UPSC CDS II Recruitment 2026 – Exam Schedule Released for 451 Posts

The Union Pub­lic Ser­vice Com­mis­sion (UPSC) has released the noti­fi­ca­tion for the Com­bined Defence Ser­vices (CDS) Exam­i­na­tion II 2026. The exam­i­na­tion is con­duct­ed for admis­sion to var­i­ous defence train­ing acad­e­mies, includ­ing the Indi­an Mil­i­tary Acad­e­my (IMA), Indi­an Naval Acad­e­my (INA), Air Force Acad­e­my and Offi­cers Train­ing Acad­e­my (OTA).

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The online appli­ca­tion process was con­duct­ed from 20 May 2026 to 11 June 2026. Can­di­dates who suc­cess­ful­ly sub­mit­ted their appli­ca­tions should note that the UPSC CDS II 2026 exam­i­na­tion is sched­uled for 13 Sep­tem­ber 2026.

A total of 451 vacan­cies have been announced. Can­di­dates should care­ful­ly read the offi­cial noti­fi­ca­tion for com­plete infor­ma­tion about edu­ca­tion­al qual­i­fi­ca­tion, age lim­it, vacan­cy details, selec­tion process, exam­i­na­tion pat­tern and oth­er requirements.

UPSC CDS II 2026 – Overview

UPSC CDS II 2026 Important Dates

Application Fee

The exam­i­na­tion fee can be paid through Deb­it Card, Cred­it Card, Net Bank­ing or the pre­scribed E‑Challan facil­i­ty.

UPSC CDS II Eligibility 2026

Edu­ca­tion­al qual­i­fi­ca­tion depends on the acad­e­my for which the can­di­date is applying.

Indian Military Academy (IMA) & Officers Training Academy (OTA)

• Bachelor’s Degree in any stream from a rec­og­nized uni­ver­si­ty or institution.

Indian Naval Academy (INA)

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engi­neer­ing from a rec­og­nized institution.

Air Force Academy

• Bachelor’s Degree in any stream with Physics and Math­e­mat­ics at the 10+2 lev­el, or the required engi­neer­ing qual­i­fi­ca­tion as pre­scribed by UPSC.

Can­di­dates should check the offi­cial noti­fi­ca­tion for detailed qual­i­fi­ca­tion require­ments and oth­er eli­gi­bil­i­ty conditions.

UPSC CDS II Age Limit

Age will be con­sid­ered as on 01 July 2027.

• Min­i­mum Age: 20 Years
• Max­i­mum Age: 24 Years

The exact age require­ment may vary accord­ing to the academy/post. Can­di­dates should read the offi­cial CDS II 2026 noti­fi­ca­tion for post-wise age cri­te­ria and applic­a­ble relaxation.

UPSC CDS II Vacancy 2026 – 451 Posts

The CDS II 2026 recruit­ment has announced 451 vacan­cies across four major defence academies.

UPSC CDS II Selection Process

The selec­tion process gen­er­al­ly con­sists of:

1. Writ­ten Examination
2. SSB Inter­view / Per­son­al­i­ty Test
3. Med­ical Examination
4. Final Mer­it List

Can­di­dates must qual­i­fy in the applic­a­ble stages to be con­sid­ered for admis­sion to the respec­tive defence academy.

UPSC CDS II Exam Schedule 2026

The UPSC Com­bined Defence Ser­vices Exam­i­na­tion II 2026 is sched­uled for 13 Sep­tem­ber 2026.

Can­di­dates should down­load their admit card before the exam­i­na­tion and care­ful­ly verify:

• Exam­i­na­tion date
• Exam cen­tre
• Report­ing time
• Can­di­date details
• Impor­tant exam­i­na­tion instructions

How to Apply for UPSC CDS II Recruitment 2026

The online appli­ca­tion process has already been com­plet­ed. Can­di­dates who sub­mit­ted their forms suc­cess­ful­ly should now focus on their exam­i­na­tion preparation.

For UPSC recruit­ment appli­ca­tions, can­di­dates gen­er­al­ly need to:

1. Com­plete the required UPSC One Time Reg­is­tra­tion (OTR).
2. Log in to the UPSC appli­ca­tion portal.
3. Select the CDS II Exam­i­na­tion 2026.
4. Enter per­son­al and edu­ca­tion­al information.
5. Upload the required pho­to­graph and documents.
6. Pay the applic­a­ble exam­i­na­tion fee.
7. Check all infor­ma­tion care­ful­ly before submission.
8. Sub­mit the appli­ca­tion form.
9. Down­load and save the final appli­ca­tion confirmation.

Important Instructions for Candidates

• Check the UPSC CDS II exam­i­na­tion sched­ule regularly.
• Down­load the admit card as soon as it is released.
• Ver­i­fy all details print­ed on the admit card.
• Car­ry valid pho­to ID and oth­er required doc­u­ments to the exam­i­na­tion centre.
• Fol­low the report­ing time and exam­i­na­tion-cen­tre instructions.
• Keep your reg­is­tra­tion and appli­ca­tion details safe.
• Pre­pare accord­ing to the offi­cial CDS II syl­labus and exam­i­na­tion pattern.

Useful Links

Down­load CDS II Exam Sched­ule: Click Here

Apply Online: Click Here

Down­load Noti­fi­ca­tion: Click Here

Offi­cial Web­site: Click Here