The Combined Defence Services exam is conducted twice a year by UPSC. These exams are held to shortlist promising and eligible candidates for the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Indian Air Force Academy, and Officer’s Training Academy. The commission has announced the 2023 CDS examination dates. The CDS 1 examination will be conducted on 6th April 2023. The official notification for the same will be released on 21st December 2022.

CDS Exam Cut Off 2022

A candidate must score the cut-off marks to be shortlisted for the next phase of the recruitment process. The CDS Exam Cut Off marks differ every year owing to various factors. The Cut-off is decided by considering different factors – candidates taking the exam, availability of seats, difficulty level of question paper, and others.

CDS 2022 Cut Off Dates

Events	Dates
CDS 1 examination	6th April 2023
Announcement of cut off marks	Sometime in May 2023 (tentative)

How to Check the CDS Exam Cut Off?

The Exam Commission will upload the CDS Exam Cut Off marks on their website after the exam process is over. The below-given steps will help you download the cut-off marks:

Step 1: Open the commission’s official website https://www.upsc.gov.in/

Step 2: On the homepage select the Examination tab

Step 3: Click on the link for CDS Cut-Off Marks.

Step 4: The different Cut-off links will be available on that page. Click on the cut-off you wish to check

Step 5: The cut-off will be visible on your screen

Step 6: Click on download and save it

CDS Expected Cut-off 2022

The expected CDS Exam Cut Off for 2022 is:

Academy	Written Examination	Final Examination
IMA	120-130	245-255
INA	105-120	233-245
AFA	145-150	268-270
OTA – Men	73-85	162-170
OTA – Women	74-85	164-170

Factors Influencing the CDS Exam Cut Off

CDS shortlists candidates according to their performance in the written examination followed by a five-day Psychological & Physical test in the three SSB’s in the country. The following factors are considered when deciding on the CDS Exam Cut Off

Number of seats
Number of Candidates sitting for the exam
Difficulty Level of the Exam
Previous years’ cut-offs

CDS Cut Off for Written Exam

Candidates must attain the minimum qualifying marks in each subject that is 20%
Candidates are required to secure the minimum aggregate cut-off marks to qualify the written exam
Candidates who qualify the written examination are sent for the SSB Round.

CDS Cut Off for SSB Interview

SSB Interview is held for the candidates who clear the written examination.

The SSB interview is a 2-stage selection process.

Stage 1: Officer Intelligence Rating tests and Picture Perception Description Test
Stage 2: Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference

To qualify for the SSB Interview, candidates must attain the minimum qualifying marks.

CDS Cut Off for the Final Selection

The Final cut-off is decided after considering the written exam result and the Interview marks.
It is decided based on the marks scored by the last recommended candidates.

Previous Years’ CDS Cut Off Marks

CDS 1 Cut-off 2021

Academy	Written examination – Minimum qualifying marks for each Subject	Written Examination – Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate	Final Exam – Marks of last recommended candidate
IMA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	145	268
INA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	136	260
AFA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	158	281
OTA – Men	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	107	189
OTA – Women	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	107	191

CDS 2 Cut off 2021

Academy	Written Result Minimum qualifying marks for each Subject	Written Result Minimum aggregate marks of last qualified candidate	Final Result Marks of last recommended candidate
IMA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	138 marks (i.e., 46 percent)	263
INA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	132 marks (i.e., 44 percent)	256
AFA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	148 marks (i.e., 49.33 percent)	270
OTA – Men	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	102 marks (i.e., 51 percent)	183
OTA – Women	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	102 marks (i.e., 51 percent)	184

CDS 1 Cut-Off 2020

Academy	Written examination – Minimum qualifying marks for each Subject	Written Examination – Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate	Final Exam – Marks of last recommended candidate
IMA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	130	250
INA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	118	242
AFA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	143	274
OTA – Men	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	93	173
OTA – Women	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	93	177

CDS 2 Official Cut off 2019

Academy	Written examination – Minimum qualifying marks for each Subject	Written Examination – Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate	Final Exam – Marks of last recommended candidate
IMA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	134 marks (i.e., 44.67 percent)	258
INA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	122 marks (i.e., 40.67 percent)	245
AFA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	148 marks (i.e., 49.33 percent)	272
OTA – Men	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	95 marks (i.e., 47.5 percent)	176
OTA – Women	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	95 marks (i.e., 47.5 percent)	179

CDS 1 Official Cut off 2019

Academy	Written examination – Minimum qualifying marks for each Subject	Written Examination – Aggregate marks of last qualified candidate	Final Exam – Marks of last recommended candidate
IMA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	116	242
INA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	105	233
AFA	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	129	264
OTA – Men	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	78	160
OTA – Women	20 marks (i.e., 20 percent)	78	162

Conclusion:

If you wish to take the CDS examination, the CDS Exam Cut Off will be helpful to you in preparing for the written exam. Since the cut-off will be issued after the exam, you must depend on the previous year’s cut-off to decide on a target and study accordingly. Start preparing earnestly for the examination. You will succeed.

Table of Contents