Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam conducted by UPSC is an exam for the hiring of candidates for courses given by the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers Training Academy. It is conducted twice a year. UPSC, also known as Union Public Service Commission, was first set up under the chairmanship of Lord Lee of Fareham by the British Government in 1923.
The Federal Service Commission became the Union Service Commission after independence. It was given constitutional status under the Constitution of India on 26th January 1950. Arvind Saxena is the current chairman of the commission and took his position on 29 November 2018. The applications for the CDS (I) exam started on 30th October. The applications are supposed to close by 19th November 2019.
The exam for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) is to be held on 2nd February 2019. The candidates can check the application form online on the official website: www.upsc.gov.in or on www.upsconline.nic.in. This recruitment process aims to fill in a total of 418 vacancies. Eligible and interested candidates can apply for the same for various posts which are available. The examination consists of questions from three sections: General Knowledge, Elementary Maths and English Language.
Application Fee
The application form fee is as follows:
- General and OBC Candidates: Rs. 200/-
- SC and ST candidates: NIL
- Female Candidates: NIL
Important Dates
The important dates for the exam can be given as follows:
| S. No. | Particulars | Details |
| 1 | Online application starts | 30th December 2019 |
| 2 | Online application closes | 19th November 2019 |
| 3 | Date of Exam | 2nd February 2020 |
| 4 | Release of Admit card | January 2020 |
| 5 | Result Date | April 2020 |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria are different for various posts is as follows:
- Indian Military Academy: Bachelor’s degree from an acknowledged University
- Air Force Academy: B.E/B.Tech from an acknowledged university or degree from a recognized university with physics and mathematics as subjects
- Indian Naval Academy: B.E./B.Tech from a recognized university or equivalent
- Officers Training Academy: Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university
- Officers Training Academy (Non-Technical): Bachelor’s degree from a university.
The general age criteria for all the posts are from 19 years of age to 25 years of age and can differ with variation in posts assigned.
Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for UPSC CDS Examination 2019- PaGaLGuY
How to download the admit card
For downloading the admit card, the candidates can follow the steps given below: –
- Step 1: Visit the official website: upsc.gov.in
- Step 2: Click on ‘Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019 Admit Card’
- Step 3: Enter the details like roll number and date of birth
- Step 4: Click on submit button
- Step 5: Download the admit card and take a printout of the same for further use.
There will be two stages in the selection process:
- Stage I: Written Examination
- Stage II: Interview