Combined Defence Services Examination
The young and brave men of our country, who harbour a feeling of patriotism in themselves, who are always ready to do the most dangerous tasks and dedicate their lives for the service of their country, should take up the country’s Defence Services. The Common Defence Service Test is for them. It is the test to recruit for the Defence forces. For those young and courageous individuals who nurture a patriotic sentiment, who are willing to take on any kind of challenges and dedicate their lives to defending the country and its people, the Common Defence Service Test is the path to join the nation’s Defence forces.
Like all other national service examinations, this is also conducted by the UPSC two times a year for recruitment in the Army, Navy or Air-force. CDS exams generally take place in the months of May and October.
Those who get through the written test are interviewed by the SSB better known as Service Selection Board. Candidates need to specify their field of choice, be it army, navy or air-force, though the final decision is based on their merit-list rankings. The four institutes that provide these selected candidates training are Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Naval Academy, Goa, Air Force Academy, Begumpet, Hyderabad, Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. The first three institutes give permanent commission to their trainees, whereas the OTA pass-outs get short-service commission.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria to get-through IMA /OTA are a degree from a recognized University or equivalent.
For Naval Academy, a B.Sc. with Physics and/or Mathematics or Bachelor of Engineering is required. For Air Force Academy, a B.Sc. of a recognized University or equivalent with Physics and/or Mathematics as subjects or Bachelor of Engineering.
Important Dates
The UPSC conducted the Combined Defence Services Exam on the 13th of September 2009.