CDSE or Combined Service Examination is a written exam which is conducted twice every year, generally in the month of February and August. The notification for the exam comes in the month of December and June. This is one the modes for the graduates to choose defence as their career option.

Nationality:
(i) a Citizen of India, or
(ii) a subject of Bhutan, or
(iii) a subject of Nepal, or
(iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
(v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

A Student in that case given a certificate of eligibility which is necessary to admit the examination provisionally, subject to the certificate being given to him by the Govt. before the declaration of result by UPSC.

Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status:
Unmarried/upto 24 years.

Educational Qualifications:
(i) For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy- Degree of a recognized University or equivalent.
(ii) For Naval Academy–B.Sc.(with Physics and Mathematics) or Bachelor of Engineering.
(iii) For Air Force Academy-Degree of a recognized University(with Physics and Mathematics
at 10 +2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
Graduates with the first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are to submit proof of graduation provisional certificates on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at the SSB.
Candidates who are studying in the final year Degree course and have yet to pass the final yea degree examination can also apply but they will be required to submit proof of passing the degree examination.

Physical Standards:
Candidates must be physically fit according to physicals standards for admission to Combined Defence Services Examination as per guidelines.

1. The competitive examination comprises –

(a) Written examination as shown in Para 2 below:

(b) Interview for intelligence and personality test of such candidates as may be called for an interview at one of the Services Selection Centres.

2. The subjects of the written examination, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows.

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The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course, i.e., the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.

3.THE PAPERS IN ALL THE SUBJECTS WILL CONSIST OF OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS ONLY. The question papers (Test Booklets) of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.

4.In the question papers, wherever necessary, questions involving the metric system of Weights and Measures only will be set.

5.Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write answers for them.

6.The Commission have the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.

7.The candidates are not permitted to use a calculator for answering objective type papers(Test Booklets). They should not, therefore, bring the same inside the Examination Hall.

The standard of the papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation level.

The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University.

ENGLISH(Code No. 01):

The question paper will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and Workman-like use of words.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE(Code No. 02):

General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on History of India and Geography of nature which candidates should be able to answer without special study.

ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS(Code No. 03):

1) ARITHMETIC:

Number System-Natural numbers, Integers, Rational and Real numbers. Fundamental operations-addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, Square roots, Decimal fractions.

Unitary method-Time and distance, time and work, percentage-applications to simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion variation.

Elementary Number Theory-Division algorithm. Prime and composite numbers. Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11 Multiples and factors. Factorization Theorem. H.C.F. and L.C.M. Euclidean Algorithm. Logarithms to base 10 laws of logarithms, use of logarithmic tables.

2) ALGEBRA:

Basic Operations, Simple factors, Remainder Theorem, H.C.F., L.C.M. Theory of polynomials, solutions of quadratic equations, the relation between its roots and coefficient (Only real roots to be considered). Simultaneous linear equations have two unknowns-analytical and graphical solutions. Simultaneous linear in equations in two variables and their solutions. Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or in equations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable and their solutions. Set language and set notation, Rational expressions and conditional identities Laws of indices.

3) TRIGONOMETRY:  

Sine x, Cosine x, Tangent x when 00 < x < 900 Values of sin x, cos x and tan x, for x = 00, 300,450,600 and 900.

Simple trigonometric identities.

Use of trigonometric tables.

Simple cases of heights and distances.

4) GEOMETRY:

Lines and angles, Plane and plane figures, Theorems on

(i) Properties of angles at a point,
(ii) Parallel lines,
(iii) Sides and angles of a triangle,
(iv) Congruency of triangles,
(v) Similar triangles,
(vi) Concurrence of medians and altitudes,
(vii) Properties of angles, sides and diagonals of a parallelogram rectangle and square,
(viii) Circles and its properties including tangents and normal, (ix) Loci.

5) MENSURATION:

Areas of squares rectangles, parallelograms, triangle and circle. Areas of figures which can be split up into these figures (Field Book), Surface area and volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders, surface area and volume of spheres.

6) STATISTICS:

Collection and tabulation of statistical data, Graphical representation, frequency polygons, histograms, bar charts, pie charts etc. Measures of central tendency.

In addition to the interview, the candidates will be put to Intelligence Tests both verbal and non-verbal, designed to assess their basic intelligence. They will also be put to Group Tests such as group discussions, group planning, outdoor group discussions, group planning, outdoor group tasks, and asked to give brief lectures on specified subjects. All these tests are intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also his social traits and interests in current affairs.