The National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examinations are used to select candidates into the Indian Armed Forces. Despite the fact that both examinations are administered twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission, there are several similarities and differences in terms of recruitment, training, salary, bonuses, promotion, eligibility, and so on. In this article, we will talk about the difference between joining the Army through NDA Exam and joining through CDS Exam.
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Difference between joining the Indian Army through NDA and CDS
The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the combined services academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Cadets from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all train together here before moving on to their respective service academies for further pre-commissioning training.
Candidates for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy take the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam.
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Candidates who have passed or will be appearing in Class 12 are eligible to participate in the NDA. The CDS test, on the other hand, is only for applicants who have completed or are about to complete their education. Both the CDS and NDA tests are now open to female applicants. The table below shows how the qualifying conditions for the NDA and CDS tests vary.
| Parameter | NDA | CDS |
| Age | 16 ½ -19 ½ Years | 19 to 25 Years |
| Eligibility | Men and Women | Men and Women |
| Educational Qualification | Class 10 | Graduation
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Training, Degrees Awarded, Ranks, and Stipend: NDA vs. CDS
Both the NDA and the CDS have the identical selection process: a written test followed by an SSB interview. Candidates are given the rank of Lieutenant upon commissioning. Candidates are paid INR 21,000 per month for training. Check out the NDA and CDS test training method, degrees available, and training centres listed below.
| Parameter | NDA | CDS |
| Duration of training | Approximately four to four and a half years
NDA for three years and IMA for one year (For Army cadets) Three years at the Naval Academy and one year at the Naval Defense Academy (For Naval cadets) NDA for three years and AFA Hyderabad for one and a half years (For AF cadets) |
18 months for IMA Cadets
37-40 months for Navy Officers 74 months for Air Force Officers |
| Training centres | ● National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune
● Indian Military Academy, Dehradun ● Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala ● Indian Air Force Academy, Hyderabad |
● Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun for Army Cadets
● Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala for Navy Cadets ● Indian Air Force Academy, Hyderabad for Air Force Officers ● Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai |
| Degrees awarded | ● Army Cadets: BSc/BSc (Computer)/BA /BTech degree
● Naval Cadets: BTech degree ● Air Force Cadets: BTech degree |
Army Cadets in IMA: PG Diploma in Military and Defence Management
OTA Chennai: Post-Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies
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NDA Vs CDS: Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of NDA vs CDS is given below.
| Parameters | NDA | CDS |
| Number of papers | Two | IMA, AFA and INA: Three
OTA: Two |
| Name of the subjects | General Ability Test (GAT) and Mathematics | IMA, AFA and INA: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics
OTA: English and General Knowledge |
| Exam duration | Each paper is for 2 ½ | Each paper is held for two hours |
| Number of questions | GAT: 150
Mathematics: 120 |
Maths: 100
English: 120 General Knowledge: 120 |
| Total marks | Written Exam: 900
SSB Interview: 900 |
IMA, INA, and AFA: 300
OTA: 200 The SSB Interview for IMA, INA, AFA is for 300 marks each while for OTA, it is 200 |
| Negative marks | GAT: 1.33
Maths: 0.83 |
0.33 |
| Nature of syllabus | The NDA syllabus is designed for students in grades 10, 11, and 12. | The subjects in the CDS Elementary Mathematics curriculum will be of a Class 10 level. The calibre of other topics’ papers will be at the graduate level.
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NDA Vs CDS: Pay, Allowances and Promotional Avenues
Pay and allowances offered to the officers selected through the NDA and CDS exams differ significantly. The difference in the pay, allowances and promotional avenues is given below.
| Rank | Promotional Avenues (Min. Commissioned Service for Promotion) | |
| NDA Officer | CDS Officer | |
| Lieutenant | On Commission | On Commission |
| Captain | 02 Years | 02 Years |
| Major | 06 years | 06 years |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 13 years | 13 years |
| Colonel(Selection) | 15 years | 15 years |
| Colonel (Time Scale) | 26 years | 26 years |
| Brigadier | On Selection | 23 years |
| Major General | On Selection | 25 years |
| Lieutenant General | On Selection | 28 years |
| General | On Selection | No restrictions |
| Rank | NDA Officer Salary (In INR) | CDS Officer Salary (In INR) | ||
| Rank Pay | Grade Pay | |||
| Lieutenant | 15,600-39,100 | 5,400 | 56,100-1,77,500 | |
| Captain | 15,600-39,100 | 6,100 | 6,13,00-1,93,900 | |
| Major | 15,600-39,100 | 6,600 | 6,94,00-2,07,200 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 37,400-67,000 | 8,000 | 1,21,200-2,12400 | |
| Colonel | 37,400-67,000 | 8,700 | 1,30,600-2, 15,900 | |
| Brigadier | 37,400-67,000 | 8,900 | 1,39,600-2,17,600 | |
| Major General | 37,400-67,000 | 10,000 | 1,44,200-2,18,200 | |
| Lieutenant General HAG Scale | 67,000-79,000 | – | 1, 82, 200-2,24,100 | |
| HAG+Scale | 75,500-80,000 | – | 2,05,400-2,24,400 | |
| VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG) | 80,000 | – | 2,25,000 (fixed) | |
| COAS | 90,000 (fixed) | – | 2,25,000 (fixed)
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Allowances
Officers in the ranks of Lieutenant through Brigadier are eligible for Military Service Salary in addition to pay (MSP). In place of MSP, NDA officers get a set payment of INR 6,000 per month, whereas CDS officers receive INR 15,500 per month. In addition, officers are entitled for a variety of benefits.
| Type | NDA Officer (In INR per month) | CDS Officer (In INR per month) | |
| Dearness Allowance | Equal to Civilian Gazetted Officers | Equal to Civilian Gazetted Officers | |
| Kit Maintenance Allowance | 400 | Subsumed into DA | |
| High Altitude Allowance | 1,060 | 3,400-25,000 | |
| Siachen Allowance | Not Applicable | 42,500 | |
| Uniform allowance | 14,000 (initial) and 3,000 (every three years) | Subsumed into proposed DA | |
| Transport allowance | 1,600-3,200 and DA | 3,600-7,200 and DA | |
| Children Education Allowance | Not Applicable | 2,250 per month for two children from kindergarten to grade 12 | |
Army Aviators (Pilots) in the Army Aviation Corps are eligible for the following flying permission.
| Rank/Position | NDA Officers (In INR per month) | CDS Officers (in INR per month) |
| Lieutenant | 9,000 | 25,000 (fixed) |
| Captain | 11,000 | |
| Major to Colonel | 14,000 | |
| Brigadier & above | 10,500 |