Combined Defense Service(CDS) Examination- Eligibility Details

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not only conducts examination for the coveted IAS and IPS recruitment, it also conducts another prestigious examination- Combined Defense Service Examination. Here are the eligibility criterias discussed about the exam:

Nationality-

For Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service a candidate should be a citizen of India and in other service a candidate must be a citizen of India or a subject of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan or a Tibetan refugee who came India before 1^st January 1962 or a person of India origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma and Srilanka, the United Republic of Tanzania, East African countries of Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam with an intention of permanent settlement in India. The candidates who belong to the option ‘b’ and ‘c’ must provide a certificate for Gorkha subject of Nepal which should be issued by the Indian Government.

Education Qualification-

• If a candidate is applying for Indian Military Force, then he or she should have a Graduate Degree from any recognized university.

• If a candidate is applying for Indian Naval Force (INF) then he or she should have B-Tech or B.E Degree (Engineering) from any recognized university.

• If a candidate is applying for Air Force Academy (AFA), then he or she should have B-Tech or B.E Degree or a degree with physics and math’s in 10+2 level.

Age Limit-

For male candidates

• An unmarried candidate applying for Indian Military Academy (IMA) should not have been born earlier than 2^nd July 1996 and not later than 1^st July 2001.
• An unmarried candidate applying for Indian Naval Academy (INA) should not born earlier than 2^nd July 1996 and later than 1^st July 2001.
• An unmarried candidate applying for Air Force Academy (AFA) should not have been born before 2^nd July 1996 and not later than 1^st July 2000.
• An unmarried candidate applying for Officers Training Academy (OTA) should not have been born before 2^nd July 1995 and not later than 1^st July 2001.

For Female Candidates

An unmarried candidate applying for Officers Training Academy (OTA) for women should not have been born before 2^nd July 1995 and not later than 1^st July 2001.

Note- Divorcee or widower candidate cannot be treated as unmarried candidates for the post of IMA, INA, and AFA because they are not eligible for the Combined Defense Services.

                Physical Standards– A candidate must be physically fit for the admission to Combined Defense Services.