CDS Vacancy 2026 (OUT): Check CDS 1 Vacancies for Different Posts
Combined Defence Services Exam 2026 ( CDS )
Exam On - 12 Apr '26
CDS Vacancies 2026: The Commission released the CDS vacancies along with the notification on December 10. A total of 451 vacancies were announced for the CDS 1 exam. CDS exam is conducted by the UPSC for the recruitment of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The selection process of CDS 2026 consists of the written exam, SSB Interview and Medical test. The last date to apply for the CDS 1 was December 30. The UPSC CDS 1 exam will be conducted on April 12, 2026.
- CDS 2026 Vacancy
- CDS Exam Dates & Schedule 2026
- Previous Years' CDS Vacancies
- CDS Vacancy 2026: Important Points
- CDS Selection Process 2026
- CDS 2026 Vacancies FAQs
CDS 2026 Vacancy
The candidates can check the CDS 1 vacancies 2026 as the notification was released.
Check CDS 1 vacancy 2026 breakdown in the table below. It was released for both male and female candidates:
| Institution |
Approximate Number of Vacancies |
|---|---|
|
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun –161st (DE) Course commencing in January 2027 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
100 |
|
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala - Course commencing in January, 2027 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 06 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing) holders and 01 for Hydro] |
26 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad - (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January, 2027 i.e. 221 F(P) Course. [including 03 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Special Entry] |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 125th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in April, 2027. |
275 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 125th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in,April, 2027. |
18 |
| Total |
451 |
Commonly asked questions
The authority released a total of 453 vacancies for the CDS 2 exam 2025 for admission to the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy for courses.
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.
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 |
| 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 |
| 14 Sep ' 25 | CDS 2 Exam 2025 |
Previous Years' CDS Vacancies
Candidates can check below the vacancies of previous years.
CDS 2 Vacancies 2025
Check CDS 2 vacancy 2025 breakdown in the table below. It was released for both male and female candidates:
| CDS 2 Vacancy 2025 |
|
|---|---|
| Academy |
No. of approximate Vacancies |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun –161st (DE) Course commencing in July 2026 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala - Course commencing in July, 2026 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 06 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing) holders and 02 for Hydro] |
26 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad - (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in July, 2026 i.e. 220 F(P) Course. [including 03 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Special Entry] |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 124th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in October, 2026.. |
276 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 124th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in, October, 2026. |
19 |
| Total |
453 |
CDS 1 Vacancies 2025
The candidates can check the approximate CDS 1 vacancy 2025 breakdown in the table below. The vacancy was released for both male and female candidates:
| CDS 1 Vacancy 2025 |
|
|---|---|
| Academy |
No. of approximate Vacancies |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun - 160th (DE) Course commencing in January 2026 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala - Course commencing in January, 2026 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 06 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing) holders] |
32 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad - (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January, 2026 i.e. No. 219 F(P) Course. [including 03 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Special Entry] |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 123rd SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in April, 2026. |
275 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 37th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in April, 2026. |
18 |
| Total |
457 |
CDS 2 2021 Vacancies
| Courses | Number of vacancies |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun 153rd (DE) Course commencing in July 2022 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders] |
100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimal Course commencing in July 2022 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro [including 03 vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing through NCC Special Entry) holders |
22 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying)Training Course commencing in July 2022 i.e. No. 212 F (P) Course (including 03 vacancies are reserved for NCC `C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Spl. Entry) |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras)-116th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October 2022 |
169 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 30th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course |
16 |
CDS 1 2021 Vacancies
| Courses | Number of vacancies |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun | 100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | 26 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad | 32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai | 170 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai | 17 |
| Total | 345 |
CDS 2 Vacancy 2020
| Name of the academy | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun |
100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala |
26 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men |
169 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women |
17 |
| Total |
344 |
CDS 1 Vacancy 2020
| Name of the academy | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun |
100 |
| Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala |
45 |
| Air Force Academy, Hyderabad |
32 |
| Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) SSC Men |
225 |
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai SSC Women |
15 |
| Total |
418 |
Related Links:
Commonly asked questions
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 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 Vacancy 2026: Important Points
Candidates can check below a few important points related to CDS 2026 vacancy:
- Candidates are required to indicate in the respective column of the CDS application form the services they wish to apply
- Male candidates can give as many preferences for services
- Women candidates are only eligible for the Officers' Training Academy (OTA)
- Male candidates competing for Short Service Commission (Army) should indicate OTA as the only choice
- Male candidates applying for the Short Service Commission Course at OTA as well as the Permanent Commission course at IMA, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, should indicate OTA as their last preference
- Candidates who wish to join the Air Force Academy must indicate AFA as their first choice
- No change of choice once entered by candidates in the application form of CDS will be allowed
Other Defence Exam Vacancies
| NDA Vacancies | AFCAT Vacancies |
Commonly asked questions
The CDS selection process consists of two stages: a written exam and an SSB interview. All candidates who qualify for the written exam are required to register themselves online on the Indian Army Recruiting within two weeks of the announcement of the written test result. After that, candidates are allotted SSB dates and centres.The SSB procedure has two-stage selection process—stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who clear stage I are permitted to appear for stage II. Stage I comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Tests (PP&DT). Stage II Comprises of an interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the conference.
Candidates can download the UPSC CDS 2026 recommended marks by the following manner:
- Visit at upsc.gov.in.
- Click on the CDS 2026 recommended marks link.
- Click on the PDF link.
- The marks PDF will appear on the screen.
- Download and save it for later use.
CDS Selection Process 2026
The CDS selection process for the recruitment of AFA, IMA, INA and Officers Training Academy posts exam will be conducted based on the several stages namely written exam, SSB interview and medical examination.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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 2026 Vacancies FAQs
Refer CDS Vacancies 2026 FAQs Here
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 weeks 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 4 weeks 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
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