CDS Exam Information 2025

The Combined Defence Service also known as the CDS exam is a national-level exam. This exam is conducted for the recruitment of candidates into the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Airforce Academy.

The conducting authority of this exam is the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The CDS exam is conducted twice a year. So, students get enough chances to make up their careers in defense services.

This exam is basically a written exam followed by an interview. Candidates who qualified in the written exam will be shortlisted for an interview.

The final selection will be based on your marks in the interview. Thus, you need to qualify for both stages separately.

CDS Exam 2025

The CDS exam is for students who want to make their career in defense services. Before applying for the exam you must fulfill the eligibility criteria for the exam. The eligibility criteria consist of age limit and qualification.

The exam checks your suitability for the job. It contains the basic syllabus of English, General Knowledge, and Elementary mathematics. Thus, you can crack the exam by giving sufficient effort and reading the right study material.

Benefits of CDS Exam 2025

After qualifying for the CDS Exam, you will be posted in the defense services. The department of your joining will be what you have chosen. A career in the defense service is best in terms of salary and future. Also, this is among the most respectable designation.

The major benefits after qualifying for the CDS Exam 2025 are as follows:

• Indian Defence Services promises a high salary package to the students who join it. This is among the services which pay the highest salary to its employees. The exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). And the service role is regulated by the central government.
• Working in the defence service is a reputed job role. Candidates who want to work as an officer in the defence service must qualify for the CDS exam. This will give you a reputed post in the defense service.
• If you want to serve the nation, working in the defense service is a good opportunity. This gives you a sense of patriotism. After qualifying for the CDS exam, you will have to live the most disciplined life.

Synopsis of CDS Exam 2025

Name of the Exam	Combined Defence Service Exam
Conducting Authority	Union Public service Commission
Exam Level	National Level Recruitment Exam
Mode of Application Form	Online
Exam Date	February 3, 2025
Mode of Examination	Offline
Eligibility Criteria	Bachelor’s degree in Engineering is required for IMA, INA AFA, and OTA
CDS Helpdesk	011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591
Official Website	https://upsc.gov.in/

CDS Exam 2025 Eligibility Criteria

All the aspirants who wish to qualify for the CDS exam must first check whether they meet the eligibility criteria and then only apply for the CDS 2025 examination. Candidates must fulfill the eligibility criteria at the following levels.

1. Nationality

A candidate must be any of the following:

• A citizen of India
• A citizen of Bhutan
• A citizen of Nepal
• A Tibetan immigrant who came over to India before the 1st January 1962 with the motive of lastingly residing in India.
• A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen who has emigrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia, and Vietnam with the purpose of forever settling in India.

Note: A candidate belonging to Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, and other places specified above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

2. Age Limit

Age Limit also plays a crucial role in order to apply for the CDS examination in 2025. Therefore, the candidates must go through the Age limit and check whether they are eligible or not.

For Indian Military Academy:

• Only Unmarried male candidates can apply for the Indian Military Academy and their age must range between 19-24 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Indian Naval Academy:

• Only Unmarried male candidates can apply for the Indian Military Academy and there must range between 19-22 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Air Force Academy:

• Unmarried male candidates can apply for the Air Force Academy and the age must vary between 20-24 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Officers Training Academy (SSC Course for Men):

• Male candidates ( can be both married or unmarried)  between 19-25 years of age on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Officers Training  Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course):

• Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees (in ownership of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible.
• The candidate must be not before 2nd January 1994 and not after 1st January 2000.

3. Educational Qualification

All the appearing students should have cleared their Graduation or must be appearing for the final year degree examination. The educational qualification required by each candidate for each institution is discussed below.

• For IMA /OTA: A degree from a recognized University or tantamount.
• For Indian Naval Academy:  Bachelor of Engineering or B.E.
• For Air Force Academy: Degree of a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10 +2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.

Note: The candidates who are in the final years of their Degree Course and have yet to pass the final year Degree examination are also eligible to apply. Such candidates are required to submit proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination by a date to be specified in the Commission’s Notice for the Examination.

4. Physical Standards

• Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Combined Defence Services Examination, 2025 as per the guidelines.
• It is advisable for the candidate to get himself medically tested before filling out the application form. It is because if due for some reason the candidate will be found unfit then, he/she will not be eligible for the exam Hence, all the effort of the candidate will go in vain.
• It is important for the candidate to have a body, which is free from any disease as well as free from any disability.

Height and Weight Standard Eligibility Criteria for CDS Exam

Table 1: For Army and Navy Males

Height in centimeters (Without Shoes)		Weight in Kgs.
	18 Years	20 Years	22 Years
152	44*	46	47
155	46	48**	49
157	47	49	50
160	48	50	51
162	50	52	53
165	53	53	55
168	55	55	57
170	57	57	58
173	59	59	60
175	61	61	62
178	63	62	63
180	65	64	65
183	67	67	67
185	70	69	70
188	72	71	72
190	74	73	74
193	77	76	77
195	78	78	79

For Navy 45* and 47**

A ± 10% (for Navy) departure from the average weight given in the Table above is to be considered within the normal limit. However, in individuals with heavy bones and broadly built as well as individuals with thin built but otherwise healthy, this may be relaxed to some extent on merit.

Table 2: For Air Force Male Candidates

(For FAT % (<20) of Normal Individuals)

Height in Centimeters	Age Range of the Candidate
	15-17 Yrs	18-22 Yrs	23- 27 Yrs	28- 32 Yrs	33-37 Yrs	38-42 Yrs	43-47 Yrs	>48 Yrs
152	46	47	50	54	54	54	55	54
153	47	47	51	55	55	54	56	54
154	47	48	51	56	55	55	57	55
155	48	49	52	56	56	56	57	56
156	48	49	53	57	57	56	58	56
157	49	50	54	58	58	57	58	57
158	49	50	54	58	58	58	59	58
159	50	51	55	59	59	59	60	58
160	51	52	56	59	60	59	60	59
161	51	52	56	60	60	60	61	60
162	52	53	57	61	62	61	62	61
163	52	54	58	62	63	62	63	62
164	53	54	59	63	63	63	64	62
165	53	55	59	63	64	64	64	63
166	54	56	60	64	65	64	65	64
167	54	56	61	65	65	65	65	65
168	55	57	61	65	66	66	66	65
169	55	57	62	66	67	67	67	66
170	56	58	63	66	68	67	67	67
171	56	59	64	67	68	66	68	67
172	57	59	64	68	69	69	69	68
173	58	60	65	68	70	69	69	68
174	58	61	66	69	71	70	70	69
175	59	61	66	70	71	71	71	69
176	59	62	67	70	72	72	71	71
177	60	62	68	71	73	72	72	71
178	60	63	69	72	73	73	73	72
179	61	64	69	72	74	74	73	73
180	61	64	70	73	75	75	74	73
181	62	65	71	74	76	75	74	74
182	62	66	72	74	76	76	75	75
183	63	66	72	74	76	76	75	75
184	64	67	73	75	77	77	76	75
185	64	68	74	75	78	77	76	76
186	65	68	74	76	78	78	77	77
187	65	69	75	77	79	79	78	77
188	66	69	76	77	80	80	78	78
189	66	70	77	78	81	80	79	79
190	67	71	77	79	81	81	80	79
191	67	71	78	79	82	82	80	80
192	68	72	79	80	83	82	81	81
193	68	73	79	81	83	83	81	82

Note - The acceptable weight for Air Force candidates will be ± 10% of the average weight given above.

Table 3: Female Officers’ Training Candidates

Height in centimeters (without shoes)	Weight in Kgs.
	20 Years	25 Years	30 Years
148	39	41	43
150	40	42	43.5
153	42	43.5	45
155	43	44	46
158	45	46	48
160	46	47	49
163	47	49	51
165	49	51	53
168	50	52	54

Visual Standards for Air Force

• Candidates who are in a habit of wearing spectacles on a regular basis are not eligible for Air Force.
• Minimum distant vision must be 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other correctable to 6/6 only for Air Force.

Hypermetropia Colour vision CP-1

• Hypermetropia: +2.0 d Sph
• Manifest Myopia: Nil
• Retinoscopic Myopia: –0.5 in any meridian permitted
• Astigmatism: +0.75 D Cyl (with + 2.0 D- Max)

Maddox Rod Test

1. at 6 meters: Exo-6 prism D | Eso-6 prism | D Hyper-1 prism D | Hypo-1prism D
2. at 33 cms: Exo-16 prism D | Eso-6 prism D | Hyper-1 prism D | Hypo-1 prism D

Spinal Conditions for Air Force

Any medical disease or injury of the sacroiliac joints or spine, with or without objective signs which have obviated the candidate from successfully following a physically active life, is a case for refusal for commissioning in IAF.

History of spinal fracture/prolapsed intervertebral disc and surgical treatment for these conditions will entail your rejection. The following conditions detected during the medical exam will disqualify a candidate for Air Force service.

1. Arthritis/Spondylosis

• Rheumatoid arthritis and allied disorders
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Osteoarthrosis, spondylosis, and degenerative joint diseases
• Non-articular rheumatism (e.g. tennis elbow, recurrent lumbago, lesions of the rotator cuff, etc.)
• Miscellaneous disorders include SLE, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and vasculitis.

2. Granulomatous disease of the spine

• Unilateral/bilateral cervical ribs with a demonstrable neurological or circulatory deficit.
• Spondylolisthesis/spondylolysis/spondylosis
• Compression fracture of vertebrae
• Scheuermann's disease (Adolescent Kyphosis)
• Loss of cervical lordosis when associated with clinically restricted movements of the cervical spine.

Physical Conditioning:

Potential candidates are advised to maintain their health and keep themselves in good physical condition by following the below-mentioned routine:

• Running: 2 to 4 km in 15 minutes
• Pushups & Sit-ups: Minimum 20 each
• Chin-ups: Min. 8
• Rope Climbing: 3 to 4 meters

Other Important Facts

Following conditions if detected on X-ray examination will be a sign of disqualifying the candidate's entry to the Army and Navy:

• Sacralisation Disease.
• Cervical ribs with demonstrable neurological or Circulatory deficit.
• Presence of Schmorl's node on more than one level.
• Atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial anomalies.
• Herniated nucleus pulposus.
• Compression fracture of the Vertebra.
• Spina Bifida is other than HSV 1 and LV 5.
• Any other abnormality, if so considered by a specialist.
• Incomplete Sacralisation Unilateral or Bilateral.
• The granulomatous disease of the spine.
• Arthritis – Rheumatoid arthritis & allied disorders and ankylosing spondylitis
• When measured by Cobb's Method Scoliosis of more than 100 degree
• More than mild Kyphosis/Lordosis.
• Spondylolisthesis/Spondylosis/Spondylolysis.

CDS Exam 2025 Centers

Location
Agartala	Ahmedabad
Aizawl	Allahabad
Bangalore	Bareilly
Bhopal	Chandigarh
Chennai	Cuttack
Dehradun	Delhi
Dharwad	Dispur
Gangtok	Hyderabad
Imphal	Itanagar
Jaipur	Jammu
Jorhat	Kochi
Kohima	Kolkata
Lucknow	Madurai
Mumbai	Nagpur
Panaji (Goa)	Patna
Port Blair	Raipur
Ranchi	Sambalpur
Shillong	Shimla
Srinagar	Thiruvananthapuram
Tirupati	Udaipur
Visakhapatnam	-

All the candidates who fulfill the eligibility criteria for the CDS Examination 2025 can fill out the form before the last date. While filling out the application form the candidates must make clear that they fill all the details correctly in the proper required format.

CDS Registration... Read More

After every exam, the result decides how well you performed in the exam. It shows the level of your preparation for the exam. The CDS Exam Result 2025 is the key to your admission to the defense service. If you qualify for the CDS Exam, you will be eligible to go for the interview.

After a successful interview, you will be selected for defense serv... Read More

The admit card is your entry pass for the CDS Exam. You cannot sit in the examination without the correct admit card. The admit card contains various personal details that are related to you and the exam. These details are required for your verification at the exam centre. The details are the same as you mentioned in the registration form.

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