How To Join IMA – Indian Military Academy in 2024

Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is one of the most prestigious defence institutes in the country and has consistently delivered first-class officers for service in the Indian Army. An institution par excellence, IMA has upheld its motto “Valour and Wisdom” since its establishment in 1932.

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Upon completion of training, cadets from the IMA are awarded a permanent commission, starting at the rank of Lieutenants. The academy offers young men a purposeful and fulfilling career in service of the nation, and an opportunity to actualize their true potential.  Having said that, the selection procedure is very stringent and the institution makes it their policy to select only the best from the countless number of applicants.  There are four different entries to join the Indian Military Academy. They are:

1. Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE)
2. Graduation from NDA
3. Technical Graduate Course (TGC)
4. University Entry Scheme

Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE)

Aspirants who are graduates or appearing in the final year or semester are eligible to apply for Combined Defense Service Examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Services Commission) twice a year. Only men can apply to join IMA and the minimum age required is 19 years. They must meet the physical requirements laid down by UPSC. The exam has 3 sections i.e. English, General Knowledge, and Mathematics with 100 objective questions each. (For IMA). There will be a penalty of 1/3 marks for a wrong answer. Candidates meeting the cut-offs are eligible to attend SSB (Services Selection Board) interview.

Check Out: CDS 1 2023 Notification And Exam Date

Upon NDA graduation

Cadets from NDA who opted for the Indian Army join IMA for training that spans a year.

Technical Graduate Course (TGC)

For engineering/PG students in final year or semester with Science and Humanities or graduates and postgraduates in these streams.. They appear for the SSB tests only and they must be between the age of 20 -27. The training is for the duration of 49 weeks.

University Entry Scheme

Under this scheme unmarried Final and Pre Final year students of Engineering Degree Course are eligible to apply for the Indian Army. The selection process consists of a pre-SSB interview and 5 day SSB selection after that.  Once selected the training will be for one year. Recruitment for UES entry scheme is been put on hold.

All About SSB (Services Selection Board) interview Process

SSB (Services Selection Board) interview is a two-stage selection process spanning 5 days and only the candidates who successfully complete Stage -I of SSB can move onto the next stage. In Stage, I Officers Intelligence Rating (OIR) consisting of Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning and Picture Perception and Description is conducted. A candidate who clears this stays for the rest of four days for Stage -II . Stage II consists of three different tests which in turn is divided into further tests. (i)Psychological Test containing: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situation Reaction Test (SRT) and Self-Description Test (SD) (ii)Group Testing Officers Test (GTO) containing: Group Discussion, Group Planning Exercise (Military Planning Exercise), Progressive Group task, Group Obstacle Race (Snake race), Half Group Task, Lecturette, Individual Obstacles, Command Task, Final Group Task (iii) Face to Face Interview containing a direct conversation with the Interviewing officer. Final results are declared on the fifth day after the conference. Selected Candidates have to stay for filling up forms and if needed for medical examinations. The candidates thus selected can join IMA and pursue training for 1 & 1/2 years.

Also Read: 10 Ways To Join Indian Army