CDS 2021 Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus & Pattern, Question Papers, Result

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has activated the CDS 02/2021 application form withdrawal window on August 31, 2021. The last date to withdraw the CDS 2 application form 2021 is September 6 till 6 PM. CDS 02/2021 written exam will be conducted on November 14, 2021. CDS exam is conducted for candidates who wish to pursue their career as commissioned officers in Navy, Air Force and Army after graduation or candidates appearing in their final year. CDS exam 2021 is conducted twice a year in February and November. Candidates who are between 20 to 24 years and fulfill other CDS 2021 eligibility criteria are eligible for CDS. There are two stages in CDS exam 2021 written exam followed by SSB interview. Candidates who qualify written CDS exam 2021 are eligible for Services Selection Board (SSB) Interview which includes Personality cum Psychometric tests and Intelligence interview. Candidates who clear the CDS 2021 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). This training course will begin in January 2022.

Candidates must check the CDS eligibility criteria like age limit,  educational qualification, marital status to be eligible for CDS exam 2021.

Nationality

Candidates applying for CDS exam 2021 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 or Vietnam Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, with the intention of permanently settling in India

Age

Candidates must be 20 to 24 years.

Educational Qualification martial status as per courses

Mode of Application : Online

Mode of Payment : Net Banking | Credit Card | Debit Card | Other

CDS application withdrawal link has been activated on August 31. Last date to withdraw application form is September 6. UPSC had released the CDS exam form of CDS 02/2021 on August 4, 2021. Last date to fill CDS 2 2021 application form was August 24, 2021. 

CDS Application Fee

The online application form of CDS is filled in two parts.

Part 1 Registration

• Candidates can fill the application form from the link available on the official page.
• Before filling up the CDS application form candidates must read the important instructions.
• Enter details like name, father’s name, mother’s name, community, address, etc. and click on the submit button to register.

Part 2 Registration

• Enter the registration ID, password and captcha code to log in to part 2 registration.
• Select the payment method online or offline.
• Upload the scanned signature and photograph.
• Selection of exam centers.
• Read and agree to the 'Declaration' to submit the application form.

Documents required while filling CDS Application Form 

• Active email – ID
• Matriculation certificate
• Scanned signature
• Scanned photograph
• One photo identity proof like Aadhar card/ Voter card/ PAN card/ Passport/ Driving license

Application Fees

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.

UPSC prescribes the CDS exam pattern. There are two stages in CDS exam 2021 - written and SSB interviews. The written CDS exam 2021 will be 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.

Structure of exam pattern for admission to Officers’ Training Academy

CDS Exam Pattern – SSB Interview

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will release the admit card for written CDS exam 2021 October 2021 (tentative). Candidates can download the CDS exam admit card till the date of examination. In order to download the CDS admit card 2021, candidates can either log in through roll number or registration number. The admit card of CDS exam is available for candidates who have successfully filled the application form.

Details on CDS Admit Card

• Candidate’s name
• Scanned signature and colour photograph
• Registration number
• Candidate’s category
• Examination date
• Reporting time
• Address of examination centre
• Examination timing

UPSC will release the official answer key of CDS written exam after all the stages of the exam have been conducted. CDS 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 2021 on the same day.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the result of Combined Defence Services (CDS) for written and final CDS result separately. CDS 2 result for written exam will be announced by the end of December 2021. Candidates have to secure qualifying marks as prescribed by UPSC to qualify the written exam. Candidates who qualify written exam will be eligible to appear for SSB interview. The final result of CDS is calculated adding the marks secured by candidates in written as well as SSB Interview.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the cut off of CDS exam 2021 separately for the written exam and final. Candidates who score equal or more than cutoff released by UPSC for written exam 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 December 2021 by UPSC. 

The selection process of CDS exam 2021 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.