Mohit Dhulia
UPSC CDS 2022 exam is known as the Union Public Service Commission Combined Defense Services exam. UPSC CDS exam is the most awaited national-level exam which is conducted by UPSC. UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice a year, first in February known as CDS-I and second in November known as CDS-II. The main purpose of conducting this exam is to recruit eligible and interested candidates who want to serve their country by joining Indian Defense Services. Candidates who want to join the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force can appear for this exam for CDS-I or CDS-II.
After qualifying for the UPSC CDS exam, qualified candidates are recruited as Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. To qualify for this exam candidates have to go through the Written exam and then the SSB interview process. The UPSC CDS exam is held as Pen-Paper based and applications for the same will be accepted in online mode.
The candidates who will qualify all the process of recruitment will undergo a training period at the IMA (Indian Military Academy), AFA (Air Force Academy), INA (Indian Naval Academy), and OTA (Officers’ Trainee Academy).
The details regarding the UPSC CDS 2022 exam have been provided in the article below, so readers are suggested to read this entire article without skipping any point.
UPSC CDS 1 2022: Union Public Service Commission has released its Recruitment calendar for the year 2022 which consists of dates of all the exams conducted by it.
Application Forms have been released by the commission. Interested candidates can fill the form till 11 January 2022 (12:30 PM).
UPSC CDS 2 2021: Result Has been released by the Commission on the website. You can also check it from the link given below.
To check the Result of CDS 2 2021, Click Here
Candidates can apply from the official website.
Candidates can check the calendar here.
Table of Contents
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of Examination | UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination 2022 |
| Popularly Known As | UPSC CDS 2022 |
| Conducting Authority | UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) |
| Purpose of Exam | To recruit eligible candidates as Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force |
| No. of Vacancies | To be announced |
| Exam level | National level |
| Exam frequency | Twice a year |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam mode | Online i.e. Computer Based Test |
| Exam mode | 120 minutes |
| Application fee | Rs. 200/- |
| The medium of Question Paper | Bilingual i.e.English and Hindi |
| No. of the test cities | 41 |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
The Combined Defense Services exam is conducted by UPSC twice a year, first in February and second in November. These exams are named CDS- I and CDS -II respectively.
| Events | CDS-I 2022 Exam Dates | CDS-II 2022 Exam Dates (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|
| CDS 2022 Notification releases on | 22 December 2021 | 18 May 2022 |
| CDS 2022 Commencement of Application form | 22 December 2021 | 18 May 2022 |
| Last date of application form submission | 11 January 2022 | 14 June 2022 |
| CDS 2022 Admit card releasing date | 3rd week of March 2022 | October/ November 2022 |
| CDS 2022 Exam date | 10 April 2022 | 4 September 2022 |
| Commencement of CDS 2022 Result | To be notified soon | To be notified soon |
| SSB Interview date | To be notified soon | To be notified soon |
| CDS 2022 final cutoff releasing date | To be notified soon | To be notified soon |
Note– All the dates mentioned above are based on the previous year’s exam dates, the actual exam date for UPSC CDS 2022 are yet to be announced. The latest and exact dates will be updated just after the release of the official notification for UPSC CDS 2022.
The detailed information about posts and vacancies for CDS 2022 will be published on the official of UPSC. UPSC will release the notification for both CDD-I and CDS-II, along with the notification of the respective exam, the no. of vacancies will be revealed. Given below tables of vacancies will be updated after the release of official notification.
| Name of the Course | Vacancies CDS (I) | Vacancies CDS (II) |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad—(Pre-Flying) Training | 32 | ___ |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 22 | ___ |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 | ___ |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai(SSC-Women) | 17 | ___ |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (SSC-Men) | 170 | ___ |
| Total | 341 | ___ |
The candidates who will be selected as officers in different defense services (Army, Navy, Air Force) will get salaries as per the level of the posts. The detailed information about the officer’s salary is given below in the following table.
| Rank | Grade Pay | Military Service Pay | Pay Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Brigadier | 10000 | NIL | PB-4/37400-67000 |
| Brigadier | 8900 | 15,500 | PB-4/37400-67000 |
| Colonel | 8700 | 15,500 | PB-4/37400-67000 |
| Lt Colonel | 8000 | 15,500 | PB-4/37400-67000 |
| Major | 6600 | 15,500 | PB-3/15600-39100 |
| Captain | 6100 | 15,500 | PB-3/15600-39100 |
| Lieutenant | 5400 | 15,500 | PB-3/15600-39100 |
The application form for UPSC CDS-I 2022 and UPSC CDS-II 2022 will be open tentatively in October 2021 and August 2022 respectively. For both CDS-I and CDS-II, the application will be accepted virtually only no other mode will be entertained. The application procedure has two parts, part-I is the registration process while part-II is the form filling and application fee process. The whole process of filling the application form from start to end is discussed below:
| Document | File Format | File Size | Resolution (Height*Width) | Bit Depth |
| Photograph | .jpg | (20- 300) KB | (350*350) pixel – (1000*1000)pixel | 24 Bit |
| Signature | .jpg | (20-300) KB | (350*350) pixel – (1000*1000)pixel | 24 Bit |
Note:
To apply for UPSC CDS 2022, the candidate must be:
OR,
OR,
| Department | Gender (Marital Status) |
|---|---|
| Indian Air Force Academy | Male (Unmarried) |
| Indian Military Academy | Male (Unmarried) |
| Indian Naval Academy | Male (Unmarried) |
| Officer Training Academy | Male (Married/Unmarried) |
| Officer Training Academy | Female (Unmarried) |
The exam of UPSC CDS 2022 consists of two stages:
The exam pattern of UPSC CDS is the same for IMA, INA, and IAFA while the exam pattern for OTA is different from others. All the detailed process of exam pattern of UPSC CDS 2022 is given below.
| Exam Mode | Offline (i.e. Pen-paper based test) |
| Type of Questions | Objective type (Multiple Choice Questions) |
| Exam Duration | 02 hour (for each paper) |
| No. of Questions | 120 questions (for each paper) |
| Maximum Marks | 100 marks (for each paper) |
| The medium of the Exam | Bilingual i.e. English & Hindi for Elementry Maths & GK English for English Paper only |
| Marking Scheme | 0.33 marks will be deducted for an incorrect answer |
| Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
The syllabus of UPSC CDS consists of mainly 3 sections: Maths, English, and General Knowledge (except for OTA Chennai). The detailed syllabus of all these 3 sections is given below. Candidates can download the pdf of the detailed CDS syllabus from the official website of UPSC.
| English | Synonyms Basic Grammar Error Spotting Antonyms Comprehension Solving Para Jumbles |
| Number System | Addition Subtraction Decimal fractions Division Multiplication Integers Natural numbers Rational and Real numbers Square roots Percentages Unitary method Variation Fundamental operations Time and Work Ration and Proportion Time and Distance Profit and Loss Application to Simple and Compound Interest. |
| Algebra | H.C.F. and L.C.M. Simple Factors Theory of Polynomials Remainder Theorem Solutions of Quadratic Equations Rational expressions and conditional identities Set language and Set Notion Laws of indices. The relation between its roots and coefficients Practical Problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or inequations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable and their solutions. |
| Elementary Number Theory | Division Algorithm Prime and Composite numbers Factorization Theorem Tests of Divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11 Use of Logarithm tables. Multiples and factors H.C.F. and L.C.M. Euclidean algorithm Logarithms to base 10, Laws of Logarithms |
| Geometry | Lines and Angles Planes and Plane Figures Theorems on: Similar Triangles Loci Sides and angles of a triangle The concurrence of medians and altitudes Congruency of triangles Parallel Lines Properties of angles, side, and diagonals of a parallelogram, rectangle, and square Circles and their properties including tangents and norma Properties of angles at a point |
| Trigonometry | Use of trigonometric tables Simple cases of heights and distances Simple Trigonometric identities Sine ×, cosine ×, Tangent × when 0° < × < 90° Values of sin ×, cos ×, and tan ×, for ×= 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° |
| Mensuration | Area of squares Area of parallelograms Area of triangles Lateral Surface and Volume of Right Circular Cones and Cylinders Surface area and Volume of Cuboids Surface area and Volume of spheres Area of circles Area of rectangles Area of figures which can be split into these figures (Field Book) |
| Statistics | Bar charts Histograms Graphical Representation Collection and tabulation of statistical data Frequency Polygons Pie charts Measures of central tendency |
| G.K. | Current events (Knowledge of both national and international events) Indian and world history Indian constitution Geography Defense current events |
It is considered that any exam conducted by UPSC is ought to be analytical and tough. Since UPSC conducts the CDS exam so you can consider this exam to be of Moderate to High level. Especially if we talk about the Static General Knowledge then the difficulty level is no high because the paper is designed from an analytical perspective. But still, if we compare the written part with other UPSC exams then we will find it easy as compared to others.
The crucial and tricky part is the CDS interview process i.e.SSB interview. It plays an important role in your selection, in this phase of selection overall personality of the candidates will be tested.
Preparation Strategy for Maths: For this part, candidates require a lot of practice for the questions with speed and accuracy otherwise the questions will not be complete in the exam hall. There will 100 questions asked in the exam that has to be completed in 120 minutes. So for every question, you will get approximately 1 minute 20 seconds only.
Preparation Strategy for English: For the English paper, candidates will have to work on their vocabulary part. Also, candidates are advised to read the newspaper of their choice and read an editorial from there, this will help you in the GK paper as well as improves your reading comprehension part. If you can’t read a newspaper daily then you can read any book, any novel, etc of your choice.
Preparation Strategy for General Knowledge: For the GK part, candidates will have to read History, Geography, Civics, Politics, economics, and general science. For current affairs, candidates are preferred to read newspapers, weekly compilation, and monthly compilation.
To make your preparation better, you should solve the Previous Year’s Question papers and Mock test as more as possible.
The previous year papers will work as a guide for you. It will clarify that which part is important as per the exam perspective. Solve previous year section-wise questions first and then solve the full-length paper. After solving the PYQs you will have an idea about the important and non-important topics. When you will try to solve PYQs then at the end, you will able to analyze your weak spots in the syllabus and also will have the idea that how to execute concepts in questions.
After the end of the preparation, candidates will have to give mock tests as more as possible. While giving mock tests you will get familiar with the latest pattern of questions that will help you in the main exam. Give mock tests of different institutes because when you solve the different mock tests then you will able to find the similarity and differences between different types of questions. The most important part after giving a mock test is to analyze it.
To start your preparation for UPSC CDS, the following books are recommended for the study purpose.
Various coaching centers in the country India offers guidance for the CDS exam, some of the popular mentioned coaching centers are:
The UPSC CDS 2022 admit card will commence releasing in January 2022 for CDS-I 2022. The admit card will be available online on the website of UPSC. The candidate should point out that no postal service for admit card will be provided to the candidate’s doorstep, they have to download it on their own from the official website.
At the examination center, candidates have to carry either of the following document:
The UPSC CDS exam is conducted across the country in 41 cities. The allotment of the exam center will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. At exam centers except for some cities (Chennai, Delhi, Dispur, Kolkata, and Nagpur) have a limit on the total no. of candidates to apply for the CDS exam. The list of all the exam cities for the UPSC CDS exam are as follows:
| Agartala | Kolkata |
| Ahmedabad | Kochi |
| Aizawal | Lucknow |
| Allahabad | Mumbai |
| Bhopal | Madurai |
| Bengaluru | Nagpur |
| Bareilly | Patna |
| Cuttack | Panaji (Goa) |
| Chennai | Port Blair |
| Chandigarh | Raipur |
| Dehradun | Ranchi |
| Delhi | Srinagar |
| Dharwad | Shillong |
| Dispur | Shimla |
| Gangtok | Sambalpur |
| Hyderabad | Tirupati |
| Itanagar | Udaipur |
| Imphal | Vishakapatnam |
| Jorhat | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Jaipur | |
| Jammu | |
| Kohima |
Following documents are needed to carry at the exam center:
The result of UPSC CDS 2022 will be out in two phases, one after the completion of the written exam and the second after the completion of the SSB interview round. Both the result will be accessible on the official website of UPSC i.e. upsc.gov.in. To check the results, click the ‘Active Examinations’ link.
The result of the written exam consists of the Names of qualified candidates, Roll no., and the Academy name. Those candidates whose names will appear in the list will receive a call letter for the next round of the SSB interview process.
After the completion of the SSB interview followed by a medical test, the final result will be uploaded on the UPSC’s website. Qualified candidates have to report at the allotted academy along with the necessary documents.
To give clarity about the marked answer by candidates in the exam paper, the UPSC will release an answer key. The official answer key will be released on the official website of UPSC only. To check the approximate marks, candidates can check their answer sheet with the answer key.
Step 1: Open the website of UPSC i.e. www.upsc.gov.in
Step 2: Go to the notification section over there and under that click on the ‘Answer Key’ link.
Step 3: After clicking on the link, the Answer Key will be available to download in the pdf form.
Step 4: Now match your answer and click on the download button to download the answer key.
To be recruited in different and desired academies of CDS, candidates have to score more than minimum qualifying marks. In the CDS exam, candidates have to clear the sectional cutoff (minimum of 20% in each section/subject) as well, failing to which leads to disqualification for the next processes.
Generally, the cut-off marks for each of the three defense academies are different. Generally, The AFA (Air force Academy) cutoff rises high as compared to IMA (Indian Military Academy) & INA (Indian Naval Academy).
The OTA (Officer’s Training Academy) cut off is the lowest as compared to AFA, IMA, and INA.
Here we have given the previous year CDA-I exam cutoff to get an idea about the trends of marks.
| Academy | Written Cutoff |
|---|---|
| Air Force Academy | 138 |
| Indian Military Academy | 118 |
| Indian Navy Academy | 98 |
| Officer’s Training Academy (Women/Men) | 69 |
The UPSC CDS selection will be based on the following phases:
First of all, candidates will have to clear the UPSC CDS written exam, and then they need to clear the SSB Interview round, this round is very crucial for the selection and consists of two phases. After clearing the interview round candidates will call for a Medical examination and Document verification process.
After all the above-mentioned stages, a final merit list will be released on the official website of UPSC. A joining call letter will be sent to the qualified candidates to join the respective defense academy that they have chosen at their highest priority.
The detailed information about the selection criteria of the first two phases are given below:
After clearing the interview round, qualify candidates will call for the Document verification, and Medical Examination. Following documents are required for the DV (Document Verification).
Facilitation Counter, Commissioner’s Office
011-23381125/ 011-23098543/ 011-23385271
The purpose of the UPSC CDS exam is to recruit eligible candidates as Commissioned Officers in the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and Indian Army.
The required age limit for the UPSC CDS exam is 20 -24 years.
The official website to apply for the UPSC CDS exam is www.upsc.gov.in/ www.upsconline.nic.in
In the UPSC CDS 2022 exam, there will be three sections in the written exam consists of Maths, G.K., and English.
Yes, a negative marking of 0.33 mark is there in the written exam.
There will be a maximum of 360 questions in the written exam of INA, IMA, and AIFA.
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