UPSC CDS 2022 will be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in the month of February 2022 and November 2022. Through CDS, candidates can pursue their dream of joining Indian armed forces namely Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA )and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Interested candidates need to apply for the exam by filling the online application form for the same.
Candidates must make sure that they fulfill the eligibility conditions laid down by the commission in order to take the exam. UPSC CDS 2022 will be held in pen and paper-based mode followed by the interview. Candidates will get a total of 2 hours for each subject. There will be a provision of negative marking in the exam; hence, candidates should refrain from choosing the answer they are not sure of.
CDS 2022 Highlights
- The application form for CDS shall only be released via online mode. The authority won’t entertain any printed applications in this regard.
- Applicants should make sure to fill and submit the form on or before the due date fixed by the authority to avoid the last-minute rush or technical error.
- Those who do not want to appear for the exam can use the application withdrawal facility provided by the commission.
- Women candidates must provide OTA as their first and only preference as they are eligible for OTA only.
- Candidates must be physically and mentally fit to be eligible for the services.
- Candidates serving in government services or other such organization can apply directly to the commission. They don’t need to appear for the recruitment test.
- In order to get a call for SSB interview, a candidate needs to register themselves on the official web portal of the Indian army after qualifying the written test.
CDS 2022 Important dates
Candidates can note down the tentative dates for CDS 2022 examination as provided below-
| Events | CDS-I | CDS-II |
| Beginning of registration | Last week of October 2021 | 2nd week of August 2022 |
| Last date to submit the form | 4th week of November 2021 | 1st week of September 2022 |
| Admit card releasing | 2nd week of January 2022 | Last week of October 2022 |
| Written exam date | 1st week of February 2022 | 3rd week of November 2022 |
| Result declaration | March 2022 | December 2022 |
| Call letter downloading for Interview | March 2022 | 4th week of February 2023 (for IMA)
4th week of May 2023 (for OTA) |
| Final result declaration | March 2022 | May 2023 |
CDS 2022 Exam Pattern
The exam pattern for CDS is given below-
- Exam mode: Offline
- Duration: 2 hours for each subject
- Type of questions: Multiple choice-based questions
- Medium of instructions: English and Hindi
- Negative marking: There is a penalty of 1/3rd marks for choosing the incorrect answer.
For IMA, INA and AFA
| Subject | Maximum marks | Duration |
| English | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 100 | 2 hours |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 hours |
For OTA
| Subject | Maximum marks | Duration |
| English | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 100 | 2 hours |
CDS 2022 Syllabus
The syllabus for CDS 2022 exam covers the topics under GK, English and elementary mathematics as stated below-
- English: This part will assess the ability of the candidates to understand the English language and utilization of workmanlike words used on a regular basis. The part typically includes- Grammar, sentence rearrangement, sentence correction, fill in the blanks, one-word substitution, reading comprehension etc.
- Elementary mathematics: This section will include the questions on algebra, number theory, statistics, Mensuration, geometry, trigonometry, etc.
- GK: Person in news, current affairs of national/international importance, awards and trophies, Indian history, geography, polity etc.
CDS 2022 Application form
Candidates are required to apply online by using the website www.upsconline.nic.in. They need to provide their basic detail for registration such as phone number, email id, name, and date of birth. After successful registration, candidates will receive a unique application/registration id and password which they need to use to login into the website.
The particulars in the application form should be filled as per the correct knowledge of the candidates. If the information given by the candidates is found to be incorrect or misleading then such candidates will be disqualified from taking the exam and won’t be allowed to apply for the exam in future too. Candidates also need to upload their scanned images in the proper format. Incomplete applications or those received without the application fee shall be rejected by the commission.
Application fee
Applicants need to pay Rs. 2000/- towards the application fee for the exam. However, female and ST/ST candidates are exempted from paying the application fee. Payment of the application fee can be made through credit card, debit card, and net banking.
CDS 2022 Eligibility criteria
Candidates can go through the CDS 2022 eligibility criteria given below to check their status of eligibility for the exam-
Nationality: A candidates must either be a-
- Citizen of India or
- Subject of Nepal/ Bhutan or
- Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India or
- Person of Indian origin who has migrated from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Burma, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Marital status: Only unmarried candidates can apply for CDS exam. Married candidates above 25 years of age can apply for the exam but during training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises.
Age limit
| Service | Age limit |
| IMA | Must not have been born earlier than 2nd January/July 1999 and not later than 1st January/July 2004 |
| INA | Must not have been born earlier than 2nd January/July 1999 and not later than 1st January/July 2004 |
| AFA | The age of the candidates should fall between 20 years and 24 years as on 1st January/July 2023 |
| OTA (men) | Must not have been born earlier than 2nd January/July 1998 and not later than 1st January/July 2004 |
| OTA (women) | Must not have been born earlier than 2nd January/July 1998 and not later than 1st January/July 2004. Women candidates should be unmarried, widow or divorcee who have not remarried. |
*January for CDS-I and July for CDS-II
Qualifying examination
- IMA and OTA: A degree in any discipline from a recognized university is required.
- AFA: A degree in any discipline from a recognized university is required with mathematics and physics at +2 level. Those who have done engineering can also apply.
- INA: Applicants should have completed B.Tech/B.E in any discipline from a recognized university.
Admit card
- CDS 2022 admit card will be released at least three weeks prior to the commencement of the examination.
- Admit card can only be downloaded online. The E-admit card will not be sent to the candidates by post or whatever means.
- Candidates can download the admit card by logging into the official web portal of UPSC.
- They should cross-check the details printed on the call letter and report the inconsistencies if any are found.
- Applicants must bring the admit card to the exam hall along with a valid govt. id proof.
- Those who do not possess the admit card and id proof will not be allowed to sit in the exam hall.
Result and selection
- The result of CDS 2022 can be checked from the official website of UPSC i.e. upsc.nic.in.
- Candidates who qualify the written test as per the cutoff decided by the authority will be invited for interview and personality test conducted by SSB.
- The final result will be based on the overall scores obtained by the candidates in written and interview test.
- Only physically fit candidates will be considered for recruitment in various armed force services.