CDS 2024: Application Form (From 20 December), Eligibility Criteria, Syllabus, Exam Date

CDS 2024: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will be conducting CDS 2024 for the recruitment of the candidates in different Indian defense services. The exam is conducted twice a year to shortlist the capable candidates for recruitment in Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA ), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Interested candidates can apply for the exam by filling the online application form. Before heading to the application form, candidates should ensure their eligibility status. The CDS exam will be conducted in two phases- written test and interview. Only those candidates will be called for interview cum medical test who qualify the written test.

CDS 2024 application form will release by 20th December 2023.

CDS 2024 Overview

• Candidates can apply for the exam only via online mode. No other mode to fill the form will be considered valid.
• Multiple application forms should be avoided at all cost. However, in case a candidate mistakenly fills multiple applications, then the one with higher registration ID shall be considered by the authority.
• Women candidates can only apply for OTA services.
• Candidates wishing to join Air Force Academy (AFA) have to choose AFA as first choice as they have to be administered computerized pilot selection system (CPSS) or AF medicals at central establishment/Institute of Aviation Medicines.
• Married candidates above 25 years of age can apply but during training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises.
• To be qualified for the services, a candidate has to be medically fit as per the physical standards determined by the authority.
• All the candidates serving in government service including those serving in the armed forces, government owned industrial undertakings or other similar organizations or in private employment should submit their applications online direct to the Commission.
• Candidates who qualify the written test need to register themselves on the portal of the Indian army to receive the call up for SSB interview.

CDS 2024 Important Dates

The official schedule of the CDS 2024 exam is as follows-

Eligibility Criteria of CDS 2024

The eligibility criteria to appear for the CDS examination is as follows-

Nationality: A candidate must be unmarried and must either be-

• Citizen of India or subject of Bhutan/ Nepal or a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1^st January 1962 to permanently settle in India.
• A PIO migrated from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, and East African countries of- Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, United republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, or Vietnam now settled in India.

Age limit, sex and marital status

• For IMA: Candidates should be an unmarried male and must not have been born earlier than 2^nd January 2001 and not later than 1^st January 2006.
• For INA: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2^nd January 2001 and not later than 1^st January 2006 can apply for the exam.
• For AFA: The age of the candidates should fall between 20 years old and 24 years as on 1^st January2 024.
• For OTA (men): Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2000 and not later than 1st January 2006 are eligible.
• For OTA (women): Unmarried women, widows and divorcees who have not remarried and are born not earlier than 2nd January 2000 and not later than 1st January 2006 are eligible.
• Candidates whose age is less than 25 years must be unmarried.

Educational qualification

• For IMA and OTA: Candidates should possess any degree from a recognized university.
• For INA: Candidates should have completed B.E/B.Tech from a recognized university/ institution.
• For AFA: Candidates should hold a degree of a recognized university (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or have done bachelor of engineering from a recognized university.

CDS 2024 Application Form

The application form of CDS examination can only be filled online through the official website of the UPSC. No printed form of application shall be made available by the authority. Candidates need to keep their documents handy before they begin filling the form. Candidates who do not want to appear in the exam can avail the application withdrawal facility. Candidates should fill correct details in the application form as if any stage the information provided by them is found to be incorrect/ misleading, then the candidature of such candidates will be cancelled to the immediate effect. They will be asked to upload a recent passport-sized photograph and signature. Payment of the application fee is mandatory for all the applicants except female and SC/ST candidates. The filled-in application form should be submitted on or before the due date specified by the commission. Applications received past the deadline shall be rejected by the authority.

Application fee: Candidates are required to pay an application fee of Rs. 200/- for the exam. Female and ST/ST candidates are exempted from paying the fee. The payment of fee can be done through E-Challan of SBI bank or through credit card, debit card and internet banking.

CDS Exam Pattern

The exam pattern for CDS examination is provided below-

• Exam mode: Pen and paper-based mode
• Medium of instructions: English and Hindi
• Duration: 2 hours for each subject
• Type of questions: Objective type questions
• Negative marking: 1/3^rd marks will be deducted for marking the wrong answer.

For IMA, INA and AFA

For OTA

Syllabus

The syllabus of CDS examination is quite exhaustive in nature. But candidates can crack the exam with their dedication and hard work. Here are the key topics they need to prepare for the exam-

• English: Word meaning, antonym, synonym, homonym, one-word substitution, fill in the blanks, sentence correction, sentence rearrangement, vocabulary, English grammar.
• General Knowledge: Current affair, national/international news, person in limelight, environment, awards and pageants, Indian history, geography, political science etc.
• Elementary Mathematics: Number system, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and mensuration.

Preparation tips to ace the exam

Here are some important preparation tips to crack the CDS exam-

1. Prepare a daily routine and strictly adhere to it no matter what.
2. Make a habit of reading a newspaper everyday to follow the current affairs. Discuss these events with your peers or family to develop a perspective on it.
3. Practice English daily. Read English magazine or articles to improve your English vocabulary.
4. Keep a separate notebook for mathematical formulas and shortcut for quick revision.
5. Solve previous year papers to get an idea on the topic from where most of the questions were asked in the exam.

Admit card

• Only E-admit card will be made available by the authority. Candidates can download the same by login into the official web portal of UPSC i.e. upsc.gov.in.
• The E-admit card shall not be sent to the candidates by post or any other means.
• Candidates will be informed about the admit card through the registered email id and phone number.
• Applicants must bring the hall ticket to the exam hall with a valid ID proof or else they won’t be permitted to take the test.
• The admit card should not be in damaged condition otherwise it won’t be considered valid by the authority.

CDS 2024 Result and Selection

• Candidates can check the result of CDS 2024 from the official website of the UPSC.
• Those who qualify the written test will have to appear for the interview and personality test conducted by the SSB.
• The authority will publish the final result of the candidates who have successfully qualified both the written and personality/interview test.
• Candidates selected for Air Force and Naval Aviation will have to take Pilot aptitude test.
• Selection in the services will strictly be based on the performance of the candidates in all stages of the exam including their physical fitness.

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