Combined Defence Services Examination
| Acronym | CDS |
|---|---|
| Type | Paper-based |
| Administrator | Union Public Service Commission |
| Skills tested | English, general knowledge, elementary mathematics |
| Purpose | Recruiting officer cadets for Indian Armed Forces |
| Duration | 6 hours 4 hours (OTA) |
| Score range | 0 - 300 0 - 200 (OTA) |
| Offered | Twice a year |
| Restrictions on attempts | unlimited |
| Regions | India |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | 1,000,000+ |
| Prerequisites | Graduation |
| Fee | ₹200 (US$2.40) |
| Used by | IMA, OTA, AFA and, INA |
| Qualification rate | 0.1% |
The Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) is a standardised test conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment of officer cadets in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Indian Naval Academy (INA).