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The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has officially announced the date for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination 2 of 2024. Aspiring candidates can mark their calendars for September 1, 2024, when the CDS 2 2024 exam will take place across the nation.
CDS 2 2024 Exam Date Out
The CDS 2 Exam 2024 will be held on September 1, 2024 (Sunday). The application process for the CDS 2 exam concluded on June 4, 2024, following its opening on May 15, 2024. Candidates who have applied should now focus on intensive preparation as the exam date approaches. The CDS 2 2024 Admit Card was released on August 23, 2024, and is available on the UPSC official website.
Overview | |
Conducting Organization | Union Public Service Commission |
CDS Full Form | Combined Defence Service Examination 2024 |
Mode of Application | Online |
CDS 2 Notification 2024 | 15 May 2024 |
Selection Process | Written Test – Interview – Medical Exam |
Language of Written Exam | Bilingual |
Mode of Examination | Offline |
Questions Type | Multiple-choice questions |
Eligibility | Unmarried Males & Females |
CDS Exam Duration | 2 hours (each paper) |
Marking Scheme | 1/3 for each incorrect answer |
Job Location | All India |
Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
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CDS 2 2024 Exam Important Dates
The Important Exam dates are released in the official CDS 2 notification. We have provided the Important date below for your reference.
Event | Date |
CDS 2 Notification 2024 | 15 May 2024 |
Online Application Activation | 15 May 2024 |
Last Date to Apply | 4 June 2024 |
CDS 2 Exam Date 2024 | 1 September 2024 |
CDS 2 Exam Timings and Schedule
The CDS 2 exam will be conducted in three shifts, each dedicated to a different subject. Here’s the detailed schedule:
- Shift I: English
- Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Shift II: General Knowledge (GK)
- Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Shift III: Elementary Mathematics (Compulsory for IMA, INA, and AFA candidates)
- Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Candidates are required to arrive at their exam center at least 30 minutes before the start time of their first paper. Please note that entry to the exam hall will close 10 minutes before each session begins.
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2024
Candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria for the CDS 2024 selection process, encompassing physical standards, nationality, education qualifications, and age limits as outlind by the UPSC. It is imperative for applicants to satisfy these conditions to progress in the selection process:
Physical and Medical Standards
- They should not require frequent medical visits, aids, or drugs.
- Medical examinations focus on intelligence, hearing, vision, speech, glandular swelling, cardiovascular and respiratory health, limb development, joint functionality, absence of hernia, well-formed feet, and absence of congenital malformations.
- Candidates should show no signs of past acute or chronic illnesses indicating impaired constitution.
- Male candidates must be at least 157 cm tall, with exceptions for Gorkhas and candidates from specific regions.
- Female candidates must be at least 152 cm tall, with exceptions for Gorkhas and candidates from specific regions.
Visual Standards
Candidates must not have any eye defects. Refractive surgery (PRK/LASIK/SMILE) is allowed for all branches except special forces personnel like submarines, divers, and MARCO. Radial Keratotomy disqualifies candidates for recruitment. In summary, candidates must be physically and mentally fit, meeting specified height, weight, and visual standards, with exceptions for certain regions and special forces personnel.
Nationality
To qualify for the CDS 1 exam 2024, candidates must be either:
- Citizens of India
- Subjects of Nepal/Bhutan
- Tibetan refugees who migrated to India before January 01, 1962, with the intention of permanent settlement.
CDS Educational Qualification
Educational criteria for different job posts are as follows:
Academies | Educational Qualification |
Indian Air Force Academy | Candidates must have a degree from a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering. |
Indian Military Academy & Officers’ Training Academy | Candidates must have a degree or equivalent from a recognized university |
Indian Naval Academy | Candidates must have an engineering degree from a recognized university or institute. |
CDS Age Limit 2024
The commission has established a fixed age limit for all posts. Aspirants must fall within the specified criteria, failing which their candidature can be cancelled at any stage of the selection process. The CDS age limit 2024 for all posts is 20 to 24 years, implying:
- For IMA, INA, AFA: Candidates must be born between 2nd Jan 2001 and 1st Jan 2006.
- For Officers’ Training Academy (Men and Women), Candidates must have been born between 2 January 2000 and 1 January 2006.
CDS Salary 2024
During the training period, officers at the equivalent levels in the Army, Navy, and Air Force will receive a fixed stipend, currently set at ₹56,100 per month.
CDS Officer Salary at Different Ranks
CDS Salary for officers varies for the different ranks. Below we have discussed the CDS Salary at different ranks
Rank | Level | CDS In Hand Salary |
Lieutenant | 10 | ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 |
Captain | 10B | ₹61,300 – ₹1,93,900 |
Major | 11 | ₹69,400 – ₹2,07,200 |
Lieutenant Colonel | 12A | ₹1,21,200 – ₹2,12,400 |
Colonel | 13 | ₹1,30,600 – ₹2,15,900 |
Brigadier | 13A | ₹1,39,600 – ₹2,17,600 |
Major General | 14 | ₹1,44,200 – ₹2,18,200 |
Lieutenant General HAG Scale | 15 | ₹1,82,200 – ₹2,24,100 |
HAG+Scale | 16 | ₹2,05,400 – ₹2,24,400 |
VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG) | 17 | ₹2,25,000/- (fixed) |
COAS | 18 | ₹2,50,000/- (fixed) |
CDS Career Growth and Promotion
The career growth and promotions for CDS officers during their tenure are as follows:
- Lieutenant: Promotion after completion of training.
- Captain: Two years of commissioned service.
- Major: Six years of commissioned service.
- Lieutenant Colonel: Thirteen years of commissioned service.
- Colonel: Fifteen years of commissioned service.
- Colonel (TS): Twenty-six years of commissioned service.
- Major General: Twenty-five years of commissioned service.
- Brigadier: Twenty-three years of commissioned service.
- Lieutenant General: Twenty-eight years of commissioned service.
- General: No restrictions.
CDS Exam Important Instructions
- Write only in black ballpoint pen.
- In the appropriate space on the answer sheet, provide your Centre and subject, followed by the CDS 2024 test booklet series (in brackets), subject code, and the exam roll number.
- Encode your CDS 2024 booklet series (A, B, C, or D), subject code, and roll number in the circles provided on the answer sheet.
- If the CDS booklet series is not printed on the test booklet or the answer sheet is unnumbered, report immediately to the invigilator for replacement.
- Any omission/mistakes/discrepancy in encoding/filling details, especially Roll Number and Test Booklet Series Code, may lead to rejection of the answer sheet.
- Before starting the CDS 2024, check the test booklet for any unprinted, torn, or missing pages/items. If found, replace it with a complete test booklet of the same series and subject.
- Do not write your name or anything other than the specific items of information on the CDS answer sheet/test booklet/sheet for rough work.
- Do not fold, damage, or put extraneous markings on the CDS Answer Sheet. Avoid writing on the reverse side of the answer sheet.