UPSC CDS-II Online Form 2026 — Apply for IMA/INA/AFA/OTA at upsc.gov.in

UPSC CDS-II Online Form 2026: 451 Defence Officer Posts — Apply by 9 June at upsconline.nic.in

Key Highlights

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the CDS-II 2026 notification on 20 May 2026 — for 451 Defence Officer-Cadet posts across the Indian Armed Forces.
• Academy-wise split: IMA (100) + INA (26) + AFA (32) + OTA Men (275) + OTA Women (18) = 451.
• Application window: 20 May 2026 to 09 June 2026 (6:00 PM).
• Written Examination: 13 September 2026 (Sunday).
• Apply at: upsconline.nic.in. Notification PDF: upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-CDS-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf.
• Eligibility: IMA/OTA — Graduate (any); INA — B.E./B.Tech; AFA — Graduate + 10+2 Physics & Math.
• Age: Born between 02 July 2003 and 01 July 2008 (with academy-specific bands).
• Fee: ₹200 (Gen/OBC Male) · FREE (SC/ST/Women).
• Selection: Written → SSB Interview (5 days) → Medical → Final Merit + Academy Allocation.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS-II) 2026 notification on 20 May 2026 — for 451 Officer-Cadet entry posts across the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). CDS is the primary Graduate-route entry to Permanent Commission in the Indian Armed Forces — distinct from NDA (Class 12 entry) and AFCAT (Air Force-specific). This page walks you through the academy-wise eligibility, application flow, exam pattern, and the critical 5-stage SSB Interview that decides actual selection.

How to apply online

1. Open upsconline.nic.in (the UPSC Online Recruitment Application portal).
2. Click "Online Application for Various Examinations of UPSC" → select "Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026".
3. Complete the One-Time Registration (OTR) if you haven't already (mobile + email + Aadhaar OTP-based).
4. Log in and fill in personal, educational, and category details; select your academy preferences (IMA, INA, AFA, OTA — order them strategically per your eligibility + interest).
5. Upload photograph, signature, photo ID proof, Class 10 + 12 + Graduation certificates (or appearing-status proof).
6. Pay the ₹200 application fee (Gen/OBC Male) via UPI / debit / credit / net banking. SC/ST/All Female candidates: NO fee.
7. Submit and download the confirmation PDF for permanent reference.

Last date: 09 June 2026 at 6:00 PM. UPSC strictly enforces this deadline — no extensions historically.

Academy-wise vacancy split

Permanent Commission (PC) vs Short Service Commission (SSC): PC officers serve until retirement (typical service 20-25 years before mandatory release); SSC officers serve 10-14 years (extendable to a maximum of 14 years), after which they can opt for re-employment elsewhere or apply for a Permanent Commission via internal selection.

Eligibility (academy-specific)

IMA + OTA (Army)

• Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a UGC-recognised Indian university.
• Final-year students can apply if degree is obtained before SSB.
• Age: Born between 02 July 2003 and 01 July 2007 (IMA — unmarried male); 02 July 2003 and 01 July 2008 (OTA Men + OTA Women — broader band).

Indian Naval Academy (INA)

• B.E. / B.Tech in Engineering (any branch — Electronics, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Computer Science, Marine Engineering, etc.) from a UGC- or AICTE-recognised institution.
• Final-year B.E. / B.Tech students can apply.
• Age: Born between 02 July 2003 and 01 July 2007 (unmarried male).

Air Force Academy (AFA)

• Bachelor's degree in any discipline (or B.E. / B.Tech for Technical Branch) from a UGC- or AICTE-recognised institution.
• Crucial: Must have studied Physics AND Mathematics at the 10+2 level (Class 12).
• Age: Born between 02 July 2003 and 01 July 2007 (unmarried male — with 25 years upper limit for SSC).

Other eligibility (all academies)

• Marital status: Unmarried for PC entries (IMA, INA, AFA) and OTA Men SSC; married/unmarried for OTA Women SSC.
• Citizenship: Indian citizen (with limited exceptions per UPSC CDS-II rules — Nepal/Bhutan subjects and Tibetan refugees may be eligible for select services).
• Physical fitness: Meets Armed Forces medical standards (full medical at SSB stage).

Application fee

Payment online only via UPI / debit card / credit card / net banking. Fee is non-refundable even if the application is later rejected.

CDS-II Written Examination — 13 September 2026

Pattern (per UPSC CDS standard)

For IMA / INA / AFA candidates (3 papers):

• Paper-I: English (100 marks · 2 hours)
• Paper-II: General Knowledge (100 marks · 2 hours)
• Paper-III: Elementary Mathematics (100 marks · 2 hours)
• Total: 300 marks · 6 hours (single day)

For OTA candidates (2 papers — no Mathematics):

• Paper-I: English (100 marks · 2 hours)
• Paper-II: General Knowledge (100 marks · 2 hours)
• Total: 200 marks · 4 hours (single day)

Marking

• +1 per correct answer (verify in notification PDF for specific paper marking)
• -1/3 per incorrect (negative marking)
• 0 for unattempted
• Cutoffs published per category per service after written-exam result

SSB Interview — the actual selection stage

CDS Written is qualifying only; the SSB Interview is where actual selection happens.

SSB Stage-I (Day 1)

• Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) — battery of intelligence tests.
• Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PPDT) — perceive a picture, write a story, then discuss in a group.
• Outcome: Approximately 40-50% of candidates are screened out at Stage-I — they leave the SSB centre the same evening.

SSB Stage-II (Days 2-5) — for Stage-I cleared candidates

• Day 2-3 — Psychology Tests: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situational Reaction Test (SRT), Self-Description Test (SDT).
• Day 3-4 — Group Testing Officer (GTO) Tasks: Group Discussion, Group Planning Exercise (GPE), Progressive Group Task (PGT), Half Group Task (HGT), Command Task, Lecturette, Snake Race, Group Obstacle Race.
• Day 4-5 — Personal Interview: 30-60 minute interview by the SSB Interviewing Officer (IO).
• Day 5 — Conference: SSB board's final discussion on each candidate and recommend/not-recommend decision.

SSB Medical

• Standard Armed Forces medical board — vision, hearing, dental, BMI, no chronic conditions, no major orthopaedic issues.
• Failure rate at medical: 8-15% of SSB-recommended candidates.

Final Merit + Academy Allocation

Final merit = Written marks + SSB Interview marks (subject to medical fitness). Academy allocation per merit rank + candidate preference + academy-wise vacancy availability.

Pay + career trajectory

Training stipend: ₹56,100 per month during academy training (per Defence Pay Matrix Level 10).

Commissioned officer pay (post-training):

• Lieutenant / Naval Sub-Lieutenant / Flying Officer: Pay Level 10 — ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 (starting) + Military Service Pay (MSP) + DA + Kit + Uniform + Field/Hazard allowances
• Gross monthly (approximate): ₹1,00,000-1,35,000+ depending on posting (peace area vs field area vs high-altitude)

Career trajectory:

• PC officers (IMA/INA/AFA): Lieutenant → Captain → Major → Lt Col → Colonel → Brigadier → Major General → Lt General → General (Chief)
• SSC officers (OTA): Lieutenant → Captain → Major (with rare progression to Lt Col under select PC conversion)
• Retirement: PC officers: 54-60 years (rank-based); SSC officers: 10-14 years' service.

For broader defence-services context, see our AFCAT vs NDA vs CDS comparison guide, UPSC NDA-II Online Form 2026 (Class 12 entry sibling), AFCAT 02/2026 Online Form (Air Force-specific officer entry), and UPSC CDS-I Result 2026 (current CDS-I cycle).

UPSC CDS-II Online Form 2026: हिंदी सारांश

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) ने Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026 की अधिसूचना 20 मई 2026 को जारी की — 451 Defence Officer-Cadet entry पदों के लिए। Academy-wise split: Indian Military Academy (IMA, Dehradun) — 100; Indian Naval Academy (INA, Ezhimala) — 26; Air Force Academy (AFA, Hyderabad) — 32; Officers Training Academy (OTA Chennai) Men — 275; OTA Women — 18। आवेदन अवधि: 20 मई से 09 जून 2026 (शाम 6 बजे तक)। Written Examination: 13 सितंबर 2026 (रविवार)। पात्रता (academy-specific): IMA + OTA — Graduate (किसी भी stream); INA — B.E./B.Tech (Engineering); AFA — Graduate + 10+2 में Physics & Mathematics अनिवार्य। आयु: 02 जुलाई 2003 से 01 जुलाई 2008 के बीच जन्म (academy-specific bands)। Marital status: IMA/INA/AFA (Permanent Commission) — unmarried; OTA Men SSC — unmarried; OTA Women SSC — married/unmarried। आवेदन शुल्क: ₹200 (Gen/OBC Male); SC/ST/All Female — नि:शुल्क। आवेदन upsconline.nic.in पर। Notification PDF: upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-CDS-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf। Written Exam pattern (IMA/INA/AFA): Paper-I English (100 marks/2 hrs) + Paper-II General Knowledge (100/2) + Paper-III Elementary Mathematics (100/2) — कुल 300 marks/6 hrs। OTA candidates: केवल English + General Knowledge (200 marks/4 hrs — No Maths)। +1/-1/3 negative marking। CDS Written qualifying only — actual selection SSB Interview पर है (5-day stage-2 assessment)। SSB Stage-I (Day 1): Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) + Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PPDT) — 40-50% candidates Stage-I पर ही screened out हो जाते हैं। SSB Stage-II (Days 2-5): Psychology Tests (TAT/WAT/SRT/SDT), GTO Tasks (Group Discussion + GPE + PGT + HGT + Command Task + Lecturette + Group Obstacle), Personal Interview (30-60 मिनट IO द्वारा), और अंतिम Conference। SSB Medical: Armed Forces medical board — 8-15% SSB-recommended candidates medical पर फेल हो जाते हैं। Final Merit: Written marks + SSB Interview marks (medical fitness के अधीन); academy allocation merit rank + candidate preference पर। Training stipend: ₹56,100/महीना academy training के दौरान। Commissioned officer pay (Lieutenant/Sub-Lt/Flying Officer): Pay Level 10 — ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 + Military Service Pay (MSP) + DA + Kit + Uniform + Field/Hazard allowances; gross ₹1,00,000-1,35,000+ per month posting के आधार पर।