CDS Exam 2022: Notification, Check Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Cut-off & Selection Process, etc.

CDS Exam 2022
UPSC CDS notification 2022 for Combined Defence Service Examination (I) is released by the Union Public Service Commission at upsc.gov.in on 22 December 2021 and the online registration process has also been started from the same day. The last date for the application process has been scheduled for 11th January 2022. The CDS 01/2022 Exam has been scheduled for 10th April 2022 as per UPSC Exam calendar. So students who wish to join Defence services have to start preparing for the exam 4 to 5 months prior to exam notification by self study or joining any CDS coaching institutes.
CDS Exam will be conducted every year twice for the aspirants who desire to begin their career in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Air Force (AFA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Officer’s Training Academy (OTA). The candidates who qualifying in the written test will be called for an interview round (SSB) and medical examination for final selection. We have covered each and every detail regarding the CDS Exam 2022, like important dates, eligibility, number of vacancies, exam pattern, syllabus, selection process, etc.
CDS Exam 2022 Notification
As per the UPSC calendar, the detailed advertisement and Official notification for the CDS 01/2022 will be released on 22nd December 2022 by UPSC (upsc.gov.in). The direct link to check the CDS 2022 exam notification pdf is given below.
UPSC CDS 01/2022 Exam Dates
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the CDS Exam, will publish the official notification of the CDS 2022 exams on its official website as per the UPSC Calendar. The important dates concerning UPSC CDS 1 2022 exams and CDS 2 2022 are as follows:
UPSC CDS 1 2022 Dates
Events | Respective dates |
Official notification release date | 22nd December 2021 |
Submission of online application form started from | 22nd December 2021 |
Last date for submitting of application form | 11th January 2022 |
Admit card will be issued | three weeks prior to the exam date |
Entrance exam date | 10th April 2022 |
Result Announcement | May 2022 |
UPSC CDS- II 2022 Dates
Events | Respective dates |
The official notification released date | 18th May 2022 |
Submission of online application form started from | 18th May 2022 |
Last date for submission of the application form | 14th June 2022 |
Admit card will be issued | Two weeks prior to the exam date |
Entrance exam date | 4th September 2022 |
Result Announcement | October 2022 |
Interested applicants can apply for the CDS exam online at the official website of the UPSC (https://www.upsc.gov.in/). The relevant information in respect of the CDS 2022 exam date, application form, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, and syllabus is provided below links.
CDS Exam 2022 Vacancy
For the CDS 2 Exam, a total of 339 vacancies are announced for Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. Have a look at the CDS-1 Vacancy distribution for reference.
CDS 1 2022 Vacancy | |
Name of the academy | Number of 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 Exam 2022 Selection Procedure
The recruitment of AFA, IMA, INA & Officers Training Academy posts will be conducted on the basis of:
- Written Exam
- SSB Interview/Personality Test
- Document Verification
- Medical Examination
Educational qualification
- For Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy– A degree holder from a recognized university or equivalent will be eligible.
- For Indian Naval Academy– A degree holder in Engineering from a recognized university/Institution will be eligible.
- Air Force Academy– Bachelor of Engineering or a degree holder from any recognized university with Physics and Mathematics at intermediate (10+2) level.
- Candidates who are in the final semester/year of a degree course can also apply provided that they should submit the provisional certificate of graduation at the time of the interview or at the time of commencement of course.
CDS Exam 2022 Online Application
The online registration procedure for the CDS I Exam 2022 has been scheduled for 22nd December 2021 to 11th January 2022. The Online Applications can be filled up to 11th January 2022 till 6:00 pm. The candidates interested to join Armed Forces must apply much before the last date to avoid any last-minute hassle. The direct link for CDS 1 registration is given below. All eligible candidates can apply online for the CDS I exam 2022 by clicking on the link given below.
Register for CDS 1 2022 Exam [Direct Link to Apply Online]
CDS Exam 2022 Application Fee
To complete the registration process for the CDS 2022 exam, one needs to pay the application fee of Rs. 200/-. However, all the female candidates and candidates belonging to SC/ST category are exempted from paying the application fee. One can make payment of fee using Net Banking, Debit Card/Credit Card or by cash at SBI Bank.
CDS 2022 Application Form
All the candidates should ensure their eligibility is as per the criteria mentioned in the notification. The application form will consist of two parts i.e. Part-I and Part-II. In Part I aspirants have to complete the registration process while Part II deals with uploading of photos and payment of fee. Candidates need to go through both parts in order to submit the application form.
- The notification for submission of the online application form for both CDS- I 2022 and CDS-II 2022 exam will be published on the official website of the UPSC.
- The registration process for CDS (I) and CDS (II) 2022 exams will commence from 22 December 2021 and 18 May 2022 respectively.
- UPSC CDS (I) 2022 application form can be submitted via online mode only at the official website.
- Aspirants have to visit the official website of the UPSC for registration.
- The registration process will consist of two parts i.e. Part-I and Part-II.
- Provide complete information such as personal details, education qualification, and address, etc. in the application form.
- Ensure e-mail ID and mobile number provided during registration must be functional.
- Upload photograph and signature in the prescribed format as it is an important part of the application form.
- Also, pay the requisite application fee through online mode.
- Now, submit the application form and take at least one printout of the same for future reference.
CDS Exam Registration process
Follow the steps as mentioned below to complete your CDS 1 Exam Registration process.
Step 1: Visit the official website of UPSC i.e. www.upsc.gov.in or directly apply from the link given above.
Step 2: On the homepage, click on Examination >> Active Examinations >> Online Application For UPSC CDS 1 Exam.
Step 3: Click on “Part-1” against Combined Defence Examination (I) 2022
Step 4: Read all the instructions carefully and proceed by clicking on “Yes”
Step 5: You will be redirected to a new page, start filling in your details correctly.
Step 6: Select your preferences carefully and continue to Part-II.
Step 7: Pay the required application fee through online/offline mode as discussed above.
Step 8: Select the desired examination center from the list.
Step 9: Upload scanned documents as required in the application form.
Step 10: Check all the details and click on “Submit”. Download a copy of the application form for future reference.
CDS Exam Cut-Off
UPSC releases cut-off marks for CDS Exam on its official website. The candidates must score the minimum qualifying marks (i.e. 20 marks minimum in each subject) and for selection must score more than the cut-off marks. UPSC releases CDS written exam cut-off and final cut-off separately. The final cut-off for CDS 2 is expected to be out in May 2022. Check the previous year’s cut-off marks for your reference.
CDS-I Cut off 2021 | |
Academy | Written Exam (Expected) |
IMA | 125 (115 to 125) |
INA | 118 (105 |
AFA | 143 (135 to 145) |
OTA | 93 |
OTA(Women) | 93 (<95) |
CDS-I Cut off 2020 | ||
Academy | Written | Final Exam |
IMA | 130 | 250 |
INA | 118 | 242 |
AFA | 143 | 274 |
OTA | 93 | 173 |
OTA(Women) | 93 | 177 |
CDS-II Exam Cutoff marks 2020 | |
Academy | Written |
IMA | 263 |
INA | 257 |
IFA | 279 |
OTA (Men) | 179 |
OTA (Women) | 178 |
(*Aggregate marks of the last selected candidate)
CDS II 2019 Cutoff | ||
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
IMA | 134 marks (i.e. 44.67%) | 258 |
INA | 122 marks (i.e. 40.67%) | 245 |
AFA | 148 marks (i.e. 49.33%) | 272 |
OTA (Men) | 95 marks (i.e. 47.5%) | 176 |
OTA(Women) | 95 marks (i.e. 47.5%) | 179 |
CDS Examination Centre
The Combined Defence Services Examination will be held at various centers. The candidate has to choose their preferred center while filling their CDS application form.
Agartala | Ghaziabad | Panaji (Goa) |
Agra | Gorakhpur | Patna |
Ajmer | Gurgaon | Port Blair |
Ahmedabad | Gwalior | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
Aizawl | Hyderabad | Puducherry |
Aligarh | Imphal | Pune |
Almora (Uttarakhand) | Indore | Raipur |
Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) | Itanagar | Rajkot |
Aurangabad | Jabalpur | Ranchi |
Bengaluru | Jaipur | Sambalpur |
Bareilly | Jammu | Shillong |
Bhopal | Jodhpur | Shimla |
Bilaspur | Jorhat | Siliguri |
Chandigarh | Kochi | Srinagar |
Chennai | Kohima | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
Coimbatore | Kolkata | Thane |
Cuttack | Kozhikode | Thiruvananthapuram |
Dehradun | Leh | Tiruchirapalli |
Delhi | Lucknow | Tirupati |
Dharwad | Ludhiana | Udaipur |
Dispur | Madurai | Varanasi |
Faridabad | Mumbai | Vellore |
Gangtok | Mysore | Vijayawada |
Gaya | Nagpur | Visakhapatnam |
Gautam Buddh Nagar | Navi Mumbai | Warangal |
Pay scale of Army Officers and equivalent ranks in Air Force and Navy
Rank Level (Pay in Rs.)
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)
MSP to the officer is as follows:-
Military Service Pay(MSP) to the officers from the rank of Lieutenant to Brigadier – Rs 15.500 p.m. fixed
Fixed Stipend for cadet Training:-
Stipend to Gentlemen or Lady Cadets during the entire duration of training in Service academies i.e. during training period at IMA and OTA.– Rs 56,100/-p.m.* (Starting pay in Level 10)