The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam to recruit candidates for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). The CDS Exam is held twice a year and is a gateway for graduates to join the Indian Armed Forces as officer.
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What is CDS Exam?
The CDS exam is a national-level defence recruitment test conducted by UPSC for graduates who wish to serve in the Indian Army, Navy, or Air Force. The selected candidates undergo training at IMA (Dehradun), INA (Ezhimala), AFA (Hyderabad), or OTA (Chennai).
CDS Exam 2025 Overview
| Name | Details |
| Organization Name | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam |
| CDS 1 2025 Notification | 20 December 2024 |
| CDS 1 2025 Exam Date | 21 April 2025 |
| CDS 2 2025 Notification | 15 May 2025 |
| CDS 2 2025 Exam Date | 1 September 2025 |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Official Website | https://upsc.gov.in |
CDS Exam Pattern 2025
For IMA, INA, AFA:
| Paper | Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English | 120 | 100 | 2 Hours |
| 2 | General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 Hours |
| 3 | Elementary Maths | 100 | 100 | 2 Hours |
For OTA:
| Paper | Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English | 120 | 100 | 2 Hours |
| 2 | General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 Hours |
Negative Marking: Yes (â…“ mark deducted for each incorrect answer)
Also Read-: NDA Latest syllabus and paper pattern
CDS SSB Interview
Candidates who qualify the written exam are called for the SSB Interview, which spans 5 days, to assess their personality and leadership qualities.
| Interview Stage | Topics | Marks |
| Stage 1 | Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR), Picture Perception & Description Test (PPDT) | 900/600 |
| Stage 2 | Psychological Tests, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Personal Interview & Conference |
Total marks for the SSB Interview: 300 for IMA/INA/AFA, 200 for OTA for each assessors respectively.
CDS Exam Syllabus 2025 (Subject-wise)
| Subject | Topics Covered |
| English | Grammar, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Synonyms-Antonyms, Sentence Correction |
| General Knowledge | Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Current Affairs, Indian Polity, Economy |
| Elementary Maths | Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Statistics |
Other Important Links
| Description | Link |
| CDS Apply Online 2025 | https://upsconline.nic.in |
| CDS Notification PDF | https://upsc.gov.in |
| CDS Admit Card 2025 | https://upsc.gov.in |
| CDS Previous Year Papers & Cut Offs | https://upsc.gov.in |
| CDS Result 2025 | https://upsc.gov.in |
CDS FAQ
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