CDS 2023 Exam - Dates & Details of CDS I And II

CDS 2 Notification for the 2023 exam was released on 17th May 2023. The last date to fill out the application form is 6th June 2023.

CDS 1 Admit Card 2023 has been released on 24th March 2023 by Union Public Service Commission.

The UPSC released the CDS I Notification 2023 on 21st December 2022 for the exam to be held on 16th April 2023. A total of 341 vacancies are expected to fill through this recruitment.  The notification, which includes all pertinent information about the exam, was released on December 21, 2022. The deadline to submit an application for UPSC CDS 2023 was January 12, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. The registration window started on December 21, 2022. On January 24, 2023, the entire application process, including application correction, ended.

The Combined Defence Service exam commonly known as the CDS exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. In general, the CDS exam is conducted twice a year, CDS I in February and CDS II in September.

Aspirants of CDS 2023 can check the UPSC exam calendar 2023 to kick start their preparation. 

This article will provide aspirants with the latest updates of CDS exam 2023 and detailed information on various aspects of the Combined Defense Services exam I and II. 

Table of Content:

1. 1. CDS Exam Dates
   2. CDS Vacancy
   3. CDS Exam Eligibility
   4. CDS Application & Registration
   5. CDS Exam Centres
   6. CDS Exam Pattern & Syllabus
   7. CDS Admit Card
   8. CDS Result
   9. CDS Salary
   10. CDS Preparation

Aspirants of various Government Exams can know the details of upcoming examinations on the linked page. 

CDS Exam Dates

UPSC through the official exam calendar announces the tentative CDS exam date so that aspirants can start their preparation much earlier. To announce the commencement of recruitment and the final CDS exam date, UPSC publishes official notification of the Combined Defense Services exam on its website.

Given below are the UPSC CDS exam date 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 for reference. 

CDS Exam Date 2023

Important dates for CDS (1) 2023 according to the official calendar and CDS (2) 2023 according to the UPSC exam calendar are listed in the table below.

The candidates can check out the CDS II Exam Dates from the table given below:

CDS Exam Date 2022

The CDS I Notification 2022 was released on 22nd December 2021 by the commission. The last date to fill in the online application is till 11th January 2022. The candidates can check out the CDS Exam Dates from the table given below:

CDS Exam Date 2021

August 4th, 2021 –  UPSC has released the CDS II 2021 Notification. The last date to apply for the examination is August 24th, 2021. Aspirants can go through the detailed information on CDS II 2021 Notification on the given link.

22nd October 2021 – e-Admit Card for CDS II 2021 Exam released. The candidates appearing for the exam to be held on 14th November 2021 can download their admit card for the CDS II Exam from the linked article.

The CDS II 2021 exam date is as mentioned below:

CDS 1 2021 exam recruitment commenced in October 2020. As per the UPSC calendar, CDS exam date 2021 is given below-

CDS 2020 Exam Dates

February 5th 2021– The Union Public Service Commission has released the CDS 1 2020 Final Result. The Commission had recommended 2614, 1429 and 632 as qualified in the written test. In the order of merit of 95 (50+39+06) candidates who have qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2020 conducted. Candidates can go through the CDS 1 2020 Final Result on the linked page.

UPSC has successfully conducted the CDS I 2020 exam on February 2nd and has also announced the result for the same. The table below highlights the CDS exam date 2020.

Recruitment for UPSC CDS II 2020 exam is ongoing, the exam is scheduled on November 8th. Go through the CDS II exam dates given below in detail. 

The Union Public Service Commission in the notification of CDS exam mentions the approximate number of CDS vacancies for different courses of Defense training. 

The Union Public Service Commission has released 349 vacancies for various academies. They are as follows:

CDS II Notification 2023

Download PDF

In total, 341 vacancies have been made available for the CDS (1) 2023 Recruitment. The detailed allocation of vacancies is as follows:

Aspirants can download the detailed notification of CDS 1 2023 exam  from the PDF given below-

CDS 1 2023 Notification PDF:-Download PDF Here

Detailed information on vacancies is available on the CDS Notification page linked here.

Candidates who wish to apply for CDS 2023 must meet the eligibility conditions of CDS exam as prescribed by the UPSC on the official notice.

The CDS exam eligibility goes as under – 

1. Candidate must be a citizen of India
2. Only male candidates can apply for INA/IMA/AFA/OTA
3. Women candidates are eligible to apply only for OTA
4. Only unmarried candidates can apply. Divorced or Widow women are also eligible to apply for CDS exam depending on case to case basis. 
5. Male divorcee/widower cannot be treated as unmarried.
6. Minimum age to apply for the Combined Defense Services exam is 19 years for all the courses. The upper age limit for INA/IMA/AFA and OTA is different.
7. Candidates willing to apply for Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy must possess a Graduation degree. 
8. Candidates applying for Indian Naval Academy must have a degree in Engineering, and 
9. Those applying for Air Force Academy must have a Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.

Other eligibility conditions such as height parameters, weight and visual parameters, guidelines for the tattoo on body etc are discussed in detail in the CDS Eligibility page linked here. 

The online application for the CDS exam starts with the announcement of the notification.

Aspirants willing to fill the CDS registration form are required to log on to the official website of UPSC. 

The steps to fill the CDS application form is as mentioned below:

1. Visit (upsc.gov.in) the official UPSC website.
2. Click on the latest CDS 2023 notification.
3. Go through the notification carefully and click on the CDS registration link provided.
4. Enter the details asked to complete the registration like Phone number, valid mail ID, Name and Date of Birth. 
5. Give the captcha code and submit. On submission, a registration ID and password is sent to the registered number and e-mail address.
6. Use it to login again and complete the application form. 
7. Give the necessary details like gender, nationality, education qualification, choice of preferences for exam centres, etc. 
8. Attach the scanned photograph and signature. Also attach the relevant documents such as matriculation certificate for proof of age, educational certificates, etc.
9. Recheck the details provided and submit.
10. Pay the CDS application fee to complete the process.
11. Save and download the CDS Application form. 

Note – 

• Candidates are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using the net banking facility of State Bank of India or by using Visa/Master/Rupay, Credit/Debit Card. 
• Female, SC/ST candidates are exempted from the payment of the fee.

Like CDS exam, UPSC conducts various other Defence exams, candidates who wish to appear for defence services exam can go through the given link for detailed information regarding the same.

The Union Public Service Commission conducts the CDS exam in 41 cities. Aspirants have to give their preferences from these exam centres only. 

Following are CDS exam centres –

Important Pointers- 

1. The exam centres are allotted on the first-apply-first-allot basis
2. To get their preferred exam centre in CDS 2023 it is advised to fill the application form early and choose the exam centre carefully.
3. There is a ceiling on the number of candidates allotted to each exam centre except Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Nagpur and Dispur.
4. Once the capacity of a particular CDS exam centre is attained, the same will be frozen. Applicants will then be allotted the next available exam centre.
5. After the final submission of application forms, no request for the change of CDS exam centres will be entertained by the commission.
6. The details of CDS exam centre like address, centre code, etc. will be mentioned on the admit card.

As per the guidelines of UPSC mentioned in the notification of CDS exam the exam pattern of Combined Defense Services is divided into two stages –

1.  Written exam and SSB Interview
2. Written exam for IMA, INA and AFA comprises 3 sections i.e. English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. While the exam for OTA contains 2 sections – English and General Knowledge.
3. Each section has 100 questions with maximum marks of 100 i.e. each question carries 1 mark. 
4. For each wrong answer candidates will lose 1/3rd marks.
5. Candidates will be given 2 hours for each section to complete the exam. 

CDS Syllabus 

Broadly, the syllabus of the Combined Defense Services exam is divided into three sections English, Mathematics and General Knowledge.  

Detailed CDS syllabus and exam pattern can be checked on the given link. 

The CDS 2 admit card 2023 is yet to be released by UPSC.

The CDS 1 2023 admit card was released on 24th March 2023.

The CDS Admit card is issued by the conducting body 15 days before the scheduled date of examination. Candidates should know that the admit card for the CDS exam is made available to download till the day of the exam. 

As per the guidelines mentioned by UPSC in the notification, no admit card is sent by post. Aspirants have to download the CDS 2023 admit card online from the official website.

Candidates willing to appear for CDS 2023 exam, can download the admit card by following the below-mentioned steps:

1. Log on to the official website
2. Click the CDS Admit Card Link provided
3. Insert the Registration number or roll number and password
4. CDS exam Admit card will appear on the screen in PDF format.
5. Check all the details carefully and then download the CDS Admit card. 

Check the relevant date for CDS Admit card 2023 mentioned below:

Union Public Service Commission releases the CDS results separately for the two stages of the exam i.e. written test and SSB Interview. 

CDS result is published on the official website of UPSC in a PDF format giving the roll numbers of the candidates qualifying for the Combined Defense Services exam. 

Generally, the commission releases the result in a month’s time after conducting the examination. Therefore, the candidates can check CDS Result for further updates related to results from the linked article.

The Union Public Service Commission has made available the answers key for CDS I and CDS II examinations of various years. Candidates who wrote the UPSC CDS examination can check the CDS Answer Key on the linked page for reference.

Candidates recruited as the Officers in Army, Navy and Airforce through CDS exam get lucrative salary along with various allowances and perks. 

The Union Public Service Commission mentions in detail the salary of CDS in the notification. 

Candidates on clearing the CDS exam are entitled to a training stipend of 56,100/ per month fixed. This is the basic pay offered to officers at level 10 rank. 

The salary range of CDS varies depending on the rank of officers and area of posting. The maximum salary is 2, 25,000/ per month fixed for officers at level 17 or Level 18 ranks in Army and other Defense academies.

The rank-wise CDS Salary, allowances, perks and other monetary benefits accredited to candidates selected through CDS exam are given in detail in the article linked above.    

Since lakhs of candidates apply for the CDS exam, the competition for the CDS exam is tough. Therefore it is necessary for aspirants to have a proper plan and move ahead with the CDS preparation strategically. 

Given below are a few points of assistance for CDS exam preparation. 

• Have clarity of the exam pattern, subjects covered and the types of questions asked in the exam.
• Gather good books to start your CDS exam preparation. Avoid referring to too many books to prepare for one topic.
• Devise a study schedule and follow it religiously. Devote equal time of preparation for each topic and subject.
• For maths, first, clear the basic concepts by referring to the NCERTs books from class 8 to 12th.
• Watch news channels and read newspapers regularly to upkeep the current affairs part.
• Refer NCERTs to prepare for various subjects covered in the General Knowledge section.
• Prepare Notes as and when you go through any important topic or subject. 
• Regular revision to all that is studied is extremely crucial, and regular practice for Maths and English is also imperative to gain accuracy and speed.
• Refer previous year question papers and solve Mock tests to understand the exam pattern, scope of questions and strong and weak areas in your preparation.

To ace the competition of CDS exam 2023 it is important for aspirants to do preparation with due diligence.

Aspirants of other exams conducted by UPSC can go through the given links for assistance-

Check details related to Government exams after 12th in the given link. 

For further assistance on preparation, strategy and tips, important books etc. look no further than BYJU’s.