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CDS Eligibility 2022: Age Limit and Qualifications
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2022: CDS eligibility criteria are critical for candidates who wish to apply for the positions of IMA, INA, OTA, and AFA in the CDS 2022 exam. It will be held on April 10, 2022, and the official recruitment notification was issued on December 22, 2021. The CDS exam is now available to both men and women. We will discuss CDS eligibility for both male and female aspirants in this section.
However, based on their exam results, they cannot be recruited into the Indian Army, Navy, or Air Force. The CDS programme is only for female candidates who want to join the OTA (Officer’s Training Program). This post has covered important information about CDS requirements for both male and female candidates. To learn about the UPSC CDS eligibility criteria, interested candidates should read the entire post.
| Latest: – Direct link to fill CDS 01/2022 Registration Form here. |
UPSC CDS Eligibility: Overview
Candidates can go through the below-tabulated data to get an overview of the UPSC CDS 2022 eligibility criteria:
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Services Examination |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Frequency of the Exam | Twice a Year |
| Nationality | Indian |
| CDS Age Limit | Between 19 to 25 Years |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation in Any Disciple From a Recognized University |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
CDS Exam Eligibility 2022
Before filling out the CDS 2022 application form, candidates seeking the Combined Defence Services test must check the UPSC eligibility requirements. Candidates can check the UPSC CDS eligibility criteria below.
CDS Exam Eligibility – Nationality
Candidates must be unmarried and either be:
- an Indian citizen, or
- a subject of Nepal, Bhutan, Refugee of Tibet, who migrated to India before 1962, or
- a person of Indian Origin (PIO) who migrated from Sri Lanka, Burma, Pakistan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, East African countries of Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam with an intention of permanent settlement in India.
Note: Candidates belonging to (b) and (c) must provide a certificate of eligibility issued by the Indian government with an exception for the Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
CDS Exam Eligibility – Educational Qualification
The educational qualification required for UPSC CDS are tabulated below:
| Job Type | Educational Qualification |
| Indian Military Academy (IMA) | Graduate Degree (Recognised University) |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA) | B. Tech or B.E. Degree (Engineering From a Recognized University) |
| Air Force Academy (AFA) | B. Tech / B.E. degree OR Degree (With Physics and Maths in 10+2 Level) |
Educational Qualification Highlights
- 1. Final year candidates from the above-mentioned courses are also eligible to apply provided they do not have backlogs. Later the candidate must provide a passing certificate within the prescribed time set by UPSC.
- 2. Candidates opting for Army/Navy/Air Force as their first choice must submit a graduation/provisional certificate as proof at the time of the SSB Interview.
- 3. Applicants who are suspended from holding any type of commission in the Defence Services by the Ministry of Defence are not eligible.
- 4. Candidates who fail to learn flying during the training in the Air Force will be absorbed in Navigation/Ground Duty (Non-Tech) Branches of the IAF (subjected to the vacancy availability).
Practice UPSC CDS Exam Questions
Age Limit for CDS
The age and sex requirements for CDS are as under:
| Defense Academy | Born Not Earlier Than | Born Not Later Than | Sex |
| Indian Military Academy (IMA) | 2nd July 1998 | 1st July 2003 | Male |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA) | 2nd July 1998 | 1st July 2003 | Male |
| Air Force Academy (AFA) | 2nd July 1998 | 1st July 2002 | – |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA)- SSC Men | 2nd July 1996 | 1st July 2002 | Male |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA)- SSC Women | 2nd July 1996 | 1st July 2002 | Female |
Age And Sex-related Highlights
- The birth certificate provided must be a Matriculation/Secondary School Examination Certificate or a certificate recognized by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or an extract from a Registrar of Matriculates maintained by a University.
- Candidates must submit the above-mentioned certificates proving their date of birth only after the CDS result-declaration of written examination.
- Candidate’s date of birth mentioned while applying must match the date of birth on their Matriculation/Secondary School Examination Certificate or an equivalent certificate.
- No changes concerning the date of birth will be entertained at later stages of the application process.
- Any variance in the date of the birth of the candidate will lead to disciplinary action by the UPSC.
- In case the date of birth is not mentioned in the above documents, candidates must submit an additional document that is either a self-attested/certified copy of the Matriculation/Secondary School Examination Certificate or a self-attested/certified copy of a certificate from the Headmaster/Principal of the Institution from where the candidate has passed the Matriculation/Secondary School Examination with a record of their admission.
CDS Exam Eligibility – Marital Status
The following table provides information on the CDS applicants must have the following marital status:
| Type of Job | Marital Status |
| Indian Military Academy Eligibility | Unmarried Male Candidates |
| Naval Force Academy Eligibility | Unmarried Male Candidates |
| Eligibility for Air Force Academy | A. Below 25 Years of Age, Male Candidates Must Be Unmarried. B. And, Married Candidates Above 25 Years Are Also Eligible, but They Are Not Allowed to Live With Their Family Beyond the Premises. C. During the Training Period, It Is Mandatory for the Candidates Not to Marry. |
| Eligibility for Officers Training Academy (SSC for Men) | Unmarried Male Candidates |
| Eligibility for Officers Training Academy (SSC for Women) | A. Unmarried Women B. Issueless Widows Who Have Not Remarried C. Issueless Divorcees With Divorce Documents Who Have Not Remarried |
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Marital Status Highlights
Male divorcee or widower is not eligible for the Combined Defense Services exam because they do not come under the unmarried male category.
CDS Exam Eligibility – Physical Standards
The Medical Board of UPSC will examine the entire body of all candidates to check if they are oriented to work under military deployment. So it is mandatory for the candidates to check if they comply with all physical standard guidelines set by UPSC.
- Only those who are physically and mentally fit as per UPSC guidelines will be eligible for admission.
- Candidates with permanent body tattoos on their inner side of the elbow to the wrist and on the reverse side of the palm/back (dorsal) side of the hand will only be eligible. Tattoos on any other part of the body will lead to disqualification.
- The candidate must be free from any disease or disability for the efficient performance of CDS duties.
- Candidates must meet visual and hearing standards set by UPSC. The standards might vary depending on the role you are applying for.
- Male candidates with a minimum height of 157.5 cms (157 cms for Navy and 162.5 cms for Air Force) and women with a minimum height of 152 cms will be eligible for the CDS 2 examination.
- Mal-development or impairment of bone and joint functions will lead to disqualification of the candidate.
- A previous history of mental breakdowns will also lead to candidature failure.
- Candidates must be medically capable of undergoing training and military duties in the Armed Forces.
- Any deformities or abnormalities in the body will lead to the ineligibility of the candidate.
UPSC CDS Eligibility – CDS Application Form
The UPSC issued the CDS 01/2022 application form on December 22, 2021, at upsc.gov.in. The deadline to apply for the CDS 2022 exam online is January 11, 2022. Candidates that match the CDS 2022 eligibility requirements are eligible to apply for the CDS 2022 exam.
FAQs on UPSC CDS Eligibility Criteria
Below are the most frequently asked questions on UPSC CDS Eligibility Criteria:
| Q.1: Can final-year candidates apply for CDS? Ans: Yes, final year graduate candidates can apply for CDS. However, they will be admitted to the exam provisionally. They need to produce certificates of having passed the relevant degree at the time of document verification. |
| Q.2: Can women apply in UPSC CDS and what is the CDS eligibility for females? Ans: Yes, women can apply for CDS Exam, but they are eligible to join OTA only. |
| Q.3: What is the age limit for CDS? Ans: The age limit for AFA is 19 to 24 years whereas it is 19 to 24 years for Naval Academy. The age limit for OTA is 19 to 25 years. |
| Q.4: I have done graduation in Computer Science. Am I eligible to appear for the Indian Naval Academy? Ans: Except for IMA, as prescribed by UPSC, you need to have an Engineering degree. For IMA any graduate degree is enough. |
| Q.5: How many attempts are there for the CDS exam? Ans: There is no limit on the number of attempts in the CDS exam. |
Important Links:
Now that you have a clear idea about the CDS Eligibility 2022, make the best use of the remaining time. Prepare well and score as high as possible. Take CDS Mock Tests and work on improving on your weak areas. Rectify your mistakes and do not make the same mistakes in the actual exam.
We hope that this detailed article on CDS Eligibility Criteria 2022 helps you. If you have any queries regarding the CDS drop them in the comment section below and we will revert with answers.
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