CDS Exam Date 2026: UPSC CDS 1 Admit Card, City Slip, Notification Dates
Combined Defence Services Exam 2026 ( CDS )
Exam On - 12 Apr '26
CDS Exam Date 2026: The UPSC will conduct the CDS 1 exam on April 12, 2026. The authority released the notification PDF for the CDS 1 exam on December 10, 2025. Along with the notification, the application link was activated. The CDS 1 application form dates were December 10 to December 30, 2025. The notification PDF consists of the information related to the exam including the exam date, application process, exam pattern, syllabus, etc.
On the other hand, the UPSC CDS 2 notification will be released on May 20 and the application dates are May 20 to June 9, 2026. The UPSC CDS 2 exam will be held on September 13, 2026. Scroll down to know more about the CDS important dates 2026.
Latest News & Updates:
CDS 1 2026 Exam Date Out: Check how to prepare and more
- CDS Admit Card 2026
- CDS Exam Timing 2026
- CDS Exam Dates & Schedule 2026
- CDS Exam Pattern
- Important Events Related to CDS Exam 2026
- CDS Exam Dates 2026 FAQs
CDS Admit Card 2026
The Commission will release the CDS 1 admit card few days before the examination date. It will be released on the official website at upsc.gov.in. Candidate will be able to download it with the help of login credentials including the registration number/ roll number and date of birth. The hall ticket is a mandatory document that a candidate should carry at the examination hall. Without it, candidate will not be allowed to take the exam. The authority will not send a hard copy of the call letter.
Also Read: CDS Admit Card
Commonly asked questions
The UPSC will release the CDS 2026 admit card at upsc.gov.in. The CDS 1 exam is scheduled to be conducted on April 12, 2026 and CDS 2 on September 13.
Candidate should check the internet connection. It should be stable. Latest version of browsers can be used like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Clean the catche and try to download the admit card. If still problem occurs, contact the UPSC for support.
CDS Exam Timing 2026
According to CDS shift timing, candidates need to enter the examination hall at least 30 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the examination. Entry to the examination venue closes 10 minutes prior to the scheduled commencement of the exam in each session. CDS 2026 exam timing for English, GK and Elementary Mathematics is given below as per the previous exam.
| Paper | Exam Timings |
|---|---|
| English (Subject Code 11) | 9.00 am to 11.00 am |
| GK (Subject Code 12) | 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm |
| Elementary Mathematics (Subject Code 13) | 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm |
Commonly asked questions
In CDS, written exam comprises three papers namely English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics aiming for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA). There are two papers for candidates aiming for the Officers Training academy (OTA).
For IMA, INA, AFA: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics
For OTA: English and General Knowledge
The duration of each subject paper in the CDS 2026 exam is mentioned below.
1. For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy: English, General Knowledge and Mathematics all have two hours duration.
2. For Officers' Training Academy (OTA)-English and GK for both separately 2 hours duration
CDS Exam Dates & Schedule 2026
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of CDS 2026 exam
| Dates | Upcoming Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| 12 Apr ' 26 | CDS 1 Exam 2026 |
| Apr ' 26 | CDS 1 2026 Result TENTATIVE |
| 20 May ' 26 | CDS 2 Notification 2026 |
| 20 May ' 26 - 09 Jun ' 26 | CDS 2 Application Process 2026 |
| 13 Sep ' 26 | CDS 2 Exam Date 2026 |
| Dates | Past Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| 10 Dec ' 25 | CDS 1 Notification 2026 |
| 10 Dec ' 25 - 30 Dec ' 25 | CDS 1 Application Process 2026 |
| 09 Oct ' 25 | CDS 2 2025 Result |
CDS Exam Pattern
The UPSC released the exam pattern for the CDS exam in the notification PDF. It is the first step of the preparation to understand the exam pattern thoroughly. Candidates can check below about the CDS exam pattern.
| CDS Exam Pattern |
|
|---|---|
| Mode of Exam |
Offline |
| Number of Questions |
300 MCQ |
| Number of questions in OTA |
200 MCQ |
| Maximum Marks |
300 and 200 (OTA) |
| Duration of Exam |
2 hours (120 minutes) for each paper |
| Medium |
Hindi or English |
| Negative marking |
1/3rd mark deducted for each incorrect response |
Commonly asked questions
The CDS exam is conducted twice a year for admission to IMA, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy. Basically, it works as a tool for students to prepare for an upcoming exam. Candidate will get an idea of the actual examination. Mock tests make candidates realise their mistakes that must be taken care of before going to the exam.
The CDS exam is conducted in two stages, the written exam and the SSB interview. The CDS exam is an offline exam conducted in pen paper-based format. The CDS marking scheme, negative marking, total marks, exam timing, and the paper pattern for the IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA are available on this page for the CDS exam.
Important Events Related to CDS Exam 2026
The important events of the CDS exam are explained below:
Application Form
The application form for CDS has been released online. It comprises two parts. In the first part, candidates need to register, choose their preferred branches, verify the details and generate their registration ID. In the second part, they need to pay the application fees, select the exam centres, and upload scanned images of photographs & signatures.
Date of an Exam
All registered candidates are required to appear for the CDS exam. The exam comprises two stages, written and SSB Interview. The written exam for Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy comprises three sections, English, General knowledge, and Elementary Maths. The written exam for Officers’ Training Academy comprises two sections, English and General Knowledge.
Answer Key Date
The answer key is released by UPSC after the completion of the recruitment exam. The CDS answer key is released on the official website for different codes of test booklets.
Result Date
The result is released in two stages: written exam and final selection. The commission first announces the CDS result for the written exam, followed by the declaration of the final result. The result displays the roll numbers of shortlisted candidates in PDF format. Along with the release of the CDS result, the CDS cut-off is also released for the candidates. The candidates who will cross the category-wise cut-off will be considered qualified for the CDS exam.
CDS Current Affairs Guide: Download Here
Commonly asked questions
The Union Public Service Commission released the CDS 1 2026 notification on December 10, 2025. The CDS 1 application form 2026 was available from December 10 to December 30, 2025.
The Commission released the CDS 1 and 2 exam date at upsc.gov.in. The CDS 1 exam will be conducted on April 12, 2026 and the CDS 2 on September 13. Candidates must be aware that these dates are released by the UPSC.
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CDS Exam Dates 2026 FAQs
Candidates can check below the CDS 2026 dates.
Commonly asked questions
The Union Public Service Commission released the CDS 1 examination 2026 vacancies on the official website. A total of 451 vacancies has been announced. The CDS 1 notification released on December 10.
Yes. In the CDS exam there is a negative marking. One-third mark will be deducted for an incorrect answer. No mark will be deducted for unanswered questions.
The UPSC will release the CDS 2026 admit card at upsc.gov.in. The CDS 1 exam is scheduled to be conducted on April 12, 2026 and CDS 2 on September 13.
Yes, the examination authority will release the CDS Question Papers 2026 officially at upsc.gov.in. The question papers will be released in the form of PDF. Candidates can download the CDS question papers 2026 from this page also for free. The question papers will help candidates to check the difficulty level of the exam, questions asked, pattern changed or not, etc.
CDS full form is the Combined Defence Services Examination. While some people also refer CDS full form as Chief of Defence Staff, this rank is given to the head of the Indian Armed Forces. It is a national-level exam which is conducted twice a year in April and September.
The Commission released the CDS 1 notification at upsconline.nic.in. It was released on December 10, 2025. The CDS 1 2026 application dates are December 12 to December 30, 2025. The UPSC CDS 1 exam will be held on April 12, 2026. On the other hand, CDS 2 notification will be announced on May 20, 2026 and the last date to apply will be June 9. The CDS 2 2026 exam will be conducted on September 13, 2026.
Yes, the authority released the CDS 2 exam dates, notification at upsc.gov.in. The CDS 2 exam was conducted on September 14, 2025. Also, the CDS 2 notification was released on May 28. The last date to apply was June 17.
In CDS, written exam comprises three papers namely English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics aiming for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA). There are two papers for candidates aiming for the Officers Training academy (OTA).
For IMA, INA, AFA: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics
For OTA: English and General Knowledge
The duration of each subject paper in the CDS 2026 exam is mentioned below.
1. For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy: English, General Knowledge and Mathematics all have two hours duration.
2. For Officers' Training Academy (OTA)-English and GK for both separately 2 hours duration
The CDS exam is conducted offline or pen and paper mode. Objective questions will be asked in the examination. Candidates need to mark their choices of answers in the sheet that was provided during the exam. CDS 1 2026 notification released on December 10.
CDS Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
In the CDS exam, a good score varies as per the academy. Generally as per the experts, 120 to 150+ in the written exam for IMA/INA/AFA and 90 to 110+ for OTA are considered to be the good score along with the strong SSB performance. Also, cutoff changes every year and candidates required a minimum
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
Generally, the CDS 1 exam is considered to be moderate to difficult level as the syllabus is vast and consists of challenges which are subject specific. But as per the previous year trend it is moderate in difficulty level. With proper strategy, consistency and hard work exam can be cracked by the c
C
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
After qualifying the SSB round, the selected candidates need to undergo a medical examination. A candidate is declared medically fit or unfit after the result announcement. After qualifying all the selection rounds they will go for training.
C
Contributor-Level 6
What is a good score in CDS exam?