UPSC Combined Defence Services CDS (I) 2015 exam on 15 February 2015

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

If you are young, courageous, patriotic and harbour a patriotic sentiment for India, then a career in the defense services would be a very good option for you! You can join the nation’s defence services after qualifying the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination.

The Combined Defence Services Examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) New Delhi twice every year in the months of February and September for recruitment to the officer cadre of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The finally selected candidates are sent to one of the following institutes for training:

a.     Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun

b.     Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala

c.      Air Force Academy, Begumpet, Hyderabad

d.     Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai

Candidates selected in the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy get permanent commission, however cadets passing out of Officers Training Academy get short service commission for 10 years. After 10 years of service. these SSC officers can either leave the service, ask for extension of four more years or ask for Permanent Commission (PC). Those seeking extension or PC are assessed by a board of officers and granted extension/PC, if found suitable.

Women candidates can apply only to the Officers Training Academy (OTA.) Male candidates can apply to all the four academies. You need to mention your preferences for the academy while filling up the application form.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality: Interested candidates must be citizens of India, Bhutan, Nepal or they may be:

·         a refugee from Tibet who has come to India before 1962

·         an Indian origin person migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam

 Other criteria to be fulfilled:

Attribute	Indian Military Academy	Indian Naval Academy	Air Force Academy	Officers Training Academy
Age	19-24 Years	19-22 Years	19-23 Years	19-25 Years
Marital Status	Unmarried	Unmarried	Unmarried	Married / Unmarried
Gender	Male	Male	Male	Male/ Female
Educational Qualification	Degree from a recognised University	B.E/ B.Tech or B.Sc (with Physics & Maths) from a recognised university or institution	B.E/ B.Tech or B.Sc (with Physics and/or Maths) from a recognised university or institution	Degree from a recognised University

Note: If you hold a valid "Commercial Pilot License" issued by DGCA, then your upper age limit is relaxed to 26 years for Air Force Academy.

Candidates appearing in the degree or equivalent examination are also eligible to compete for the Combined Defence Service (CDS) but would be required to submit the proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination by the date specified in the Commission’s Notification for the Examination.

Physical Standards - Candidates must be physically fit according to the Regulations specified in the UPSC's Notification for Examination.

Number of Vacancies available through Feruary 2015 exam: 464 posts

Name of Course	Number of Posts
Indian Military Academy	200
Indian Naval Academy	45
Air Force Academy	32
Officers Training Academy(Men)	175
Officers Training Academy	12

How to Apply:

Candidates need to apply online website for the CDS exam that is conducted by the UPSC. The last date to apply online is 5 December, 2014 (till 11.59 p.m.) You must submit only a single application

Candidates have to pay an application fee of Rs. 200 in any of the following ways:

·         Deposit money (cash) in any SBI branch

·         Use the netbanking facility of SBI/ State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/ State Bank of Hyderabad/ State Bank of Mysore/ State Bank of Patiala/ State Bank of Travancore

·         Use a Visa/ Master credit or debit card

However, female/ SC/ ST candidates don't need to pay any fee. OBC candidates need to pay the full fee.

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam Pattern & Syllabus

UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice a year annually. The exam pattern remains the same for CDS (I) exam as well as CDS (II) exam. The Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination comprises of the following stages:

Stages	Question Paper Pattern	Language of Question Paper	Duration	Marks
Stage I : Written examination	Objective Type Only	English / Hindi	2 hours each paper	100 for each paper
Stage II: Intelligence test & Interview by SSB				300/ 200

Written exam

The scheme of the CDS written exam (subject combination) is slightly different for admission to various academies:

	Indian Military Academy	Naval Academy	Air Force Academy	Officers Training Academy
Subjects	English	English	English	English
	General Knowledge	General Knowledge	General Knowledge	General Knowledge
	Elementary Mathematics	Elementary Mathematics	Elementary Mathematics

The total marks for CDS written exam for Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy & Air Force Academy will be 300 marks.

The total marks for CDS written exam for Officers' Training Academy will be 200 marks.

The standard of the paper in Elementary Mathematics will be of class 10 level. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University. The question papers for General Knowledge (GK) and Elementary Mathematics will be set in both Hindi and English.

Detailed Syllabus For Combined Defence Services (CDS) Written Examination
ENGLISH (CODE No. 01)

The question paper is designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and usage of words.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (Code No. 02)

General Knowledge includes knowledge of current events, history of India and Geography.
ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS (Code No. 03)

ARITHMETIC: Number System-Natural numbers, Integers, Rational and Real numbers. Fundamental operations-addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots, decimal fractions etc.

Unitary method- time and distance, time and work, percentages, applications to simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, variation etc.
Elementary Number Theory - Division algorithm. Prime and composite numbers. Tests of divisibility by 2,3,4,5,9 and 11. Multiples and factors. Factorisation Theorem. H.C.F. and L.C.M. Euclidean algorithm, Logarithms to base 10, laws of logarithms, use of logarithmic tables.

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

TRIGONOMETRY: Sine x, cosine x, Tangent x when 0 </= x </= 90 Values of sin x, cos x and tan x, for x = 0 , 30 , 45 , 60 and 90 Simple trigonometric identities. Use of trigonometric tables. Simple cases of heights and distances.

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 normals, (ix) Loci.
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.

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

SSB Interview

Candidates who qualify the written exam will have to appear before the Service Selection Board (SSB) for an interview (personality test.) You may have to appear in any of the 3 SSB centres in India: Allahabad, Bhopal or Bangalore.

The total marks for CDS written exam for Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy & Air Force Academy will be 300 marks.

The total marks for CDS written exam for Officers' Training Academy will be 200 marks.

Intelligence & Personality Test All the candidates who qualify the written examination will be called for an interview and put to intelligence tests (both verbal and non-verbal) which have been designed to assess the basic intelligence. You will also have to appear for group tests such as group discussions, group planning, outdoor group tasks, and asked to give brief lectures on Specified Topics. All these tests are intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms, this will be an assessment of your social traits, intellectual qualities and interests in current affairs.

Important Date:

Date of Notification: 8 November, 2014

Last date to fill online applications: 5 December, 2014 (up till 11.59 p.m.)

CDS (I) Examination Date: 15 February, 2015

Comments:
Examination Centres

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination held in following cities and towns:
Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bareilly, Bhopal, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Cuttack, Delhi, Dharwar, Dispur (Guwahati), Gangtok, Hyderabad, Imphal, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Jorhat, Kohima, Lucknow, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Port Blair, Raipur, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Tirupati, Trivandrum, Udaipur and Vishakhapatnam. The centres and the date of holding the examination are liable to be changed at the discretion of the Commission.

Note: Various concessions, like reservation in posts, are available for NCC cadets appearing in the examinations.

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