If you’re a graduate who wants to become an officer, CDS and AFCAT are the two exams to look at. UPSC conducts CDS, which leads to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) or Officers Training Academy (OTA). The Indian Air Force conducts AFCAT for its Flying and Ground Duty branches.
The two exams overlap a lot, so many aspirants prepare for both. Still, the differences matter when you plan, so let’s go through them one by one.
Key dates for CDS 2027 and AFCAT 2027
UPSC’s Annual Calendar 2027 tentatively lists these dates:
| Exam | Notification | Last date to apply | Exam date |
| CDS I 2027 | 2 Dec 2026 | 22 Dec 2026 | 11 Apr 2027 |
| CDS II 2027 | 12 May 2027 | 1 Jun 2027 | 19 Sep 2027 |
UPSC can shift these dates, so check upsc.gov.in before you lock your plan.
AFCAT 2027 dates are not out yet. The last two AFCAT exams were held on 31 January 2026 and 8 August 2026, so a similar rhythm is likely. Wait for the official notice on the AFCAT portal before you count on a date.
CDS vs AFCAT at a glance
| CDS 2027 | AFCAT 2027 | |
| Conducted by | UPSC | Indian Air Force |
| Services | Army, Navy, Air Force | Air Force only |
| Women | OTA only | All branches |
| Age (latest notices) | 19–24 (IMA, INA), 20–24 (AFA), 19–25 (OTA) | 20–24 Flying, 20–26 Ground Duty |
| Exam mode | Offline, up to three papers | Online, one paper |
| Wrong answer | Minus one-third of the marks | Minus 1 (correct = +3) |
| After the exam | SSB interview, medical | AFSB interview, medical |
CDS 2027 eligibility
For IMA and OTA, a degree in any stream is enough. INA asks for an engineering degree. AFA needs Physics and Maths in Class 12, or a BE/B.Tech. There’s no minimum percentage for CDS.
IMA, INA and AFA are open only to men. Women can apply through OTA, which accepts unmarried women and issueless widows or divorcees who haven’t remarried. Men applying to IMA, INA and OTA must be unmarried, and AFA candidates below 25 must be unmarried too.
Final-year students can apply if they submit proof of their degree by the date in the notice. The exact birth-date windows will appear in the CDS I 2027 notification on 2 December. If you’re still in Class 12, NDA is your route into the same academies, and our NDA coaching page explains that path.
AFCAT 2027 eligibility
AFCAT rules depend on the branch:
The AFCAT 02/2026 notice listed subjects and degrees without any minimum percentage, which was a change from earlier years. Check whether the 01/2027 notice keeps that rule. All candidates must be unmarried when training starts.
Which exam should you choose?
Start from the service you want. If it’s the Army or Navy, CDS is the one of these two exams that leads there. Engineering graduates who want the Navy can also look at the separate Indian Navy entry through INET. If you want to fly and studied Physics and Maths in Class 12, write both: AFA through CDS and the Flying Branch through AFCAT. Women who want the Air Force should focus on AFCAT, since CDS opens only OTA to them. An arts or commerce graduate without Class 12 Physics and Maths can still aim for IMA or OTA through CDS, or Administration and Logistics through AFCAT.
Syllabus and exam pattern
CDS has three papers:
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| Elementary Maths (not for OTA-only) | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
The maths is at Class 10 level and covers arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry and statistics. GK spans history, geography, polity, economy, science and current affairs. English tests grammar, vocabulary, sentence ordering and comprehension.
AFCAT is a single two-hour online paper with 100 questions worth 300 marks. It has four parts: General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude. Numerical Ability sticks mostly to arithmetic, so it’s lighter than CDS maths. The reasoning section is the one CDS candidates usually haven’t seen before. Spatial questions like figure series, mirror images and paper folding feel odd at first, but they get easier with daily practice.
In both exams, three wrong answers cancel out one right answer. So guess only when you can rule out at least one option.
How to prepare in 6 months
One honest point first. If you start in November 2026, you have about five months before CDS I, not six. CDS II and AFCAT 02/2027 give you more breathing room.
A simple daily routine:
| Slot | Full-time (6–8 hrs) | Working or in college (3–4 hrs) |
| Morning | Maths, 2 hrs | Maths or reasoning, 1 hr |
| Midday | English and GK, 3 hrs | Newspaper on the commute |
| Evening | Reasoning or a sectional test, 1 hr | English or GK, 1 hr |
| Night | Current affairs and revision, 1 hr | Revision, 30 min |
| Weekend | Full mock plus review | Full mock plus review |
Books that are enough
You don’t need a shelf full of books. NCERT Class 6–10 books build the base for GK and maths. Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi covers grammar, and Word Power Made Easy helps with vocabulary. R.S. Aggarwal’s books work well for arithmetic and reasoning practice. Add one newspaper and a monthly current affairs compilation. Most important of all, solve previous-year CDS papers from upsc.gov.in and AFCAT papers from past cycles.
Don’t leave the SSB for later
The written exam only earns you an interview call. The five-day SSB (or AFSB for AFCAT) starts with screening: an intelligence test and a picture discussion. Those who clear it take psychological tests, group tasks with the GTO, and a personal interview, followed by a final conference. In CDS, the SSB carries as many marks as the written papers.
Start small now: talk about a news story in English for ten minutes a day, play a team sport, and know your own background well. Flying candidates also face the CPSS pilot aptitude test, which you can attempt only once in your life.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Quick answers
Can I prepare for both together? Yes. English, GK and arithmetic overlap. Add CDS geometry and trigonometry, and AFCAT reasoning.
Can final-year students apply? Yes, for both, as long as they can show proof of passing by the date in the notice.
I’m in Class 12 and want the Air Force now. What can I do? Officer entry needs a degree, but you can look at Airforce X Group (science stream) or Airforce Y Group as airman entries, or aim for NDA.
Can women apply? Yes. Through CDS, women can join only OTA. Through AFCAT, they can apply for every branch.
Is coaching necessary? No. Many candidates prepare on their own. A good course mainly helps with structure, regular mocks and doubt-solving. If you want to see how a class runs before deciding, you can book a demo class.
Start your preparation with the right guidance
Start with your eligibility, then the syllabus, then the timetable. That order will save you weeks of wasted effort. If you’d like a structured plan with regular mock tests and doubt-solving, Competition Guru runs CDS coaching in Chandigarh and AFCAT coaching, with both classroom and online batches. You can contact us to check the next batch dates.