UPSC CDS-I 2013 Exam Notification, Form & Eligibility

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam  notification 2013 has just been published today by UPSC. This notification/advertisement can be see...

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam notification 2013 has just been published today by UPSC. This notification/advertisement can be seen in major national dailies as well as in Employment News dated 10th November, 2012. As per the notification, Online submission of application form has began from today and the last date to apply for UPSC CDS-I 2013 is 10th December, 2012.  CDS-I 2013 written exam is scheduled to be held on 17th February, 2013. Those of you graduates who would like to join the defence services, this is a very good opportunity.

You can  Click here to download the UPSC CDS-I 2013 Exam Notification. 

This blog tells you in a nutshell about the notification, eligibilities required and how to apply for CDS Exam. To find the study materials for CDS Exam, You can go through my previous blog article titled: CDS Exam Pattern, Sample papers, Books & Coaching institutes.

Before going any further, let us know more about what is CDS Exam.

What is CDS Exam:

Combined Defence Services (CDS) is the entrance-cum-recruitment exam conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) jointly for four elite defence academies of India:

Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.
Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala.
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.

CDS is conducted twice every year – in mid-February (called CDS-I) and in mid-September (called CDS-I). Subsequent to CDS written exam, shortlisted candidates are called for Interview, conducted by SSB (Services Selection Board). It is only after candidates clear the SSB Interview & the subsequent medical test that they are finally selected for the four defence academies.

The training conducted in these defence academies lasts for 49 to 74 weeks, depending on which institute you join in. At the end of the training period, you are commissioned as Lieutenant in Army/Navy or as a Flying Officer in Air force.

Even during the training at these Defence Academies, the trainees (called as Gentleman/ Lady Cadets) are given fixed stipend of Rs. 21000/- per month for the entire duration of training.

CDS (I) Exam 2013 Important dates:

Date of notification & Online Form availability: 10/11/2012 (Sat)

Last date for submission of CDS-I 2013 forms: 10/12/2012 (Mon).

Date of CDS (I) Exam 2013: 17/02/2013 (Sun)

CDS (I) Exam 2013 Vacancies:

In each CDS Exam, 500 to 550 candidates are selected. In CDS-I 2013, there are 509 seats/vacancies and  you can find the institute-wise break–up in the table at left.

As you can see from the table, there are 250 seats for Army, 32 for Air Force and rest 227 seats for Indian Navy. In other words, there are least number of seats for Air Force - so if you choose Air Force as your first option, you are going to have highest competition.

CDS Exam Eligibilities:

Age Eligibilities:

Eligibilities for CDS exam is given below institute-wise:

IMA: Unmarried male, DOB not earlier than 2nd January, 1990 and not later than 1st January, 1995.
NA: Unmarried male, not earlier than 2nd January, 1992 (2nd January, 1990 in case of NCC Naval Wing ‘C’ Certificate holders) and not later than 1st January, 1995.

AFA: Unmarried male, DOB not earlier than 2nd January, 1991 and not later than 1st January, 1995.

OTA (SSC-Men): Male (married or unmarried), DOB not earlier than 2nd January, 1989 and not later than 1st January, 1995.

OTA (SSC-Women Non-Technical): Women (unmarried/issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees who have not remarried. DOB not earlier than 2nd January, 1989 and not later than 1st January, 1995.

Academic Eligibilities:

Educational Qualifications for CDS exam is listed below institute-wise:

IMA, Dehradun & OTA, Chennai: Graduation.
NA, Ezhimala: Degree in Engineering for CDSE and Degree in Engineering or B.Sc. (with Physics or Mathematics) for NCC entry.
AFA, Hyderabad: Graduation (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
The qualifications must be obtained from a recognised university or equivalent.

Final year Degree students can also apply provided they can provide the proof passing above qualification in following dates:
(i) For IMA, INA and AFA: on or before 13th November, 2013.
(ii) For OTA, Chennai: on or before 1st February, 2014.

Physical Standard Eligibilities for CDS Exam:

On top of above Age & Educational eligibilities, you also need to possess the physical standard, as given in "APPENDIX IV" in page-6 of the Notification.

CDS (I) Exam 2013 Online Form:

You can apply for CDS-I 2013 only online!

There are two stages of online application - in Part-I you fill general data while in Part-II you fill more specific data. 

How to apply online has been given in detail in this "Instructions to fill CDS Exam Online Form" webpage. So go through it carefully before submitting your online form.

If you have gone through the same,Click here to find the UPSC CDS Exam 2013 Online form.

After submitting the online form, you do not need to send the hard copy of the application to UPSC, but retain with you for any later use.

CDS-I 2013 Exam Centres:

CDS-I 2013 Exam is going to be held through out the length and breadth of the country in following 41 city/towns:

Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bareily, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharwar, Dispur, Gangtok, Hyderabad, Imphal, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Jorhat, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Port Blair, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Udaipur, Vishakhapatnam.

Hope with above information you would be able to apply confidently for CDS exam. Although the information was meant for CDS(I) 2013, same can also be used for CDS-2014/2015 aspirants as reference information.

How do you prepare for CDS exam?

My next blog post gives you the study materials for CDS Exam: Exam Pattern, Sample papers, Books & Coaching institutes. Please visit the same!

---