The Combined Defence Services Examination is conducted biannually in February and November. The first session concluded in March 2019. UPSC has successfully conducted UPSC CDS II for November 18 in offline (pen-paper) mode. Registration for this session concluded on September 4, successfully registered candidates can download their hall ticket from October 25 from www.upsc.nic.in.
UPSC CDS is a 3 stage exam consisting written examination, personal interview round followed by medical examination. For the second session, the written exam will be held in approximately 41 UPSC CDS exam centers across India. Candidates qualifying the national level examination, conducted for recruitment of officer cadre in Army, Air Force and Military are given a fixed stipend of INR 21000 every month.
After 6th and 7th pay commission, pay scale offered has been increased. The payband of top UPSC CDS officers’ profile after the revision are:-
| Rank | Payband (INR) |
|---|---|
| Lt. to Major | 15,600-39,100 |
| Lt. Col. to Maj Gen. | 37,400-67,000 |
| Lt. Gen. HAG Scale | 67,000 (annual increment@3%) – 79.000 |
| HAG Scale* (* Admissible to 1/3rd of total strength of Lt. Gens) | 75,500 (annual increment@3%) – 80,000 |
| VCO/AS/Army Cdr/Lt Gen(NFSG) | 80,000 (Fixed) |
| COAS | 90,000 (Fixed) |
Highlights of UPSC CDS 2019 Exam
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Services Exam |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Official Website | upsc.nic.in |
| Exam Type | National Level Recruitment Test |
| Exam Date | November 18, 2019 |
| Eligibility Criteria | Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required for IMA, INA and AFA |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| UPSC CDS Helpdesk | 011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591 |
UPSC CDS 2019 Exam Dates
UPSC announces exam dates for UPSC CDS exam. Candidates can check the following table for UPSC CDS 2019 Exam dates as mentioned below:
| Events | February 2019 | November 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Release of Official Notification | November 8, 2017 | August 8, 2019 |
| Commencement of Online Application | November 8, 2017 | August 8, 2019 |
| Closing date for receipt of application form | December 4, 2017 | September 4, 2019 |
| Issue of UPSC CDS 2019 Admit card | January 10, 2019 | October 25, 2019 |
| UPSC CDS Written Exam | February 4, 2019 | November 18, 2019 |
| Declaration of result | March 2019 | December 2019 |
UPSC CDS Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfill the minimum eligibility requirements at the time of applying for UPSC CDS 2019. Check below educational qualifications, age criteria and marital status required for appearing in UPSC CDS Exam.
Educational Qualification
The eligibility criteria are different for all the posts. Candidates must check the required eligibility before applying for the exam. If a candidate is pursuing final year/ semester of their Degree course at present are also eligible to apply for UPSC CDS Exam 2019 on provisional basis.
- For Indian Military Academy (INA): Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- For Indian Naval Academy (INA): Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university or equivalent.
- For Air Force Academy (AFA): Bachelor’s degree of Engineering/Technology from a recognized university OR degree from a recognized university with Physics & Mathematics as subjects.
- For Officers Training Academy (OTA): Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or equivalent.
- For Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical course): Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
Age Limit
Candidate should be not less than 19 years to apply for any academy. The age limit will be calculated as on January 01, 2019.
For IMA – 19 years to 24 years
For AFA – 19 years to 23 years
For INA – 19 years to 22 years
For OTA – 19 years to 25 years
Nationality
- Candidates must be citizens of India.
- Subjects of Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka & various East African Countries are also eligible.
- Candidates will have to produce a certificate issued by authorities of Government of India certifying the claim.
Marital Status
- Candidate should be unmarried to apply for IMA, INA & AFA.
- Male Applicants at OTA are exempted from this restriction.
- Unmarried women, issueless widows and divorcees can apply for OTA.
Physical Standards
- Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019 as per guidelines of UPSC.
UPSC CDS 2019 Application Form
As per UPSC CDS II Official notification released at upsc.gov.in, the registration began from August 8 and ended on September 4 (6pm). Candidates interested has to visit UPSC’s website in order to access the application form. For each session, the form is available in two parts. i.e. registration part I and registration part II. Make note that UPSC CDS 2019 Application Form in any other mode will not be accepted.
UPSC CDS Application Fee:
- General & OBC category: INR 200
- SC/ ST and Females: Exempted
Part 1 Registration
- Log on to the official site of UPSC Online and click on the Examination tab.
- Select the option of ‘Combined Defense Services Examination (II)’.
- The Part I Registration page will open.
- Provide general details such as Name, Date of birth, E-mail ID, Category, etc.
- Choose preference for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA. Preference for the various fields should be indicated using numbers 0/1/2/3/4 with 1 being the highest preference.
- Specify if you have obtained or are likely to obtain NCC ‘C’ certificate (Sr. Division).
- Also specify whether you are serving the armed forces.
- Verify the information mentioned in the Application form and modify it in case of any mismatch/ discrepancy.
- No changes or modifications will be permitted after this stage.
- After Part 1 Registration obtain unique Registration ID and other details for reference.
Part 2 Registration
- Select the option of ‘Part II Registration’ after completing the first part. Enter the Registration ID and Date of Birth.
- First pay the application fee through online or offline mode.
- Choose any 1 out of the 3 options- Pay by Cash, Card or Pay by Net banking to pay the fees.
- Next, upload scanned images of Photograph and Signature in the specifications as given in the notification.
- From the drop down menu, select the exam centers for UPSC CDS II 2019 Examination. All the exam centers will be allotted on first come first serve basis.
- After all the above steps are completed, a confirmation page will be generated. Candidates should take a print out of this page for future correspondence.
UPSC CDS 2019 Admit Card
The hall ticket for November session has been released on October 25 by UPSC. Candidates who have successfully registered for the exam can visit the official website to download the document. UPSC CDS 2019 Admit Card will not be sent to the applicants via post. Enter the issued registration number and password to access the document. The admit card of UPSC CDS 2019 will have candidate’s details like:
- Name and address of the allotted exam centre
- Roll number
- Category
- Photograph
- Signature
- Name, etc.
Candidates are advised check all the entries in the admit card. In case of any discrepancy, candidate should immediately inform the authority. For personality test, the commission will issue separate admit card.
Steps to download UPSC CDS 2019 Admit Card are:
- Visit the official website of UPSC- www.upsc.gov.in
- Click on the link given to download ‘Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2019.
- Enter the particulars required in the empty fields such as Registration Number and Date of Birth.
- After filling all the details click on submit.
- The e- admit card for UPSC CDS 2019 will appear on the screen, download it after verifying all the details.
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern
The UPSC CDS 2019 will be conducted in pen and paper based mode. The exam will be conducted in both in morning and forenoon session.
- UPSC CDS 2019 question booklet will have multiple choice questions as per the prescribed syllabus.
- The total mark allotted to written test is 300 marks.
- The written test for admission to OTA will be of 200 marks.
- UPSC CDS 2019 will be conducted for 2 hours/paper with the provision of negative marking for wrong answers.
- The exam will comprise questions from Elementary Mathematics, English and General knowledge.
- The standard of the papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation level while the standard of papers in other subjects will be of a graduate of an Indian University.
| Subjects | No. of questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 120 minutes |
| English Language | 120 | 100 | 120 minutes |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 100 | 120 minutes |
UPSC CDS exam pattern for admission to OTA
| Subjects | No. of questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 120 | 100 | 120 minutes |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 120 minutes |
UPSC CDS 2019 Syllabus
The syllabus of UPSC CDS 2019 will be prepared by UPSC. The syllabus helps the candidates while their preparation for exam. Candidates who wish to appear for in UPSC CDS 2019 should go throughthe complete syllabus carefully. Here, we are discussing the topics from which questions are asked in the examination.
English Syllabus – Synonyms, Antonyms, Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Error Spotting, Jumbled Sentences, Sentence Correction & Fill in the Blanks.
General Knowledge Syllabus – General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper also includes questions on History of India and Geography of a nature.
Mathematics Syllabus – Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration & Statistics.
UPSC CDS 2019 Result
The result of UPSC CDS 2019 will be declared only for those candidates who will score minimum qualifying marks in the written examination as fixed by the Commission in their discretion. The written exam result of UPSC CDS I 2019 will be declared in December 2019 in a pdf file format.
To check their results, candidates must perform the following steps:
- Go to the official website of UPSC- upsc.gov.in.
- Click on the link given for UPSC CDS II 2019 Result OR
- Go to the examination tab and click on “Active Examination” and navigate to UPSC CDS II 2019 Result link.
- Click on it, a pdf will appear with the names of qualifying candidates.
Candidates who will qualify the UPSC CDS 2019 written exam will be called by Service Selection Board for psychological aptitude test, intelligence test and interview.
- Candidates have to secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in UPSC CDS 2019 written examination and UPSC CDS 2019 SSB test.
- The examination authority will prepare merit list of all the qualified candidates based on the total marks secured by them and accordingly they will be selected for the UPSC CDS 2019 courses.
UPSC CDS 2019 Cutoff
Candidates have to secure the cut off score as per their category to qualify the entrance exam. The exam conducting body UPSC will release UPSC CDS 2019 cut off score after the completion of UPSC CDS 2019 recruitment process.
The result will be declared for only those candidates who will score the subject wise as well as overall cut off score.
Here, we are providing the previous year cutoff for applicants that will give an idea of expected cutoff for this year. Candidates can check last year UPSC CDS cut off score from the table given below.
| Academy | Written Exam | Final Marks |
|---|---|---|
| IMA | 102 | 225 |
| INA | 109 | 225 |
| AFA | 129 | 264 |
| OTA (Male) | 86 | 168 |
| OTA (Female) | 86 | 172 |
UPSC CDS SSB Interview 2019
The selection of candidates will be based on the written test, personal interview and personality test. Candidates will have to qualified all stages of the selection process. The document verification will be done after deciding the selection status of a candidate. The final merit list will be prepared on the basis of total marks secured in the written examination and in the SSB Interview.
- Candidate who will qualify the written test will be called for Service Selection Board which includes psychological aptitude test, intelligence test and interview.
- Note that those who qualify in the written test will have to register themselves for SSB Interview at www.joinindianarmy.nic.in.
- SSB board evaluates intelligence, personality, compatibility and potential of prospective candidates for recruitment in the Army, Navy and Air Force.
- SSB interview is a five days process which includes two stage of testing- Stage 1 being Psychological Aptitude Test and Stage 2 is Intelligence test.
- Stage 1 of SSB Interview will be conducted on the first day of the SSB interview process.
- Candidates clearing aptitude test will only proceed to the second stage, otherwise, they will be sent back on the very first day.
- Candidates who wish to join Air Force and Naval Aviation will have to appear for Pilot Aptitude Test.
Stage 1: SSB Interview
- The stage 1 of SSB Interview is Officer’s Intelligence Rating and Picture Perception and Description Test. Read Officer’s Intelligence Rating Test in SSB Interview
- Candidates will be tested on the basis of 2 sections- Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning
- The test is conducted in the span of approximately 1 hour.
- Verbal section is to be complete in 30 minutes with 50 compulsory questions.
- 50 questions are to be answered in non-verbal reasoning section in 25 to 30 minutes’ time.
- The picture perception and description test is to examine candidate’s memory retention abilities.
- In this test, candidates are shown a hazy picture for 30 seconds and based on it the further exercise is carried out.
Stage 2: SSB Interview
Stage 2 of SSB Interview is a 5-day process involving Psychological test, Group Task, Personal Interview and Conference.
- Psychological Test- This tests aspirant’s emotional and behavioral reactions through TAT (Thematic Appreciation Test), WAT (Word Association Test), SRT (Situation Reaction Test) and Self- Description. Know More About Psychological Test in SSB Interview
- Group Task- candidates are judged for their officer like qualities in group task along with their physical and mental prowess.
- Personal Interview- Personal Interview session is conducted on the third day of the SSB Interview process in front of the senior officials. Candidate’s personal abilities, behavior and thought exercises are put to test.
- Conference- This is the conclusive stage of the UPSC CDS SSB Interview, wherein candidates appear in front of the Board Committee. This committee consists of members from President of the board, Deputy President, Group Testing Officers, Psychologists.
UPSC UPSC CDS FAQs
Ques. What is UPSC CDS?
Ans. UPSC CDS is Combined Defense Services examination, conducted to recruit eligible candidates for Indian Military Academy, Officers’ Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy.
Ques. Who conducts UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. UPSC CDS 2019 is conducted twice annually by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which is India’s central recruiting agency.
Ques. Where will candidates be posted if they crack UPSC CDS 2019 examination?
Ans. There are few reputed government organizations, where candidates who have qualified UPSC CDS 2019 will be posted. They are listed below:
- Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
- Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala
- Air Force Academy, Hyderabad
- Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai
- Officers Training Academy, Chennai Women (Non-Technical) Course
Ques. What is the age limit to get recruited through UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. Various government organizations that recruit candidates with respect to their UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard is bounded with different age limits, which is elaborated below in tabular form:
| Organization | Age limit |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy | 19-24 years |
| Air Force Academy | 19-23 years |
| Naval Academy | 19-22 years |
| Officers’ Training Academy | 19-25 years |
Ques. What is the minimum required qualification to get recruited for Indian Military Academy via UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard?
Ans. Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized University or equivalent to get selected for Indian Military Academy after clearing UPSC CDS 2019 examination.
Ques. What education qualification is required to get recruited for Indian Naval Academy via UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard?
Ans. Candidates must have completed their Bachelor’s in technology aka engineering from a recognized University to get selected for Indian Naval Academy after getting through UPSC CDS 2019 examination.
Ques. What academic qualification is required in order to get recruited for Air Force Academy via UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard?
Ans. Candidates must either have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering/technology or a qualifying degree for Physics and Mathematics as subjects from a recognized University to get recruited for Indian Military Academy after qualifying UPSC CDS 2019 examination.
Ques. What education qualification is required to get recruited for Officers Training Academy through UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard?
Ans. Applicants must possess a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized University or equivalent to get selected for Officers Training Academy after qualifying UPSC CDS 2019 examination.
Ques. What academic qualification is required to get recruited for Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) through UPSC CDS 2019 scorecard?
Ans. Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree from any recognized University or equivalent to work for Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) after qualifying UPSC CDS 2019 examination.
Ques. What should be candidate’s marital status for UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. The marital status should be different for recruitment in different UPSC CDS affiliated government organizations as listed below:
| Organization | Marital status |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy | Unmarried |
| Indian Naval Academy | Unmarried |
| Air Force Academy | Unmarried till 25 years |
| Officers’ Training Academy | Married or Unmarried |
| Officers Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical courses) | Unmarried or Widow |
Ques. What is the basic exam pattern for Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Naval Academy?
Ans. The basic exam pattern for Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, and Naval Academy is similar. The question paper will be objective type and the test’s syllabus and corresponding marks are listed below:
| Subjects | Marks |
|---|---|
| English | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 |
| Total | 300 |
Ques. What is the basic exam pattern for Officers’ Training Academy?
Ans. Officers’ Training Academy’s question paper will be objective type (MCQs) and its syllabus along with the corresponding marks are listed below:
| Subjects | Marks |
|---|---|
| English | 100 |
| General English | 100 |
| Total | 200 |
Ques. How can one apply for UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. UPSC CDS 2019 application could be made via online mode from the official website of examination conducting authority, UPSC by visiting the link www.upsc.gov.in.
Ques. What are the documents that are required to fill UPSC CDS 2019 Application Form?
Ans. All the pre-requisites for filling UPSC CDS 2019 application form are bulleted below:
- Class 10th Mark sheet and Certificate
- Class 12th Mark sheet
- All the graduation Mark sheets for all the semesters
- Those who are studying in the final year of their degree course, all the Mark sheets up to their final semester should be available.
- Scanned image of candidate’s photograph and signature.
Ques. What specifications are needs for scanned photograph and signature?
Ans. Candidates need to abide by the below-mentioned specifications for successful submission of scanned photograph and signature:
| Image | Format | Resolution | Size | Dimension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate’s Photograph | .jpg | 200 dpi | 3 to 40 kb | 140 x 110 pixels |
| Candidate’s Signature | .jpg | 200 dpi | 3 to 40 kb | 110 x 140 pixels |
Ques. What are the steps to fill in UPSC CDS 2019 application/registration form?
Ans. All the steps to fill in UPSC CDS 2019 application/registration form are mentioned below:
- Log in to the official site of UPSC.
- Locate and click on the examination tab à ‘Combined Defense Services Examination (II)’
- UPSC CDS 2019 registration part 1 will then be displayed.
- Candidates need to fill in all the details and hit submit.
- Candidates will come across a registration number which needs to be kept safe.
- They are also recommended to take a print out of UPSC CDS 2019 registration part 1.
- Select the option Registration part 2.
- Fill in the form and pay the registration fees
- Enter submit.
- A confirmation page will appear which must be saved for future reference.
Ques. What is the mode of payment for UPSC CDS 2019 application fees?
Ans. Aspirants can pay the application fees for UPSC CDS 2019 exam by cash, card or net banking. The process for rendering fees via each method is given below:
- Pay by Cash On selecting this option, a system generated bank challan of State Bank of India will appear on the screen. Applicants must print out this challan and submit the requisite fees by cash at any branch of the bank. They must save the student copy of the challan as the proof of payment.
- Pay by Debit/ Credit Card or Net banking Aspirants can pay the fees through Debit/Credit card or through the Net Banking facility of State Bank of India/ State Bank of Patiala/ State Bank of Travancore/ State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/ State Bank of Hyderabad/ State Bank of Mysore. They must enter the required payment details on the bank page and save the receipt of the transaction.
Ques. Can UPSC CDS 2019 application be canceled and requested for a refund, after the submission of the requisite application fee?
Ans. No, UPSC does not refund the application fees for UPSC CDS 2019 under any circumstance whatsoever.
Ques. Can a candidate submit multiple forms and the corresponding fees for one form be adjusted to the other?
Ans. Candidates can make multiple forms submit only under some unavoidable circumstances. However, they have to repay the fees as the fees of another form will not be adjusted for the accurate one.
Ques. How many exam centers across India will be allotted to conduct UPSC CDS 2019 examination?
Ans. There will be 41 cities in the country that will be selected as exam centers for UPSC CDS examination. However, candidates will be given an option to select the preferred center nearest to their place in the UPSC CDS 2019 registration form part 2.
Ques. What are the stages of UPSC CDS 2019 selection process?
Ans. UPSC CDS 2019 selection process includes 4 stages as follows:
- Written examination
- Personal Interview
- Document verification
- Medical examination
Ques. What does the second stage of UPSC CDS 2019 selection procedure, personal interview comprises of?
Ans. After the written UPSC CDS 2019 examination, UPSC conducts a personal interview for candidates who have qualified the former. This stage comprises of various activities to shortlist the deserving candidates such as Group discussion, Group activities, and Interview in person.
Ques. What document will be verified by UPSC for UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. Once written examination and personal interview are cleared by the candidate; they are required to submit the below mentioned documents to clear with their 3rd stage of selection procedure:
- 10th standard mark sheet and certificates
- 12th standard mark sheet and certificates
- Graduation mark sheet (all semesters)
- Graduation provisional and degree
- Other educational documents
- Government identity card (PAN card, smart card, voter id card, driving license and suchlike)
Ques. What does the examination conducting authority test in Medical Examination?
Ans. Medical examination is the final stage of the selection procedure for UPSC CDS 2019. In this stage, candidates will be tested on their physical fitness. Those who qualify the medical examination, will be further recruited for various government organizations.
Ques. What are the two phases of UPSC CDS 2019 results?
Ans. UPSC CDS 2019 results are segregated into two phases namely written exam results and SSB (Services Selection Board) / personality test interview. Those who manage to get in the cut off for written test will be called for the personality test.
Ques. What is the estimated cut off for UPSC CDS 2019?
Ans. UPSC CDS 2019 expected cut off would fall in the ranges of 65-85.
Ques. What are the formulae for calculation of estimated marks for English and General Knowledge?
Ans. Estimated Score = (Total number of correct responses X 0.83) – (Number of wrong Answers X 0.33)
Ques. What are the formulae for calculation of estimated marks for Mathematics?
Ans. Estimated Score = (Total number of correct responses X 1) – (Number of wrong Answers X 0.33).
Ques. What is the time duration of UPSC CDS 2019 exam?
Ans. The time duration for UPSC CDS 2019 examination will be 6 hours (360 minutes), 2 hours for each section.
Ques. What are UPSC CDS expected cut off for Academy-wise?
Ans. The expected UPSC CDS 2019 cut -off academy wise is tabulated below:
| IAF Training Academy | Location | IAF Wing | UPSC UPSC CDS 2019 Cut off | Annual Vacancies |
| Indian Military Academy | Dehradun, UK | Indian Army | 70-80 | Around 100 |
| Air Force Academy | Hyderabad, AP | Air Force | 120-140 | 40-60 |
| Indian Naval Academy | Ezhimala, Kerala | Indian Navy | 60-70 | 40-50 |
| Officers Training Academy | Chennai, TN | Indian Army | 65-75 | 230-260 |
