CDS Full Form - What is the Full form of CDS?
CDS Full Form - The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the CDS exam. The full form of CDS is Combined Defence Services. Few people also refer to the CDS full form as Chief of Defense Staff, which is a rank given to the head of the Indian Armed Forces. It is a recently inducted rank. UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice a year. CDS is a national-level exam and is generally conducted in the month of February and November. It is a national-level exam and UPSC conducts it to recruit candidates to fill in various posts in the IMA (Indian Military Academy), INA (Indian Naval Academy), AFA (Air Force Academy) and OTA (Officers Training Academy). Just like previous year, CDS 2021 will be conducted in three stages. As per the CDS selection process the stages are Written exam, SSB Interview followed by the Medical Examination. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria of CDS can apply for it by visiting the official website @upsconline.nic.in and fill it from there. In this article of CDS full form, we will share all the information related to CDS like eligibility criteria, application form, exam dates, CDS salary and much more. If you are planning to prepare for the CDS exam, read this article till the end.
Latest: UPSC has declared the final CDS 02/2019 result for the OTA course on November 2, 2020. CDS 01/2021 application form has been released on October 28, 2020, along with the CDS 2021 notification.
CDS Full Form Overview
Exam Name | Combined Defence Service |
Commonly known as | UPSC CDS Exam |
Frequency of the exam | Twice a year |
Conducted by | Union Public Service Commission |
Stages of the exam | Written Exam SSB Interview Medical Examination |
Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
CDS Exam Dates 2021
CDS 1 Exam Dates
CDS 1 Events | |
CDS Notification 2021 | October 28, 2020 |
CDS 1 2021 Application Form | October 28, 2020 |
CDS 1 2021 Exam | February 21, 2021 |
CDS 2 Exam Dates
CDS 2 Events | Dates |
CDS 2 2021 Notification | August 04, 2021 |
CDS 2 2021 Application Form | August 04, 2021 |
CDS 2 2021 Exam | November 14, 2021 |
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2021
The eligibility criteria of CDS is divided in two sections - Nationality, Academic qualification and age limit. Refer the following table for the same.
Eligibility Criteria of CDS 2021
Age Limit Criteria | Academic Qualification |
20-24 Years: Indian Military Academy (IMA) | IMA & OTA: Graduation Degree from a recognised University |
20-22 Years: Indian Naval Academy (INA) | INA: Graduation in B.Sc. with Physics & Mathematics or Bachelor of Engineering |
20-23 Years: Air Force Academy (AFA) | AFA: B.Sc. Graduate with Physics/Mathematics or Bachelor of Engineering |
20-25 Years: Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) |
CDS Notification and Application 2021
CDS 01/2021 notification and CDS 2021 application form has been released on October 28, 2020. The CDS notification is released on the official website of UPSC twice a year. The notification dates and the CDS application form dates are the same. The CDS notification consists of the important dates, eligibility criteria, steps to apply, CDS exam pattern, syllabus, important instructions related to the CDS 2021 in detail. It is mandatory to read the notification of CDS thoroughly before filling the form.
CDS Admit Card 2021
The admit card of CDS is an important document that is mandatory for every candidate who is taking the exam. The admit card is issued by UPSC to those candidates only who have successfully applied for CDS. If aspirants have made any error in filling up the application form, their candidature will be rejected and they will not be issued the admit card. So it becomes of utmost important to fill the application form carefully and pay the application fee. The admit card can be downloaded from the official website by using the registration details and date of birth. The CDS admit card consists of all the important details like candidate's name, roll number, registration number, exam centre address, reporting time, exam day guidelines etc. The admit card has to be carried to the exam centre along with a valid ID proof to the exam centre.
CDS Exam Centre 2021
CDS exam is conducted across various exam centres in India. From the following table, aspirants can check the exam centres of CDS.
CDS Exam Centres
Agartala | Kochi |
Ahmedabad | Kohima |
Aizawl | Kolkata |
Bengaluru | Lucknow |
Bareilly | Madurai |
Bhopal | Mumbai |
Chandigarh | Nagpur |
Chennai | Panaji(GOA) |
Cuttack | Patna |
Dehradun | Port Blair |
Delhi | Prayagraj |
Dharwad | Raipur |
Dispur | Ranchi |
Gangtok | Sambalpur |
Hyderabad | Shillong |
Imphal | Shimla |
Itanagar | Srinagar |
Jaipur | Thiruvananthapuram |
Jammu | Tirupati |
Jorhat | Udaipur |
Visakhapatnam | -- |
How to prepare for CDS?
CDS is one of the highest competitive exams in India. Just like NDA, CDS is the gateway for candidates who want to serve the nation by joining the defence forces of India. The difficulty level of CDS is graduation as the minimum eligibility criteria is graduation only. Many aspirants join coaching institutes to prepare for CDS but there are few more who also prepare from home by referring to best CDS books etc. Here we have shared the CDS preparation tips for all the candidates who are planning to appear for the CDS exam.
CDS Answer Key 2021
The CDS answer key consists of all the answers to the questions asked in the exam. The unofficial answer key is released by various coaching institutes on the day of the exam while the official answer key of CDS is released on the official website of UPSC. Candidates preparing for the CDS exam can match the answer key along with the questions from the exam and spectate their chances of qualification.
CDS Result 2021
The result of CDS is released after the exam is conducted in online mode. Candidates who qualify the CDS exam as per the result will be able to appear for the next stage of the exam and will subsequently qualify the CDS exam. The written exam result is released in PDF format on the official website and has the academy-wise roll number of all the shortlisted candidates.
CDS Final Merit
The final merit list of CDS is released after the complete recruitment process is over. The merit list of CDS is released in PDF format on the official website and has the academy-wise roll number and name of all the candidates who have qualified the exam and have been shortlisted for the CDS recruitment.
Also read
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - CDS Full Form - What is the Full form of CDS?
Question: What is the salary of a CDS officer?
Answer:
A CDS officer gets a starting salary of Rs 15600-39100.
Question: What is the eligibility criteria to apply for CDS?
Answer:
As per the eligibility criteria of CDS, the academic qualification is graduation while the age limit for CDS is 20-25 years.
Question: What is the difference between the NDA and CDS exam?
Answer:
The basic difference between both these exams is the eligibility criteria, for NDA candidates the academic qualification is 10+2 while for CDS it is graduation. In NDA, only male candidates can apply and in CDS both male as well as female candidates can apply.
Question: What is the frequency of the CDS exam?
Answer:
CDS is conducted twice a year by UPSC.
Question: What is the CDS selection process?
Answer:
CDS selection process has 3 stages - Written exam, SSB as well as Medical Exam.
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Questions related to CDS
i am diploma mechanical engg.and will complete my Btech ...after that for which exam i should prepare or which will be easy it will be AFCAT,CDS,or UPSC&MPSC,ISRO exam...which will be easy and in less time cracking ?
Hi.
Each and every exam for job prospectus or graduation is difficult. Depending on your interest and the career you wish to pursue. If you wish to go in Civil Services then UPSC, if you wish to be in research and sciences then ISRO Exam is the way to go, AFCAT is for Commissioned Officers in Flying, Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches.
These all are somewhat mutually exclusive, that means if you prepare for one you might not have enough time or interest for the other. Incase you have a specific query about one of these exams. Please feel free to comment.
Best of Luck
Answer latercan i aplly for cds after mbbs completing in foreign country ?
Hi,
For Combined Defence Services Examination, candidates need to just have graduation in any recognized field. So, if you have done your MBBS from a foreign nation and you had nationality of India, you can surely give the CDS examination. As you have completed MBBS, you must have kept Biology at class 12. So, you will be eligible only for IMA and OTA. Air force and Navy needs physics and Mathematics or a graduation in engineering.
Check the following link for detailed information about the examination: https://competition.careers360.com/articles/cds-exam
I am eligible as per guidelines but it says i am not eligible as per my birth date. My D.O.B. is 15/09/1996 which makes me eligible fr OTA rank as a women. can anyone help me find a way as i am more than interested to get into army job.
Hello,
For CDS II the lower age limit is 2nd july 1996,so you are eligible to apply for the exam.If you have not applied yet unfortunately this year would be your last possible attempt in CDS.But you can still try for SSCW technical services which have age limit upto 27 years.Best of luck.
my dob 30/Aug/1996 am i eligible for cds 2021? im 24 yet
Hey!
CDS is common for all army, airforce, and navy. so ill give age eligibility for all.
INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY - 02 Jan 1998 to 01 Jan 2003
INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY - 02 Jan 1998 to 01 Jan 2003
AIR FORCE ACADEMY - 02 Jan 1998 to 01 Jan 2002
OFFICERS’ TRAINING ACADEMY (MEN) - 02 Jan 1997 to 01 Jan 2003
so actually you are not eligible for any course.
Top cds and ssb preparation book
The SSB interview consists both intelligence and personality test. So you have to prepare for this after clearing the written examination. Questions can come from different sections like personal Information, educational qualification, about defence services, extra curricular activities etc. Here are some common questions which are asked during SSB Interviews-
Tell about yourself. What are your achievements in sports? Why do you want to join Indian Armed Forces?
Who is your role model? What improvements have you made since the last time to ensure that you get selected this time?
What are your future plans?
Your good and bad qualities? How did you prepare for SSB? And many more. For SSB interview you can rely on SSB interview by SSB crack and SSB interview by Arihant Experts.
Related E-books and Sample Papers
CDS 01 2019 Question Paper With Answer Key
CDS 02 2018 Question Paper With Answer Key
CDS 1 Question Paper 2020
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