Attention Aspirants, CDS 2025 Notification for 457 Vacancies has been issued now! Those willing to participate in the CDS exam 2025 have to follow the UPSC CDS Notification 2025 for Combined Defense Services Examination (II) issued at upsc.gov.in. Per the latest notification, the online registration for CDS 2025 has been started, and the exam will be held on 21 April 2025.
If you are one of those who will appear in this exam, then this blog can be a one-stop destination where we have covered the complete details about the upcoming exam.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the CDS exam twice a year. It is India’s most prestigious entrance exam to make a career in the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, or Officers Training Academy.
It talks about the selection process for the CDS Exam 2025. Those who qualify for the written test will be called for the further selection process, which includes a written test, and then will be called for a medical exam for final selection.
To catch the whole thing about the exam, students must glimpse the UPSC CDS 1 Exam 2025, as shown below.
This opportunity is available for both men and women who are willing to be a part of a reputed defense academy, so let’s take a look at CDS Exam 2025 with important dates, qualifications, several vacancies, the exam pattern of CDS Exam 2025, the syllabus, the selection process, and more.
CDS-1 2025 Exam Overview!
| Name of Organization | Union Public Service Commission |
| Name of Exam | Combined Defence Service Examination (I) 2025 |
| CDS 1 Vacancies | 457 |
| CDS 1 Online Registration | 20 December to 09 January 2025 |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Selection Process | Written Test- Interview- Medical Examination |
| Language of Written Exam | Bilingual |
| Mode of Examination | Offline |
| Type of Questions | Multiple-choice questions |
| Eligibility | Unmarried Males & Females |
| CDS 2 Exam Duration | 2 hours (each paper) |
| Marking Scheme | 1/3 for each incorrect answer |
| Job Location | All Over India |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
C.D.S. Exam Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility criteria are one of the essential parts to learn when it comes to filling out an online application form, so if you are too who is going to fill out online C.D.S. exam registration, then students need to fulfil their eligibility criteria and other details.
Here in this section, we have featured educational qualifications, age, marital status, sex, etc.
Nationality
India, a subject of Nepal/Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, to permanently settle in India, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Zaire, and Vietnam for permanent settlement in India.
Education Qualification
- For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy: One must have a graduation degree (any subject) from a recognized university or equivalent.
- Indian Naval Academy: Students should have a graduation degree in Engineering from a recognized university or institution.
- For the Air Force Academy: One must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university (with Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering.
Age Limit
To apply for the C.D.S. 2025 Exam, students must be 20 to 24 years old. The exact age limit details are mentioned on the official notification PDF, so students must pay attention to the official PDf.
Marital Status and Sex
- For the Indian Military Academy and Indian Naval Academy, only unmarried males are eligible to apply for the C.D.S. exam.
- Both married and unmarried men can apply for the Indian Air Force Academy. However, marriage is not allowed during training.
- Unmarried males and females can apply for the C.D.S. Exam for Officers Training Academy.
C.D.S. Vacancy 2025
A bunch of the latest vacancies have been issued through the C.D.S. examination in 2025. There are 457vacancies announced under several departments, such as the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Officer’s Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, etc.
Those willing to apply for these vacancies must follow the table below to know the vacancy distribution for the CDS-1 2025 Exam.
CDS Vacancy 2025 for CDS 1 Exam
| Name of the academy | Number of Vacancies |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 32 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men | 275 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women | 18 |
| Total Vacancies | 457 |
Steps to Fill CDS 2025 Exam Registration Form
- Go to www.upsc.gov.in for UPSC CDS 1 exam.
- Navigate to Examination Section >> Active Exams >> Apply Online.
- Click “Part-I” for CDS 1 Exam 2025 and agree to instructions.
- Fill in details on the redirected page.
- Choose preferences, move to Part II, and pay the application fee.
- Select exam center, upload scanned documents.
- Review details, click “Submit,” and download the form for reference.
CDS Exam 2025 Application Fee
Before filling out the online application form, students must be careful about the fee structure they must pay. There is a CDS Exam 2025 application fee. 200/- for all categories except SC/ST/Women (exempted from fee payment).
Desired candidates who will fill out the CDS Exam 2025 registration form must pay the fee.
CDS 2025 Exam Dates for CDS 1 & 2
Upcoming dates for CDS 2025 Exam Dates have been featured in this section, so students who will appear for the exam must follow CDS Exam dates for April & September. The official CDS exam dates 2025 for the CDS I & CDS II exam, along with the UPSC Calendar 2025, have been issued now.
As per the official schedule, the online exam will be held on 21 April 2025 for CDS I. And CDS II exam 2025 will be held in September 2025. Students need to follow the featured table below to get the complete remainder.
CDS Exam 2025: Important Dates
| Events | CDS-I Dates | CDS-II Dates |
| CDS 2025 Notification Release Date | 20th December 2025 | 15th May 2025 |
| Online Registration Start Date | 20th December 2025 | 15th May 2025 |
| Online Registration End Date | 09th January 2025 (6 pm) | 04th June 2025 |
| Online Application Withdrawn | 18th to 24th January 2025 | To be notified |
| CDS Admit Card Release Date | In March 2025 (Soon) | August 2025 |
| CDS Exam Date 2025 | 21st April 2025 | 1st September 2025 |
| CDS Answer Key (Unofficial) | Update Soon | Update soon |
| CDS Answer Key (Official) | Update Soon | Update soon |
| CDS Result | Update Soon | Update soon |
| Interview Dates | To be notified soon | To be notified soon |
| Final Result | To be notified soon | To be notified soon |
CDS 2025 Exam Centre
Combined Defense Services Examination-I will be held at various centres, per your preferred centres selected while filling out the CDS-1 Application Form.
In the below section, we have covered the complete list of centres notified in the previous notification. Any addition or subtraction in centres will be notified here.
| Agartala | Ghaziabad | Panaji (Goa) |
| Agra | Gorakhpur | Patna |
| Ajmer | Gurgaon | Port Blair |
| Ahmedabad | Gwalior | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Aizawl | Hyderabad | Puducherry |
| Bilaspur | Jorhat | Siliguri |
| Chandigarh | Kochi | Srinagar |
| Delhi | Lucknow | Tirupati |
| Dharwad | Ludhiana | Udaipur |
| Dispur | Madurai | Varanasi |
| Faridabad | Mumbai | Vellore |
| Gangtok | Mysore | Vijayawada |
| Gaya | Nagpur | Visakhapatnam |
| Gautam Buddh Nagar | Navi Mumbai | Warangal |
| Aligarh | Imphal | Pune |
| Almora (Uttarakhand) | Indore | Raipur |
| Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) | Itanagar | Rajkot |
| Aurangabad | Jabalpur | Ranchi |
| Bengaluru | Jaipur | Sambalpur |
| Bareilly | Jammu | Shillong |
| Bhopal | Jodhpur | Shimla |
| Chennai | Kohima | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
| Coimbatore | Kolkata | Thane |
| Cuttack | Kozhikode | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Dehradun | Leh | Tiruchirapalli |
FAQs!
When can I apply for CDS 2025?
The last date to fill online CDS Application is January 09, 2025. Regarding the appearance date, the online CDS 2025 exam is on 21 April 2025.
How many vacancies are there in CDS 2025?
As per the latest notification, there are 457 vacancies have been issued in various courses at different Indian military institutes, and its exam going to be conducted in April. Hence, students who are willing to be a part of this exam need to fill out the online application form.
What will be the age limit for CDS 1 2025?
Those who were born between 1990 to 2004 are eligible to appear upcoming CDS examination. Fill out the online application from its official website i.e. www.upsc.gov.in 2025 and www.upsconline.nic.in
How many vacancies are there in CDS 2 2025?
The vacancies for CDS 2 will be updated soon. For better understanding, read the official notification of CDS here.
Can I give CDS exam in 3rd year?
Yes, you can appear for CDS Exam in your final year if the degree is going to. That means if you are in a program of 4 years, you can give a paper from the 7th semester.
