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UPSC CDS Notification 2022: Exam Date, Selection Process

The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Combined Defence Services Examination (abbreviated as CDS Exam) twice a year. This exam is conducted for granting admission to the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy. The UPSC CDS exam is usually conducted twice a year, in February and September. This national-level defense entrance examination is taken by thousands of candidates. To know more about UPSC CDS Notification, read the article.

Exam NameCombined Defence Services Examination
Name of the AuthorityUnion Public Service Commission (UPSC) 
Level of the ExamNational Level
Frequency of the ExamTwice a year
Mode of the ExamOnline
Time DurationTwo hours
Language GivenEnglish and Hindi
Application FeesRs 200
Official websiteUPSC

UPSC CDS Notification

The notification for both cycles are given below.

UPSC CDS 1 NotificationDownload Here
UPSC CDS 2 NotificationDownload Here

UPSC CDS Exam Dates 2022

Given below are the exam dates for UPSC CDS Exam 2022, candidates must refer to the UPSC CDS exam dates to not miss out on anything:

EventsCDS 1I DatesCDS 2 Dates
CDS 2022 Notification Release Date22nd December 202118th May 2022
Online Registration Start Date22nd December 202118th May 2022
Online Registration End Date11th January 2022 (6 pm)14th June 2022
Online Application Withdrawn18th to 24th January 2022To be notified 
CDS Admit Card Release Date14th March 2022August 2022
CDS Exam Date 202210th April 202204th September 2022
CDS Answer Key (Official)May 2022October 2022
CDS Result 2022May 2022October 2022
Interview DatesTo be notified soonTo be notified soon
Final ResultTo be notified soonTo be notified soon

UPSC CDS 2 Vacancy 2022

A total number of  341 vacancies are released for the UPSC CDS II Recruitment 2022. The UPSC had released a total of 345 vacancies for the UPSC CDS 2020-21 Cycle 1. 

Name of the academyNumber of Vacancies
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun100
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala22
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad32
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men170
Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women17
Total Vacancies341

UPSC CDS Eligibility Criteria 2022

Candidates applying for the UPSC CDS Exam 2022 should keep in mind that they have to fulfill all the eligibility criteria like age limit, eligibility, educational qualification criteria, etc. to be eligible to apply for their desired post. The eligibility criteria as per the UPSC CDS Notification are as follows.

UPSC CDS Age Criteria

Various DepartmentsAge Criteria in each case
Indian Military AcademyCandidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1999 and not later than 1st July 2004
Indian Naval AcademyCandidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1999 and not later than 1st July 2004
Indian Air Force AcademyCandidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1999 and not later than 1st July 2002
Officers’ Training AcademyCandidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1997 and not later than 1st July 2004
Officers’ Training Academy—(SSC Women Non-Technical Course)Candidates born not earlier than 2nd July 1997 and not later than 1st July 2004

UPSC CDS Gender Criteria

Various Departments Involved GenderStatus Required in each case
Indian Military AcademyMaleUnmarried
Indian Naval AcademyMaleUnmarried
Indian Air Force AcademyMaleUnmarried
Officer Training AcademyMaleUnmarried
Officer Training AcademyFemaleUnmarried

UPSC CDS Educational Qualification Criteria

Various PostsEducational Qualification Criteria Required 
IMA (Indian Military Academy)Candidates should have a degree from a well-reputed university or Institution
INA (Indian Naval Academy)Candidates should possess an Engineering Degree from a well-reputed university or institution. 
AFA (Air Force Academy)Candidates should possess an Engineering Degree with Physics & Maths in their 12th Std from a recognized university ORBachelor of Engineering
OTA (Officer Training Academy)Candidates should be Graduates from a well-reputed University

UPSC CDS Nationality Criteria

The Nationality Criteria of the exam is as follows.

UPSC CDS Physical and Mental Criteria

The physical and mental criteria are given in the picture below.

How To Apply Online for the UPSC CDS 2022 Recruitment?

To apply for the UPSC CDS Exam, check out the steps below. The online application process will start from 18 May and end on 14th June, 2022 at 6 PM.

Step 1: Go to the official website of UPSC. 

Step 2: Go to the Examination tab and click on apply for CDS.

Step 3: Enter your personal credentials under “Part I” of the application form. 

Step 4: A registration ID will be generated after “Part A” and you can proceed to “Part B” of the CDS I application form. 

Step 5: Upload all scanned documents and signatures in the specified format. (PDF, JPEG, etc.) 

Step 6: Pay the application fee and select your examination center.

Step 7: Double-check all details and finally click on “Submit”.

Step 8: Keep the application number generated safely. 

Step 9: Take a print-out of the application form for future reference.

UPSC CDS 2022 Application Fee

The application fee has been listed below.

CategoryFee
SC, ST, and FemalesExempted
OthersRs 200

UPSC CDS Selection Process

The UPSC CDS selection procedure involves four stages which the candidates have to clear successfully to go a step closer to obtaining their desired post in academies like AFA, IMA, etc. The various selection stages include 

1. Written Exam

2. SSB Interview/Personality Test

3. Document Verification

4. Medical Examination

UPSC CDS Exam Pattern

According to the UPSC CDS Notification, the details of the exam pattern is given below.

Exam Pattern for INA, IMA & IAF

Various SubjectsTotal Marks of each subject
English100
General Knowledge100
Elementary Mathematics100
Total300

Exam Pattern for Officer Training Academy (OTA)

Various SubjectsTotal Marks of each subject
English100
General Knowledge100
Total200

Exam Pattern for the SSB Interview

The SSB Interview process has two stages.

Stage I: This stage will involve a Picture Perception & Description Test which will basically test the Officer’s Intelligence. 

Stage II: This stage will test how the minds of the candidates work via psychological tests, interview round, group testing office tasks as well as a conference round. 

UPSC CDS Exam Centre

The UPSC CDS exam centre information will be printed on the admit card of the candidates. They will get the option to choose their exam centres when filling out the application form.

AgartalaGhaziabadPanaji (Goa)
AgraGorakhpurPatna
AjmerGurgaonPort Blair
AhmedabadGwaliorPrayagraj (Allahabad)
AizawlHyderabadPuducherry
AligarhImphalPune
Almora (Uttarakhand)IndoreRaipur
Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh)ItanagarRajkot
AurangabadJabalpurRanchi
BengaluruJaipurSambalpur
BareillyJammuShillong
BhopalJodhpurShimla
BilaspurJorhatSiliguri
ChandigarhKochiSrinagar
ChennaiKohimaSrinagar (Uttarakhand)
CoimbatoreKolkataThane
CuttackKozhikodeThiruvananthapuram
DehradunLehTiruchirapalli
DelhiLucknowTirupati
DharwadLudhianaUdaipur
DispurMaduraiVaranasi
FaridabadMumbaiVellore
GangtokMysoreVijayawada
GayaNagpurV

UPSC CDS Salary 2022

The candidates who qualify for this prestigious UPSC CDS examination will receive a handsome pay based on the 7th pay Commission. The CDS salary range varies rank-wise and also with the years of service rendered by the officers. Let us look at the table below for a better understanding: 

Sr. No.RanksPay ScalePay Matrix Level
1LieutenantRs. 56,100 – 1,77,500/-Level 10
2CaptainRs. 61,300 – 1,93,000Level 10B
3MajorRs. 69,400 – 2,07,200Level 11
4Lieutenant ColonelRs. 1,21,200 – 2,12,400Level 12A
5ColonelRs. 1,30,600 – 2,15,900Level 13
6BrigadierRs. 1,39,600 – 2,17,600Level 13A
7Major GeneralRs. 1,44,200 – 2,18,200Level 14
8Lieutenant GeneralRs. 1,82,200 – 2,24,400Level 15
9HAG + ScaleRs. 2,05,400 – 2,24,400Level 16
10VCOASRs. 2,25,000Level 17
11COASRs. 2,25,000Level 18

UPSC CDS Cut-Off 2022

Candidates who want to take the UPSC CDS recruitment 2022 written examination should know the cut off marks. Here we have provided the same.

AcademyWritten ExamFinal Exam
IMA130250
INA118242
AFA143274
OTA (Men)93173
OTA (Women)93177

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UPSC CDS Notification 2022

What are the UPSC CDS eligibility requirements?

The UPSC CDS eligibility criteria are a set of age, educational, nationality, and physical standards that candidates must meet in order to be considered for the exam.

Is it possible for women to apply for UPSC CDS?

Women can apply for the UPSC CDS Exam, but they can only attend the OTA.

Is it compulsory to appear for both the Written Test and Interview?

Yes, as per the UPSC CDS notification it is compulsory to appear for both papers.

What is the nature of the Written Exam in the UPSC CDS Test 2022?

The nature of paper in the UPSC CDS Exam 2022 will be objective in nature.

What is the time duration of each paper in the written examination of UPSC CDS?

The time duration of each paper in the written examination of UPSC CDS is 2 hours.