Organization: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Post Exam Name: Combined Defence Services (CDS) II Examination 2025
Advt No.: 11/2025
Total Posts: 453
Official Website: upsc.gov.in
Important Dates:
- Notification Release Date: 28 May 2025
- Application Start Date: 28 May 2025
- Last Date to Apply: 20 June 2025 (Extended)
- Application Correction Window: 07 July to 09 July 2025
- Exam Date: 14 September 2025
- Admit Card Release: September 2025 (Expected)
Total Vacancies: 453 Posts
- Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun – 100 (Commencement: July 2026)
- Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala – 26 (Commencement: July 2026)
- Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad – 32 (Commencement: July 2026)
- Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai – Men – 276 (Commencement: October 2026)
- Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai – Women – 19 (Commencement: October 2026)
Application Fee:
- General / OBC: ₹200/-
- SC / ST / Female: Exempted
Eligibility Criteria:
Nationality:
- Indian citizens, or
- Subjects of Nepal/Bhutan, or
- Tibetan refugees settled in India before 1 January 1962, or
- Persons of Indian origin migrated from select countries intending permanent settlement in India
Age Limit (as on 01 July 2026 for IMA/INA/AFA and 01 October 2026 for OTA):
- IMA / INA: 19 to 24 years (Unmarried male candidates born between 02 July 2002 and 01 July 2007)
- AFA: 20 to 24 years (Born between 02 July 2002 and 01 July 2006); up to 26 years with valid Commercial Pilot Licence
- OTA (Men): 19 to 25 years (Unmarried male candidates born between 02 July 2001 and 01 July 2007)
- OTA (Women): 19 to 25 years (Unmarried women, issueless widows/divorcees born between 02 July 2001 and 01 July 2007)
Educational Qualification:
- IMA / OTA: Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized university
- INA: Degree in Engineering from a recognized university/institution
- AFA: Degree from a recognized university with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level or Bachelor of Engineering
Final year/semester candidates can apply if they have no backlogs and provide proof of passing before course commencement.
Marital Status:
- IMA / INA / AFA: Only unmarried candidates
- AFA: Candidates above 25 years can be married but no accommodation will be provided
- OTA: Unmarried men and unmarried women, issueless widows/divorcees who haven’t remarried
Physical Standards:
Candidates must meet prescribed physical and medical standards as per UPSC norms.
Selection Process:
- Written Examination
- SSB Interview
- Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR), Picture Perception and Description Test (PPDT)
- Stage II: Personal Interview, GTO Tasks, Psychology Tests, Conference
- Document Verification
- Medical Examination
Exam Pattern:
For IMA, INA, AFA
- English – 100 Marks – 2 Hours
- General Knowledge – 100 Marks – 2 Hours
- Elementary Mathematics – 100 Marks – 2 Hours
For OTA (Men & Women)
- English – 100 Marks – 2 Hours
- General Knowledge – 100 Marks – 2 Hours
Negative Marking: 1/3rd marks deducted for each wrong answer
Syllabus Overview:
- English: Grammar, Vocabulary, Idioms & Phrases, Comprehension, Sentence Correction, Para Jumbles, Error Spotting
- General Knowledge: History, Polity, Economy, Geography, Environment, General Science, Current Affairs, Defence Topics
- Mathematics (IMA/INA/AFA only): Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics
Useful Links: