CDS Exam 2026: Notification, Eligibility, Syllabus & Selection Process

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“acceptedAnswer”: {“@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “For IMA: Unmarried male graduates aged 19–24. For INA: Unmarried male graduates (Engineering for technical entry) aged 19–22. For AFA: Unmarried male graduates with Physics and Maths in 12th, aged 19–23. For OTA: Male and female graduates aged 19–25 (male unmarried only).”}
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CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam 2026 is conducted by UPSC to recruit graduates as officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. If you’re a graduate aspiring to join the armed forces after age 19, CDS is your primary path. This guide covers everything — CDS 2026 notification, eligibility, syllabus, exam pattern, and selection process.

CDS 2026 Important Dates

CDS 2026 Eligibility Criteria

CDS 2026 Exam Pattern

Negative Marking: 1/3 of marks deducted for each wrong answer. All papers are objective (MCQ) type.

CDS 2026 Syllabus

English

• Spotting errors, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks
• Synonyms, antonyms, ordering of words in a sentence
• Comprehension passage, ordering of sentences in a paragraph

General Knowledge

• Current affairs: National & international events, defence news
• History: Indian & World history, freedom movement, post-independence
• Geography: Physical geography of India, world geography, climate
• Polity: Constitution, government structure, elections, fundamental rights
• Economy: Basics of Indian economy, budget, Five-Year Plans
• Physics, Chemistry, Biology: Class 10–12 level concepts
• Defence-specific: Military terms, operations, Indian defence organisations

Elementary Mathematics

• Number system, HCF/LCM, square roots, average
• Ratio & proportion, percentages, profit & loss, simple & compound interest
• Time & distance, time & work
• Algebra: Basic operations, equations, quadratic equations
• Geometry: Lines, angles, triangles, circles, quadrilaterals
• Mensuration: Area, volume of 2D and 3D shapes
• Statistics: Mean, median, mode, bar charts, histograms
• Trigonometry: Basic ratios, heights and distances

CDS vs NDA: Key Differences

NCA Academy provides comprehensive coaching for both NDA and CDS examinations. With over 59 years of experience, our faculty includes ex-defence officers who guide candidates through the written exam as well as the SSB interview process.

Frequently Asked Questions — CDS Exam 2026

CDS (Combined Defence Services) is a UPSC exam conducted twice a year to recruit graduates as officers into IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA of the Indian Armed Forces.

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