CDS (1) 2026 – OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION

Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS 1 2026), conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).Purpose: Recruitment for officer-entry in academies of Armed Forces — Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA, Men & Women) in India.

📅 Important Dates

Event	Date / Period
Notification released	10 December 2025
Application window opens	10 December 2025
Last date to apply	30 December 2025 (up to 6:00 PM)
Exam date (CDS-1 2026)	12 April 2026

🎯 Number of Seats / Vacancies

Academy / Course	Number of Vacancies (2026)
Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun — 162nd (DE) Course	100
Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala — Executive Branch / Hydro	26
Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad — Pre-Flying Training Course (221 F(P) Course)	32
Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai — 125th SSC (Men) (Non-Technical) Course	275
OTA, Chennai — 125th SSC (Women) (Non-Technical) Course	18
Total	451

For IMA: the 100 seats include those reserved for candidates with NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Army Wing).For INA: the 26 seats include certain reserved seats — including 06 for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing) holders and 01 for Hydro (specialization) — as per the notification.For AFA: the 32 seats include 03 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders via NCC Special Entry.

📝 Eligibility (Overview)

• Nationality: Indian citizen (or certain categories like subjects of Nepal/Bhutan etc. as per standard UPSC rules).
• Academy-wise age & qualification requirement:

Academy	Age Limit*	Education / Qualification
IMA	19–24 years	Graduation (any discipline)
INA	19–22 years	B.E. / B.Tech (engineering)
AFA (Flying Branch)	19–23 years	B.E./B.Tech OR Graduation + Physics & Maths at 10+2 level
OTA (Men & Women)	19–25 years	Graduation (any discipline)

(i) For admission to IMA on or before 1st January 2027 Indian Naval Academy on or before 1st January 2027 and Air Force Academy on or before 13th November 2026.(ii) For admission to Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai on or before 1st April 2027.Marital status:

• • IMA, INA, AFA → unmarried male candidates.
  • OTA → unmarried male & female candidates.

📝 Exam Pattern & Syllabus

• Mode: Offline — Pen & Paper (written exam)
• Stage: Written Exam → SSB Interview → Medical / Document verification.
• For IMA / INA / AFA:
  • 3 papers:
    • English — 2 hours, 100 marks
    • General Knowledge — 2 hours, 100 marks
    • Elementary Mathematics — 2 hours, 100 marks
• For OTA (men & women):
  • 2 papers: English and General Knowledge (no Mathematics)
• Total marks:
  • IMA / INA / AFA: 300 marks (100 per paper)
  • OTA: 200 marks (100 + 100)
• Syllabus Outline:

💰 Application Fee

• ₹ 200 for General / OBC / EWS candidates.
• No fee for SC / ST / female candidates (as per standard UPSC rules for CDS).

Payment modes: debit/credit card, net banking, UPI, or (if offered) cash deposit at designated bank (e.g. SBI).

🌐 Registration / Application Portal

• Official portal: UPSC Online (upsconline.gov.in or upsconline.nic.in)
• Application involves two parts (Part I and Part II). You must upload photograph, signature, photo-ID, choose exam centre, pay fee (if applicable), and submit before the deadline.

📄 Selection & Next Stages

After the written exam (objective type), candidates shortlisted will be called for the Services Selection Board (SSB) — involving psychological tests, group tasks, personal interview, GTO tasks — followed by medical examination and document verification. Final selection depends on performance throughout these stages.