UPSC CDS Recruitment 2024: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has invited applications on December 20, 2023, from interested candidates willing to participate in the CDS 1 recruitment. According to the UPSC exam calendar, the CDS (1) written exam will be conducted on April 21, 2024, while the CDS (2) will be conducted on September 1, 2024. As per the official notice, the total number of vacancies is 457. Candidates will be able to download their admit cards online for CDS I just like they do for other competitive exams. To learn more, log on to UPSC’s website, upsc.gov.in.

Take UPSC CDS Mock Tests
UPSC CDS General Knowledge Mock Test – 1	UPSC CDS General Knowledge Mock Test – 2
UPSC CDS English Mock Test – 1	UPSC CDS English Mock Test – 2
UPSC CDS Elementary Mathematics Mock Test – 1	UPSC CDS Elementary Mathematics Mock Test – 2

*Steps to attempt a UPSC CDS mock test are mentioned below in this article.

Latest Updates:
— UPSC is set to conduct CDS 1 on April 21, 2024 and CDS 1 notification is already issued on December 20, 2023. We suggest all appearing aspirants take CDS exam mock tests now to ensure their selection for the applied post. See subject-wise mock tests below.

UPSC conducts the Combined Defence Service (CDS) exam for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (IMA), Air Force Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). The CDS selection process consists of a written exam and SSB interviews. Candidates can further check this article to know about the important dates, selection process, eligibility, exam pattern, and more.

UPSC CDS Recruitment 2024 Overview

The CDS 2024 exam is a tremendous opportunity for those who want to make their career in the defence forces: Army, Navy, and Air Force. Before getting into the details about the recruitment process, let us look at the exam overview from the table below:

Particulars	Details
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Name	Combined Defence Service (CDS) Examination
Exam Level	National
Exam Mode	Offline
Exam Frequency	Twice a Year (April and September)
Selection Process	Written Exam and SSB Interview
Exam Language	Hindi and English
Application Mode	Online
Vacancy	Around 350 (Not Announced Yet)
Job Location	Across India
Official Website	upsc.gov.in

UPSC CDS 2024 Important Dates

Candidates who are going to appear for the UPSC CDS 2024 exam must have an idea about the important dates. The important dates are tabulated below:

Events	CDS (1) Dates	CDS (2) Dates
Notification Release Date	December 20, 2023	May 15, 2024
Application Process Starts on	December 20, 2023	May 15, 2024
Last Date To Apply Online	January 9, 2024	June 4, 2024
Application Withdrawl Date	January 2024	June 2024
Release of Admit Card	March 2024	August 2024
CDS 1 Exam Date	April 21, 2024	September 1, 2024
Release of Result Date	May 2024	To Be Announced

Get complete details on CDS 2024 exam dates here.

How To Attempt Embibe’s UPSC CDS Mock Tests?

Know the steps to take the UPSC CDS mock test series below:

• 1st Step: Visit Embibe’s official website, i.e., embibe.com.
• 2nd Step: Use the mobile number/email to log in.
• 3rd Step: Click on “Getting a Government Job”.
• 4th Step: Select the Goal “Defence” from the dropdown and click “Next”.
• 5th Step: Search and select “UPSC CDS” on the search bar and click “Next”.
• 6th Step: Select the preferred language and click “Done”.
• 7th Step: Click “Test” from the header Section.
• 8th Step: Scroll down to the “Subjects” section.
• 9th Step: Click on any UPSC CDS subjects.
• 10th Step: Scroll down to click on the chapters from the selected subject to begin the test.

UPSC CDS 2024 Eligibility

Before applying for the UPSC CDS 2024, candidates should confirm their eligibility according to the guidelines established by the officials. Check out the table below for the eligibility criteria, including qualification and age limit:

Eligibility Criteria	Details
Nationality	Candidate must have citizenship of India.
Age Limit	– Maximum: 24 years – Minimum: 20 years
Educational Qualification	Graduation Degree
Number of Attempts	Till Age Limits
Marital Status	Unmarried

Get complete details on CDS 2024 eligibility here.

UPSC CDS 2024 Exam Pattern

Candidates appearing in the CDS 2024 exam to become defence personnel through INA, IMA, and AFA must be familiar with the exam format. The IMA, INA, and AFA exam pattern includes three sections, while OTA includes two. Each question carries one mark. There is a negative marking of 0.33 for incorrect response.

Parameters	Details
Mode of Exam	Offline
Number of Sections	Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA) -Three Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) -Two
Total Marks	IMA, INA, and AFA -300 OTA -200
Nature of Questions	Objective type
Language	Hindi and English
Duration	Two Hours for Each Section

Get complete details on the CDS 2024 exam pattern here.

UPSC CDS 2024 Application Form

The UPSC accepts online applications for CDS on its official website. Applicants interested in applying should visit the official website upsc.gov.in. They must first register before completing the entire application form. In addition, they must pay the application fee to submit the completed form successfully.

Get complete details on the CDS application form 2024 here.

How To Apply Online for CDS Recruitment 2024?

The step-wise instructions on how to register for UPSC and apply for CDS 1 exam online are given below:

• 1st Step: Visit the official website of UPSC – upsc.gov.in.
• 2nd Step: Login into the account on the OTR platform.
• 3rd Step: Fill out the details required in Part 1 registration.
• 4th Step: Upload the photo, signature, and photo ID proof.
• 5th Step: Pay the application fees.
• 6th Step: Select an exam centre for the CDS 1 exam.
• 7th Step: Finally, submit the application form.
• 8th Step: The confirmation message will be forwarded to the registered mobile number and email address.

UPSC CDS 2024 Application Fee

Applicants can pay the fee offline or online with a debit or credit card or through net banking. Check out the table below for the application fees:

• The application fees are INR 200 for General and OBC male candidates.
• SC and ST candidates are exempted from fee payment.

UPSC CDS 2024 Selection Process

Applicants will be hired in UPSC in two stages. Candidates must pass each stage to advance to the next round. The following are the stages:

• Stage 1: Written Test
• Stage 2: SSB Interview

UPSC CDS 2024 Vacancy

The CDS 2024 vacancy details are given below:

Academy	No. of Vacancies
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun154th (DE) Course commencing in January 2023 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders]	100
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Course commencing in January 2023 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 03 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing through NCC Special Entry ) holders ].	32
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January 2023 i.e. No. 213 F(P) Course [including 03 vacancies are reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Spl. Entry]	32
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 117th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in April 2023	275
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 117th SSC (Women) (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in April 2023	18
Total	457

Earlier, UPSC announced the vacancy list for UPSC CDS 1 on its official website. A total of 341 vacancies were announced for CDS 1; however, for CDS 2, the number was 349. Candidates can check the last year’s vacancy breakdown from the table below:

Academy (CDS 1 Vacancy)	Vacancies
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun	100
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala	22
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad	32
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men	170
Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women	17
Total Vacancies	341

CDS 2 Vacancy 2023
Indian Military Academy (IMA)	100
Indian Naval Academy (INA)	32
Air Force Academy (AFA)	32
Officer Training Academy – Men (OTA)	169
Officer Training Academy – Women (OTA)	16
Total	349

UPSC CDS 2024 Salary

The officers on CDS are paid INR 56,100 per month during their training in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The following is the salary breakdown:

Rank	Level	Salary (In INR)
Lieutenant	Level 10	56,100 -1,77,500
Captain	Level 10 B	61,300- 1,93,900
Major	Level 11	69,400 – 2,07,200
Lieutenant Colonel	Level 12A	1,21,200 – 2,12,400
Colonel	Level 13	1,30,600-2, 15,900
Brigadier	Level 13A	1,39,600-2,17,600
Major General	Level 14	1,44,200-2,18,200
Lieutenant General HAG Scale	Level 15	1, 82, 200-2,24,100
HAG+Scale	Level 16	2,05,400 – 2,24,400
VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG)	Level 17	2,25,000 (Fixed)
COAS	Level 18	2,50,000 (Fixed)

Quick Links –

CDS Cutoff	CDS Question Papers
CDS Admit Card	CDS Answer Key

FAQs on UPSC CDS Recruitment 2024

Check some of the frequently asked questions about the UPSC CDS recruitment exam below:

We hope this article on the UPSC CDS Recruitment 2024 is helpful. In case of any queries, check our website or download our app. Stay tuned to Embibe for more information and the latest UPSC CDS exam 2024 updates.