CDS 2024- CDS 1 Exam Date and Admit Card Out for 457 Posts

Every year UPSC conducts CDS Exam twice a year for candidates who wish to begin their career in the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. The candidates qualifying for the written test will be called for an interview round and a medical examination for final selection. In this article, we have covered every detail of the CDS Exam 2024, including important dates, eligibility, vacancies, exam pattern, syllabus, selection process, and more. Union Public Service Commission has announced the important dates for UPSC CDS 2024 for the Combined Defence Service Examination (I) at upsc.gov.in through UPSC Calendar 2024.

CDS 2024 Notification

The detailed advertisement and Official UPSC CDS 1 notification for the CDS (I) 2024 Examination was released on its official website containing all the necessary details for the exam including vacancies, important dates, steps to apply, and other details. As the CDS 1 Notification 2024 has been released for the Course commencing in January & April 2025 on upsc.gov.in, we have also provided the direct link to download CDS 1 Notification 2024 here.

CDS 1 2024 Notification- Click to Download PDF

CDS 1 Exam 2024- Summary

Go through the glimpse of the UPSC CDS 1 Exam from the below table and learn everything about the examination. The male & female candidates who are seeking this opportunity to be a part of the prestigious Defence Academy must bookmark this page to get notified with every latest update.

CDS Exam Date 2024 Out

CDS exam date 2024 has been released by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) for both CDS 1 and CDS 2 exams to select eligible daredevils for the post of Officer in any one of the elite Government Organizations (Defence Services). This year, the CDS 1 exam will be conducted on 21st April 2024 and CDS 2 exam will take place on 1st September 2024.

CDS 1 2024- Important Dates

UPSC has released the CDS exam date 2024 for CDS I exams along with the UPSC Calendar 2024. As per the calendar, the CDS 1 exam will be conducted on 21st April 2024. Check all the important dates for the CDS 1 2024 exam and set your reminder so you don't miss any dates.

CDS 1 Admit Card 2024 Out

The CDS Admit Card 2024 for Combined Defence Service Examination (I) 2024 has been released by UPSC on 12th April 2024 at www.upsc.gov.in. By using login details either registration number or roll number candidates can download their admit card. The direct link to download CDS 1 Admit Card is also shared here. 

CDS 1 Admit Card 2024 Out - Click to Download

CDS 1 Exam 2024 Vacancy

The fresh vacancies to be recruited through the CDS 1 2024 examination for the course commencing in January 2025 have been announced along with the official CDS 1 Notification 2024. This year, through CDS 1 Notification, 457 vacancies are announced for the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. Have a look at the Vacancy distribution.

CDS 2024 Application Form

The online registration procedure for the CDS  1 2024 Exam has been started from 20th December 2023 onwards. CDS Exam Online Application Form 2024 can be filled up to 9th January 2024 till 6:00 pm. The aspirants interested in the vacancies must apply much before the last date to avoid any last-minute hassle. The direct link for CDS 1 2024 registration has been made available here, all eligible candidates can apply online for the CDS I exam 2024 by clicking on the link given below.

CDS 1 Application Form 2024 Link- Click to Check

CDS Exam 2024 Application Fee

The examination fee for the CDS 1 2024 Exam is Rs. 200/- for all categories except SC/ST/Females (exempted from fee payment). The payment can be done through online/offline mode (Net Banking, Mastercard/Debit Card or cash deposit in any branch of SBI Bank.

CDS Exam 2024 Eligibility Criteria

The candidates must meet the eligibility standards as set by the Union Public Service Commission for defence recruitment. Check detailed eligibility (nationality, education, age, marital status, sex) from below.

CDS Nationality

A candidate should hold The Citizenship of India, subject of Nepal/Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who had been migrated to India before January 01, 1962, with the intention of Permanent Settle, or An individual of Indian Origin who migrated from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Zaire & Vietnam for permanent settle purpose in India.

CDS Education Qualification

For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy - The candidate should have a graduation degree (any subject) from a recognized University or equivalent.

For Indian Naval Academy- The candidate should have completed their Graduation in Engineering from a recognized University/Institution.

For Air Force Academy- The candidate should hold a bachelor's degree from a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering.

CDS Age Limit

The detailed age limit details has been mentioned on the official CDS notification pdf and the same has been discussed below.

(i) For IMA- Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2006 only are eligible.

(ii) For Indian Naval Academy- Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2006 only are eligible.

(iii) For Air Force Academy- 20 to 24 years as on 1st January 2025 i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January 2001 and not later than 1st January 2005 

CDS Marital Status & Sex

• For the Indian Military Academy, and Indian Naval Academy, only Unmarried males are eligible to apply for CDS Exam

• For the Indian Air Force Academy, both married and unmarried males can apply, however, marriage during the training is not permitted

• For Officer Training Academy, unmarried males & females can apply for the CDS Exam.

CDS 1 2024 Eligibility Criteria- Click for More Details

CDS Previous Year Question Paper PDFs- Click to Check

CDS Exam 2024 Selection Procedure

The recruitment of AFA, IMA, INA & Officers Training Academy posts will be conducted based on:

1. Written Exam

2. SSB Interview/Personality Test

3. Document Verification

4. Medical Examination

CDS Exam 2024 Exam Pattern

The candidates have to clear 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.

Note The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e. the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.

CDS 2024 Exam Syllabus

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. To ace the exam, click on the below link and get the detailed syllabus for Combined Defence Services Examination.

Check Detailed CDS Syllabus 2024

CDS 1 Exam 2024 Admit Card 

The admit card for the CDS I exam 2024 will be released in April 2024 for the written exam to be held on 21st April 2024. 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.

CDS 1 Exam 2024 Result 

After the successful conduction of the written exam, UPSC will announce the results for the shortlisted candidates for the interview round. The results for each stage will be released separately. 

Steps to check CDS Result 2024

1. Visit the official website of UPSC @upsc.gov.in
2. On the homepage, click on the "Written Result" tab
3. A new page will open on your window with the result pdf
4. Click "CTRL+F" and check your roll number in the pdf
5. If the name exists in the pdf, the details for the interview round will be sent to you shortly.

CDS 1 2024 Cut-Off

UPSC releases cut-off marks for 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. Check the previous year's cut-off marks for your reference.

CDS 1 2024 Exam Centre

The Combined Defence Services Examination- I will be held at various centres. The candidate has to choose their preferred centre while filling their CDS 2 application form. Below are the centres that were notified in the previous notification, any addition or subtraction to the centres will be notified here. 

UPSC Exam Calendar 2024 Out- Click to Check