Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Service Examination twice a year for candidates who are looking for admission to the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy. CDS 2 Notification 2026 for courses commencing in July 2027 for 451 vacancies has been released on 20th May 2026.
The detailed CDS 2 Notification 2026 PDF for Combined Defence Service Examination (II), 2026 (Including SSC Women (Non-Technical) Course) has been released by UPSC at www.upsc.gov.in. The notification PDF contains all important details such as vacancy, eligibility criteria, application procedure, selection process, etc. Candidates interested in applying for the CDS 2 exam are advised to thoroughly review the advertisement PDF to ensure their eligibility and to know other details regarding the exam.
The Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) is a national-level defence exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment of officer cadets in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). The UPSC CDS exam is held twice a year in April and September, and the selection process includes the written exam and interview.
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CDS Exam 2026 – Summary |
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| Exam Name | Combined Defence Service Examination (CDS) |
| Organization | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Vacancies | 451 |
| Registration Dates | 20th May to 09th June 2026 |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Mode of Examination | Offline |
| Selection Process | Written Test – Interview – Medical Examination |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours (each paper) |
| Exam Pattern |
1. English : 120 Objective type questions 2. General Knowledge : 120 Objective type questions 3. Elementary Mathematics : 100 Objective type questions |
| Eligibility | Unmarried Boys & Girls |
| Language of Exam | English & Hindi |
| Official Website | www.upsc.gov.in |
For the CDS 2 Exam, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will release more than 451 vacancies for the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy.
| Name of the Academy | Number of Vacancies |
|
Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun 163rd (DE) Course Commencing in July, 2027 [Including 13 Vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ (Army Wing holders)] |
100 |
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Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala – Course Commencing in July, 2027 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [Including 06 Vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ (Naval Wing holders)] |
26 |
|
Indian Air force Academy, Hyderabad – (Pre-Flying) Training Course Commencing in July, 2027 i.e. No. 222 F(P) Course [Including 03 Vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ (Air Wing holders) through NCC Special Entry] |
32 |
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Officer Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (Madras) 126th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in October, 2027 |
275 |
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Officer Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (Madras) 126th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October, 2027 |
18 |
| Total Vacancies | 451 |
The complete schedule, including registration date and exam date for CDS 2 exams, has been released along with the CDS 2 Notification 2026 PDF. Candidates can start submitting their CDS 2 Application from 20th May 2026, and the application link will remain active till 9th June 2026.
| Events | Dates |
| Apply Online Dates | 20th May 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply | 09th Jun 2026 |
| CDS II Admit Card 2026 | 03rd Sep 2026 |
| CDS II Exam Date | 13th Sep 2026 |
The candidates must hold the minimum qualification to be eligible for Defence Jobs. Below we have mentioned the details for Education Qualification, Age Limit, Nationality, and Physical Standards.
(i) For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai — Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.
(ii) For Indian Naval Academy— Degree in Engineering from a recognised University/Institution
(iii) For Air Force Academy—Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
Graduates with first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are to submit proof of Graduation/provisional certificates on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at the SSB.
Candidates who are studying in the final year/semester Degree course and have yet to pass the final year degree examination can also apply provided candidate should not have any present backlog upto the last semester / year for which results have been declared upto the time of submission of application and they will be required to submit proof of passing the degree examination at the time of commencement of course to reach the IHQ of MoD (Army), Rtg ‘A’, CDSE Entry, West Block III, R. K. Puram, New Delhi-110066 in case of IMA/SSC first choice candidates and Naval HQ “DMPR” (OI & R Section), Room No. 204, ‘C’ Wing, Sena Bhawan, New Delhi-110011 in case of Navy first choice candidates Dte of Personnel (Offrs), Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi110001. Phone No. 23010231 Extn. 7645/7646/7610 in case of Air Force first choice candidates by the following dates failing which their candidature will stand cancelled :
(i) For admission to IMA on or before 1st July, 2027, Indian Naval Academy on or before 1st July, 2027 and Air Force Academy on or before 13th May, 2027.
(ii) For admission to Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai on or before 1st October, 2027.
(i) For IMA—Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 1st JUL, 2003 and not later than 1st JUL, 2008 only are eligible.
(ii) For Indian Naval Academy—Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 1st JUL, 2003 and not later than 1st JUL, 2008 only are eligible.
(iii) For Air Force Academy—
Age : 20 to 24 years as on 1st July, 2027 i.e. born not earlier than 1st July, 2003 and not later than 1st July, 2007 (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 yrs. i.e. born not earlier than 1st July, 2001 and not later than 1st July, 2007 only are eligible.
Note: Candidate below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Marriage is not permitted during training. Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but during training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises.
(iv) For Officers’ Training Academy—(SSC Course for men) unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 1st July, 2002 and not later than 1st July, 2008 only are eligible.
(v) For Officers’ Training Academy—(SSC Women Non-Technical Course) Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. They should have been born not earlier than 1st July, 2002 and not later than 1st July, 2008.
NOTE : Male divorcee/widower candidates cannot be treated as unmarried male for the purpose of their admission in IMA/INA/AFA/OTA, Chennai courses and accordingly they are not eligible for these courses.
The date of birth accepted by the Commission is that entered in the Matriculation/Secondary School Examination Certificate or in a certificate recognised by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University, which extract must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the Matriculation/Secondary School Examination or an equivalent examination certificate. These certificates are required to be submitted only after the declaration of the result of the written part of the examination. No other document relating to age like horoscopes, affidavits, birth extracts from Municipal Corporation, service records and the like will be accepted. The expression Matriculation/Secondary School Examination Certificate in this part of the instruction includes the alternative certificates mentioned above.
The online registration process for the CDS 2 Exam has started at the official website www.upsc.gov.in from 20th May 2026 onwards. The last date for submission of the application form is 9th June 2026. Candidates are advised to complete the online form before the last date to avoid last-minute technical glitches.
Candidates (excepting Female/SC/ST candidates who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- (Rupees Two Hundred Only) either by remitting the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using Visa/Master/Rupay Credit/Debit Card/UPI Payment or by using internet banking facility of any Bank.
The recruitment of AFA, IMA, INA & Officers Training Academy posts will be conducted based on:
Stage 1: Written Exam- The UPSC will conduct the CDS written exam to shortlist candidates for the interview exam. The written exam consists of objective-type questions only. Subjects asked in the exam from of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics.
Stage 2: SSB Interview/Personality Test- Candidates who are declared successful in the written exam will be called to appear for an intelligence and personality test at the Service Selection Board based on their preferred service. This stage assesses candidates’ leadership qualities, officer-like attributes, and suitability for a career in the defense forces. The exam will be in two stages. Stage 1 includes tests such as officer intelligence rating, picture perception, and description. Stage 2 involves a psychological test, an interview, group testing tasks, and a conference.
Stage 3: Document Verification- Candidates will be called to provide original documents for verification, including educational certificates, age proof, and other relevant documents as submitted during the application process.
Stage 4: Medical Examination- Candidates who clear the interview/personality test undergo Medical examinations are carried out meticulously by the Armed Forces Medical Services. The medical examination ensures that the candidate is in good physical and mental health and free from any disease/syndrome/disability.
The candidates have to clear the CDS Written Examination to get selected for the interview round. Check the exam pattern for each position below.
• There will be Multiple-Choice Questions in each paper
• The question paper for General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set in Hindi as well as in English.
• There will be a penalty of 1/3 marks for a wrong answer
• Duration of each exam is separate i.e. 2 hours.
| FOR INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY, INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY AND AIR FORCE ACADEMY | |||
| S.NO. | SUBJECT | MAX MARKS | DURATION |
|
1 |
English |
120 | 2 hours |
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2 |
General Knowledge |
120 | 2 hours |
|
3 |
Elementary Mathematics |
100 | 2 hours |
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FOR OFFICER’S TRAINING ACADEMY |
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| S.NO. | SUBJECT | MAX MARKS | DURATION |
|
1 |
English |
100 | 2 hours |
|
2 |
General Knowledge |
100 | 2 hours |
The aspirants preparing for the CDS Exam must be familiar with the detailed syllabus and must prepare according to that only. The standard of Elementary Mathematics in the CDS Exam will be of Matriculation level. However, for other subjects, the difficulty level will of graduation level. A syllabus is important so that candidates do not miss out on any important topic for the upcoming UPSC CDS Exam.
The admit card for the CDS exam 2026 will be released 10 days before the exam date for the written exam. The candidates must download their call letter much before the exam date to avoid the last-minute rush. It is mandatory to carry the hard copy of the admit card to the exam hall.
UPSC releases cut-off marks for the CDS Exam on its official website. The candidates must score the minimum qualifying marks (i.e. 20 marks minimum in each subject) and for selection must score more than the cut-off marks. UPSC releases CDS written exam cut-off and final cut-off separately.