies. Candidates must know the importance of solving the previous years’ question papers, timely revision, time management, etc. which are the key elements of preparation.
Union Public Service Commission has issued the UPSC CDS 2 2025 admit card on September 4, 2025 in online mode. The CDS 2 admit card 2025 is available for download at upsc.gov.in. Candidates can download the CDS exam admit card until the examination date. In order to download the CDS admit card 2025, candidates can either log in using their roll number or registration number. The CDS 2 2025 admit card is available for candidates who have successfully filled and submitted the application form.
Details on the CDS Admit Card 2025
- Candidate’s name
- Scanned signature and colour photograph
- Registration number
- Candidate’s category
- Examination date
- Reporting time
- Address of examination centre
- Examination timing
UPSC releases the official answer key of CDS 2 exam on the official website. The CDS 2 answer key will be available subject wise for all test booklets. Candidates can check the number of correct and incorrect answers marked by them with the help of answer key. There are some coaching institutes who release the unofficial answer key after the completion of the CDS exam 2025 on the same day.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will release the cut off of CDS exam 2025 after the selection process is over. Candidates who score equal or more than cut off released by UPSC are eligible SSB Interview. The CDS cut off marks of written test for is calculated out of the total score of 300 for INA, IFA and IMA, and 200 for OTA (Men & Women). The final cut off will be released in by UPSC later.
Documents Required at CDS 2025 counselling
Combined Defence Services Examination 2025
The CDS2 selection process 2025 is of two stages - written exam and SSB interview. In the first stage - CDS written exam, candidates are required to appear in three papers for admission in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and two papers for admission in Officers’ Training Academy. The next stage is the SSB interview.
General Information
Contact Number:
011-23385271 + 2 more
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the CDS 2 exam date?
A:
The CDS 2 exam 2025 was conducted today, September 14, 2025.
Q: When will the CDS 2 application be released?
A:
UPSC released the CDS 2025 application form on May 28, 2025.
Q: How many CDS vacacnies have been announced?
A:
The number of CDS 2 vacancies are a total of 483.
Q: What is the age limit to apply for the CDS exam?
A:
Candidates between the age group of 20 years to 24 years can apply for the CDS exam.
Q: What is the educational qulification required for the CDS exam?
A:
Bachelors degree is must to apply for the CDS examination.
Q: Can girls apply for CDS exam?
A:
Yes, girls too can apply for CDS exam. Girls are considered for OTA and allotted Short Service Commission in non-Technical cadre.
Q: What are passing marks for CDS exam?
A:
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.
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Have a question related to CDS ?
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.
Hi dear candidate,
The age limit for various roles in CDS are:
1) IMA: 19 to 24 years of age, 8 to 9 attempts.
2) INA: 19 to 24 years of age, 8 to 9 attempts.
3) OTA: 19 TO 25 years of age, 10 to 11 attempts.
This is all considering your DOB as of 26 Oct, 2005 as you are 19 years old in Aug 2025.
Know more at:
CDS Exam Dates 2025 (Out) - Check UPSC CDS 2 Complete Exam Schedule
CDS Selection Process 2025 - Written Exam, SSB Interview, DV, Pay Scale
BEST OF LUCK
Yes, you will be eligible for CDS-1 2027 under OTA (SSC Women – Non-Technical Course). The age limit for OTA is 19–25 years (you must be born between 2nd Jan 2001 and 1st Jan 2007). Since your date of birth is 4 July 2002, you will be 24 years old at that time, so you fall within the required age range.
But you will not be eligible for IMA, INA or AFA, because their upper age limit is 24 years, and by 2027 you will cross that limit.
Applications for Admissions are open.
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