CDS 1 Exam Cut off 2026 - Check Expected & Previous year Cutoff Marks
UPSC CDS Cut off 2026 - Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 1 cut off 2026 on the official website after the final round. The UPSC CDS 2026 cut off pdf will be available at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC CDS cut off is the minimum score a candidate must obtain in the CDS exam. The CDS cut off 2026 will be determined based on many factors like the the difficulty level of the exam, number of vacancies, number of candidates who have appeared and the final SSB interview. After the SSB Interview, a merit list will be prepared, and the final UPSC CDS result will be available to candidates on the UPSC website.
Factors Affecting the CDS Cut off 2026
This Story also Contains
- CDS 2025 Expected Cut-Off
- CDS Result 2026
- CDS Answer Key 2026
Several factors affect the UPSC CDS cut off 2026. Candidates can check the factors affecting the cut off of CDS 2 exam below.
Number of applicants
Number of vacancies
Difficulty level
Previous year CDS Cutoff trends
Quick links:
How To Check CDS Cut off 2026?
Step 1: Visit the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in.
Step 2: Click on the examination tab and select cut off marks from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Select CDS 1 cut off 2026 from the list.
Step 4: Download the CDS 2026 cutoff PDF for future reference.
Stages of CDS Cut off 2026
Union Public Service Commission will release the CDS 1 cut off for written exam and final cut off. For more details regarding the CDS cut off, candidates can check the below mentioned stages.
CDS Cut off 2026 - Written Exam
The written UPSC CDS 1 2026 is the first stage of the CDS exam. Candidates appearing for the exam must score equal to or more than the CDS 1 qualifying marks to qualify for the next stage. The minimum cut off marks for CDS 2026 will be 20% in all three papers. The written exam of CDS 1 2026 comprises three papers while candidates appearing for OTA have to appear for only two CDS papers.
CDS Cut off 2026 - Final Merit List
The final merit list of CDS 2026 will be released based on the performance of candidates in the CDS 2026 written exam, SSB interview, and medical exam. Candidates who clear the CDS written exam 2026 will be called for an SSB interview and medical examination. After qualifying in all these stages they will be recruited to the vacant posts as released by UPSC.
CDS 2025 Expected Cut-Off
CDS levels | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff |
AFA | 132-135 | 130-135 |
IMA | 118-121 | 120-123 |
INA | 109-112 | 108-111 |
CDS OTA Cut Off 2025 (Expected)
CDS levels | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff | CDS 2 2025 Expected cutoff |
OTA (female) | 81-84 | 80-83 |
OTA (male) | 81-84 | 82-85 |
Previous Years' CDS Cut off
Candidates can check the CDS previous year's cut off mark to check the past year's trends. With the help of the previous year's CDS 2 cut off marks, candidates can check the expected cut off and safe scores to qualify for the exam. For more details of CDS total marks and cut off, refer to the table given below.
CDS 1 2024 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 120 (out of 300 marks) | 244 (out of 600 marks) |
INA | 100 (out of 300 marks) | 230 (out of 600 marks) |
AFA | 128 (out of 300 marks) | 250 (out of 600 marks) |
OTA (Men) | 87 (out of 200 marks) | 168 (out of 400 marks) |
OTA(Women) | 87 (out of 200 marks) | 168 (out of 400 marks) |
CDS 2 2023 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 127 marks (out of 300) | 250 (out of 600) |
INA | 110 marks (out of 300) | 237 (out of 600) |
AFA | 136 marks (out of 300) | 259 (out of 600) |
OTA (Men) | 104 marks (out of 200) | 185 (out of 400 |
OTA(Women) | 104 marks (out of 200) | 188 (out of 400) |
CDS 1 2023 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 132 | 257 |
INA | 122 | 247 |
AFA | 142 | 266 |
OTA (Men) | 101 | 181 |
OTA(Women) | 101 | 184 |
CDS 2 2022 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 126 | 249 |
INA | 118 | 248 |
AFA | 136 | 258 |
OTA (Men) | 98 | 180 |
OTA(Women) | 98 | 179 |
CDS 1 2022 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 136 | 258 |
INA | 128 | 256 |
AFA | 147 | 269 |
OTA (Men) | 100 | 181 |
OTA(Women) | 100 | 184 |
CDS 2 2021 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 138 | 263 |
INA | 132 | 256 |
AFA | 148 | 270 |
OTA (Men) | 102 | 183 |
OTA(Women) | 102 | 184 |
Note: *Subject to a minimum of 20% marks in each CDS paper.
CDS 1 2021 cut off
Academy | Written Exam | Final Exam |
Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate* | Marks of last recommended candidate | |
IMA | 145 | 268 |
INA | 136 | 260 |
AFA | 158 | 281 |
OTA (Men) | 107 | 189 |
OTA(Women) | 107 | 191 |
Note: *Subject to a minimum of 20% marks in each paper.
Quick links:
CDS Result 2026
The Union Public Service Commission releases the CDS 1 2026 result at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC CDS result 2026 will be released in PDF format having names and roll numbers of all the qualified candidates. Candidates need to obtain marks equivalent to the CDS cut off to qualify for further stages. Candidates who get shortlisted in the CDS result 2025 are called for an SSB interview. Qualified candidates from SSB will be called for a Medical examination.
Quick links:
CDS Answer Key 2026
The CDS exam conducting authority release the CDS 1 2025 answer key after the conclusion of the selection process. The CDS exam 2025 answer key will be released for all the sets of CDS question papers. Some coaching institutes also release the CDS 1 2025 answer key right after the examination. With the help of the answer key, candidates can check the answer key to calculate their estimated score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The CDS Full Form is Combined Defence Services exam.
The CDS selection process 2026 comprises of a written exam, SSB interview and medical examination.
Going by the previous year cut off trends, a good score in IMA is 255+, in INA it is 240+, in AFA it is 270+ while in OTA men and women it is 175+ and 178+ respectively.
To check the CDS results, candidates must visit the official website.
Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CDS 2026 cut off on their official website.
Candidates will be able to get the CDS cut off 2026 on the official website after completion of the written exam. The CDS cut off subject-wise can be found online on the official website.
yes, the commission releases the CDS 2 cut off 2026 after the recruitment process is over.
Questions related to CDS
On Question asked by student community
Dear Candidate,
If your 10th marks are below the minimum eligibility required for Army GD, you may apply for the 10th marks improvement examination, if permitted by your board. After successfully improving your marks and obtaining the revised marksheet, you can use it for future recruitment, provided it is accepted
Hey there,
If your date of birth is 2 July 2006, you are likely to be eligible for the 2027 Agniveer Army recruitment, provided you meet the age limit mentioned in the official notification. Eligibility is decided based on the recruitment year's prescribed age criteria, so check the official notification
Hello Dear Student,
Born on January 11, 2008, you will turn 22 in 2030. You will have
0 CDS attempts left
for permanent commission academies (IMA/AFA/INA). However, you will have exactly
4 attempts
for the Officers Training Academy (OTA), which you can utilize across your final year of graduation and
Dear Student,
If you want to give the CDS 1 2027 exam, the age limit varies depending on the specific academy you are applying for. The minimum age is 19 years. For Officers' Training Academy, the age limit is 19 to 25 years.
Read more at : CDS Eligibility Criteria
Hello, to prepare for the CDS exam, focus on the exam pattern, syllabus, and regular practice of previous years' papers and mock tests. Make a study plan and revise important topics regularly.
For more information about the CDS exam, you can check this link: CDS Exam Pattern