Combined Defence Services (CDS)
Conducted twice a year, usually in April and September.
Nationality
A candidate applying for CDS must be:
- An Indian national, or
- A Nepali subject, or
- A person of Indian descent from Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the East African nations of Zambia, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Zaire, and Ethiopia, or Vietnam who are permanently settled here.
Eligibility Criteria
- Age: Indian Military Academy: 19-24 years
Naval Academy: 19-22 years
Air Force Academy: 19-23 years
Officers Training Academy: 19-25 year
Education:
- For IMA: Graduation.
- For Naval Academy: B.E./B.Tech.
- For Air Force: Graduation with Physics and Mathematics or B.E./B.Tech.
- For OTA: Graduation.
- Candidates must be a graduate or are in their final year of graduation
Marital Status& Age Limit
| Indian Military Academy (IMA) | 19-24 | Unmarried |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA) | 19-22 | Unmarried |
| Air Force Academy | 19-23 | Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried
Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply, but during the training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with a family outside of the premises
|
| Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) | 19-25 | Unmarried Women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. |
| Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for Men) | 19-25 | Unmarried |
Visual Parameters
Vision Standards for Naval Candidates
| Uncorrected without glasses | 6/12, 6/12 |
| Corrected with glasses | 6/6, 6/6 |
| Limits of Myopia | -1.5D |
| Limits of Hypermetropia | 1.5D |
| Binocular Vision | III |
| Limits of Colour Perception | I |
Other Visual Standards
| Vision | Uncorrected VA 6/60 & 6/60 BCVA 6/6 & 6/6
Myopia -3.50 D Sph including astigmatism, Hypermetropia 3.50 D Sph including Astigmatism
|
| Colour perception | CP-II |
Exam Pattern
- Stages: Written Exam followed by SSB Interview.
- Written Exam:
- Subjects: English, General Knowledge, Elementary Mathematics.
- Total Marks: 300 (English - 100; General Knowledge - 100; Mathematics - 100).
- Duration: 2 hours for each subject
OTA
- OTA is known as Officers Training Academy. OTA in CDS is dissimilar to regular CDS exam.
- Both men and women can apply for OTA in CDS.
- OTA is also called short service commission.
OTA Eligibility Criteria
Age limit
| OTA (Female) | 19 – 25 years |
| OTA (Male) | 19 – 25 years |
Qualification
A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized university.
Exam Pattern
CDS OTA comprises two sections.
| Subject | Exam duration | Total Marks | Number of Questions |
| English | 2 hrs | 100 | 120 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hrs | 100 | 120 |
| Total | - | 200 | 240 |
Syllabus
- English: Vocabulary, Grammar, Comprehension.
- General Knowledge: Current Affairs, History, Geography, Politics, etc.
- Elementary Mathematics: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, etc.
- Each correct answer carries 1 mark, while each incorrect answer carries 0.33 negative marks.
Medical Examination:
- Candidates who qualify the SSB interview will undergo a medical examination at a military hospital.
- Must be medically fit as per the standards prescribed by the Indian Armed Forces.
Final Selection:
- The final selection for the CDS is based on the combined score of the written exam and SSB interview.
- Candidates who are selected will join the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), Indian Naval Academy (Ezhimala), or Indian Air Force Academy (Dundigal).
