CDS 2 2026 Notification Out – PDF Download, 451 Vacancy, Exam Date & Apply Online

UPSC has officially released the CDS 2 2026 Notification on 20 May 2026 under Notice No. 11/2026-CDS-II. The notification announces 451 vacancies across Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA). Eligible graduate candidates can apply online at upsconline.nic.in from 20 May to 9 June 2026. The written exam is scheduled for 13 September 2026. Selected candidates will join courses commencing in July 2027 (IMA/INA/AFA) and October 2027 (OTA).

CDS 2 2026 Notification: Overview

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has officially released the CDS 2 2026 Notification on 20 May 2026 under Examination Notice No. 11/2026-CDS-II. This notification invites applications from eligible graduates seeking entry as commissioned officers into the Indian Armed Forces through the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026. A total of 451 vacancies have been announced across Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA) for both men and women. The written exam will be held on 13 September 2026.

CDS 2 2026 Notification PDF Download

The CDS 2 2026 Notification PDF (Notice No. 11/2026-CDS-II) has been officially released by UPSC on 20 May 2026. Candidates must read the complete notification PDF before filling the application form. No correction or alteration in the application form is allowed after submission, so understanding all instructions beforehand is critical.

CDS 2 2026 Notification PDF Download – Active Link

CDS 2 2026 Important Dates

All important dates for CDS 2 2026, as per the official notification, are listed below. Candidates must note that the application deadline is strict — no submission is accepted after 6:00 PM on 9 June 2026.

Important: No correction/alteration in any field of the Application Form is allowed after submission. The e-Admit Card will be issued on the last working day of the week preceding the examination date — no admit card will be sent by post or email.

CDS 2 2026 Exam Date

The CDS 2 2026 Written Exam is scheduled for 13 September 2026 (Sunday). The exam will be conducted in offline (pen-and-paper) mode at 41 centres across India. Candidates must report to the exam venue early, as entry is closed 30 minutes before the start of each session. Face authentication is mandatory at the exam venue.

CDS 2 2026 Exam Time Table (13 September 2026):

Note: OTA candidates appear in only two papers (English and General Knowledge). IMA, INA, and AFA candidates appear in all three papers including Elementary Mathematics.

CDS 2 2026 Vacancy

UPSC has announced a total of 451 vacancies for CDS 2 2026 across five courses in three defence academies. These vacancies are tentative and may be revised by Services HQ at any stage of the selection process.

CDS 2 2026 Vacancy – Academy-wise & Course-wise Breakup

CDS 2 2026 NCC 'C' Certificate Reservation Details

NCC Eligibility: Candidates must have served for not less than 3 academic years in the Senior Division (Army/Air/Naval Wing) of NCC and must not have been discharged from NCC for more than 24 months as on the application closing date. Proof of NCC 'C' Certificate must reach the respective HQ by 13 May 2027. If sufficient NCC holders are not available, unfilled reserved vacancies will be treated as unreserved.

CDS 2 2026 Apply Online

The CDS 2 2026 apply online link is currently active at upsconline.nic.in. The application window opened on 20 May 2026 and closes on 9 June 2026 at 6:00 PM. Only online applications are accepted — no other mode of submission is available. Applications cannot be withdrawn after submission.

CDS 2 2026 Apply Online – Active Link

How to Apply for CDS 2 2026

1. Visit the UPSC Online Portal: upsconline.nic.in

2. Complete Account Creation (one-time only — generates a Universal Registration Number/URN)

3. Fill the Universal Registration (URN) Profile — use Aadhaar Card as ID for seamless verification

4. Fill the Common Application Form (CAF) — upload a photograph (also capture a live photo) and signature (sign three times on white paper using black ink)

5. Fill the Examination Specific Module for CDS II 2026 — indicate service preference order (IMA/INA/AFA/OTA)

6. Pay the application fee (₹200 for General/OBC Male; NIL for Female/SC/ST)

7. Submit the form — no changes are allowed after submission

8. Note down the Application Number generated after submission

Helpdesk: For assistance during the application window (20 May – 9 June 2026), contact UPSC at 011-24041001 / 011-40303444 or email upscsoap@nic.in between 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM on working days.

CDS 2 2026 Application Fee

The application fee for CDS 2 2026 is among the most-searched aspects of this exam. Here is the complete fee structure:

Note: The application fee once paid is non-refundable under any circumstances. OBC and EWS male candidates are NOT exempted — they must pay ₹200.

CDS 2 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must meet all eligibility conditions before applying. Eligibility is verified against original documents only after the candidate qualifies for the SSB interview — however, if a candidate is found ineligible at any stage, their candidature is cancelled.

CDS 2 2026 Age Limit

Age limits for CDS 2 2026 vary by academy. All age calculations are based on 1 July 2027 (date of course commencement for IMA/INA/AFA) or 1 October 2027 (OTA):

Special AFA relaxation: For candidates holding a valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) issued by DGCA (India), the upper age limit for AFA is relaxable up to 26 years (born not earlier than 2 July 2001 and not later than 1 July 2007).

No age relaxation is available for any reserved category (SC/ST/OBC) in the CDS exam.

CDS 2 2026 Educational Qualification

For Final Year Students: Candidates in their final year of graduation can apply but must produce proof of passing the degree examination at the time of joining/SSB interview. Candidates with any present backlog up to the last semester/year are not eligible. The Commission may treat candidates without formal qualifications as eligible in exceptional cases if their standard justifies admission.

CDS 2 2026 Nationality

A candidate must be unmarried and satisfy one of the following nationality conditions:

• A Citizen of India, or

• A Subject of Nepal or Bhutan (Gorkha subjects of Nepal do not need an eligibility certificate), or

• A Tibetan Refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling, or

• A Person of Indian Origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia) or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

Candidates from categories other than Indian Citizens must possess a Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Government of India.

CDS Physical Standards

Candidates must be physically and medically fit as per standards prescribed by the respective service. The minimum height requirements are:

Vision Standards (AFA):

• Uncorrected without glass: 6/12

• Corrected with glass: 6/6

• Limits of Myopia: -1.5 D

• Limits of Hypermetropia: +1.5 D

Note: No specific physical test (running/PT) is conducted during the written exam stage. However, candidates must pass medical examination conducted after SSB interview. Candidates who are found medically unfit even after qualifying SSB are not inducted.

CDS 2 2026 Exam Centres

The CDS 2 2026 written examination will be conducted at 41 centres across India. Some major centres include:

Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Ajmer, Aligarh, Almora (Uttarakhand), Alwar, Ananthapuramu (Andhra Pradesh), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Bengaluru, Bareilly, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharwad, Dispur (Guwahati), Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kochi (Ernakulam), Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Udaipur, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam and others.

Important: Entry into the exam venue is closed 30 minutes before each session starts. Candidates appearing at any venue other than mentioned on their e-Admit Card will not be permitted. Face authentication is mandatory at the venue. Mobile phones, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, pen drives, and all electronic gadgets are strictly banned — disciplinary action including future exam ban may apply.

CDS 2 2026 Selection Process

The CDS 2 2026 selection process involves four stages:

Stage 1 – Written Exam: Held on 13 September 2026. Candidates qualifying the written exam are called for SSB.

Stage 2 – SSB Interview: Held at Services Selection Boards. SSB for IMA/INA/AFA candidates is scheduled for February–March 2027 and for OTA candidates April–June 2027. The SSB tests intelligence, personality, and officer-like qualities over 5 days.

Stage 3 – Document Verification: Original documents verified at the time of SSB or joining.

Stage 4 – Medical Examination: All SSB-recommended candidates undergo medical examination. Final selection is based on combined merit and medical fitness.

Preference-based allocation rules:

• Male candidates can indicate multiple preferences (IMA, INA, AFA, OTA) in order — OTA must always be listed last.

• AFA must be indicated as first choice (AFA as 2nd/3rd choice is invalid).

• Women candidates can apply only for OTA and must indicate OTA as the only choice.

• Left-over IMA/INA/AFA qualified candidates (who couldn't be inducted due to lack of vacancies) will be considered for SSC(NT)/OTA, even if they didn't indicate OTA preference, subject to vacancy availability.

CDS 2 2026 Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The CDS 2 2026 written exam is offline (OMR-based) with MCQ questions. Black ball pen only must be used for marking answers — pencil and ink pen are not permitted.

CDS 2 2026 Exam Pattern:

Negative Marking: There is negative marking for wrong answers. Candidates should avoid random guessing. The exact negative marking fraction is specified in Appendix II of the notification.

Answer Key Representation: After the exam, candidates can submit representations on question paper or provisional answer keys on the UPSC website within 5 days (from 3rd day of exam till 6:00 PM of the 7th day). No representation by email/post/hand will be accepted.

Syllabus Overview:

• English: Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, sentence correction, spotting errors, fill in the blanks, ordering of sentences.

• General Knowledge: Current events, history of India, geography, economics, polity, science and technology, general science.

• Elementary Mathematics: Number System, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics.

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