Before beginning with CDS registration and CDS recruitment 2020 process, let us see full form of CDS and some basics regarding how, why and when CDS exam is conducted.
This will help us to understand whole UPSC CDS recruitment process in much better way and we can start CDS registration on upsc.gov.in
CDS stand for : “Combined Defence Services“
CDS exam conducted for : | Officer level entry in Army, Navy and Air force |
UPSC CDS Recruitment stages: | 3 stages: 1. CDS Written exam 2. SSB interview 3. SSB medicals test |
CDS Registeration : | Online format |
CDS exam conducted how many times in a year : | 2 times in a year (February, November) |
CDS registration date : | will update time to time |
Where is CDS exam conducted: | All over India in different cities |
CDS eligibility | Check detail article on CDS eligibility |
CDS qualification | Graduation in any field |
CDS exam reservation | No reservation in CDS exam |
CDS exam fees | Rs. 200 |
CDS Registration
CDS exam is conducted twice a year. In February and November. CDS registration for the upcoming attempt begins 3 months before the actual written exam date. UPSC releases CDS notification on upsc.gov.in and in Employment News which is released every week.
You need to fulfill the CDS eligibility, CDS age limit, CDS Medical tests so that you can do CDS registration or fill CDS application form on upsconline.nic.in
CDS Registration process takes place in 2 stages which will be discssed in detail in this article.
CDS 2 2020 Registration Dates
When we are preparing for any competitive exam conducted by UPSC, we must be aware about the exact dates so that we do not any important update regarding the exam, at the same time we can manage time as per UPSC schedule.
So let us see important dates associated with the CDS 2 2020 exam :
CDS 2020 registration begins on: | 5th August 2020 |
CDS 2020 application form release date: | 5th August 2020 |
CDS 2 2020 Form filling begins on: | 5th August 2020 |
Last date to fill CDS 2 2020 form: | 25th August 2020 |
CDS 2 2020 admit card date : | October 2020 |
CDS 2 2020 written exam date : | 8th November 2020 |
CDS 2020 result : | January 2021 |
You have ample time for CDS 2 2020 exam preparation. So, it’s better to follow CDS GK, CDS Maths and CDS English detailed strategies so that you can qualify CDS written exam with ease.
CDS Registration process
CDS registration process for CDS 2020 exam will begin on 5th August 2020 and it will last for the next 20 days. But, I will recommend you to fill CDS 2020 application form in first week itself, as exam centers are allocated based on a first come first serve basis. So, to have an exam center of you convenience, it’s better to fill the form as early as possible.
CDS Registeration takes place in 2 stages:
- CDS Stage 1 Registration
- CDS Stage 2 Registration
After Stage 1 registration is completed, you will get an Application ID which you need to begin Stage 2 Registration process.
Your form is not valid until CDS Part 1 and CDS Part 2 registration process is completed successfully.
CDS Recruitment
Recruitment in CDS is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to select officers in Armed forces. There are various other Defence-related exams which are conducted by Army, Navy and Air Force independently. For Example:
Defence Exam | Conducted by: |
AFCAT exam | Indian Air Force |
INET exam | Indian Navy |
Territorial Army Exam | Indian Army |
NDA exam | UPSC |
CDS exam | UPSC |
When any exam is conducted by UPSC then:
- It will be properly scheduled well ahead of time
- Difficulty level is high
- Proper time management possible due to UPSC annual exam calendar
Recruitment in CDS is conducted by UPSC, which increases the authenticity and gravity of this exam.
CDS Registration Part 1
CDS Registeration of part 1 includes filling personal details like:
- Full Name
- Fathers Name
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Mothers name
- Email ID for Contact
- Permanent Address
- Educational Qualification
- Mobile Number
- Caste (No reservation, only fee exemption)
These details must be highly accurate and no mistakes will be entertained later. Sequence of Name and other details must be as per Matriculate Level.
And if you have done any mistake in filling stage 1 form, it cannot be edited. In such case, you need to fill new CDS Part 1 form again.
CDS Registration Part 2
CDS Registeration of part 2 includes many important things that must be filled correctly. Let us see few examples:
- Selecting academy preferences (Very Important)
- Selecting Exam center
- Payment of exam fees (Various Online modes + Challan available for offline payment via State Bank of India)
- Uploading scanned Photograph
- Uploading scanned signature
- Uploading Photo ID (Important)- Need to carry this for written exam as well as SSB interview
Some important points to know before filling CDS form:
- Images of passport size photo and Sign must be in .jpg format
- Size of photo and sign must be within 20KB-300 KB and resolution must be from 350 pixels*350 pixels to 1000 pixels*1000 pixels
- Sign must be done with a black pen on white paper
CDS Vacancy
Now, let us talk about CDS Vacancy. It is important to know CDS exam vacancies for 2020 for which we are preparing.
What are the exact vacancies for CDS 2 2020 exam?
Academy | Vacancy |
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun (Includes 13 vacancies of “NCC C Certificate” Army wing) | 100 |
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala (Includes 06 vacancies of “NCC C Certificate” Navy wing) | 45 |
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Includes 03 vacancies of “NCC C Certificate” Air Force wing) | 32 |
Officers’ Training Academy (Men), Chennai (50 vacancies for NCC Special Entry) | 225 |
Officers Training Academy (Women) Chennai | 16 |
Total Vacancies | 418 |
You just need ONE vacancy to be part of Armed forces. Make sure you prepare accordingly.
CDS Educational Qualification requirement
You just need to be a graduate from any recognized university (any stream) (Diploma not eligible)
You can give CDS exam in final year of graduation.
Check more details about CDS qualification on CDS eligibility article.
CDS Eligibility
The most difficult Eligibility is to clear the CDS written exam and SSB interview. So, you must focus more on being eligible to clear CDS Written exam and SSB interview.
Other CDS Eligibility criteria like age limit, qualification, number of attempts, etc are given in CDS eligibility article.
CDS Age limit
CDS Age limit 2020 range is as follows:

In order to know the exact limit based on your birth date, then check special article made on CDS age limit 2020.
Hopefully, this article on UPSC CDS Recruitment 2020 and CDS Registration added value in your CDS preparation. Check our special article which can guarantee you success in the upcoming CDS attempt.
- CDS GK preparation (Score 50+ Marks)
- CDS English preparation (Score 65+ Marks)
- CDS Maths preparation (Score 60+ Marks)
- How to crack CDS exam in first attempt?
How was this guide on recruitment in CDS? Do let us know in comment section below.
Jai hind aspirants
2 Comments
If last year candidate apply to Cds is nesseaary to submit his Graduation Certificate at time of ssb.please reply me
Dont worry about the graduation certificate because a provisional degree certificate can be obtained. You just need certificates till last semester where you must be all clear (no live backlogs)