CDS stands for Combined Defence Services, candidates who want to be a part of the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy have to apply for the Combined Defence Services Examination. CDS exam is conducted twice a year by UPSC (Union Public Services Conducted), candidates who have cleared the CDS written exam will be called for an interview by Service Selection Board (SSB) and the successful candidates will be appointed to respective training academies. The Notification for the CDS exam is usually released twice a year

What is CDS Exam Eligibility and Selection Procedure ?

CDS Exam Eligibility

• Age Limit for CDS Exam

1. Indian Military Academy         :   19-24 years
2. Air Force Academy                   :   19-24 years
3. Naval Academy                         :   19-22 years
4. Officers’ Training Academy  :   19-27 years

• Educational Qualification for CDS Exam

1. Degree of a recognized University or equivalent for IMA and OTA
2. B.Sc. with Physics & Mathematics or Bachelor of Engg for Naval Academy
3. B.Sc. with Physics and/or Mathematics or Bachelor of Engg for Air Force Academy

Note:

For CDS exam, applicants can be from any stream but for entry to Air Force and Navy, candidates should have studied physics and maths up to Class 12. Candidates who are studying in the final year degree course and have yet to pass the final year degree examination can also apply for CDS Exam.

CDS Exam Selection Procedure

CDS Exam Selection Procedure consists of Four stages:

1. Written Examination
2. Personality Test/ Personal Interview
3. Verification of the candidates
4. Medical Examination of the selected candidates

STEP 1: Written Examination

The very first step in the selection procedure of CDS 2014 begins with candidates appearing for written examination which is conducted twice every year by UPSC.

1. The candidate opting for IMA, INA and AFA are required to give three written subjects of the following subjects:

• Mathematics
• English
• General Knowledge and

2. The candidates appearing for Officers Training Academy will have to give written test of two subjects of the following:

• Elementary Mathematics
• General Knowledge

STEP 2: Interview/ Intelligence Test/ Personality Test

The candidates who are selected in written test are called for SSB interview. The SSB procedure consists of two stage selection process-Stage I and Stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for Stage II.
1. Stage I comprises of Officers Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception Description Test (P&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in QIR Test and PP and DT.
2. Stage II comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officers Tasks, Psychology Tests and the conference. These testes are conducted over 4 days .
The personality of candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. the interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Psychologist.
STEP 3: Document Verification:
Document Verification will be conducted only after the candidate has qualified the SSB interview Following is the list of documents to be submitted for verification:

• Birth Certificate
• Academic Degrees (HSC, SSC, Graduation etc)
• Certificate of Eligibility for certain candidates
• Passport size photograph
• Identity proof
• Residence proof etc.
• Category or cast certificate (SC, ST, OBC, PH etc)

STEP 4: Medical Examination

The medical examination of all the shortlisted candidate is done as the authority wants to check whether the candidate is medically fit or not. Candidate recommended by the Services Selection Board will undergo a medical examination by a Board of Service Medical Officers.

A merit list of the candidates selected for Combined Defence Service is prepared after all the four steps above mentioned are followed

Syllabus for CDS Exam

Candidates who have opted for IMA, NA and AFA are going to write objective type three papers each of 100 marks  on – English , General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics.

Candidates who have opted for OTA are going to write objective type three papers each of 100 marks  on – English and General Knowledge. To Know More Click Here

How to Prepare for CDS Exam

To help those candidates in preparation who are interested in writing CDS Exam,SSBcrack have started an online coaching program named SSbcrack Exams that helps candidates regarding How to Prepare for CDS Exam  in a more quickest and convenient way. To Know More Click Here

SSBcrack Exams team hopes that your doubts  regarding “what is CDS exam” have been cleared by reading the article, if you have any further queries please ask on comment section.