CDS eligibility criteria 2024: Many eligible applicants appear for Combined Defence Services Exam organized Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for those students who are willing to make their career in the government sector. Applicants need to check the entire eligibility norms uttered below
Union Public Service Commission conducts the Combined Defence Services Exam twice every year. As per the CDS exam eligibility norms 2024, Indian nationals who reside in age between the ages of 19- 25 years are eligible to apply for the CDS defense job exam.
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2024 as per Nationality
Applicants should be:
- A citizen of India, or
- A subject of Bhutan, or
- A subject of Nepal, or
- A Tibetan refugee who came over to India earlier than the 1st of January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
- (v) A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries with the intention of permanently settling in India.
- A certificate of eligibility is also compulsory for the Gorkha candidates of Nepal.
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2024
Educational Qualification
Academies | Educational Qualification |
IMA and OTA | Graduation |
INA | Engineering degree |
AFA | Graduation or Bachelor of Engineering |
Important points:
- Graduates with the first choice of Army/Navy/Air Force need to submit provisional certificates of graduation on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at SSB centers.
- Those who are in their final year of graduation can also apply
Age Limit & Marital Status for CDS
Only unmarried candidates are eligible for the CDS exam.
Academy | Age Limit (In years) | Marital Status |
IMA | 19-24 | Unmarried |
INA | 19-22 | Unmarried |
Air Force Academy | 19-23 | Age should be below 25 years of age and must be unmarried Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but during the training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with a family outside of the premises |
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) | 19-25 | Unmarried Women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. |
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for Men) | 19-25 | Unmarried |
CDS Exam Centres 2024
Agartala | Ahmedabad |
Aizawl | Allahabad |
Bengaluru | Bareilly |
Bhopal | Chandigarh |
Physical Standards
- Applicants should be physically fit as per the physical standard guidelines.
- Several applicants get rejected on medical grounds.
- Applicants need to be advised to get them medically examined before submitting their applications.
Physical standards for CDS exam 2024
Height Parameters
- The minimum acceptable height for male category applicants is 157.5 cm (157 cm for Navy and 162.5 cm for Air Force).
- For women category applicants, the minimum height is 152 cms.
- For Gorkhas and those belong to the North-Eastern regions, Garhwali and Kumaon, the minimum height will be 5 cm less.
- In the case of applicants from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height can be reduced by 2 cm.
Height and Weight Standards (Males) | ||||
Height in Centimetres | Weight in Kgs. | |||
| 18 years | 20 years | 22 years | 24 years |
152 | 44* | 46 | 47 | 48 |
155 | 46 | 48* | 49 | 50 |
157 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 51 |
160 | 48 | 50 | 51 | 52 |
162 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 54 |
165 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 56 |
168 | 53 | 55 | 57 | 58 |
170 | 55 | 57 | 58 | 59 |
173 | 57 | 59 | 60 | 61 |
175 | 59 | 61 | 62 | 62 |
178 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 |
180 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 |
183 | 65 | 67 | 67 | 68 |
185 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 71 |
188 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 74 |
190 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 76 |
193 | 74 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
195 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 81 |
Height and Weight Standards (Females)
Height and Weight Standards (Females) | |||
Height in Cms (Without shoes)
| Weight in Kgs. | ||
20 years | 25 years | 30 years | |
148 | 39 | 41 | 43 |
150 | 40 | 42 | 43.5 |
153 | 42 | 43.5 | 45 |
155 | 43 | 44 | 46 |
158 | 45 | 46 | 48 |
160 | 46 | 47 | 49 |
163 | 47 | 49 | 51 |
165 | 49 | 51 | 53 |
168 | 50 | 52 | 54 |
Visual Parameters
Vision standards for naval category applicants
Uncorrected without glasses | 6/12, 6/12 |
Corrected with glasses | 6/6, 6/6 |
Limits of Myopia | -1.5D |
Limits of Hypermetropia | +1.5D |
Binocular Vision | III |
Limits of Colour Perception | I |
Other Academies
Vision | Uncorrected VA 6/60 & 6/60 BCVA 6/6 & 6/6 Myopia -3.50 D SPH including astigmatism, Hypermetropia +3.50 D Sph including Astigmatism |
Colour perception | CP-II |
Steps to fill CDS 2024 Application Form
Check simple steps involved in CDS Application Process:
Step 1: CDS Registration
- Visit UPSC CDS 2020 official website
- On the home page click on Part 1 registration to open the registration form.
- Enter your name, date of birth, parents’ name, address, category, mobile number, email ID and other basic information.
- Your registration no. will be sent to you as SMS and email.
Step 2: Pay CDS Application Fee
- Pay application fees for CDS that is INR 200.
- Female, SC, ST and need not to pay any amount of fee payment.
- Fees can be paid in online mode via Debit/ Credit Card or SBI Netbanking and in offline mode by paying cash at any SBI Bank branch.
- To pay the fees generate bank challan during the registration procedure
- Submit the form along with the fees at any SBI bank branch.
UPSC CDS Application Fees
Category | CDS Application Fees 2020 |
General/ OBC/ EWS | INR 200 |
Female (All Categories) | Exempted |
SC/ ST | Exempted |
PH | Exempted |
Step 3: Fill CDS Application Form
- Complete their form by entering personal and educational information.
- Indicate your preferred position among IAF, IMA, INA and OTA.
- Also, choose CDS Exam Center as per your preference.
- Fill the form very cautiously as no correction will be permitted after closing of application process.
Step 4: Upload CDS Photo, Sign and Photo ID Proof
Documents | Size | Pixels | Bit | Format |
Photo | 20 – 300 Kbs | 350×350 – 1000×1000 | 24 | .jpg |
Sign | 20 – 300 Kbs | 350×350 – 1000×1000 | 24 | .jpg |
Photo ID Card | 20 – 300 Kbs | – | – |
Documents Required
Marticulation and Degree Certificates | Scanned copy of Photo |
Scanned copy of Signature | Any Valid ID proof ( Adhaar card/ Voter ID/ PAN card/Driving license/ Passport) |
Card or Net Banking details for online payment |
End Note:
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