The UPSC CDS Examination held in February and August month conducted by Union Public Service Commission two time a year. UPSC release the CDS Exam notification in November and July month for the recruitment of Unmarried Male/ Female candidates for the following Courses in various Defence Academies such as;
| Sr No | Academy Name | Course Name |
| 1 | Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | (DE) Course [including NCC 'C' Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
| 2 | Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | Executive (General Service) Course [including NCC 'C' Certificate (Naval Wing) holders] |
| 3 | Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | (Pre-Flying) Training Course |
| 4 | Officers' Training Academy, Chennai | Short Service Commission - SSC Men (Non-Technical) Course |
| 5 | Officers Training Academy, Chennai | Short Service Commission - SSC Women (Non-Technical) Course |
UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination Schedule
1. UPSC CDS Exam Notification
- UPSC CDS I November Month
- UPSC CDS II July Month
2. UPSC CDS Written Exam Notification
- UPSC CDS I February Month
- UPSC CDS II August Month
UPSC CDS Exam - Conditions of Eligibility
(a) Nationality:- A candidate must either be:
- a Citizen of India, or
- a subject of Bhutan, or
- a subject of Nepal, or
- a Tibetan refugee; who came over to India before the 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
- a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
- Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India
- Certificate of eligibility will, however, not be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal
- A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary may be admitted to the examination provisionally subject to the necessary certificate being given to him/ her by the Govt. before the declaration of result by UPSC.
UPSC CDS Examination - Age Limits and Educational Qualification
| IMA, Dehradun | 19-24 Years | Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification in any stream |
| INA, Ezhimala | 19-22 Years | Engineering BE B Tech, B Sc (Engg.) Degree or equivalent examination |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 20-24 Years | Graduate Degree (with Physics and Mathematics subjects at 10+2 level) or Engineering degree from a reputed institute/ university |
| OTA, Chennai | 19-25 Years | Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification in any stream |
CDS Examination - Physical Measurement + Medical Standards
The candidate must be in good physical and mental health and free from any disease/ disability which is likely to interfere with the efficient performance of duties. There should be no evidence of weak constitution, bodily defects or overweight.
The candidate must be physically fit according to the prescribed physical standards which are summarized below:-
1. For Male Candidates : 
2. For Female Candidates :
CDS Syllabus & Exam Pattern - Detailed CDS Exam Instructions
| For IMA, INA, IAF Academy | 2 Hours For Each Subject | 1. English 2. General Knowledge 3. Elementary Mathematics (Objective Type Questions) Total Marks: 300 (Every 100 Marks) |
| For Officers Training Academy | 2 Hours For Each Subject | 1. English 2. General Knowledge (Objective Type Questions) Total Marks: 200 (Every 100 Marks) |
The SSB consists of two stages - Stage I/ II. Only those candidates who clear the Stage I are permitted to appear for Stage II.
- Stage I comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT).
- Stage II comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference.
- These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on http://www.joinindianarmy.nic.in/SSB_Short_List.htm