The Combined Defence Services Examination is held twice a year generally in the months of May and October for admission to:

1. Indian Military Academy (I.M.A.), Dehradun;
2. Naval Academy, Goa;
3. Air Force Academy, Begumpet, Hyderabad; and
4. Officers' Training Academy, Madras (Short-service Commission-Non-Technical).

Blank application forms and other particulars are published in the Employment News usually in the months of November and May respectively. 

Age: 

For IMA: Unmarried male candidates between 19-24 years on 1st January or 1st July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates between 19-22 years on lst January or lst July of the year succeeding; the year of examination.

For Air Force Academy: Unmarried male candidates between 19-23 years on lst January or lst July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

For Officers Training Academy: Male candidates (married or unmarried) between 19-25 years on lst January or lst July of the year succeeding the year of examination.

Educational Qualifications: 

For I.M.A./O.T.A.: A degree from a recognized University or equivalent.

For Naval Academy: B.Sc. with Physics and/or Mathematics or Bachelor of Engineering.

For Air Force Academy: B.Sc. of a recognized University or equivalent with Physics and/or Mathematics as subjects or Bachelor of Engineering.

Plan of the Examination: The examination comprises: 

· Written Examination as shown in Para 5 below; and 
· Interview for intelligence and personality test of such candidates as may be called for interview at one of the Services Selection Centers.

Examination Subjects: 

The following will be subjects for the written examination:

For admission to Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:

· English
· General Knowledge
· Elementary Mathematics

Air Force Academy: 

· English
· General Knowledge
· Elementary Mathematics

For Admission to Officers Training Academy (O.T.A.):

· English
· General Knowledge

Note: 

1. The papers in all subjects will consist of OBJECTIVE-TYPE (Multiple-Choice questions only). The question papers will be set in English only.
2. Each paper will be of 2 hours' duration and will carry 100 marks.

Standard of Examination: 

The standard of the paper in Elementary Mathematics will be of the Matriculation Examination. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University.