Defence Exams 2021 - Dates Of Upcoming Defence Exams in India

Are you an aspirant of Defence Exams? Get the latest information on all the upcoming Defence exams in India such as NDA, CDS, CAPF and AFCAT exam in the article. 

The Defence exams are conducted to recruit eligible candidates in the Indian Armed Forces. Through various Defence exams, candidates get admission in the various Defence training academies such as –

1. Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Dehradun
2. Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Ezhimala
3. Air Force Academy (AFA) –  Hyderabad
4. Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) – Chennai

Every year lakhs of candidates appear for various defence exams to fulfil their dream of being a part of the armed forces, which is undoubtedly highly admired in India. This article aims to provide relevant information on the defence exams in India for aspirants to prepare conveniently for upcoming Defence exams.

Candidates willing to appear for other Government exams can go through the link for information on upcoming exams.

Upcoming Defence Exams

Defence exams offer prestigious, dignified and lucrative career opportunities. Most of the defence exams in India are conducted by the UPSC – Union Public Service Commission. However, there are individual organisations also that conduct their own exams to fill up various vacancies. 

The information related to the following Defence exams are given in the article-

1. CAPF – Central Armed Police Force
2. NDA – National Defence Academy/ Naval Academy 
3. CDS – Combined Defense Services
4. AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test

Lets us have a close look at various Defence exams in India-

Defence Exams – Dates

The exam dates for all Defence exams are announced by the conducting body through the official notification or on the official exam calendar. 

The important dates of upcoming Defence exams 2021 are as follows-

Candidates can know the relevant dates of Defence exams 2020 in the article. 

Defence Exams – Notification

The notification for CAPF, CDS and NDA exam is released by the UPSC while the AFCAT exam is conducted by the Indian Air force itself. The notification details of these defence exams for the year 2020 are as follows-

CAPF Exam

CAPF is an All India level exam conducted annually. The notification for CAPF exam is released to recruit various Group A and Group B officers in the seven security forces of India.

UPSC announced the notification of CAPF 2020 on August 18th to recruit Assistant Commandant (group A officers).

The table below highlights Defence exam 2020 dates for CAPF-

Aspirants of CAPF exam can go through CAPF Recruitment for further information.

NDA / NA Exam

NDA/NA is an all India defence entrance exam that is conducted by UPSC twice a year, in April and in September. Candidates who qualify NDA exam get admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA & Indian Naval Academy Course -INAC.

The details of this defence exam for 2020 is given in the table below-

Candidates can check the detailed NDA notification on the linked page for further details.

CDS Exam

CDS is a national level defence entrance exam which is again conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. CDS exam is conducted biannually, CDS I in February and CDS II in September. The important dates of the CDS defence exam are as mentioned below-

Detailed information on CDS notification and relevant details are given on the linked article. 

AFCAT Exam

The Indian Air force conducts the AFCAT exam to select candidates for multiple posts in the Air Force such as Flying Officers, Officers in Ground Duty – Technical Post, and Officers in Ground Duty -Non-Technical Post.

The AFCAT exam is also conducted biannually, once in February and then in August. Aspirants from across the country can apply for this Defence exam. The notification for AFCAT 2020 1 and 2 examinations was released in November 2019 and June 2020, respectively.

The details of important events for AFCAT defence exam is highlighted in the table below-

Further details regarding AFCAT can be checked on the AFCAT Notification page. 

Defence Exam Eligibility

Aspirants of various Defence exams have to fulfil the basic eligibility requirement as mentioned by the conducting body in the respective exam notification.

Every citizen of India, irrespective of class, caste, religion and community is eligible to appear for defence exams provided they meet the criteria such as physical standard, age and educational qualification. 

The criteria for Defence exams eligibility are as follows-

Defence Exam Age Limit

The age limit for different Defence exams in India are different which is highlighted below-

Defence Exam Education Qualification

The minimum education qualification required to appear for the defence exam is 12th Board pass. The details for education requirements for different Defence exams is as follows-

All the Defence exams have certain physical and medical standards that are mandatory to be fulfilled by the candidates in order to be eligible for the examination. Aspirants can go through the detailed eligibility requirements of various Defence exams on the links provided below-

1. CAPF Eligibility
2. NDA Eligibility
3. CDS Eligibility
4. AFCAT Eligibility

Defence Exam Vacancy

The Defence exam vacancies are announced by the conducting bodies along with the release of the official notification. 

Candidates can go through the Defence exam vacancy for various Defence exams in India highlighted below

For detailed information on Defence Exam vacancy please refer to the notification page for respective exams.

Defence Exam Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The UPSC and Air Force, reserves the right to set and make changes in the exam pattern and syllabus of CDS, NDA, CAPF and AFCAT respectively.

The notification published by the conducting body mentions the Defence exam syllabus and exam pattern in detail. 

Aspirants of various defence exam in India can go through the highlights of patterns and Defence exam syllabus given below-

Candidates can check the detailed Defence exam syllabus for different exams on the link provided below – 

1. CAPF Syllabus
2. CDS Syllabus
3. NDA Syllabus
4. AFCAT Syllabus

Aspirants of various Defence exams in India must be willing to know the remuneration, perks and allowances admissible to candidates selected in these exams. Hence, they can refer to the links provided below to know the Defence exam salary-

Defence Exam Result

The various exam conducting bodies announce the Defence exam result within a month’s time span after the completion of the examination. This section will highlight the information regarding Defence exam results.

1. CAPF Result –  Since the exam for CAPF 2020 is scheduled to be conducted on 20th December 2020, the result for the same can be expected in February 2021. Details on CAPF results are elaborated on the CAPF exam page.
2. NDA Result – UPSC has announced the result of NDA 1 and NDA 2 exam 2020 on October 9th. The common exam for NDA 1 and 2 was conducted on September 6th 2020. Check the details on NDA Result in the given link. 
3. CDS Result – The commission will announce the Defence exam result for CDS 2 in December 2020 as the exam is scheduled to be conducted on November 8th 2020. UPSC has announced the CDS 1 result on March 23rd, the exam for which was conducted on February 2nd 2020. Go through the detailed information on CDS Result in the linked article. 
4. AFCAT Result – The Indian Air Force announced the result of AFCAT 1 on March 17th 2020. The exam was conducted on February 22nd and 23rd. However, the result for AFCAT 2 released on October 21st 2020. Check further details on the AFCAT result page linked here.    

Defence Exam Preparation

Aspirants of various Defence Exams in India must follow a strategic approach for defence exam preparation.  They can follow the below-given tips for preparation of Defence exam-

1. Set a schedule for your Defence exam preparation and make sure you stick to it.
2. Socialize with people who are preparing for the same or have already qualified for the exam. Utilise this time to discuss preparation and clarifying doubts.
3. While studying for the Defence exam, make notes as you go through the study material. These are short and effective and help for last-minute revision. 
4. Listen to the short news and do not waste time listening to unnecessary news based on discussion unless the topic demands it.
5. Speed up your learning by following some memory techniques.
6. Give tests and practice writing answers frequently. 
7. Practice mock papers, identify your mistakes and the area where you lack knowledge. This is an essential part of regular preparations for successful candidates. Also, it helps to increase your speed to solve the exam on time.

Candidates can go through preparation strategies for competitive exams to do diligent preparation for the examination.

Aspirants can also details related to Government exams after 12th in the given link.

Candidates who aspire to appear for various government exams can check the links below for relevant details-