CDS Application Form- Apply online from Aug 9

What is unique about the exam? All the disheartened ones, who could not clear it in the first attempt get a second chance to appear for it within the same year. CDS is conducted twice a year which increases your chances to go closer to your dream. Analyse your mistakes in the first attempt carefully and improve them before appearing for CDS (II).

UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is the conducting body of CDS every year. The written exam tests the General Knowledge, English and Mathematics of the candidate. To appear for the exam, one needs to fill and submit CDS Application Form in the stipulated time. No Application, No Exam!

After clearing the exam, you enter the most challenging stage of the exam- Interview. SSB (Service Selection Board) will keep their eyes on extracting the candidates suitable for a career in Indian Army, Navy or Air Force. This lasts for a week wherein candidates undergo various psychological and physical tests to ascertain if they are eligible for the post or not.

Armed forces offer very exciting career to young men and women in several fields. Career in the force is also an adventure in itself. To ensure that appropriate candidates are chosen, a comprehensive selection process is adopted by the armed forces through Service Selection Board (SSB) interview.

This system of selection is based on the “trait theory” of leadership which assumes that every leader must have some specific and pre-determined leadership traits. It also presumes that such traits can be acquired by a candidate with the passage of time meaning thereby that a person once rejected in an SSB interview is likely to succeed if he acquires some of the traits with the passage of time.

How to fill CDS Application Form?

The initial step to pursue your career in defence requires registration for the online exam on the official website of UPSC. The conducting body initially releases a notification which includes the dates or information of the changes drafted and concluded this year.

One must carefully go through the notification and instructions mentioned to avoid the probable errors in CDS Application form. It is a mandate to submit a correct application to appear for the exam. Avoid making careless mistakes in the form to avoid discrepancies in the further process. Also, consider the eligibility rules mentioned by UPSC as they can be verified at any stage of the exam. The steps to fill the form include Registration, application fee payment, uploading images and submission.

UPSC is open to applications from both male and female unmarried candidates. However, female candidates are eligible to apply for OTA only. Here is a quick guide to fill the form for CDS:

• Registration and Form Filling- Visit upsc.gov.in. Open the part I of the application and read the instructions carefully to avoid errors. Follow the link to the application form and fill the first part of CDS Application form correctly. Mention correct personal, qualifications and address details. Click on continue post verification to move to the next step.
• Fee Payment: Click on Part 2 Registration and you are redirected to the payment page. Pay the application fee through online mode. It is applicable only for the male candidates from general category while all other category candidates are exempted from the same. Select your preferred center from the drop down and proceed to the next step by clicking Continue.
• Uploading Images: Upload the images (JPEG format) of a recent passport size photo and signature with file size ranging from 3kb-40kb. After verifying it, click on Continue to move to the last step. Accept the declaration and print the filled application form.

Reasons Why your CDS Application Form Can be Rejected

CDS Application form forms the stepping stones towards your career in defence. Your services to the nation rely on how responsibly you submit the application for the exam. We tend to make errors while filling the form which must be avoided as it can lead to rejection of the submitted application.

Online applications for any examinations are followed by errors but it is a mandate to promote digitization in the country. One must avoid making errors and learn to fill the form online from an online tutorial or by understanding each step carefully from Collegedunia.com.

Nonetheless, there are so many applications which are rejected due to an issue in the way they were submitted online. Candidates must fill the application carefully which in turn will reduce the chances of the applications being rejected.

As per the UPSC, major rejections of the application happen due to the following reasons:

• Photo Attached Incorrectly: Candidate does not attach a good quality of the photograph along with the application which leads to rejection. Read and follow the specifications of the photograph to avoid such discrepancies.
• Incorrect Signature: Again, the application can be rejected because of bad quality of the submitted signature. One must carefully check the quality and also, verify the specifications before submission.
• Incorrect Uploading: There are times when the applicant swaps the attachment of the photograph with that of the signature. This can be termed as one of the careless mistakes while filling the form but one must utmost care while uploading the images. Read carefully and choose the correct file to upload.
• Missing Images: Some applications are rejected due to submission of photograph only, i.e. no signature submitted or photograph submitted at the place of signature as well. The vice versa is also true. Some applications are rejected due to submission of signature only i.e. no photograph submitted or signature submitted at the place of signature as well.
• Incomplete submission: Since CDS Application form is in different pats- part I and Part II, candidates must carefully check if both the forms are attached together before submission. The form remains incomplete in case any one of the two parts is missing.
• Multiple Forms: Due to few reasons, some applicants feel the need to submit multiple applications for the examination, however fee deposited against a particular application is mentioned for other application having different RID. Submit a completely filled form with authentic and correct information in time to avoid rejection.
• No Proof of Payment: Many a times the application is rejected due to no submission of payment proof to the Commission within specified time in case of fictitious payment. Attach the payment receipt with the application form of CDS to avoid the rejection

Drop in the number of application for CDS this year

As heard lastly from UPSC, the applications for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination have dropped by a third from last year to a four-year low.  Data from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the biannual written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy, shows that 183,884 applications were received last month compared with 274,835 in October 2016. The commission had been receiving, on average, 2 235,000 applications for every examination held since 2013, data shows.  The decline in applications is sizeable only for CDS and no other examination conducted by the commission, said an official who did not wish to be named. Each year about 40% of applicants do not turn up for the examination, the official said.  “There is no cogent reasoning to explain the significant dip in the applications received (for CDS) this year. Depending on the rise in population and unemployment, the number of students applying for exam(s) only tends to increase,” the official said.  In 2013, the CDS exam held in the first half of the year received 208,270 applications. The number dipped to 201,603 in the second half.  The following year, it was 241,392 in February and 244,911 in October. In 2015, the applications rose to 255,697 and 242,177, respectively. In February last year, UPSC had received 235,156 applications.