Those who want to enlist in the elite Indian Armed Forces must pass the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) administers this exam, which is highly competitive and requires applicants to fulfil specific qualifying requirements. Let's examine the specific eligibility requirements as we prepare for CDS 2024 to ensure prospective candidates are knowledgeable and ready for this challenging path.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) administers the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam twice yearly as a nationwide entrance exam. The Indian Armed Forces, which comprise the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, recruit officers through this exam. There are two components to the CDS exam: a written exam and an interview. The written exam consists of three papers: elementary mathematics, general knowledge, and English. It is administered offline. Each paper has a two-hour time limit and 100 possible points. The Services Selection Board (SSB) conducts the interview, consisting of a battery of tests to evaluate a candidate's intelligence, leadership potential, and personality.
To pass the highly competitive CDS exam, students must study hard. They can consult past years' question papers, study guides, and mock exams to prepare for the test. Candidates who need more direction and assistance can also enroll in coaching classes.
The Combined Defence Services test is conducted twice a year to choose candidates for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA). The examination has three components: a written test, a medical exam, and an interview process. It is recommended that candidates for defence tests review the most challenging CDS Exam Overview to prepare adequately. For aspirants hoping to become officers in the prestigious Indian Army, Navy, or Air Force, the CDS 2024 exam serves as a doorway.
Candidates will be able to demonstrate their abilities, expertise, and knowledge in various fields on the CDS 2024 Exam. The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) are the three primary academies to which applicants can gain admission through the CDS Exam. Every school provides customized training programs based on the various defence force branches' unique needs and difficulties.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) made the most significant announcement for CDS 1 public on December 20, 2023. Two CDS exams are held annually, and the UPSC announced the CDS 1 2024 announcement for 457 available spots.
The application date is January 9, 2024, and the CDS 1 Exam is April 21, 2024. It is recommended that interested candidates carefully review the eligibility requirements set forth by UPSC for CDS before completing the application form.
For anyone hoping to enlist in the esteemed Indian Army, Navy, or Air Force, this is a fantastic chance. On the official website, candidates can apply for the CDS 1 2024 Exam between December 20, 2023, and January 9, 2024. Candidates should also be aware that the application correction link was operational from January 10 to January 16.
CDS appoints commissioned officers once candidates are chosen. They receive instruction at their various defence academies. A summary of key exam points for CDS 2024 is given in the table below.
Features |
Details |
Exam name |
Combined Defence Services Examination |
Conducting institute |
Union Public Service Commission |
Exam Level |
National |
CDS syllabus |
Maths, English and General Ability Test (GAT) |
CDS pattern |
The written exam conducted in pen-and-paper mode |
No. of test cities |
More than 70 |
Exam frequency |
Twice a year |
Exam fees |
INR 200 (SC/ST/Women candidates/Sons of JCOs/NCOs/ORs are exempted from fee payment) |
Eligibility |
Passed graduation or are appearing in the same |
Exam purpose |
Admission of candidates for Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers Training |
Exam website |
upsc.gov.in |
Events |
CDS 1 2024 Dates |
CDS 1 2024 notification date |
December 20, 2023 |
CDS exam date 2024 application form |
December 20, 2023 |
The last date to apply for the CDS 2024 application form |
January 9, 2024 |
CDS 1 application form correction facility |
January 10 to 16, 2024 |
CDS 1 admit card date |
One week before the exam date |
CDS 1 2024 exam date |
April 21, 2024 |
CDS question papers' release date |
To be notified |
CDS result 2024 |
To be notified |
UPSC CDS 2024 SSB Interview date |
To be notified |
CDS cut-off date 2024 |
To be notified |
On December 20, 2023, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the list of open positions for the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) 2024. Four hundred fifty-seven positions in various defence services are available for the CDS 1 2024 exam.
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By the end of March 2024, the UPSC will make the CDS 1 admit card available. The actions listed below will enable candidates to download their CDS 1 hall pass:
UPSC has released the CDS 2024 dates for the CDS written test. To find out the date of the CDS 1 exam and prevent being unaware of essential details about the CDS 2024 exam, applicants should review the CDS 1 2024 date and events tables.
UPSC CDS 1 2024 Events |
CDS 1 2024 Dates |
CDS 1 2024 notification |
December 20, 2023 |
CDS 1 2024 application form |
December 20, 2023 |
The last date to apply for the CDS 2024 application form |
January 9, 2024 |
CDS 1 application form correction facility |
10-Jan-2024 to 16-Jan-2024 |
CDS 1 2024 application withdrawal dates |
Withdrawal Not Allowed |
CDS 1 admit card |
To be notified |
CDS exam date 2024 |
April 21, 2024 |
UPSC CDS 2 2024 Events |
CDS 2 2024 Dates |
CDS 2 notification 2024 release date |
May 15, 2024 |
CDS 2 application form 2024 date |
May 15, 2024 |
The last date to apply for the CDS 2 application form |
June 04, 2024 |
CDS 2 application form correction facility date |
To be notified |
CDS 2 application withdrawal dates |
Withdrawal Not Allowed |
CDS 2 admit card date |
To be notified |
CDS 2 exam date 2024 |
September 1, 2024 |
Nationality:
Military Wing |
Educational Qualification |
For the Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy |
Graduation from a recognized university. |
For the Indian Naval Academy |
An engineering degree from a recognized university. |
For the Indian Air Force Academy |
Bachelor of Engineering or graduation with physics and mathematics in class 12. |
Applicants may also take the CDS Exam if they are taking it for their final year college exams. During the SSB interview, an official graduation certificate must be shown to the board.
You can review the online courses and practice exams offered by SSB Crack Exams while you prepare for the SSB interview and the written exams for CDS 1 and CDS 2 2024.
Before applying to take the CDS exam, candidates who wish to appear for it must review the CDS physical standards to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements.
The male height and weight requirements for the army and navy are listed here for those planning to take the CDS exam. The following table lists the candidates according to age, weight, and height for the CDS:
Height/Age |
18 years |
20 years |
22 years |
24 years |
152 |
44&*nbsp; |
46 |
47 |
48 |
155 |
46 |
48&**nbsp; |
49 |
50 |
157 |
47 |
49 |
50 |
51 |
160 |
48 |
50 |
51 |
52 |
162 |
50 |
52 |
51 |
54 |
165 |
52 |
53 |
55 |
56 |
168 |
53 |
55 |
57 |
58 |
170 |
55 |
57 |
58 |
59 |
173 |
57 |
59 |
60 |
61 |
175 |
59 |
61 |
62 |
62 |
178 |
61 |
62 |
63 |
64 |
180 |
63 |
64 |
65 |
66 |
183 |
65 |
67 |
67 |
68 |
185 |
67 |
69 |
70 |
71 |
188 |
70 |
71 |
72 |
74 |
190 |
72 |
73 |
74 |
76 |
193 |
74 |
76 |
77 |
78 |
195 |
77 |
78 |
79 |
81 |
The female army and navy weight and height requirements for those planning to take the CDS exam are listed below. The following table lists the candidates according to age, weight, and height for the CDS:
Height/Age |
20 years |
25 years |
30 years |
148 |
39 |
41 |
43 |
150 |
40 |
42 |
43.5 |
153 |
42 |
43.5 |
45 |
155 |
43 |
44 |
46 |
158 |
45 |
46 |
48 |
160 |
46 |
47 |
49 |
163 |
47 |
49 |
51 |
165 |
49 |
51 |
53 |
168 |
50 |
52 |
54 |
Regarding the Air Force Academy, Indian Military Academy, and Indian Naval Academy |
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S. No. |
Subjects |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
1. |
English |
120 |
2 hours |
2. |
General Knowledge |
120 |
2 hours |
3. |
Elementary Mathematics |
100 |
2 hours |
S. No. |
Subjects |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
1. |
English |
100 |
2 hours |
2. |
General Knowledge |
100 |
2 hours |
To go to the interview stage, candidates must pass the UPSC CDS 2024 written exam. For each course, the maximum points earned in both the written exam and the interview will be the same. The top marks for the written exam and interview will be 300 300, 300, and 200 for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers' Training Academy, respectively. In addition, candidates might check the following information about the UPSC CDS exam pattern for 2024:
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 (SDT) |
Group Testing Officers Test |
GD GPE PGT HGT IOT Common Task Snake Race/Group Obstacle Race Individual Lecture FGT |
|
Personal Interview |
||
Conference |
In the official notification, the Union Public Service Commission recommended the UPSC CDS 2024 syllabus. For the CDS 2024 test, the Commission will require three written papers for other courses and two written papers for the OTA course. The subjects comprising the UPSC CDS exam 2024 questions are English, mathematics, and general knowledge. The CDS test 2024 will include questions on general knowledge and English in both the OTA and IMA/INA/AFA courses.
The additional subject that the IMA, INA, and AFA courses will include in their curricula is mathematics. In the UPSC CDS 2024 test, questions from the 10th and 12th levels will be asked. Aspiring UPSC CDS 2024 exam candidates can review the table below for additional information.
Subjects |
Topics |
Mathematics |
|
English |
The questions focus on the candidates' command of the English language and how a working guy might utilize words. |
General Knowledge |
|
The Union Public Service Commission recommended the UPSC CDS 2024 exam centres in the official notification. Candidates can select the closest testing locations by selecting their preferred testing city on the UPSC CDS application form 2024. Candidates must review the information about the exam centres in the table below.
States |
Cities |
Assam |
Jorhat |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
Port Blair |
Andhra Pradesh |
Visakhapatnam |
Tirupati |
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
Itanagar |
Bihar |
Patna |
Chhattisgarh |
Raipur |
Delhi |
New Delhi |
Tripura |
Agartala |
Gujarat |
Ahmedabad |
Uttar Pradesh |
Bareilly |
Lucknow |
|
Allahabad |
|
Karnataka |
Dharwad |
Bangalore |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
Punjab |
Chandigarh |
Tamil Nadu |
Madurai |
Chennai |
|
Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
Military Institution |
Written Exam Cut-Off |
Final Cut-Off |
Indian Military Academy |
135-145 |
245-254 |
Indian Naval Academy |
125-135 |
232-252 |
Air Force Academy |
155-165 |
266-272 |
Officers Training Academy (Men) |
105-115 |
164-170 |
Officers Training Academy (Women) |
105-115 |
162-172 |
Those who complete the rounds of interviews and document verification go to the last phase, which consists of medical testing.
Cadets receive a monthly pay of Rs. 56,100/-after being selected for training. As you advance in rank as a commissioned officer, your pay rises steadily.
Rank |
Level |
Salary |
Lieutenant |
10 |
Rs. 56,100 – 1,77,500 |
Captain |
10 B |
Rs. 61,300 – 1,93,900 |
Major |
11 |
Rs. 69,400 – 2,07,200 |
Lieutenant Colonel |
12 A |
Rs. 1,21,200 – 2,12,400 |
Colonel |
13 |
Rs. 1,30,600 – 2,15,900 |
Brigadier |
13 A |
Rs. 1,39,600 – 2,17,600 |
Major General |
14 |
Rs. 1,44,200 – 2,18,200 |
Lieutenant General HAG Scale |
15 |
Rs. 1,82,200 – 2,24,100 |
HAG + Scale |
16 |
Rs. 2,05,400 – 2,24,400 |
VCOAS/Lieutenant General (NFSG)/Army Cdr |
17 |
Rs. 2,25,000 fixed |
COAS |
18 |
Rs. 2,25,000 fixed |
1. A person must be prepared to devote themselves entirely to their field of work. The nation is always the priority.
2. The working environment for CDS varies from Army, Navy, and Air Force and might be challenging.
3. The work demands a high level of discipline and physical and mental fitness.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will post the CDS Result on its official website after the exam. The names and roll numbers of applicants who met the requirements to interview with the Ministry of Defence's Service Selection Board are included in the CDS Results. The status of their results will only be accessible to CDS 2024 exam takers. Results can be verified by searching by name or using the roll number information from the admit card.
Passing the CDS exam and pursuing a career in the Indian Armed Forces is a challenging but worthwhile experience. Reaching this admirable objective begins with fulfilling the eligibility requirements. To complete the many test phases, prospective candidates must maintain discipline, focus, and preparation. The instructions in this extensive guide are designed to give candidates the tools they need to handle the qualifying requirements for CDS 2024 effectively. I wish the brave souls about to go off on this fantastic adventure the best of luck!
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