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Union Public Service Commission will release the CDS 2 notification 2025 on May 28, 2025. Along with the notification, the commission will also release the CDS 2 2025 application form on the official website, upsc.gov.in. The CDS application form last date is June 17, 2025. The CDS 2 exam 2025 is scheduled to be conducted on September 14, 2025.
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, 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).
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 |
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
Age
Academy | Age Limit |
IMA | Born not before January 2, 2002 and not later than January 1, 2006 |
INA | Born not before January 2, 2002 and not later than January 1, 2006 |
AFA | Born not before January 2, 2002 and not later than January 1, 2006 |
OTA (SSC Course for men) | Born not before January 2, 2001 and not later than January 1, 2007 |
OTA (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) | Born not before January 2, 2001 and not later than January 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 |
UPSC will release the CDS 2 application form on May 28, 2025. The last date to submit the CDS application form 2025 is June 17, 2025. The UPSC CDS 2025 application form will be released in online mode only.
The authority provides the CDS 2 application form correction window after closing the application form. Candidates have to complete the One-Time Registration and then proceed to apply for the UPSC CDS exam 2025.
Documents Required While Filling CDS Application Form
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 |
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 prescribes the CDS exam pattern 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 |
Elementary mathematics: Unit 01
Elementary mathematics: Unit 02
Elementary mathematics: Unit 03
Elementary mathematics: Unit 04
Elementary mathematics: Unit 05
Elementary mathematics: Unit 06
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 will issue the UPSC CDS 2 2025 admit card in online mode. The CDS 2 admit card 2025 will be 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 will be available for candidates who have successfully filled and submitted the application form.
Details on the CDS Admit Card 2025
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.
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.
011-23385271 + 2 more
The number of CDS 2 vacancies are not known yet.
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.
The cadets are paid Rs. 56,100 per month. During training, they get a stipend of Rs. 6000 OTA while Rs 12,000 per month in IMA, INA and Air Force academy.
Yes, girls too can apply for CDS exam. Girls are considered for OTA and allotted Short Service Commission in non-Technical cadre.
Bachelors degree is must to apply for the CDS examination.
Candidates between the age group of 20 years to 24 years can apply for the CDS exam.
UPSC will release the CDS 2025 application form on May 28, 2025.
The CDS 2 exam 2025 is going to be conducted on September 14, 2025.
Advertisement Date
28 May, 2025 - 28 May, 2025
Hello Aditya,
As a PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) student after your 12th board exam, you cannot directly appear for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam because it requires a bachelor’s degree. However, here’s a clear and concise guide on how you can prepare for and give the CDS exam after completing further studies, tailored to your background:
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.
To prepare for CDS, CGL, and CAT during graduation, create a clear study schedule focusing on basics, reasoning, and aptitude. Practice daily mocks, improve time management, and stay consistent. Balance college and preparation with discipline and regular revision.
Your date of birth is 24th February 2006, and you will complete graduation in July 2028. For the CDS exam, the maximum number of attempts depends on your age limit and category, but generally, candidates have around 4 to 6 attempts before reaching the age limit.
For CDS 2 2025, with a date of birth of 6th October 2001, you are eligible for both IMA and OTA. The age limits for IMA are 19-24 years and for OTA are 19-25 years as of 1st January 2025, making you eligible for both academies.
Hello Gunal,
As a student born on 05-11-2001 you will have many opportunities to take the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam conducted by UPSC. Age Limits will vary depending on the courses:
You are eligible, based on your DOB for:
Best Books for CDS Preparation:
Required Documents for CDS SSB/Verification:
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