CDS is conducted twice a year by UPSC for recruitment into the Indian Armed Forces, which includes Military (Army)Academy, Air Force Academy and Naval (Navy) Academy and Officers Training Academy (OTA). CDS is conducted twice a year and CDS (II) is scheduled to take place in November in offline mode. Total number of vacancies are 463 as declared by UPSC. Candidates must be eligible before applying for CDS Application form.
The exam comprises three sections- English, General Knowledge and Mathematics in its written examination, while OTA candidates just have to give English and GK exam. Difficulty level of the question paper generally ranges from easy to moderate, and can be cleared with proper practice and pre- knowledge about the syllabus. Successful candidates in CDSE written examination are then called for an interview conducted by SSB i.e. Services Selection Board, which evaluates a candidate’s suitability for a career in IAF. During Interview, candidates undergo various physical and psychological/ mental tests to ascertain whether or not he possesses the officer quality or not.
Contents
What is CDS, Who all are eligible and how can one apply.
Apart from SSB interview, Air Force candidates are also tested for PABT i.e. Pilot Aptitude Battery test, which is conducted to test their aptitude whether they are perfect to be trained as a pilot or not. After these tests, candidates undergo medical examination before final selection. If one clears SSB, then as per the choice of service they go through training in Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy & the Air Force Academy.
Who all can apply for CDS? Whether women are eligible to apply or not?
Interested aspirants must fulfill the eligibility criteria to appear for CDS. Age Limit is different for different academies. For Indian Military Academy and Air Force Academy, age of the candidates must be between 19 to 24 years. For Naval Academy and Officers, lower age limit is 19 years while upper age limit is 22 and 25 respectively. Aspirants applying for CDS must be physically fit because they undergo physical fitness test.
The academic qualification varies for different institute- for IMA/INA/AFA aspirant must have pursued Bachelor’s in Engineering while for OTA, a degree in any discipline is acceptable. Only candidates of Indian Nationality are eligible to apply for the exam. Also, only unmarried people can apply for CDS.
Fulfilling the eligibility criteria will be followed by CDS Application form filling process.
Women can apply for CDS or not?
Girls are only eligible to join OTA i.e. they are not eligible for joining other academies, but in case of boys if they get selected for Army they join Infantry, for Navy and Air Force they join General Services and Flying Branch respectively. In addition this this women have extra advantage that even married and widows can also apply for OTA.
How Eligible Candidates will get Access to Online CDS Application form? And the Steps following it
Note: Application fee for General and OBC category candidates is INR 200 and SC/ST/PWD and females are exempted from paying CDS Application fee.
What an Applicant must take care of while filling CDS Application form?
Filling and submission of CDS Application form is the most important process, but certain discrepancies in it can lead to cancellation of candidature. So, the question arises how one can avoid it? Following tips will help you to avoid any such errors and you can successfully submit you application form.
Applicants are advised not to use any other email ID while registering for CDS, because all communication is made through it, and also make sure that the email id is unique and valid. Also, candidate’s ID should be active for next 7-8 months at least. Secondly, they will not be able to modify any information after submission of the online CDS application form. Thirdly, the female candidates must fill the form carefully, because they are eligible only to apply for OTA. So, make sure they mark it correctly.
What to do in case of Discrepancy in CDS application form?
In case of any error in application form or any doubt while filling CDS Application form, applicants must get in touch with UPSC Helpline Number
Helpline number: 011-23381125, 011-23385271
Source: Collegedunia.com
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