UPSC CDS (II) : Exam Date, Registration, Eligibility, Syllabus, Results

Candidates aspiring to join the Indian Armed Forces through undergraduate and officer training programs must take the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam, a national-level examination conducted by UPSC. The UPSC CDS Exam is held twice a year. The UPSC CDS 2 2026 application form is available from 20 May 2026 and the last date has been extended from 09 June to 11 June 2026 (6 PM), so candidates still have time to submit their forms before the deadline closes. The CDS (I) 2026 exam was conducted on 12 April 2026 and CDS (II) is scheduled for 13 September 2026. The UPSC CDS is an offline, pen-and-paper test that lasts for 2 hours. The application fee for CDS (II) is INR 200 for General and OBC candidates, while candidates belonging to SC/ST categories and female applicants are exempted from paying the fee.

UPSC CDS (II) 2026 Important Dates

The candidates can find a table below to check out the CDS 2 2026 application form date, notification release date, admit card date and exam schedule.

*Note: The above dates are tentative. We will update the exact dates here as soon as the official notification is released by UPSC.

The detailed UPSC CDS eligibility criteria for CDS 2 2026 exam are given below:

Nationality:

• Must be an Indian citizen.

• Subject of Nepal and persons of Indian origin who moved to India permanently from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam are also eligible.

Note: Nepal or PIO candidates will need to obtain a certificate from the Government of India. But Gorkha candidates in Nepal do not require this certificate.

Age Limit:

• Indian Military Academy (IMA): Candidates age should be between 19-24 years. They should have been born from 1st July 2003 to 1st July 2008.

• Indian Naval Academy (INA): Applicant must be between 19-24 years old. The candidates should have been born between 1st July 2003 and 1st July 2008.

• Air Force Academy (AFA): Candidates should be between 20 to 24 years of age as on 1st July 2027. The date of birth of candidates should be between 1st July 2003 and 1st July 2007. Candidates with a valid DGCA Commercial Pilot License are eligible to apply till 26 years.

• Officers’ Training Academy (OTA): The age of candidates should be from 19 to 25 years. The candidates should have been born between 1st July 2002 and 1st July 2008.

Marital Status:

• IMA and INA: The candidates who are unmarried males are eligible.

• AFA: Unmarried (under 25 years of age). Married candidates who are 25 years or above.

• OTA: Only unmarried male candidates are eligible and unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees who have not remarried are eligible.

Educational Qualification:

• Students must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university for IMA & OTA.

• The students need to have an Engineering Degree or B.Sc. Degree from a recognized university or institution with Physics as core or elective subject. The candidates must also have 10+2 Physics and Mathematics.

• The student should be a holder of Bachelor's degree from any recognized university with Physics and Mathematics in 10+2 or bachelor's of Engineering.

The UPSC CDS 2 2026 online registration form was released on 20 May 2026 and the last date to apply has now been extended to 11 June 2026 until 06:00 PM on the official website. The CDS (II) exam will be held on 13 September 2026 in over 70 cities across India. Candidates need to pay an application fee of INR 200 for General and OBC male students and NIL for female and SC/ST students.

Students need to follow these steps to fill out the application form:

Step 1: First, go through the official website - https://upsc.gov.in/

Step 2: Click on the New Registration Tab.

Step 3: Register by filling in the details like name, father’s name, mobile number, Email and more.

Step 4: Now submit and go through the OTP.

Step 5: Re-login using your credentials.

Step 6: Now submit the form using your personal and academic details.

Step 7: Now, pay the application fee and submit the form.

UPSC CDS 2 Exam 2026 Application Fees

UPSC CDS 2 Exam Pattern 2026

UPSC CDS 2 Marking Scheme 2026

The UPSC CDS exam evaluates candidates across three sections and each section has specific marks allocated and the marking scheme includes provisions for both correct and incorrect answers

The UPSC CDS 2 2026 consists of three subjects- English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. This subject has key topics, focused subtopics and other general awareness topics. The UPSC releases this syllabus every year on the official website.

UPSC CDS 2 Exam Admit Card 2026

The UPSC Combined Defence Service Admit Card will be released on 1st week of September (05 September 2026*) for the CDS (II) session. Candidates need to visit the official website and then log in with their credentials to access the admit card. Applicants need to carry their respective admit cards on the day of the examination with valid ID proof.

Students can follow these steps to download the admit card:

Step 1: Visit the official website - 

Step 2: Click on the ‘E-Admit Card CDS (II) Exam 2026’ link on the “What’s New Section”.

Step 3: Now, enter your details like registration Number, roll number and DOB to log in to the page.

Step 4: The CDS (II) Admit Card will appear on the screen.

Step 5: Save and download it for future reference.

Documents to Carry on Exam Day

• Admit Card 

• Valid Photo ID Proof

• Passport-sized Photograph

The UPSC CDS 2 exam answer key will be released within 10-15 days after the exam, which is scheduled for 13 September 2026. Candidates can access it on the official UPSC website to review their answers, estimate their scores and submit objections within the specified period.

UPSC CDS 2026 Exam Results

The UPSC has published the CDS (I) Examination Result 2026 on its official website on 08 May 2026. Appeared candidates can now download the CDS (I) 2026 Result PDF that includes selected candidates roll numbers for the SSB Interview round for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Candidates who pass the exam are qualified for SSB Interview, medical test and final merit list process. Selected candidates must complete registration on the recruitment portal SSB Interview schedule information.

Students have to follow these steps to check the exam result:

• Step 1: Visit the official website upsc.gov.in

• Step 2: Click on “Active Examination” on the examinations tab.

• Step 3: Click on Combined Defence Service (I), 2026

• Step 4: Now click on ‘Download’ the Combined Defence Service I Results.

The UPSC CDS 2026 Exam Cutoffs are the minimum qualifying marks set by the UPSC to shortlist candidates for further stages of the Combined Defence Services recruitment process. The cut-offs for the CDS exam are based on factors like exam difficulty, vacancies, number of applicants and more. Candidates can access the cut-offs by visiting their official website.

Preparation Tips & Books

The UPSC CDS (II) will be conducted on 13 September 2026. To clear the CDS (II) exam, the most important practice is consistency. It requires continuous effort rather than studying once in a while. Below is a list of tips and strategies that students can use to prepare for the UPSC CDS 2026 exam:

1. For UPSC CDS, one’s basics should be strong and clear. So strengthen your foundation in English, general knowledge and Maths by reviewing the concepts you have already learned.

2. Study current affairs regularly. Read newspapers from reliable news platforms like “The Hindu”, “Dainik Bhaskar” and more. This will help you to get informed about day-to-day national and international events

3. Solve previous year's questions papers and mock tests to have an overview of the paper. This will also help you to manage your time effectively and help in generating problem-solving skills.

4. You also need to look into your physical fitness to meet the requirements standards for qualifying for the SSB interview.

5. One of the important strategies or keys is to revise continuously about what you study. It will help you to get updated every day avoiding any gaps. 

Below is a list of books with the author’s name that help you in your exam: