The UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice annually to choose candidates for the position of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Both male and female candidates are eligible to apply for the CDS Exam. All the candidates who are interested in CDS 1 2025 Exam must bookmark the dates and those who are interested in upcoming CDS Exams must go through the below article for detailed information about the CDS 2025 like selection process, application form, syllabus, exam pattern, eligibility criteria, and more.

CDS 1 2025 Notification

CDS 1 2025 Notification PDF Download from here and get detailed information of CDS 2025 Recruitment. The notification for CDS 1 2025 will be released on December 11, 2024 and for CDS 2 2025 on May 28, 2025. CDS 1 2025 exam will be held on April 13, 2025. 

The online registration process for CDS 1 2025 has been scheduled from 11th December to 31st December 2024 and all the interested candidate can apply online application form for CDS Exam 2025. As above mentioned that CDS 2 2025 notification will be released on May 28, 2025 and online application form will be available from May 28 to June 17, 2025. The CDS 2 2025 exam will be conducted on September 14, 2025.

CDS Exam Overview

Conducting Organization	UPSC (Union Public Service Commission)
Exam Name	CDS (Combined Defence Services)
Exam Level	National Level
Exam Mode	Offline
Frequency	Twice in a Year (April & September)
Exam Phases	Written Test & SSB Interview
Type of Questions	Objective Type
Language of Question Paper	Hindi and English
Total Marks	IMA, INA and AFA – 300 OTA – 200
Time	Two hours for each section of the test
Official website	www.upsc.gov.in

CDS 1 2025 Important Dates

The UPSC will release the CDS 1 2025 exam notification on 11 December 2024. Aspiring candidates should review this information carefully to ensure they are well-prepared for the application process and exam requirements.

Notification Date	11 Dec, 2024
Online Application Start Date	11 Dec, 2024
Application End Date	31 Dec, 2024
Admit Card Release Date	First Week of April, 2025 (Approx.)
Exam Date	13 April, 2025
Result Date	To be Notified

CDS 1 2025 Age Limit

The Age Limit for CDS 1 2025 is provided below:

CDS 1 Age Limit 2025

• For Indian Military Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply.
• For the Indian Naval Academy (INA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply
• Candidates applying for the Air Force Academy should be between 20 to 24 years, as on January 1, 2025. They must have been born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2005
• For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for men), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2000 and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply
• For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course), candidates should be unmarried and born not earlier than January 2, 2000, and not later than January 1, 2006

General Eligibility Criteria for CDS Exam

Before applying for CDS recruitment, you must check the detailed CDS exam eligibility criteria. To qualify for the exam, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Candidates must be Indian citizens or meet certain nationality/citizenship criteria, which are listed in detail in the official notification.
• Candidates must be permanently settled in India.
• Candidates must be a graduate or in their final year of graduation.
• The minimum age limit for the exam is 19 years. The maximum age limit for the exam varies based on the academy: 25 years for the Air Force Academy, 24 years for the Indian Military Academy, and 25 years for the Naval Academy.

CDS Exam Pattern

Candidates preparing for the CDS Exam should be deep knowledge about Syllabus and Exam Pattern. The CDS Exam is conducted in three shifts and comprises three subjects: English, General Awareness and Mathematics. Candidates applying for the Officers Training Academy (OTA) are required to take only Papers 1 and 2, while those preparing for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA) should have attempt all three papers.

Below is a structured table that outlines the CDS Exam Pattern, including details about the subjects, duration, number of questions, negative marking and maximum marks for each paper.

Exam Pattern for IMA, INA and AFA

Subjects / Section	Duration	No. of Questions	Max. Marks	Negative Marking
English	2 Hrs	120	100	-0.33 marks for each wrong answer
General Knowledge	2 Hrs	120	100	-0.33 marks for each wrong answer
Elementary Mathematics	2 Hrs	100	100	-0.33 marks for each wrong answer

Exam Pattern for OTA

Subjects / Section	Duration	No. of Questions	Max. Marks	Negative Marking
English	2 Hrs	120	100	-0.33 marks for each wrong answer
General Knowledge	2 Hrs	120	100	-0.33 marks for each wrong answe

CDS 2025 Syllabus

CDS Syllabus English (Code No. 1)

Section	Topic
Vocabulary	Basic Grammar, Idioms & Phrases, Synonyms & Antonyms, Sentence Completion, etc.
Reading Passage	Reading Comprehension Solving, Para Jumbles, Understanding the main idea and supporting details, Answering questions based on the passage, etc.
Grammar	Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, Cloze test, Active and passive voice, Direct and indirect speech, Transformation of sentences, etc.

CDS Syllabus General Knowledge (Code No. 2)

Topic	Description
Geography	Physical, Social and Economic aspects of Geography, including Indian Geography and World Geography
History	Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History, Indian National Movement and the Growth of Nationalism
Current Affairs	Important National and International Events, Sports, Appointment, Awards and Honours, Books and Authors and major Developments in the fields of Economics, Politics and Social Issues
Indian Polity	Constitution of India, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, DPSP, etc.
Defence and Security Issues	Current Events related to National Security, Internal and External Threats, Military Exercises and role of Armed Forces
Science and Technology	Developments in the field of Technology and Science, including Space Technology, Biotechnology, and Computer Technology
Environmental Ecology and Biodiversity	Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment, and Climate Change

CDS Syllabus Mathematics (Code No. 3)

Section	Topic
Arithmetic	Number System: Natural numbers, Rational & Real numbers, Integers Fundamental operation: Subtraction, multiplication, addition, division, Square Roots, Decimal fractions Time and Work Percentage Time and Distance Simple and Compound Interest Ratio and Proportion Profit and Loss 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 L.C.M. and H.C.F. Euclidean Algorithm Logarithms to base 10, use of logarithmic tables Laws of logarithms
Algebra	Basic Operations Simple factors H.C.F. and L.C.M. Remainder Theorem Theory of polynomials Solutions of quadratic equations, the relation between its roots and coefficients (Only real roots to be considered) Linear inequalities in two variables and their solutions Linear equations in two unknowns – analytical and graphical solutions Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or inequalities in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable and their solutions Rational expressions and conditional identities Set Language and Set Notation Laws of indices.
Trigonometry	Sine ×, cosine ×, Tangent × when 0° < × < 90° Values of sin ×, cos × and tan ×, for × = 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° Simple trigonometric identities. Use of trigonometric tables. Simple cases of heights and distances.
Geometry	Plane and plane figures, Lines and angles 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, square and rectangle Circles and their properties including tangents and normals Loci
Mensuration	Areas of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangles and circles. Surface area and volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders, Areas of figures which can be split up into these figures (Field Book), surface area and volume of spheres
Statistics	Collection and tabulation of statistical data Graphical representation frequency: Polygons, Histograms, Bar charts, Pie charts Measures of central tendency

Conclusion

I hope this article about CDS Notification, Age Limit, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus definitely will be helpful for you. If you want to know more about CDS Exam i.e. Selection Process, Educational Qualification, Preparation Tips and Career Prospects then you can check Complete Information about CDS. If you are planning to prepare for NDA Written Exam as well as SSB Interview then can join Target Defence Academy, Lucknow, UP. For more details about Target Defence Academy call on 8953532115.