Union Public Service Commission
Combined Defence Services
Gateway to an officer's commission in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. CDS is conducted twice a year — the written test is followed by an SSB (Services Selection Board) Interview at the respective academy.
Study by Paper
All three papers are required for IMA/INA/AFA. OTA needs only English + GK.
English
Comprehension, Spotting Errors, Sentence Improvement, Para Completion, Vocabulary, Ordering of Words/Sentences
General Knowledge
Current Events, History (India + World), Geography, Polity, Economy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Defence
Elementary Mathematics
Arithmetic (Number Theory, SI/CI, Percentage, Ratio), Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics — Class 10 level
Defence Service Academies
Indian Military Academy
Dehradun — Army officer training. 3 papers required (English + GK + Maths). SSB Interview follows.
Indian Naval Academy
Ezhimala — Navy officer training. 3 papers. SSB + AFSB Interview.
Air Force Academy
Dundigal — Air Force pilot/officer training. 3 papers. AFCAT-like SSB.
Officers Training Academy
Chennai — Army Short Service Commission. Only 2 papers (English + GK). No Maths required.
Eligibility & Selection Process
Written Test (UPSC)
- English: 120 Q / 100 marks / 2 hours
- General Knowledge: 120 Q / 100 marks / 2 hours
- Elementary Mathematics: 100 Q / 100 marks / 2 hours (IMA/INA/AFA only)
- Negative marking: –0.33 per wrong answer
SSB Interview (5 days)
- Stage 1: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) + Picture Perception
- Stage 2: Psychological tests, GTO tasks, Interview
- Total SSB: 300 marks
- Medical examination follows SSB recommendation