CDS 2 Exam 2021: Union Public Service Commission has released the revised dates for Combined Defence Service Examination (II). As per the UPSC Calendar, the official notification will be published on upsc.gov.in on 04th August 2021 and the online registration will be active on the same day. The last date for application process has been scheduled for 24th August 2021. The CDS 2 Exam has been scheduled for 14th November 2021.
Every year UPSC conducts CDS Exam twice in a year for the 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 the written test will be called for interview round and medical examination for final selection. In this article, we have covered every detail for CDS Exam 2021, including important dates, eligibility, vacancies, exam pattern, syllabus, selection process, and more.
As mentioned in the calender, the detailed advertisement for CDS (II) Examination will be released officially on 04th August 2021 containing all the necessary details for the exam. Once the notification is released on upsc.gov.in, we will provide the direct link here too. Till the time, candidates are advised to have a look at the previous CDS Exam Notification.
Download CDS 1 Exam Notification PDF
Go through the glimpse of UPSC CDS 2 Exam from the below table and know everything about the examination. The candidates who are seeking for this opportunity to be a part of pretigious Defence Academy, must bookmark this page to get notified with every latest update.
| Organization | Union Public Service Commission |
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Service Examination (II) 2021 |
| CDS 2 Vacancies | To be notified soon |
| CDS 2 Online Registration | 04th to 24th August 2021 |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Selection Process | Written Test- Interview- Medical Examination |
| Language of Written Exam | Bilingual |
| Mode of Examination | Offline |
| Type of Questions | Multiple-choice questions |
| CDS 2 Exam Duration | 2 hours (each paper) |
| Marking Scheme | 1/3 for each incorrect answer |
| Job Location | All Over India |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
CDS Exam is held twice in a year (February and November) and now UPSC is all set to begin with the procedure for CDS II Exam 2021 which has been scheduled for 14th November 2021. Check all the important dates for CDS II 2021 and set your reminder so you don't miss any date.
| Notification Release Date | 04th August |
| Online Registration Start Date | 04th August 2021 |
| Online Registration End Date | 24th August 2021 |
| CDS II Admit Card Release Date | October 2021 |
| CDS II Exam Date 2021 | 14th November 2021 |
| CDS II Result | December (tentatively) |
| Interview Dates | To be notified soon |
| Final Result | To be notified soon |
The online registration procedure for CDS II Exam 2021 has been scheduled for 04th August to 24th August 2021. The aspirants interested in the vacancies must apply much before the last date to avoid any last minute hassle. The direct link for CDS 2 registration will be made available here once active officially on www.upsc.gov.in.
Link to Register for CDS 2 Exam 2021 [Link Inactive]
The examination fee for CDS 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.)
The fresh vacancies to be recruited through CDS 2 Examination will be announced alongwith the official notification. For CDS-1 Exam, a total of 345 vacancies were announced for Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. Have a look at the CDS-1 Vacancy distribution for reference.
| Name of the academy | Number of Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 26 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men | 170 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women | 17 |
| Total Vacancies | 345 |
Follow the steps as mentioned below to complete your CDS 2 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 2 Exam.
Step 3: Click on "Part-1" against Combined Defence Examination (II) 2021
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 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 application form for future reference.
The recruitment of AFA, IMA, INA & Officers Training Academy posts will be conducted on the basis of:
Written Exam
SSB Interview/Personality Test
Document Verification
Medical Examination
The candidates have to clear CDS Written Examination to get selected for interview round. Check the exam pattern for each position below.
• There will 100 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 wrong answer
• Duration of each exam is separate i.e. 2 hours.
| SNo | Subject | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English | 100 | 2 hours |
| 2 | General Knowledge | 100 | 2 hours |
| 3 | Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 hours |
| SNo | Subject | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English | 100 | 2 hours |
| 2 | General Knowledge | 100 | 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.
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 CDS Exam will be of Matriculation level. However, for other subjects the difficulty level will of graduation level. A syllabus is important so that candidate do not miss out any important topic for upcoming UPSC CDS 2 Exam. To ace the exam, click on the below link and get the detailed syllabus for Combined Defence Services Examination.
The candidates must meet the eligiblity standards as set by the Union Public Service Commission for defence recruitment. Check detailed eligibility (nationality, education, age, marital status, sex) from below.
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.
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 completedt 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.
The candidate should fall in the agr group of 20 to 24 years. The detailed age limit will be updated once the official notification is out.
• 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 2 Exam has been scheduled for 14th November 2021 and it is expected that the CDS II Admit Card will be released in October 2021. The candidates must download their call letter much before exam date to avoid last-minute rush. It is mandatory to carry the hard-copy of admit card to the exam hall.
After the successful conduction of written exam, UPSC will be announcing the result for the shortlisted candidates for interview round. The result for each stage will be released separately. It is expected that the result for CDS 2 Exam will be released in December 2021.
Steps to check CDS Result 2021
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. The final cut off for CDS 2 is expected to be out in May 2022. Check the previous year cut off marks for your reference.
| Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
|---|---|---|
| IMA | 130 | 250 |
| INA | 118 | 242 |
| AFA | 143 | 274 |
| OTA (Men) | 93 | 173 |
| OTA(Women) | 93 | 177 |
The Combined Defence Services Examination- II will be held at various centres. The candidate have to choose their preferred center while filling their CDS- 2 application form.
| State | Examination Centre |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru |
| Uttar Pradesh | Bareilly |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| Punjab | Chandigarh |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
| Tamil Nadu | Cuttack |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| Delhi | Delhi |
| Karnataka | Dharwad |
| Assam | Dispur |
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu |
| Assam | Jorhat |
| Kerala | Kochi |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| West Bengal | Kolkata |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow |
| Tamil Nadu | Madurai |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai |
| Maharashtra | Nagpur |
| Goa | Panaji |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Andaman and Nicobar | Port Blair |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| Odisha | Sambalpur |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Tirupati |
| Rajasthan | Udaipur |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Visakhapatnam |
Q1: When will online registration start for CDS II Exam 2021?
Ans: The online registration process for CDS II Exam will begin on 04th August 2021.
Q2: When will CDS-II Exam conducted?
Ans: As per the UPSC Calendar, the CDS-2 exam has been scheduled for 14th November 2021.
Q3: Is there any physical test for CDS Examination?
Ans: No, particular physical test will be conducted, but the candidates have to undergo a medical examination.
Q4: What is the selection procedure for UPSC CDS 2021?
Ans. CDS has two stages of the selection process – written exam and the SSB Interview.