All you need to know about the UPSC CDS exam

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The "Combined Defence Services" Examination commonly referred to as CDS is conducted two times a year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment into the wings of Indian Military Academy, officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy. This exam is greatly esteemed and revered for the posts which are assigned to the recruited candidates.

Armed forces offer exhilarating career prospects to young men and women in a number of fields. Career in the armed forces, besides being a successful career, is also an adventure in itself. Every day in the force is like breathing the air of satisfaction and self-pride for having the chance to serve one's country.

General Notice: The announcement for the examination is generally released in the months of October and June in all major national dailies, and the examinations are conducted in the months of February and November respectively.

Eligibility:  Only unmarried graduates are eligible to write the exam.

The entrance for Central Defence Services comprises of a Written Exam followed by and Intelligence and Personality Test. The written part comprises of English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics questions. The candidates who qualify the written test appear before the Services Selection Board (SSB) for the subsequent Intelligence and Personality Test.

It is notable that the candidates for the Air Force wing and Naval Aviation are also supposed to undergo a Pilot Aptitude Test.

To make certain that suitable candidates are chosen, a broad selection process is adopted by the armed forces through Service Selection Board (SSB) through the process of interview. The process of selection into the force is based upon the "trait theory" of leadership which supposes that every person in charge must have some explicit and pre-determined leadership traits.

The SSB holds the view that such leadership traits can be attained by a candidate with the due course of time implying in a way that a person once rejected in an SSB interview is probable to succeed if he/she acquires the essential traits with the passage of time. The present system of selection of candidates is quite long and takes four to five days, thus it is based on an aimed assessment of each candidate wherein the qualities like inventiveness, watchfulness, judgement, valour, physical fitness endurance, teamwork, group planning, determination, knowledge and similar qualities are assessed.  In addition to these grilling personality tests, psychological and mental sturdiness of the candidate, which are the essential requirements of the Armed Forces are judged and finally an overall evaluation of the personality of a candidate is completed by the way of a comprehensive personal interview.

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Successful candidates are admitted into the respective Academies after an interview conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB).

Final Selection: Qualified applicants are then positioned in the final order of their merits on the basis of entire marks secured by them in the written examination and the Services Selection Board Tests in total.

The final selection for entrance in the forces is made by the order of merit depending on the number of posts available in each department.