Central Govt

cda exam

CDS Exam : Simple and Exclusive Information

 

The Combined Defence Service is commonly known as the CDS exam conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment of the candidate into the following academy :

 

  1. Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.
  2. Officer’s Training Academy for Women (OTA), Chennai.
  3. Officer’s Training Academy for Men (OTA), Chennai.
  4. Indian Naval Academy ( NNA), Ezhimala.
  5. Indian Air Force Academy (IAFA), Hyderabad.

 

 

Highlights of CDA (I) & (II) Exam

Exam Combined Defence Service (CDS) Examination
Organizing body Union Public Service Commission
Exam Mode Paper & Pen (Offline)
Number of Vacancies Approx.. 400
Frequency Twice a year
Selection Process Written Test & SSB Interview
Official website www.upsc.gov.in

 

CDS (I) & (II) Exam NOTIFICATION& IMPORTANT DATES

UPSC generally releases the notification of the Combined Defence Service Examinations in the month of August. Aspirants willing to appear for the CDS (I) & (II) exams can apply online by visiting the official website of UPSC.

Notification Month
CDS (I) Notification October
CDS (II) Notification August
CDS (I) Exam February
CDS (II) Exam November
CDS (I) Result March
CDS (II) Result December
CDS SSB Post the result of CDS(I) & CDS (II)

 

Eligibility Criteria of CDS Exam

CDS EXAM

 

 

1.Nationality for CDS Exam

The candidate must be a citizen of India to be eligible for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) must be either of the following :

Candidates must be a citizen of India

Candidates must be a citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.

Candidates must be Tibetan refugees who came to India before January 1, 1962, for settling permanently in India.

Candidates must a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Myanmar, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire with the motive to settle permanently in India.

 

2. Educational Qualification Criteria for CDS Exam

Academy Qualification
Indian Military Academy IMA & Officer’s Training Academy Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized University
Indian Naval Academy ( NNA)

 

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or its equivalent from a recognized University/Institution
Indian Air Force Academy (IAFA) Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent (with Physics & Mathematics at 10+2) from a recognized University or Bachelor’s of Engineering.

 

3. Age, Sex, and Marital Status for CDS Exam

Academy Age Sex Marital Status
Indian Military Academy IMA 19-24 years Male Unmarried
Officer’s Training Academy- Men SSB 19-25 years Male Unmarried
Officer’s Training Academy-Women SSB 19-25 years Female Unmarried
Indian Naval Academy ( NNA)

 

19-22 years Male Unmarried
Indian Air Force Academy (IAFA) 19-23 years Male Unmarried
Note: Candidate below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Married candidates above 25 years are eligible to apply. Marriage is not allowed during the training period.

 

4. Physical Criteria for CDS Exam

The candidate needs to be physically and mentally fit for applying in the Combined Defence Service Examination( CDS I & II ). Candidates are advised to get themselves medically examined before applying for this examination as many candidates fail to qualify for the physical test.

 

CDS EXAM PATTERN

UPSC conducts exams in two-level as mentioned below. The candidate who clears the written test will be called for the SSB Interview exams.

 

CDS Exam Stage 1: Written Test 

 

CDS Exam (I)  & CDS Exam (II)
Category Type Negative Marking Subject Duration Maximum Marks
Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy Objective Yes English 2 hours 100
General Knowledge 2 hours 100
Elementary Mathematics 2 hours 100
Officer’s Training Academy Objective Yes English 2 hours 100
General Knowledge 2 hours 100
Note: Exam mode is offline. Question paper for Mathematics & General Knowledge will be in both the language that is English and Hindi

 

CDS Exam Stage 2: Intelligence & Personality Test.

 

SSB will conduct the Intelligence & Personality Test. The candidates who clear the written exam will be called for the Intelligence & Personality Test which comprises of the following steps to get to the final result.

Step Name of the test
Step 1 Officer Intelligence Rating (OTR) Test + Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT)
Step 2 Interview + Group Testing Officer Tasks + Psychology Tests + Conference
Note: The personality of a candidate is assessed by The Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) & Psychologist. Based on their review the final letter is issued.

 

Career Graph of CDS Officer

Post Promotion
Lieutenant Upon Training completion.
Captain 2 years of Service
Major 6 years of Service
Lieutenant Colonel 13 years of Service
Colonel 15 years of Service
Colonel (TS) 16 years of Service
Brigadier 23 years of Service
Major General 25years of Service
Lieutenant General 28 years of Service
General No restrictions as such

 

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NDA EXAM

National Defence Academy : Essential And Important Insights

The National Defence Academy Exam is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the three wings namely the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

 

The National Defence Academy conducts an all-India level examination twice a year to help the candidate make a career in defense services.

 

NDA (I & II) and NA (I &II) Exam

This exam NDA-I & NDA-II is held twice every year in the month of April and November. National Defence Academy & Naval Academy (NDA & NA) examinations are a two-stage selection process.

 

The candidate has to first clear the written test with minimum cut-off marks. Subsequently, they will be called for the next round. SSB Service Selection Board will conduct the second stage comprised of a personality test or interview process.

 

After qualifying for the SSB round the shortlisted candidate will go through the medical test and document verification. Every year approx. 4 lakh candidates apply for this examination.

 

Highlights Of National Defence Academy Exam

Name of the Exam NDA (I & II) and NA(I &II)
Organizing Body Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Level National
Exam Mode Paper and Pen-based( Offline)
Number of Registrations Approx. 4 Lakh
Admit Card Online
NDA & NA (I) 2020 Number of Vacancies NDA & NA (II) 2020 Number of Vacancies
National Defence Academy Army-208

Navy- 42

Air Force-120

National Defence Academy Army-208

Navy- 42

Air Force- 58

Naval Academy 50 Naval Academy 55
Total 418 Total 363
Official Website https://www.upsc.gov.in/

 

National Defence Academy -UPSC NDA & NA Proposed Month

The UPSC generally releases the date of the NDA (I) & NA( I) and NDA (II) & NA( II)  Examinations notification in the month of January and June respectively.

Aspirants willing to appear for NDA & NA exam can apply online by visiting the official website of UPSC.

 

Notification Month
NDA (I) Notification January
NDA (II) Notification June
NDA (I) Exam September
NDA (II) Exam September
NDA (I) Result November
NDA (II) Result November
NDA SSB Post the result of NDA(I) & NDA (II)

 

National Defence Academy-Eligibility Criteria

 

national defence academy

1. Nationality 

  • Candidates must be a citizen of India
  • Candidates must be a citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
  • Candidates must be Tibetan refugees who came to India before January 1, 1962, for settling permanently in India.
  • Candidates must a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Myanmar, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire with the motive to settle permanently in India.

 

2. Educational Qualification Criteria

Wing Qualification
Indian Army Appearing/Completed class 12th (10+2) or its equivalent exam from a recognized board or University
Indian Navy and Indian Air Force Appearing/Completed class 12th (10+2) or its equivalent exam from a recognized board or University with Physics and Mathematics as a compulsory subject.
Note:  Candidates who have failed the exam of INSB/PABT earlier are not eligible for the Air Force Exam.

 

3. Age limit, Sex & Marital Status

Exam Age Limit Sex Marital Status
NDA & NA (I) Not before July 2, 2000, and not later than July 1, 2003 Male Unmarried
NDA & NA (II) Not before January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2004 Male Unmarried
Note 1: The DOB mentioned in the Matriculation/Higher Secondary Examination certificate available will be considered by the concerned authority.
Note 2: Candidates are informed not to marry-until the training is completed.

 

Physical Criteria :

The candidate needs to be physically and mentally fit for applying to the National Defence Academy  (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) Examination.

 

Candidates are advised to get themselves medically examined before applying for this examination as many candidates fail to qualify for the medical test.

 

Height & Weight Standards

Height & Weight Standards-Army/Air Force Height & Weight Standards- Navy

Height in CM (without shoes)

Weight in KG Height in CM (without shoes)

Weight in KG

16-17 years 17-18 years 18-19 years 16-17 years 17-18 years 18-19 years
152 42.5 44 45 152 44 45 46
155 43.5 45.3 47 155 45 46 47
157 45 47 48 157 46 47 49
160 46.5 48 49 160 47 48 50
162 48 50 51 162 48 50 52
165 50 52 53 165 50 52 53
167 51 53 54 168 52 53 55
170 52.5 55 56 170 53 55 57
173 54 57 58 173 55 57 59
175 56 59 60 175 57 59 61
178 58 61 62 178 59 61 62
180 60 63 64.5 180 61 63 64
183 62.5 65 66.5 183 63 65 67
 

Special requirements of Pilot in the Air Force are mentioned below

 

Measurement Minimum Maximum
Leg Length 99 cm 120 cm
Thigh Length 64 cm
Sitting Height 81.50 cm 96 cm

Vision Standard

The distance vision (corrected) should be 6/6 in the better eye(6/9) in the worse eye. Myopia and hypermetropia should not be more than 2.5 D & 3.5 D respectively. The color vision standard for the army should be (CP-III). The detailed vision standard is given below :

Eyesight for Naval Candidate Eyesight for Air Force Candidate Maddox Rod Test
Uncorrected without glass 6/6 Uncorrected without glass 6/6, 6/9 At 6 Meters Exo-6 prism D
Corrected with glass 6/6 Corrected with glass 6/6 (Only for Hypermetropia) Eso-6 prism D
Limits of Myopia -0.75 Limits of Myopia NIL Hyper-1 prismD
Limits of Hypermetropia +1.5 Limits of Hypermetropia +2.00 D Sph Hypro -1 prism D
Limits of color Perception I Manifest Myopia NIL Exo-16 prism D
Binocular Vision III Tinoscopic Myopia 0.5 At 33cms Eso-6 prism D
Colour Vision CP-I (MLT) Hyper-1 prismD
Astigmatism +0.75 Cyl ( within +2.0 D.Max) Hypro -1 prism D
Near Vision N-5 each eye

 

Physical Conditioning

The candidate needs to be in good physical condition to meet the following routine

  • Skipping
  • Chin-ups (Min-08)
  • Push-ups & sit-ups (Min- 20 each)
  • Rope climbing 3-4 meters
  • Running 2.4 km in 15 minutes.

 

NDA Officer: Roles & Responsibility

The role of an NDA officer is very challenging and it demands a lot of perseverance and responsibility. NDA officer gets into the job of Defence forces like Army, Navy, and Air Force.

 

Career Graph of NDA /NA Officer

The highest position, a National Defence Academy officer can desire is General in Army, Admiral in Navy, and Air Chief Marshal in Air Force. The following is the career path of an NDA Officer.

 

The training starts in the academy, a cadet is allotted to one of the 18 Squadrons for the next three years. The Squadrons are named as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hunter, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Panther, Quebec, and Romeo No.1, No.2, No.3, and No.4 Battalions have four squadrons each while No.5 has two squadrons. Each squadron has approximately 100-120 cadets.

 

Air Force Army Navy
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)
Air Marshall (AOC-in-C/VCAS) Lieutenant General (Army Commodore/VCOAS) Vice-Admiral/FCO-in-C/VCNS)
Air Marshall Lieutenant General Vice Admiral
AVM Major General Rear Admiral
Air Commodore Brigadier Captain
Group Captain Colonel Captain
Wing Commander (S) Lieutenant Colonel (S) Commander (S)
Wing Commander (TS) Lieutenant Colonel (TS) Commander (TS)
Squadron Leader Major Lieutenant Commander
Flight Lieutenant Captain Lieutenant
Flying Officer Lieutenant Sub Lieutenant

 

National Defence Academy Exam Pattern

UPSC conducts exams in two-level as mentioned below. The candidate who clears the written test will be called for the SSB Interview exams.

Stage 1:  NDA and NA Examination (I)
Subject Type Duration Maximum Marks Negative Marking
Mathematics Objective 2.30 hours 300 Yes
General Ability Test Objective 2.30 hours 600 Yes
Total 900
Stage 2: SSB Personality Test/Interview 900
 

Stage 1:  NDA and NA Examination (II)

Mathematics Objective 2.30 hours 300 Yes
General Ability Test Objective 2.30 hours 600 Yes
Total 900
Stage 2: SSB Personality Test/Interview 900
 

Note: Exam mode is offline. Question paper for Mathematics & General Ability Test will be in both the language that is English and Hindi

 

National Defence Academy focuses on getting the best resources by going through the most competitive exam and subsequently by the most rigorous training.

 

Career Planning plays an important role in shaping your career, so is the planning to choose the best suitable B-School for yourself. You need to focus on various aspects before jumping into a final decision.

 

Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/

 

Study_Abroad
Study_Abroad

 

Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session.  For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.

 

Click: Start Study Abroad Profiling to get access to 15000+ Universities across 20+ Countries

 

Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

 

You can comment in the section below for sharing your thoughts.

 

Career Counselling
Career Counselling