Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) administers the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination, providing opportunities for recruitment in the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers Training Academy. Here’s a concise breakdown of the CDS Selection Procedure:
UPSC Selection Procedure comprises four distinct stages:
1. Written Examination:
i. The Written Exam consists of Objective Type questions with a time duration of 2 hours and a maximum of 100 marks for each subject.
ii. For candidates aspiring for the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, the written test includes English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics subjects. For candidates aiming for Officers Training Academy, the written test focuses on English and General Knowledge.
iii. Successful candidates in the written exam proceed to the intelligence and personality test at the Service Selection Board based on their preferences and the respective service HQ.
2. Interview/Personality Test:
- Selected candidates from the written test undergo a two-stage selection process: Stage I and Stage II.
a. Stage I: Comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT). Candidates are shortlisted based on their combined performance in the OIR Test and PP&DT.
b. Stage II: Involves Interview, Group Testing Officers Tasks, Psychology Tests, and a conference conducted over 4 days. The candidate’s personality is assessed by three assessors: the Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO), and the Psychologist. Marks are allotted holistically, with no separate weightage for each test. Conference marks are also assigned based on the initial performance in the three techniques, and these collectively hold equal weightage.
3. Document Verification:
- Document Verification occurs after a candidate qualifies for the Interview/Personality Test.
4. Medical Examination:
- Candidates recommended by the Services Selection Board (SSB) undergo a medical examination (Special Medical Board) by a Board of Service Medical Officers. Admission to the Academy is granted only to candidates declared fit by the Medical Board. Candidates deemed unfit are informed of their results and the process for an Appeal Medical Board (AMB), to be completed in a Command Hospital or equivalent within 42 days of the Special Medical Board.
