UPSC CDS I 2025 Exam - Exam Date (April 13), Registration (Closed), Admit Card (OUT), Pattern, Syllabus, Sample Papers, Results, Cutoff

UPSC CDS I 2025 exam will be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission on April 13, 2025. The UPSC CDS 1 Admit Card 2025 is available for download now as the Union Public Service Commission released the CDS Admit Card 2025 on April 3, 2025.

The UPSC CDS notification was released on December 11, 2024. The application form for the CDS 1 2025 exam was closed on January 1, 2025. Students who wish to appear for the CDS 1 exam in 2025 will be able to access the direct link to the CDS admit card on our website.

The UPSC CDS exam 2025, also known as the UPSC Combined Defence Services examination, is conducted on a national level to recruit aspiring applicants for various positions in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The CDS exam is usually conducted in April and September. UPSC has released the CDS 2025 calendar, and students can now check the exam dates on their official website. The UPSC CDS selection process will consist of two stages: a written examination and the SSB interview round.

Students can apply for UPSC CDS through the UPSC CDS application form 2025 available on the official website of the conducting authority. The CDS 2 2025 exam notification will be released by the Union Public Service Commission on May 28, 2025. Students looking forward to applying for the UPSC CDS 2025 exam should keep an eye out for the latest news and notifications through the official website at upsc.gov.in. To know more about the UPSC CDS exam, scroll through this article to check out the detailed UPSC CDS exam pattern, syllabus, eligibility, notification, and more.

Check out the major highlights of the UPSC CDS 2025 exam given below:

Check out the important dates of the UPSC CDS 2025 exam in the table attached below:

UPSC CDS 1 2025

Here are the important exam dates for the UPSC CDS 1 exam 2025:

 UPSC CDS 2 2025

Here are the important exam dates for the UPSC CDS 2 exam 2025:

UPSC has released the UPSC CDS Admit Card 2025 on its official website. Students are advised to carry a printout of the admit card to the examination center along with them. To access the admit card, students must visit the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in to download their admit card for CDS 2025. Once you have downloaded the admit card, check all your details and contact the authorities immediately if you find any discrepancies. You can contact UPSC through their official email ID. Mentioned below is a list of the details that will be mentioned on your CDS Admit Card 2025:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Photograph
• Registration Number
• Name of Exam Centre
• Date of Exam
• Reporting Time

If you find any issue in downloading your CDS admit card, then you can contact the concerned authorities by their mail ID or contact number.

The Union Public Service Commission releases the official answer key for the CDS exam every year. Students should stay updated with the official website to be aware of the latest updates, news, etc. The commission releases the answer key right after the exam has been conducted successfully. With the help of the UPSC CDS 2025 Answer Key, students get the power to analyze their performance in the exam and make a rough estimate of their total score. Students will be able to download the official answer key that will be made available on the official website at upsc.gov.in.

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 2025 Result on their official website in the last week of July (tentative). Applicants will be able to access their UPSC CDS Results for 2025 by logging in to upsc.gov.in with their login credentials. The commission announces the UPCS CDS results by releasing a PDF file that carries the names and roll numbers of all applicants who qualify for the written examination and the interview round. This PDF file will also carry details such as the total marks obtained by an applicant in the written exam as well as the SSB interview round.

The UPSC CDS 2025 Cutoff will be released after the declaration of the CDS result. The tentative cut-off for the CDS exam 2025 has been provided in the table attached below:

The UPSC CDS exam is conducted across the country in more than 70 cities. Applicants will be allocated exam centers on a first-come, first-serve basis:

Before appearing for the UPCS CDS examination, all applicants are advised to skim through the eligibility for the CDS exam beforehand. Check out the detailed UPSC CDS 2025 eligibility criteria discussed below:

UPCS CDS Exam Nationality

Eligibility for the CDS exam requires applicants to be unmarried. Check out the detailed eligibility criteria for the nationality requirements here:

• A Citizen of India, or
• A Subject of Bhutan, or
• A Subject of Nepal, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January 1962 to permanently settle in India, or
• 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 or Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India.

UPSC CDS Exam Education Qualification

Check out the educational requirements as stated in the eligibility criteria for the CDS exam in the table attached below:

CDS Exam Age Limit

Check out the age limit as prescribed by the conducting authorities for the UPSC CDS exam here:

Students interested in applying for the UPSC CDS 2025 exam must be aware of the UPSC CDS application process. The application form for CDS 2025 is divided into Part I and Part II. Mentioned below are the steps that you can follow to fill out the CDS application form 2025:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the Union Public Services Exam or UPSC - upsc.gov.in.

Step 2: Here, you will find the option for the application form, click on that.

Step 3: Click on new registration and complete the registration process.

Step 4: You will receive the registration number and password in your email.

Step 5: Log in using your credentials and click on "Apply Now".

Step 6: You will now be required to fill in your personal and academic details in the application form.

Step 7: Upload a recent photograph and scanned copy of your signature.

Step 8: Choose the examination center and proceed with filling out the application form.

Step 9: Please check the details once again before submitting the form, as no correction is allowed once the application has been submitted.

Step 10: Proceed with the application fee payment process and pay your application fees online through any provided options.

Step 11: After successful fee payment, save a soft copy of the application form along with the fee payment receipt for future reference.

To ace your UPSC CDS preparation, students must be aware of the UPSC CDS 2025 syllabus in detail. Under the syllabus, students will be required to answer questions from subjects such as English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge. Check out the CDS syllabus here: 

UPSC CDS Syllabus for English Paper

Following are the topics that are covered in English paper:

• Spotting Errors Questions
• Sentence Arrangement Questions
• Synonyms & Antonyms
• Selecting Words
• Ordering of Sentence
• Comprehension Questions
• Ordering of words in a sentence
• Fill in the blanks questions
• Idioms and Phrases

UPSC CDS Syllabus for Elementary Mathematics Paper

Following are the topics that are covered in Elementary Mathematics Paper:

• Elementary Number Theory
• Number System
• Elementary Number Theory
• Algebra
• Trignometry
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Statistics

UPSC CDS Syllabus for General Knowledge Paper

Following are the topics that are covered in General Knowledge Paper:

• Economics
• Physics
• Current Affairs
• Politics
• Chemistry
• Sociology
• History
• Defence-related Award
• Geography
• Environment
• Sport
• Biology
• Cultural

In order to prepare well for the UPSC CDS 2025 written exam, the aspirants have to be well aware of the marking scheme, exam pattern, and preparation tips which will play a major role in getting a strong command over the important topics. The UPSC CDS 2025 Preparation Tips encourage candidates to prepare a timetable and refer to the best available resources for effective preparation.

Preparation Tips for UPSC 2025 English Paper 

• To prepare for English, one can develop the habit of reading the newspaper regularly. Reading the newspaper improves not only one's vocabulary but also one's knowledge of the subject.

• One can refer to basic grammar books to clear the concepts.

• Try to learn a couple of new words on a daily basis. By doing this, a candidate will soon find that he/she is developing a good hold on the language.

• When a candidate starts learning new words, he/she should also try to learn their antonyms and synonyms and also how to use the words in sentences. Try solving previous year's question papers so that candidate has an idea of what to expect.

Preparation Tips for UPSC CDS 2025 General Knowledge Paper

• Read newspapers regularly and watch television for the latest happenings in and around the world.

• Read magazines that cover varied topics ranging from economy to business to trade policies to the latest awardees in the fields of sports, art, and literature. In short, just be aware of all the topics because questions can come from anywhere.

• Refer to past question papers and see the pattern of occurrence of the questions. That will give an idea as to which topics to concentrate on. 

Preparation Tips for UPSC CDS 2025 Elementary Mathematics Paper

• Revise all the topics thoroughly.

• First, the candidate must choose those topics in which they are strong. Later, they can move on to the difficult ones and try to practice as much as possible.

• Concentrate on having a clear concept of all the topics.

Preparation Tips for UPSC CDS Personal Interview: Intelligence and Personality Test Preparation Tips

• Concentrate and develop reasoning ability, written and oral expressions, self-confidence, courage, a positive and cheerful attitude.

• Train your mind to think clearly, rationally and logically.

• Try to improve the way you can influence people through logical arguments.

• Improve your communication skills.

• Try to have a very strong hold on the English language.

• Train yourself to respect your seniors and juniors.

• Develop a cooperative and responsible attitude, which will help in successfully carrying out teamwork.

• Improve your general awareness of national and international issues.

• Begin to think and behave like an officer.

Students looking forward to appearing for the CDS exam 2025 must be familiar with the UPSC CDS 2025 exam pattern. Check out the detailed exam pattern for the CDS exam 2025 as follows:

UPSC CDS Exam Pattern for IMA, INA, AFA

Check out the detailed exam pattern for the CDS exam in the table attached below:

CDS Exam Pattern for OTA

The detailed information on the number of vacancies is tabulated below. 

CDS (I) 2025 Vacancies

Those candidates who were a part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) during their college days and hold a “C” certificate in the same will be in an advantageous position in the UPSC CDS entrance exam in the following ways:

1. Can apply for the Special Entry Scheme (SES), i.e getting selected for the SSB (Interview) round without appearing in the written exam

2. Can get into IMA as a certain percentage of seats are reserved for NCC certificate holders (“C”)

3. Benefit in marks for those NCC “C” certificate holders who appears in the UPSC CDS written examination

CDS Books for English Language

CDS Books for General Knowledge 

 CDS Books for Mathematics

The Combined Defence Services examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission every year. This examination is conducted twice a year to recruit aspiring students for different positions in the Indian Navy, Army, and Air Force. UPSC is responsible for conducting Group A and Group B examinations. Some of the most popular exams conducted by UPSC include UPSC CSE (Civil Services Examination), UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services Examination), UPSC ESE (Engineering Services Examination), etc.