COMBINED DEFENCE SERVICES EXAMINATION (CDSE)

COMBINED DEFENCE SERVICES EXAMINATION (CDSE)

[INCLUDING SSC WOMEN (NON-TECHNICAL) COURSE]

Combined Defence Services Examination is conducted by UPSC twice in a year for the various courses in Indian Army, Navy & Air Force. A graduate passed or final year appearing student with the age group of 19-25 years can apply this. Candidates are needed to qualify a written examination conducted by UPSC and SSB Interview conducted by Service Selection Boards of Army/Air Force/Navy.

Let’s check out some of the important basic eligibility criteria and other details. Candidates are advised to ensure to fulfill these requirements before applying.

Tentative Notification-

Exam Date

SSB Interview

Commencement of Training-

• January & July for IMA/AFA/NA
• October & September for OTA

Vacancies:

NOTE-

• Since women candidates are eligible for OTA only, they should give OTA as their first and only preference.
• If a male candidate is competing for Short Service Commission (Army) only, he should indicate OTA as the one and only choice. However, a male candidate competing for Short Service Commission Course at OTA as well as Permanent Commission course at IMA, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy should indicate OTA as his last preference; otherwise OTA will be deemed to be the last choice even if it is given a higher preference by the candidate.
• Candidates who desire to join Air Force Academy must indicate AFA as first choice, as they have to be administered Computer Pilot Selection System (CPSS)and/or Pilot Aptitude Battery Test at one of the AFSBs.

CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY:

1. Nationality:

A candidate must be unmarried and must either be:

• a Citizen of India
• a subject of Bhutan,
• a subject of Nepal, or

2. Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status:

NOTE- (Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxableupto 26 yrs.i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January, 1993 and not later than 1st January, 1999) only are eligible.

3. Educational Qualifications:

NOTE-

• Graduates with first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are to submit proof of graduation provisional certificates on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at the SSB.
• Candidates who are studying in the final year/semester Degree course and have yet to pass the final year degree examination can also apply provided candidate should not have any present backlog up to the last semester / year for which results have been declared up to the time of submission of application and they will be required to submit proof of passing the degree examination at the time of commencement of course.

4. FEE:

Candidates (excepting Female/SC/ST candidates who are exempted frompayment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- (Rupees Two Hundred Only)

5. HOW TO APPLY:

• Candidates are required to apply Online using the link nic.in.
• All candidates whether already in Government Service including candidates serving in the Armed Forces, Government owned industrial undertakings or other similar organizations or in private employment should submit their applications online direct to the Commission.

NOTE:

• Every candidate for the Air Force and Naval Aviation is given PilotAptitude Test only once. The Grade secured by him at the first test (CPSS and/or PABT) will therefore hold good for every subsequent interview at the Air Force Selection Board. Those who have failed Indian Navy Selection Board/Computer Pilot Selection System (CPSS) and/or Pilot Aptitude Battery Test earlier and those who habitually wear spectacles are not eligible for Air Force.

6. RESTRICTIONS ON MARRIAGE DURING TRAINING IN THE

INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY OR IN THE INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY OR IN THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY:

• Candidates for the Indian Military Academy Course or Naval Academy Course or Indian Air Force Academy Course or men & women candidates joining Officers’ Training Academy must undertake not to marry until they complete their full Training.
• A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his/her application Though successful at this or any subsequent examination will not be selected for training. A candidate who marries during training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him/her by the Government.

7. SELECTION PROCEDURE

The eligible candidates shall be issued an e-Admit Card three weeks before the commencement of the examination. The e-Admit Card will be made available on the UPSC website (www.upsc.gov.in) for downloading by candidates. No e-Admit Card will be sent by post. All the applicants are required to provide valid & active e-mail i.d. while filling up online application form as the Commission may use electronic mode for contacting them.

• Written Examination conducted by UPSC
• SSB Interview by Service Selection Boards OF Army/Air Force/Navy

8. SCHEME OF EXAMINATION

• FOR-IMA/AFA/NA

• FOR-OTA

Sectional cut off

• It is mandatory to secure 20% marks in each paper.

NOTE-

• The papers in all the subjects will consist of objective type questions only.
• The question papers (Test Booklets) of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.
• The Commission has discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
• The candidates are not permitted to use calculator for answering objective type papers (Test Booklets). They should not therefore, bring the same inside the Examination Hall.

STANDARD AND SYLLABUS OF THE EXAMINATION

STANDARD

ENGLISH

The question paper will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of

Everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on History of India and Geography of a nature

Which candidate should be able to answer without special study.

Elementary Mathematics

The standard of the papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation

level. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University.

9. TRAINING