UPSC CDS 2020 – Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is conducting Combined Defence Service 2020 exam on February 02, 2020. UPSC has released the list of the fictitious payment report of CDS 1 2020 at upsconline.nic.in. The commission conducts the CDS exam twice a year – CDS 1 and CDS 2. Candidates must have a degree to apply for the post of defence services at Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Officers’ Training Academy. Selection of candidates is done on the basis of candidates performance in the CBT, and interview/Personality Test. Check more details on UPSC CDS 2020 from this page.
Latest: List of the fictitious payment report has been released. Check Here.
CDS 2020
UPSC focus and emphasise on gender equality, and striving hard to ensure that gender balance is reflected through our armed forces. Hence, female candidates are encouraged to apply for UPSC CDS. Important dates related to CDS 1 2020 exam is given below:
| CDS 2020 | Important Dates |
| Date of Exam Notification | 30 Oct 2019 |
| CDS 1 2020 Application Form releases on | 30 Oct 2019 |
| Last date to submit CDS application form | 19 Nov 2019 |
| Date of CDS 1 2020 Admit Card Release | 03 weeks before the test date |
| UPSC CDS 1 2020 exam date | 02 Feb 2020 |
| Declaration of result | To be notified |
Quick Links
CDS Application Form 2020
The application form for CDS exam has been released online at the official website of UPSC. The registration for CDS is available in two parts. The CDS application form is released in both Hindi and English language but it can only be filled in the English Language. In Part I registration, candidates have to fill basic information, whereas, in the Part 2 registration, candidates need to pay the application fee, select test centre, and upload images. The application process is cosnidered completed only after the candidates complete the Part 2 registration.
CDS 2020 Application Fee: To submit the CDS application form, candidates need to pay the following amount of the application fee.
| Category | Application Fee |
| Female/SC/ST | Exempted from paying the application |
| Other candidates | Rs. 200 |
Mode of payment: Candidates need to pay the above-given amount of the application fee by either of the following ways:
- Depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash
- Net banking facility of State Bank of India
- Visa/Master/Rupay Credit/Debit Card
CDS 2020 Eligibility
Candidates who are applying for UPSC CDS 1 2020, should ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria. In case of failing to meet the same, candidates would not be allowed to sit in the exam of CDS. Conditions of eligibility are given below:
Nationality: Candidates applying for the job should be unmarried and:
- Citizen of India, or subject of Nepal, or subject of Bhutan, or
- Tibetan refugee migrated to India before 1st January 1962, to settle down permanently,
- Person of Indian origin, migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and from the the East African Countries of Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Zambia, Tanzania, Zaire, Ethiopia, Malawi or Vietnam, with an aim to settle down permanently in India.
Age Limit and Marital Status:
- For IMA and Indian Naval Academy: Male candidate who are unmarried and born not before 2nd July 1996 and not after 1st July 2001 are eligible to apply.
- For Indian Naval Academy: Candidate should be of 20-24 years of age on 1st July, 2020, which means that they are born not before 2nd July 1996 and not after 1st July 2001.
- For Officers’ Training Academy-(SSC Course for men): Unmarried male, born not before 2nd July, 1995 and after 1st July 2001 are eligible to apply.
- For Officers’ Training Academy-(SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Female candidates applying should be unmarried, issueless widows not remarried are also eligible to apply, as well issuless divorcees who have the documents proving their divorce and not married again are also eligible to apply. The female candidates applying should not be born before 2nd July 1995 and not after 1st July 2001.
Educational Qualifications:
- Candidates applying for I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai should have the degree from recognised university.
- Candidates who are applying for Indian Naval Academy, should have Engineering Degree from recognised institute/university.
- For those who are applying for Air Force Academy, should hold a degree in Bachelor of Engineering from a recognised university and have studied Mathematics and Physics in 10+2.
CDS Exam Centres 2020
In the CDS application form, candidates need to select the test centre as per their preference. The allotment of CDS exam centre is done on the first-come-first-serve basis. Note that no request for change of centre will be granted. CDS 1 2020 exam is going to be conducted at the following test cities:
| Agartala | Kohima |
| Ahmedabad | Kolkata |
| Aizawl | Lucknow |
| Bengaluru | Madurai |
| Bareilly | Mumbai |
| Bhopal | Nagpur |
| Chandigarh | Panaji (Goa) |
| Chennai | Patna |
| Cuttack | Port Blair |
| Dehradun | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Delhi | Raipur |
| Dharwad | Ranchi |
| Dispur | Sambalpur |
| Gangtok | Shillong |
| Hyderabad | Shimla |
| Imphal | Srinagar |
| Itanagar | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Jaipur | Tirupati |
| Jammu | Udaipur |
| Jorhat | Vishakhapatnam |
| Kochi | — |
UPSC CDS 2020 Mock Test
Mock Tests proves to be of great help for the candidates who are preparing for UPSC CDS 2010. These mock tests enable candidate to have an idea of time management and type of questions that will come in exam. Candidates can practice by taking the Mocktest by Aglasem, important links of the tests are pasted below.
| CDS Mock Test | Important Link |
| CDS – Maths | Test Link |
| CDS – GK | Test Link |
| CDS – English | Test Link |
| CDS GK (Hindi) | Test Link |
CDS Admit Card 2020
Candidates who are eligible will receive their UPSC CDS 2020 Admit Card before the commencement of exam. Last year it was assigned 3 weeks earlier, so candidate should refer the official website of UPSC to know the exact date of Admit Card release. Admit card of CDS 2020 will only be available online on the website of UPSC. and nobody will receive it through post. Step-wise procedure of downloading the admit card is given here.
CDS 2020 Syllabus
CDS 2020 written exam comprise of English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Candidates can check the complete CDS syllabus for each section below.
CDS Syllabus for English – Candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words is tested in this section.
CDS Syllabus for General Knowledge
- Knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation
- History of India
- Geography of nature
CDS Syllabus for Elementary Mathematics
Arithmetic
- Number System – Natural numbers, Integers, Rational and Real numbers. Fundamental operations, addition, substraction, multiplication, division, Square roots, Decimal fractions. Unitary method, time and distance, time and work, percentages, applications to simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, variation,
- Elementary Number Theory – Division algorithm. Prime and composite numbers. Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11. Multiples and factors. Factorisation Theorem. H.C.F. and L.C.M. Euclidean algorithm. Logarithms to base 10, laws of logarithms, use of logarithmic tables.
Algebra – Basic Operations, simple factors, Remainder Theorem, H.C.F., L.C.M., Theory of polynomials, solutions of quadratic equations, relation between its roots and coefficients (Only real roots to be considered). Simultaneous linear equations in two unknowns—analytical and graphical solutions. Simultaneous linear inequations in two variables and their solutions. Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or inequations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable & their solutions. Set language and set notation, Rational expressions and conditional identities, Laws of indices.
Trigonometry – Simple trigonometric identities, Use of trigonometric tables, Simple cases of heights and distances.
Geometry – Lines and angles, Plane and plane figures, Theorems on
- Properties of angles at a point
- Parallel lines
- Sides and angles of a triangle
- Congruency of triangles
- Similar triangles
- Concurrence of medians and altitudes
- Properties of angles, sides and diagonals of a parallelogram, rectangle and square,
- Circles and its properties including tangents and normals
- Loci
Mensuration – Areas of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangle and circle. Areas of figures which can be split up into these figures (Field Book), Surface area and volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders, surface area and volume of spheres.
Statistics – Collection and tabulation of statistical data, Graphical representation frequency polygons, histograms, bar charts, pie charts etc. Measures of central tendency.
CDS Exam Pattern 2020
It is important that the candidates must prepare for the CDS exam as per the pattern provided below:
- Mode of exam: The CDS exam is conducted in offline mode, i.e. it is a pen-paper based test
- Duration of the exam: It is of 02 hours duration
- Type of Questions: There are objective type multiple choice questions (MCQs)
- Language of questions: The question papers of Elementary Mathematics and General Knowledge are bilingual and available in both Hindi and English.
- Marking Scheme: 0.33 marks are deducted in case of incorrect answer and if candidates give more than one answer.
Candidates can check the distribution of questions from the table below.
Exam Pattern for admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy
| Subject | No. of Questions | Marks |
| English | 120 | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 |
| Mathematics | 100 | 100 |
Exam Pattern for admission to Officers’ Training Academy
| Subject | No. of Questions | Marks |
| English | 120 | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 |
How to Prepare for UPSC CDS 2020?
To prepare for CDS 2020 candidates should focus upon the General Knowledge, English and Mathematics. It is very important to remain updated, so do not just limit your preparation, try to find new things from internet. Studying from e-books gathering information from blogs, referring to some online groups can be very helpful. Do manage your time properly and try to follow the time table. Few books that you can refer subject wise are as follows, we suggest you not to stick around these books only,
- For English refer, SP Bakshi, Arihant and Vocabulary by Norman Lewis book.
- For General Knowledge: General Studies Manual by Arihant Publications and Current Affairs books, refer to the latest news and events happening around. Also do some internet surfing.
- For Mathematics: Students can refer Quantum CAT also they can try solving previous year question papers.
CDS 2020 Selection Procedure
Candidates have to clear written test and SSB to get selected for UPSC CDS 2020 recruitment. After clearing the written test, candidates are sent for SSB, the procedure of SSB is given below:
SSB Procedure
Procedure of SSB comprises of two stages, candidates who are able to clear stage I will be send for stage II.
Stage I has Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test and Picture Perception* Description Test. Selection of the candidate is done on the basis of their combined performance in PP&DT as well as OIR Test.
Stage II has Psychology Tests, Interview, Conference and Group Testing. All these tests are conducted in 4 days.
Assessment of the candidate’s personality is done by the three different assessors who are Psychologist, Group Testing Officer (GTO) and Interviewing Officer (IO). No separte weightage is given to each test. These tests enable the assessors to know qhat qualities does the candidate have and accordingly they recommend the candidates at SSB.
Vacancies for UPSC CDS 2020
Candidates can check below the vacancies for UPSC CDS 2020.
| Name of the Course | Approximate Vacancies |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 45 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) | 225 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai | 16 |
| Total Vacancies | 418 |
CDS Result 2020
Union Public Service Commission prepare the list of the candidates who are able to get minimum qualifying score, as mentioned by the Commission, in the written test. Successful candidates then will go for the intelligence test and personality test, conducted at the Service Selection Board on the basis of the preference they have filled by the responsible serve head quarter. Two stage selection procedure is set on the basis of Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test at the Service Selection Boards. Candidates who are able to qualify first stage will be able to appear for the second stage. After clearing the second stage candidates will be asked to submit their,
- Matriculation pass certificate
- Bachelors Degree/Provisional Degree and the mark sheets of the semesters/years
About Combined Defence Service
Combined Defense Service (CDS) is conducted by Union Public Service Commission twice a year. This exam is basically held for the recruitment of Indian Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Officers Training Academy and Indian Military Academy. UPSC releases the notification of exam in the month of June and October and exam is conducted generally in November and February. Graduates those who are unmarried are allowed to appear in the exam.
Official Website: upsc.gov.in
For more information on UPSC CDS 2020, click here to read the notification.
CDS 2020 Exam Frequently Asked Questions
Ans : There are total 418 vacancies available for UPSC CDS 2020.
Ans : The CDS exam is conducted in offline mode i.e. pen-paper based.
Ans : For Indian Military Academy, candidates must have a degree from a recognized university or equivalent. For Indian Naval Academy, candidates should have a degree in Engineering from a recognized university For Air Force Academy, candidates should hold a degree in Bachelor of Engineering from a recognized university and studied Mathematics and Physics in 10+2.
Ans : The total time is given to complete the UPSC CDS exam is 2 hours.
Ans : The selection procedure of UPSC CDS exam consists of a written examination, Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test, PP&DT, Psychology Tests, and Interview.
