Union Public Service Commission conducts Combined Defence Services CDS Examination twice a year for recruiting officers in Indian Army Navy and Air Force. UPSC CDS II 2025 has 457 vacancies across Indian Military Academy IMA Indian Naval Academy INA Air Force Academy AFA and Officers Training Academy OTA for men and women. ## Academy Wise Vacancies Indian Military Academy Dehradun has 100 vacancies for 162nd Course to train Army officers. Cadets undergo rigorous military training for 1 year and are commissioned as Lieutenants. Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala Kerala has 32 vacancies for B Tech course. Naval cadets get 4 years engineering training plus naval training and join as Sub Lieutenants in Indian Navy. Air Force Academy Hyderabad has 32 vacancies for No 218 F P Course. Cadets get flying training and technical education to become Flying Officers in Indian Air Force. Officers Training Academy Chennai has 175 vacancies for 120th SSC Short Service Commission course for men. For women OTA has 18 vacancies in 30th SSC Women course. OTA trains officers for 49 weeks and commissions them as Lieutenants in non technical branches of Army. ## Educational Qualification For IMA any bachelor degree is acceptable. For INA engineering degree B E or B Tech is required or candidate should be in final year of engineering. For AFA degree with Physics and Mathematics at 10 plus 2 level or engineering degree B E B Tech. For OTA men and women any bachelor degree from recognized university. Candidates in final year of degree can also apply provided they produce proof of passing before joining training. ## Age Limit and Gender For IMA candidates must be between 19 to 24 years as on 01-07-2025. Male candidates only and unmarried. For INA age is 19 to 22 years male unmarried. For AFA age is 20 to 24 years male or female candidates unmarried. For OTA men age is 19 to 25 years married or unmarried. For OTA women age is 19 to 25 years married or unmarried allowed. ## Physical Standards Height minimum for male candidates is 157 cm for Army 157 cm for Navy and 162.5 cm for Air Force. For female candidates minimum height is 152 cm. Weight should be proportionate to height and age. Chest for males minimum 81 cm with 5 cm expansion. Vision standards are important especially for Air Force where 6 by 6 vision is required. Correction through glasses is allowed in Army and Navy but not in flying branch. Color blindness disqualifies for all services. Overall good physical and mental fitness is mandatory. ## Two Stage Selection First stage is Written Examination conducted by UPSC. For IMA INA AFA candidates have to appear in three papers. English paper 100 marks 2 hours duration tests grammar vocabulary and comprehension. General Knowledge paper 100 marks 2 hours covers current affairs history geography polity economy science etc. Elementary Mathematics paper 100 marks 2 hours includes arithmetic algebra geometry trigonometry statistics. Total 300 marks. For OTA candidates only English and General Knowledge papers totaling 200 marks. No negative marking in written exam. Second stage is Services Selection Board SSB Interview which is conducted over 5 days at various selection centers located at Allahabad Bhopal Bangalore Mysore Kapurthala. Stage 1 of SSB has Officer Intelligence Rating OIR test and Picture Perception and Discussion Test PPDT. Candidates clearing stage 1 proceed to stage 2 which includes Psychology tests like Thematic Apperception Test TAT Word Association Test WAT Situation Reaction Test SRT. Group Testing Officer GTO conducts outdoor group tasks like group discussion command task progressive group task etc. Personal Interview by interviewing officer. Conference where all assessors collectively evaluate the candidate. Final recommendation is given by the board. ## Medical Examination Candidates recommended by SSB undergo detailed medical examination at designated Military Hospitals. All body systems are checked including cardiovascular respiratory nervous musculoskeletal etc. Vision hearing dental examination. Blood tests urine tests X ray ECG sonography. Any medical condition that can affect performance in military service leads to rejection. Medical standards are stringent and strictly enforced. Only medically fit candidates are allowed to join training. ## Salary and Allowances After commissioning as Lieutenant in Army Navy or Air Force the basic pay is Rs 56,100 per month under Pay Level 10. Military Service Pay MSP of Rs 15,500 per month is additional. Dearness Allowance DA is as per central government rates. For Air Force officers there is Flying Allowance of Rs 25,000 per month for those in flying duties. Free furnished accommodation or House Rent Allowance. Free rations or ration money allowance. Uniform and kit maintenance allowance. Medical facilities under ECHS for self and family including parents. Total monthly salary package is approximately Rs 80,000 to Rs 1,00,000 at entry level. Annual CTC is around Rs 12 to 15 lakh. ## Career Progression Lieutenant after 2 years of service is promoted to Captain with higher pay. After 6 years becomes Major. After 13 years of exemplary service Lt Colonel. Then Colonel Brigadier Major General Lieutenant General and General are the ranks. Top position in Army is Chief of Army Staff a four star General. In Navy Chief of Naval Staff is Admiral. In Air Force Chief of Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal. Officers can serve up to 60 years age at top levels. Pension and retirement benefits are excellent with lifelong medical coverage under ECHS. ## Application Procedure Visit UPSC official website at upsc.gov.in. Click on online application for CDS II 2025 examination. Register Part I with basic details and photograph signature upload. Note the registration ID. Login again and fill Part II with detailed information about educational qualifications preferred service academy exam center etc. Pay application fee online through SBI Net Banking or by visiting SBI branch with system generated pay in slip. General and OBC candidates pay Rs 200. SC ST female candidates and sons of JCO NCO OR are exempted from fee. After successful payment submit the application and download admit card when released.