Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS exam 2020) is the national level entrance test, conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruiting candidates in Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Indian Airforce Academy (IAF) and Officers Training Academy (OTA). The CDSE exam is conducted twice in a year by UPSC in the month of February and November, the notification regarding the same is released in the month of November for CDS (I) and July for CDS (II). Every year thousands of students appear for the exam to become the officer in the Indian defense forces. The CDS exam is a written test conducted at almost every major city in India. The candidates who pass this exam are called for SSB interview conducted by the service selection board (SSB) at various SSB centers located around the country.
Here in this article we will provide complete details regarding CDS exam 2020, application form and notification, exam pattern and eligibility criteria for the candidates appearing in the exam and complete selection process.
The candidates can check the eligibility criteria before appearing for the exam, the details of the eligibility criteria has been mentioned below.
Nationality:
(i) a Citizen of India, or (ii) a subject of Bhutan, or (iii) a subject of Nepal, or (iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st July, 1962 with the intention of permanently setting in India.
Age Limit:
Educational Qualification:
The candidates appearing for the CDS 2020 examination are advised to check the exam pattern before appearing for the exam. The CDSE exam pattern includes the details like no. of the question, marking scheme, no. of sections in the examination, time duration etc. Below we have given complete details regarding the CDS exam pattern 2020.
| Defence Wing | Papers | Marks | Time |
| IMA, INA and IAF | English |
100 100 100 300 |
2hrs 2hrs 2hrs |
| For OTA | English |
100 100 200 |
2hrs 2hrs |
The written exam will comprises of objective type questions, for every question there will be four alternative. Candidates have to choose the one correct option.
There is a provision of negative marking in the question paper. For every wrong answer 1/4th marks allotted to the question will be deducted.
The candidates who will qualify the written examination will be called for SSB interview and physical fitness test.
| Events | Important Dates |
| CDS 1 2020 Notification Release Date | 30th October 2019 |
| Apply Online Begins | 30th October 2019 |
| Last date to Apply online | 19th November 2019 |
| CDS 1 2020 Exam Date | 2nd February 2020 |
The online Application for UPSC CDS 1 2020 exam is now closed. The last date for submitting the online application was 19th November 2019. Below you can go through the general instructions that a CDS candidate should follow for the ease in form submission.
Follow the steps below to apply online for the CDS 1 Exam 2020:
Online Test Series
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