CDS (2) 2021 – The unofficial answer key for UPSC CDS (2) 2021 is now available. Candidates can download official answer key for Combined Defence Service Examination (II), 2021 online at upsc.gov.in. Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Service Examination (II), 2021. CDS 2 2021 exam date is scheduled to be held on November 14, 2021 The recruitment for Combined Defence Services (CDS) is announced for 339 vacant posts in IMA, INA, OTA, and Air Force Academy. Read this article to get the latest updates of CDS (2) 2021.
Latest: CDS (2) 2021 unofficial answer key is now available. Download here
CDS (2) 2021
The recruitment for CDS (2) 2021 is expected to be open for both male and female candidates. However, female candidates are eligible only for Officers Training Academy (OTA). Check out the important dates for CDS (2) 2021 from the table below.
| Events | CDS 2 |
| Notification release date | 04 Aug 2021 |
| Online registrations start date | 04 Aug 2021 |
| Last date to apply | 24 Aug 2021 |
| Application form withdrawal | 31 Aug to 06 Sep 2021 |
| Admit Card release date | 22 Oct 2021 |
| CDS 2 2021 exam date | 14 Nov 2021 |
| Release of Answer Key | To be announced |
| Declaration of result | To be announced |
Quick Links
UPSC CDS (2) 2021 – Latest News
November 13, 2021: UPSC CDS 2 2021 Check Exam Day Guidelines; Dos and Don’ts. Read More
CDS (2) 2021 Admit Card
The UPSC releases admit card to appear in the written exam and SSB interviews of the CDS 2021 recruitment exam online at the official website. Candidates can expect the CDS (2) 2021 admit card for the written exam to release at first through candidate login. Know more about the UPSC CDS admit card 2021 here:
- The call letters for CDS 2021 can be downloaded from upsc.gov.in as per schedule.
- Aspirants must log in with their registration number/ roll number to download the admit card for CDS (2) 2021 exam.
- It is important to carry CDS 2021 admit card and a black ballpoint pen to the centre.
- Along with the CDS hall ticket, they also have to carry a photo identity proof –
- Aadhaar Card
- Voter Card
- PAN Card
- Passport
- Driving Licence
- Any other Photo ID Card
- In case, aspirants’ photograph is unclear on the admit card, they have to carry 03 identical photograph.
CDS Syllabus 2021
The Union Public Service Commission lays down a specific syllabus for the CDS 2021 exam on the official website. The question paper is set as per the specified syllabus. Candidates can check out the CDS (2) 2021 syllabus here:
Standard of CDS 2 2021: The paper of Elementary Mathematics is based on 10th level. However, the rest of the subjects are of graduate level.
Indicative Topics of CDS (2) 2021 Syllabus below:
- English: Paper is designed to test aspirant’s understanding of English languages and its uses.
- General Knowledge: Current Events, History, Geography, Polity, etc.
- Elementary Mathematics:
- Arithmetic
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Geometry
- Mensuration
- Statistics
CDS 2021 Exam Pattern
The selection process of the CDS 2021 exam involves a preliminary stage written exam for which lakhs of candidates appear each year. The written exam includes three papers although those who opt for OTA have to appear in only two papers. Know more about the exam scheme for CDS (2) 2021 here:
Exam Scheme for CDS (2) 2021
| Mode of exam | Pen-paper based test |
| Duration of the exam | 02 hour for each paper |
| Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions |
| Maximum Marks | 100 marks for each paper |
| Language of questions | Elementary Mathematics and General Knowledge – Bilingual Language section – Only in English language |
| Marking Scheme | 0.33 marks for the question is deducted for incorrect answer |
For 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 |
For Officers’ Training Academy
| Subject | No. of Questions | Marks |
| English | 120 | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 |
CDS 2021 Exam Centres
Aspirants of CDS (2) 2021 must note that one has to fill up choices for the centre of CDS 2021 exam at the time of online application form fill up. As per then preference and availability, candidates are allocated a centre for their exam. The details of the allocated exam centre can be found on the CDS admit card. Check out the available list of exam centre:
| Agartala | Ahmedabad |
| Agra | Ajmer |
| Aizwal | Bareilly |
| Aligarh | Almora (Uttarakhand) |
| Anantpur (Andra Pradesh) | Aurangabad |
| Bengaluru | Bilaspur |
| Bhopal | Chandigarh |
| Chennai | Cuttack |
| Coimbatore | Faridabad |
| Dehradun | Delhi |
| Dharwad | Dispur |
| Gangtok | Hyderabad |
| Gaya | Gautam Budh Nagar |
| Ghaziabad | Gorakhpur |
| Gurgaon | Gwalior |
| Imphal | Itanagar |
| Indore | Jabalpur |
| Jodhpur | Kozhikode (Calicut) |
| Jaipur | Jammu |
| Jorhat | Kochi |
| Kohima | Kolkata |
| Leh | Ludhiana |
| Lucknow | Madurai |
| Mumbai | Nagpur |
| Mysore | Navi Mumbai |
| Panaji (Goa) | Patna |
| Port Blair | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Prayagraj | Puducherry |
| Raipur | Ranchi |
| Rajkot | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
| Sambalpur | Shillong |
| Shimla | Srinagar |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Tirupati |
| Thane | Tiruchirapalli |
| Udaipur | Vishakhapatnam |
| Varanasi | Vellore |
| Vijayawada | Warangal |
CDS 2 2021 Latest News
August 04, 2021: UPSC has released the CDS 2 2021 application form. Read here
CDS 2 2021 Notification
UPSC has released the official notification for CDS 2 2021 exam. A snapshot of the same has been added below for the reference.
CDS 2021 Vacancies
UPSC has announced CDS 2 2021 exam to fill up total of 345 vacancies for Combined Defence Services exam. Check the name of the course and vacancy details of CDS exam here:
| Name of the course | Vacancy |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 22 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Men) | 169 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Women) | 16 |
| Total | 339 |
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2021
The Union Public Service Commission lays down certain minimum conditions of eligibility which applicants of CDS 2021 must fulfil at first. Aspirants can check out the eligibility conditions for CDS 2021 exam here in the section below.
Nationality:
Only Indian nationals are eligible for the CDS 2021 exam.
Educational Qualification:
- IMA and Officers Training Academy, Chennai – A bachelor degree from a recognized university.
- Indian Naval Academy – Degree in Engineering from a recognized university or institute.
- Air force Academy – A bachelor degree from a recognized university. Along with this, they must have passed 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Those who have Bachelor of Engineering are also eligible for Air Force Academy.
Age Limit:
| Name of the course | Age Limit |
| IMA | Between 02 July, 1998 and 01 July, 2003 |
| Indian Naval Academy | Between 02 July, 1998 and 01 July, 2003 |
| Air Force Academy | Between 02 July, 1998 and not latter than 01 July, 2002 |
| Officers’ Training Academy— (SSC Course for men) | Between 02 July 1997 and 01 July 2003 |
| Officers’ Training Academy— (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) | Between 02 July 1997 and 01 July 2003 |
CDS 2 2021 Application Form
The application procedure for CDS (2) 2021 is expected to be organized online on the official website. Eligible candidates can submit the CDS 2 2021 application form by following the steps given below.
Step to fill UPSC CDS application form 2021
- At first, candidates have to open the official website of UPSC i.e. upsc.gov.in.
- Thereafter, one can click on active advertisements and choose CDS (2) 2021.
- From here, candidates can get the link to apply online for CDS 2 2021.
- Candidates have to register at first. One must navigate to the PART-I Registration section and start the CDS 2021 registration process.
- Aspirants then have to log in using their Registration-Id and Date of Birth to fill CDS application.
- On successful login, one must fill up the application form, upload relevant documents, pay the application fee and take a print out of the submitted application.
CDS (2) 2021 Application Fee
Candidates can check the CDS (2) 2021 application fee amount below.
| Category | Fees |
| Unreserved | Rs 200/- |
| SC/ST/Female | Exempted |
CDS 2021 Selection Procedure
The selection process of CDS (2) 2021 consists of two stages i.e. written exam and personal interview. Candidates who qualify the written exam are called to appear in the personal interview round. Candidates can know more about each stage of the selection process below.
- Written Exam– The first stage of the CDS exam 2021 is the written exam. The exam pattern and syllabus for the same are already shared above.
- SSB Interview – The process of SSB interview includes two stages –
- Stage I -Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test and Picture Perception* Description Test – Aspirants are declared qualified in this stage based on their performance combined in PP&DT as well as OIR Test. Those who fail to qualify this stage are straight away sent home.
- Stage II – Psychology Tests, Interview, Conference and Group Testing – All these exams are conducted within 04 days/
CDS 2021 Answer Key
Union Public Service Commission releases the CDS answer key online at upsc.gov.n. So, the candidates who appear for the exam can check it once they are uploaded on the website. The answer key consist of the correct answers to the question paper of the written exam. UPSC releases separate answer keys for English, General Knowledge, and Maths papers. Aspirants can use this official answer key to estimate their scores before the declaration of result.
- Candidates can raise objections against the provisional answer key which releases at first.
- The UPSC allow candidates to raise objections only till upto a specified date.
- Candidates can raise objection question wise by paying a requisite fee per question challenged.
- The commission releases the final answer key after considering valid objections and making necessary changes to the provisional answer key.
CDS 2021 Result
Union Public Commission releases the CDS (2) 2021 Result online at the official website after the exam. The result of the written exam releases at first. Those who qualify the written exam are allowed to appear in the SSB interviews. Candidates can check their respective result by visiting upsc.gov.in as per schedule after the exam. The final result releases after the conduct of the SSB Interviews.
CDS (2) 2021 final result indicates the list of candidates who are selected through the SSB interviews for admission to the defence academies and other officer training academies as indicated in the official notification. Also, separate results are declared for each stage of the selection procedure. Check out more about CDS 2021 result below:
- The UPSC CDS result is declared in form of a merit list of candidates.
- Initially, UPSC releases a written result followed by written result with candidate’s name who have qualified the exam.
- Candidates who qualify the written exam are called for interview round where they have to carry the following documents –
- Call letter
- 10th class marks sheet
- 12th class mark sheet
- Graduation mark sheet
- Graduation degree certificate
- Other documents as specified by the board
About UPSC
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a recruitment body that conducts various national level recruitment exams. some of them are namely UPSC Indian Administrative Services, UPSC Indian Forest Services, National Defence Academy (NDA) and others. One of the exams is UPSC Common Defence Services (CDs). UPSC conducted CDS exam twice a year – CDS (I) and CDS (II). The main purpose of UPSC CDS exam is to fill the vacant post for Indian Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Officers Training Academy and Indian Military Academy.
Important Downloads
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in, upsconline.nic.in. |
| CDS 2 2021 Notification PDF | Click here |
CDS (2) 2021 FAQs
Ans 1. Only those candidates who have degree from recognized university can apply for CDS exam.
Ans 2. Yes. UPSC allows female candidates to apply for Officers Training Academy (OTA).
Ans 3. This year, UPSC has announced 339 vacancies for UPSC CDS exam.
