Union Public Service Commission published the Notification for the Combined Defence Services Examination (I) 2024 on December 20, 2023. The examination is a national-level examination for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Officers’ Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy.
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The exam is conducted twice a year and can be attempted in Hindi or English. It is an offline, written examination. The CDS 1 2024 exam will be conducted on 21st April 2024.
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CDS 1 2024 Important Dates:
CDS 1 2024 Important Dates: UPSC published the CDS 1 2024 notification and important dates. Let’s have a look at the tentative schedule for CDS 1 2024 exam.
| CDS 1 2024 EVENTS | DATES |
| CDS 1 2024 Application Start Date | 20 December 2023 |
| CDS 1 2024 Application Last Date | 09 January 2024 |
| CDS 1 2024 Exam Date | 21 April 2024 (SUNDAY) |
| CDS 1 2024 Admit Card Download Date | 2 weeks before the exam |
| CDS 1 2024 Result Date (Expected) | May – June 2024 |
| CDS 1 2024 Official Notification | 20 December 2023 (Released) |
CDS 1 2024 Notification:
The CDS 1 2024 notification released by the UPSC on the 20th of December 2023.
CDS 1 2024 Application Fee:
Candidates belonging to the General Caste and Other Backward Classes are required to pay the amount of Rs. 200/- as registration fees. Women and other castes are exempted from paying.
CDS 1 2024 Applications:
After the release of the notification, candidates can start applying for the exam by visiting the official UPSC website and clicking on “CDS 1 2024 Applications”. Fill in the form with accurate details and upload the application form.
CDS 1 2024 Admit Card:
Candidates can download their admit card from the official website two weeks prior to the examination. Carefully check your details and if there are any discrepancies, one can inform the authorities via email. Download and print your admit card and carry it for the exam.
CDS 1 2024 Eligibility Criteria:
Nationality:
- A Citizen of India
- A subject of Bhutan or Nepal
- A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1962, intending to permanently settle in India.
- A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India.
Candidates must have a certificate or proof given by the Indian Government in support of their assertion under points (2), (3), and (4). Candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal are not required to show any form of CDS eligibility certificate. A candidate who requires a certificate of CDS eligibility 2024 may be accepted to the examination provisionally, subject to the Government providing the appropriate certificate before the UPSC declares the results.
CDS 2024 Educational Qualification:
| Military Wing | Educational Qualification |
| For the Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy | Graduation from a recognized university. |
| For the Indian Naval Academy | An engineering degree from a recognized university. |
| For the Indian Air Force Academy | Bachelor of Engineering or graduation with physics and mathematics in class 12. |
Candidates who are appearing for their final year college exams are also eligible to attempt the CDS Exam. During the time of the SSB interview, an authentic graduation certificate must be provided to the board.
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CDS 2024 Age Limit And Marital Status:
CDS 1 2024 Exam AGE LIMIT: Age limit plays a crucial role in this notification. UPSC follows strict rules considering the dates. The dates given by UPSC for CDS 1 2024 are:
| ACADEMY | AGE LIMIT | BORN BETWEEN |
| INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY | 19-24 | 02 Jan 2001 to 01 Jan 2006 |
| INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY | 19-24 | 02 Jan 2001 to 01 Jan 2006 |
| AIR FORCE ACADEMY | 20-24 | 02 Jan 2001 to 01 Jan 2005 |
| OFFICERS’ TRAINING ACADEMY (MEN) | 19-25 | 02 Jan 2000 to 01 Jan 2006 |
| OFFICERS’ TRAINING ACADEMY (WOMEN) | 19-25 | 02 Jan 2000 to 01 Jan 2006 |
| Military Wing | Age Limit | Marital Status |
| Indian Military Academy | between 19 and 24 years | Unmarried |
| Indian Naval Academy | between 19 and 24 years | Unmarried |
| Indian Air Force Academy | 20 to 24 years as on 1st January, 2025 i.e. D.O.B b/w 2nd January, 2001 to 1st January, 2005 (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 yrs. i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January, 1999 and not later than 1st January, 2005 only are eligible. | Candidate below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Marriage is not permitted during training. Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply |
| Officers’ Training Academy | ||
| SSC Women Non-Technical Course | between 19 to 25 years | Unmarried Women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees, in possession of divorce documents, who have not remarried are eligible. |
| SSC Men Course | between 19 to 25 years | Unmarried |
Undesired Health Issues:
- Wax in ears
- Deviated Nasal Septum
- Hydrocele/Varicocele/Phimosis
- Overweight/Underweight
- Piles
- Gynaecomastia
Permanent body tattoos are completely forbidden anywhere on the body except on the inside face of the forearm (from the elbow to the wrist) and on the reverse side of the palm/back, dorsal, and side of the hand. Candidates with tattoos of specific tribes on their faces or bodies, as per their current customs and traditions, will be authorised in some situations.
CDS 1 2024 Vacancies:
The CDS 1 2024 vacancies are as follows:
CDS 1 2024 Exam Pattern And Syllabus:
Exam Syllabus:
English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics are required studies for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy. Entry into the Officers’ Training Academy needs simply the completion of two subjects: English and General Knowledge.
CDS Exam Pattern For IMA, INA, AFA:
| Subject | Time | Marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 |
CDS 2024 Exam Pattern For OTA:
| Subject | Time | Marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
CDS 1 2024 Marking Scheme
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | TOTAL MARKS | CORRECT ANSWER | WRONG ANSWER |
| English | 120 | 100 | 0.83 Marks | 0.27 Marks |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | ||
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 100 | 1 Mark | 0.33 Marks |
| TOTAL | 340 | 300 |
CDS 2024 Exam Syllabus:
| Topic | Syllabus |
| English | Spotting Errors Sentence Arrangement Synonyms Antonyms Selecting Words Ordering of Sentence Comprehension Questions |
| General Knowledge | Physics Current Affairs Politics Chemistry History Defence Related Awards Geography Sports Biology Cultural Knowledge |
| Elementary Mathematics | Algebra Trigonometry Geometry MensurationStatistics Arithmetic |
CDS 1 2024 Exam Centres:
| Agartala | Delhi | Jorhat | Raipur |
| Agra | Dharwad | Kochi | Rajkot |
| Ajmer | Dispur | Faridabad | Gangtok |
| Ahmedabad | Gaya | Kohima | Kolkata |
| Aizawl | Ranchi | Kozhikode | Leh |
| Aligarh | Sambalpur | Shillong | Shimla |
| Almora | Bareilly | Chennai | Gorakhpur |
| Anantapur | Bhopal | Coimbatore | Gurgaon |
| Aurangabad | Bilaspur | Cuttack | Gwalior |
| Bengaluru | Chandigarh | Ghaziabad | Hyderabad |
| Imphal | Indore | Itanagar | Jabalpur |
| Jaipur | Jammu | Lucknow | Ludhiana |
| Madurai | Mumbai | Mysore | Nagpur |
| Panaji | Patna | Port Blaire | Prayagraj |
| Puducherry | Siliguri | Srinagar | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
| Thane | Thiruvananthapuram | Tiruchirapalli | Tirupati |
| Udaipur | Varanasi | Vellore | Vijayawada |
| Dehradun | Gautam Budh Nagar | Jodhpur | Navi Mumbai |
| Pune | Warangal | Visakhapatnam | – |
CDS 1 2024 Results:
The CDS 1 2024 results will be announced approximately a month after the commencement of the exam. Candidates can visit the official website to check their results. If they have cleared the cut-off, they will be called for the SSB Interview.
Last Official CDS Exam Cut Off
CDS 1 2024 Expected Cut-Off:
| Military Institution | Written Exam Cut-Off | Final Cut-Off |
| Indian Military Academy | 140-150 | 245-254 |
| Indian Naval Academy | 120-130 | 232-252 |
| Air Force Academy | 150-160 | 266-272 |
| Officers Training Academy (Men) | 100-110 | 164-170 |
| Officers Training Academy (Women) | 100-110 | 162-172 |
CDS 1 2024 Selection Process:
Step 1: Written Examination
- The first step is the written exam.
- The question pattern of the written exam for the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) is divided into three sections which are English, Maths, and GK.
- The question pattern of the written exam for the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) consists of English and General Knowledge.
Step 2: SSB Interview
- Aspirants who clear the written exam are eligible for the SSB Interview which includes the Personality Test/Interview.
- The Personality Test/Interview includes two steps to test the aspirants’ efficiency, that is their personality and psychology.
- The first part is an intelligence and personality test.
- The second step is a psychology test which consists of an interview, group discussion, and conference round.
Step 3: Medical Test
- Aspirants who clear both interview and document verification rounds are eligible for the last step which is the medical tests.
CDS 1 2024 Answer Key:
The answer key will be made available on the official website near the time of the results announcement. The answer key is available on the official website for candidates to review. After talking with their students who took the exam, coaching institutions share the solution key sooner. The solution key can be found on the website of any tutoring institution.
CDS 1 2024 Salary:
Once selected for training, cadets get a fixed stipend of Rs. 56,100/- per month. Once a commissioned officer, your salary increases gradually with each promotion.
| Rank | Level | Salary |
| Lieutenant | 10 | Rs. 56,100 – 1,77,500 |
| Captain | 10 B | Rs. 61,300 – 1,93,900 |
| Major | 11 | Rs. 69,400 – 2,07,200 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 12 A | Rs. 1,21,200 – 2,12,400 |
| Colonel | 13 | Rs. 1,30,600 – 2,15,900 |
| Brigadier | 13 A | Rs. 1,39,600 – 2,17,600 |
| Major General | 14 | Rs. 1,44,200 – 2,18,200 |
| Lieutenant General HAG Scale | 15 | Rs. 1,82,200 – 2,24,100 |
| HAG + Scale | 16 | Rs. 2,05,400 – 2,24,400 |
| VCOAS/Lieutenant General (NFSG)/Army Cdr | 17 | Rs. 2,25,000 fixed |
| COAS | 18 | Rs. 2,25,000 fixed |
CDS 1 2024 Roles:
- One must be willing to be completely dedicated to their line of work. The country always comes first.
- CDS working environment can be difficult and will vary from Army, and Navy to Air Force.
- The job requires being mentally and physically fit and to be extremely disciplined.
LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSION AND WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATIONS: 09th JANUARY 2024
CDS 1 2024 Official Notification
CDS 1 2024 Frequently Asked Questions:
1: How many times is the exam conducted in a year?
The CDS Exam is conducted twice a year and can be attempted in Hindi or English.
2. How many attempts can one give?
There are no restrictions on the number of attempts but one must adhere to the age limit.
3. When can I give the CDS Exam?
One can attempt the CDS Exam in the last semester of their graduation or can give the exam after the completion of the course.
4. When CDS 1 2024 exam will be conducted?
The CDS 1 2024 exam will be conducted on 21st April 2024.
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