CDS 2023 Exam, CDS 1 Notification, Exam Date, Application Form

CDS 1 Notification 2023: 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 2023, including important dates, eligibility, vacancies, exam pattern, syllabus, selection process, and more. Union Public Service Commission has announced the important dates for UPSC CDS 2023 for Combined Defence Service Examination (I) at upsc.gov.in on through UPSC Calendar 2023.

CDS 1 Notification 2023

The detailed advertisement and Official notification for the CDS (I) 2023 Examination will be released on 21st December 202 containing all the necessary details for the exam including vacancies, important dates, steps to apply, and other details. As the CDS 1 notification will be released for the Course commencing in January 2024 on upsc.gov.in, till then go through last year's notification and for reference, we have provided the link to download last year's notification pdf here.

CDS 2 2022 Exam Notification PDF [Last Year]- Click to Download

CDS Exam 2023- Summary

Go through the glimpse of the UPSC CDS 2 Exam from the below table and know 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 2023

UPSC has released the CDS exam dates 2023 for CDS I & II exams along with the UPSC Calendar 2023. As per the calendar, the CDS I 2023 Online Registration will be commenced from 21st December 2022 to 10th January 2023. Check all the important dates for the CDS 2023 exam and set your reminder so you don't miss any dates.

CDS Vacancy 2023 

The fresh vacancies to be recruited through CDS-I 2023 examination for the course commencing in January 2024 will be announced along with the official CDS 1 Notification 2023. Last year, through CDS 2 2022, 399 vacancies were announced for Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. Have a look at the Vacancy distribution for last year.

CDS Previous Year Question Paper PDFs

CDS Exam 2023 Online Application

The online registration procedure for the CDS I Exam 2023 will be started from 21st December 2022 onwards. The Online Applications can be filled up to 10th January 2023 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 2023 registration will be made available here, all eligible candidates can apply online for the CDS I exam 2023 by clicking on the link given below [when active].

Register for CDS 1 Exam 2023 [Link Inactive]

CDS Exam 2023 Application Fee

The examination fee for the CDS 2023 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.)

Steps to Fill CDS 2023 Exam Registration Form

Follow the steps mentioned below to complete your CDS exam Registration process.

Step 1: Visit the official website of UPSC i.e. www.upsc.gov.in or directly apply from the above link.

Step 2: On the homepage, click on Examination >> Active Examinations >> Online Application For UPSC CDS 1 Exam.

Step 3: Click on "Part-1" against Combined Defence Examination (I) 2023

Step 4: Read all the instructions carefully and proceed by clicking on "Yes"

Step 5: You will be redirected to a new page, start filling in your details correctly.

Step 6: Select your preferences carefully and continue to Part II.

Step 7: Pay the required application fee through online/offline mode as discussed above.

Step 8: Select the desired examination center from the list.

Step 9: Upload scanned documents as required in the application form.

Step 10: Check all the details and click on "Submit". Download a copy of the application form for future reference.

CDS Exam 2023 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 Tibetan refugee who had been migrated to India before January 01, 1962, with the intention of Permanent Settle, or An individual of Indian Origin 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 Bachelor of Engineering.

CDS Age Limit

The candidate should fall in the age group of 20 to 24 years. The detailed age limit details will be mentioned on the official notification pdf.

CDS Marital Status & Sex

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

• For 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 CDS Exam.

CDS 2023 Eligibility Criteria- Click for More Details

CDS Exam 2023 Selection Procedure

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

1. Written Exam

2. SSB Interview/Personality Test

3. Document Verification

4. Medical Examination

CDS Exam 2023 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 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 Exam 2023 Syllabus

The aspirants preparing for 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 Exam 2023 Syllabus

CDS Exam 2023 Admit Card 

The admit card for the CDS I exam 2023 will be released in March 2023 for the written exam to be held on 16th April 2023. 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 admit card to the exam hall.

CDS Admit Card 2023- Click to Check Details

CDS Exam 2023 Answer Key 

Each year UPSC conducts UPSC CDS Exam twice & CDS I 2023 is to be held on 16th April 2023. UPSC releases the CDS answer key each exam on its official website after the announcement of the result. Click on the below link to know more about CDS Answer Key 2023.

CDS Answer Key 2023- Click to Check

CDS Exam 2023 Result 

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

Steps to check CDS Result 2023

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 Result 2023- Check Details

CDS 2023 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 2023 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 1 application form. Below are the centres that were notified in the previous notification, any addition or subtraction to the centres will be notified here.