UPSC CDS 2020
UPSC CDS 2020: To recruit candidates for the defense services and to provide career opportunities to those who are seeking their career in Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Indian Air Force, and Officer Training Academy, UPSC conducts an examination called UPSC CDS 2020. The exam is commenced two times every year. The two phases of the exam are known as CDS I and CDS II which are conducted in February and November respectively. UPSC releases the official examination calendar for the upcoming year on its official website. Based on the performance in the exam, the eligible applicants will be shortlisted for the academy.
UPSC CDS 2020 Updates – Exam I Application Released
Check Here:Â UPSC CDS 2020 official notification pdf
UPSC CDS 2020 Important Dates
For CDS I
Online application form submission starts from | 30th October 2019 |
Last date of application form date | 19th November 2019 |
Admit card download date | January 2020 |
Date of exam | 2nd February 2020 |
Result date Announced | May 2020 |
For CDS II
Online application form submission date start | 5th August 2020 |
Last date of application form date | 25th August 2020 |
Admit card download date | November 2020 |
Date of exam | 8th November 2020 |
Result date Announced | December 2020 |
Number of seats
Academy | Vacancies |
For Indian Military Academy (IMA) | 100 |
For Indian Naval Academy (INA) | 45 |
For Air Force Academy (AFA) | 32 |
For Officers Training Academy (Men) (OTA) | 225 |
For Officers Training Academy (Non-Technical, Women) (OTA) | 16 |
Total | 418 |
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate must be an Indian National and should not be married.
- Indian Military Academy (IMA): Candidate should have a graduation degree from any recognized University/Institution
- Air Force Academy (AFA): Candidate should have a graduation degree (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering (B.Tech.)
- Indian Naval Academy (INA): Candidate should have an Engineering degree from a recognized University/Institution
- Officers Training Academy (OTA): Candidate should have a graduation degree from any recognized University/Institution
Age and Other Criteria
- Only unmarried male candidates are eligible for IMA/NA/AFA/OTA.
- Married candidates above 25 years of age are also eligible for AFA.
- Girl candidates can go for only posts in Officer Training Academy.
- Age relaxation is the beneficial factor that the Indian Government has provided for reserved categories.
CDS I
For IMA—Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 1997 and not later than 1st January 2002.
For Indian Naval Academy— Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 1997 and not later than 1st January 2002.
For Air Force Academy— 20 to 24 years as on 1st January 2021(born not earlier than 2nd January 1997 and
not later than 1st January 2001).
Note: The upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable up to 26 yrs. i.e. (born not earlier than 2nd January 1995 and not later than 1st January 2001).
For Officers’ Training Academy— (SSC Course for men) unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 1996 and not later than 1st January 2002.
For Officers’ Training Academy—(SSC Women Non-Technical Course) Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. born not earlier than 2nd January 1996 and not later than 1st January 2002.
CDS II
IMA and INA | 2nd July 1997 to 1st July 2002 |
AFA | 2nd July 1997 to 1st July 2001 |
OTA | 2nd July 1996 to 1st July 2002 |
UPSC CDS 2020 Application Form
Candidates are advised for availing the whole info from official website www.upsconline.nic.in online before applying for the forms. It is important to get done with the completion of part I and upload photo signature as well. Proceed for Part II after completion of Part I. Part II consisted of payment procedure which can be sent online or in any of the SBI branch. In the end, the candidate ensures to take the print out of the application form to keep as a reference.
Application Fee
- OBC category and General category candidates applying for examination need to pay Rs 200/.
- Fee charges are not applicable for SC/ST and any of the Female candidates
- SC/ST and Female candidates are exempted to pay the application fee.
Selection Procedure
The selection of candidates will be based on some important components such as Written Exam, Personal Interview, Document verification and Medical report of the candidates.
- Written Examination- This is the first & foremost stage of the CDS selection procedure. The applicants will have to qualify in this stage to take part in the next stage of the selection procedure
- Personal Interview- the Personal interview is the 2nd stage of the selection procedure of CDSE and only the qualified applicants of the written exam will be eligible to take part in this stage. This stage consists of various activities to shortlist the deserving applicants such as Group discussion, Group activities, Interview.
- Documents Verification- The successful applicants of the personal interview will be called for the documents verification stage. The selected applicants will have to show their relevant documents to the selection authority.
- Medical Examination- Medical examination is the final but very important stage of selection. In this stage, the applicants will be tested on their physical fitness. The applicants will have to qualify this final stage of the selection procedure in order to get selected in CDSE
Exam Pattern
- The written exam will be organized in offline mode.
- The paper will comprise questions from Elementary Mathematics, English, and General Knowledge subjects.
- There will be negative marking in this entrance exam.
For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy:
- The total marks allotted for the written examination for admission to IMA, INA, and AFA is 300 marks.
Subject | Duration | Max. Marks |
English | 2 hours | 100 |
General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 |
For Admission to Officers’ Training Academy:
- The written examination for admission to the officer’s training academy will be of 200 marks.
Subject | Duration | Max. Marks |
English | 2 hours | 100 |
General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
Cut Off
CDS 1 Cut off 2019 (Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate)
Academy | Written Exam |
IMA | 118 |
INA | 98 |
AFA | 138 |
OTA (Men) | 69 |
OTA(Women) | 69 |
Cut off 2017 (Written Exam)
Academy | CDS I | CDS II |
IMA | 125 | 120 |
INA | 118 | 111 |
AFA | 144 | 135 |
OTA (Men) | 82 | 86 |
OTA (Women) | 82 | 86 |
Cut off 2016 (Written Exam)
Academy | CDS I | CDS II |
IMA | 72 | 105 |
INA | 63 | 90 |
AFA | 123 | 135 |
OTA (Men) | 68 | 72 |
OTA (Women) | 68 | 72 |
Cut off 2015 (Written Exam)
Academy | CDS I | CDS II |
IMA | 102 | 105 (35%) |
INA | 99 | 99 (33%) |
AFA | 129 | 138 (46%) |
OTA (Men) | 86 | 84 (42%) |
OTA (Women) | 86 | 84 (42%) |
CDS 2020 Syllabus
English: Sentence Arrangement, Spotting Errors Questions, Selecting Words, Synonyms & Antonyms, Comprehension Questions, Ordering of Sentence, Fill in the blanks questions, Vocabulary Preparation
Mathematics: Trigonometry, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Statistic, Mensuration
General Knowledge: Indian Constitution, Latest Current Affairs, Indian Economy, Indian History, Indian Politics, Indian Geography, Religions, Indian Navy & Military, Universities, Banking Sector, Sports – Awards, etc., Books & Authors, Taxation