Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination, aimed at recruiting for various positions in the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers Training Academy. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the CDS Exam Pattern:
1. Written Exam:
i. The written exam consists of Objective Type questions with a time duration of 2 hours for each subject.
ii. For Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics are covered.
iii. For Officers Training Academy: English and General Knowledge are the subjects for the written test.
iv. Successful candidates proceed to intelligence and personality tests at the Service Selection Board based on their preferences.
For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy:
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 Hours | 100 |
For Admission to Officers’ Training Academy:
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
v. Maximum marks for the written exam and interviews are equal for each course, totaling 300 for Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, and 200 for Officers Training Academy.
vi. All subjects’ question papers consist of objective-type questions. General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics papers are set bilingually in Hindi and English, and questions involving the metric system of Weights and Measures are included where necessary.
2. Intelligence & Personality Test:
i. Selected candidates from the written test undergo a two-stage selection process: Stage I and Stage II.
Stage I:
a. Comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT).
b. Candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in OIR Test and PP&DT.
Stage II:
a. Involves Interview, Group Testing Officers Tasks, Psychology Tests, and Conference over a 4-day period.
b. The personality of the candidate is assessed by three assessors: Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO), and Psychologist.
c. There is no separate weightage for each test; marks are allotted holistically based on overall performance.
d. Equal weightage is given to the various tests, aiming to assess Officer Like Qualities and trainability in a candidate.
e. Candidates are then Recommended or Not Recommended at the SSB based on their performance.