AN OVERVIEW ABOUT THE EXAM AND ACADEMY
What is CDS OTA Exam?
- It is a written test conducted by UPSC two times every year for entries into these academies. CDS OTA written exam has two different tests namely English and General Knowledge.
- Examination Conducted in the months of February (CDS I) and August-September(CDS II).
Age Limit & Educational Qualification
- Candidate must be a Graduate in any Indian Recognized University or equivalent and must be of 19-25 Years of age.
The Officers’ Training Academy (OTA)
- Training establishment of the Indian Army that train officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC).
- Course duration: 49 weeks course
- OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Medical Corps (AMC).
- Motto of OTA: “Serve With Honour”
- The SSC Short Service commission officer’s tenure is 10+4 years (i.e. a compulsory 10 years of service and 4 years as an extension).
- After the completion of this tenure, the officers can either opt for a Permanent Commission (which will be given only based upon the performance seen by confidential reports, etc.) or can opt-out of the Indian Army.
- The ex NDA and CTW officers have a slight edge over their SSC counterparts in courses owing to the fact that they have trained three years more than the SSC entries.
- You can convert from a short service commission to a permanent commission, however, the vice versa is not possible.
