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. 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. 

Eying for a future in Defense services? Prepare for CDS exam and complement your preparation with the following to ace the exam- 

CDS Exam Dates

Lakhs of aspirants appear for this National level Defense Entrance exam to get admission in the various Defense training academies-

  • Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Dehradun
  • Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Ezhimala
  • Air Force Academy (AFA) –  Hyderabad
  • Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) – Chennai

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.

CDS I 2023 Exam Dates
CDS I exam event CDS 2023 Dates 
CDS I Notification 2023 21st December 2022
CDS I 2023 Online Application start date 21st December 2022
CDS I 2023 Online Application last date 12th January 2023
CDS I Admit Card 2023 24th March 2023
CDS I Written exam 2023 16th April 2023 
CDS I Written Result 2023 To be notified
CDS I Final Result 2023 To be notified

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

CDS II 2023 Exam Dates
CDS II exam event CDS 2023 Dates 
CDS II Notification 2023 17th May 2023
CDS II 2023 Online Application start date 17th May 2023
CDS II 2023 Online Application last date 6th June 2023
CDS II Admit Card 2023 August 2023
CDS II Written exam 2023 3rd September 2023
CDS II Written Result 2023 To be notified
CDS II Final Result 2023 To be notified

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 I 2022 Exam Dates
CDS I exam event CDS 2022 Dates 
CDS I Notification 2022 22nd December 2021
CDS I 2022 Online Application start date 22nd December 2021
CDS I 2022 Online Application last date 11th January 2022
CDS I Admit Card 2022 To be notified
CDS I Written exam 2022 10th April 2022 
CDS I Written Result 2022 September 2022
CDS I Final Result 2022

12th January 2023

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 II 2021 Exam Dates
CDS II exam event CDS 2021 Dates 
CDS II Notification 2021 August 4th 2021
CDS II Online Application start date August 4th 2021
CDS II Online Application last date August 24th 2021
CDS II Admit Card 2021 October 22nd 2021
CDS II Written exam 2021  November 14th 2021
CDS II 2021 Written Result  December 22nd 2021
CDS II 2021 Final Result  To be notified

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

CDS I 2021 Exam Dates
CDS I exam event CDS 2021 Dates
CDS I Notification 2021 October 28th 2020
CDS I Online Application start date October 28th 2020
CDS I Online Application last date November 17th 2020
CDS I Admit Card 2021 7th January 2021
CDS I Written exam 2021 7th February 2021
CDS I Written Result 2021 March 23rd 2021
CDS I Final Result 2021 December 24th 2021

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.

CDS I 2020 Exam Dates
CDS I exam event CDS 2020 Dates
CDS I 2020 notification October 30th 2019
CDS I Online Application  October 30th 2019 to November 19th 2019
CDS I Admit Card 2020 January 9th 2020
CDS I 2020 Written exam  February 2nd 2020
CDS I 2020 Result March 23rd 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. 

CDS II 2020 Exam Dates
CDS II exam event CDS 2020 Dates
CDS II 2020 notification August 5th 2020
CDS II Online Application  August 5th 2020 to August 25th 2020
CDS II Admit Card 2020 October 15th 2020
CDS II 2020 Written exam  November 8th 2020
CDS II 2020 Result Written Exam 16th December 2020
Note – With the release of the CDS 2 admit card on October 15th, UPSC stated in the notification that ‘in case the photograph is not visible or available on the e-admit card, candidates are advised to carry three (3) identical photographs (one photograph for each session) along with the printout of e-Admit Card at the Venue of the Examination for appearing at the examination with an undertaking’.
Details on CDS 2020 Exam
  1. July 16th, 2021 – UPSC has released the CDS II 2020 Final Result.
  2. December 16th 2020 – The UPSC has released the UPSC CDS II Result 2020 for the written exam conducted on November 8th. Candidates can check the CDS 2 2020 Result released on December 16th on the linked page.
  3. November 10th 2020 – UPSC has released the marks of candidates finally selected for CDS II 2019.  Candidates who appeared for CDS 2 2019 exam and cleared the SSB interview round can check the details regarding their total CDS marks on the Combined Defence Services Result page.
  4. October 28th 2020 – UPSC has released the CDS 1 2021 exam notification. Aspirants willing to appear for CDS 1 2021 are required to apply for the same before November 17th 2020.  Candidates can go through the detailed CDS 2021 Notification on the linked page.
  5. CDS 2020 admit card released! UPSC has released the e-admit card for CDS 2 exam on October 15th. Candidates appearing for the CDS Exam on November 8th can download the CDS Admit Card from the official website.  Download CDS Admit Card 2020 here.
  6. UPSC released the list of candidates whose application forms are rejected.
  7. CDS I 2020 result has been released on March 23, 2020.

CDS 2019 – UPSC has announced the CDS II 2019 final result. A total of 196 candidates have been recommended for selection to IMA, INA and AFA. 

CDS Vacancy

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) 2023 Vacancies
Academy Course Total Vacancies
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai 34th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course
commencing in October, 2024
16
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai 120th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course
Commencing in October, 2024
169
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in
July, 2024 i.e. No. 216 F(P) Course.
[including 03 vacancies are reserved for NCC `C’
Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC
Special Entry]
32
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Course commencing in July 2024
Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro
[including 06 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate
(Naval Wing) holders
32
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun 157th (DE) Course commencing
in July, 2024
[including 13 vacancies reserved for
NCC `C’ (Army Wing) holders]
100
Total 349

CDS II Notification 2023

Download PDF Download PDF

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

CDS (I) 2023 Vacancies
Academy Course Total Vacancies
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai 33rd SSC Women (Non-Technical) Course commencing in April 2024 17
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai 119th SSC (Men) Course (NT) commencing in April 2024 170
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January 2024 32
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Course commencing in January 2024 Executive (General Service)/ Hydro 22
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun 156th (DE) course commencing in January 2024 100
Total 341

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.

CDS Exam Eligibility

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. 

CDS Online Application & Registration

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.

CDS Exam Centres

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 –

CDS Exam Centres
Agartala

Aizawl

Bengaluru

Bhopal

Chennai

Dehradun

Dharwad

Gangtok

Imphal

Jaipur

Jorhat

Kohima

Lucknow

Mumbai

Panaji (Goa)

Port Blair

Ranchi

Shillong

Srinagar

Tirupati

Ahmedabad

Allahabad

Bareilly

Chandigarh

Cuttack

Delhi

Dispur

Hyderabad

Itanagar

Jammu

Kochi

Kolkata

Madurai

Nagpur

Patna

Raipur

Sambalpur

Shimla

Visakhapatnam

Thiruvananthapuram

Udaipur

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.

CDS Syllabus & Exam Pattern

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.  

CDS Exam Syllabus
Subjects  Topics 
English  Candidates are tested for their understanding of English and Grammar. 
General Knowledge  Economics, Physics, General Awareness, Politics, History, Geography, Sociology, etc. 
Elementary Mathematics  Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics, etc.

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

CDS Admit Card

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:

CDS Exam Admit Card
CDS I Admit Card 2023 24 March 2023
CDS II Admit Card 2023  August 2023

CDS Result 

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.

CDS Salary

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.    

CDS Preparation

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-

UPSC Syllabus UPSC CAPF Syllabus UPSC CAPF Eligibility
NDA Exam NDA Syllabus NCERT Notes

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. 

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