Exam Map: CDS, AFCAT, CAPF (AC) and Agniveer Patterns, Eligibility and Scoring Strategy
This chapter serves every reader of the course: CDS (I)/(II) candidates for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA, AFCAT applicants, CAPF (AC) aspirants, and Agniveer (Army), Agniveer (Navy) MR/SSR and Agniveervayu (IAF) candidates. It sets out, from the 2026 notices, what each entry leads to, who may apply and how each paper is marked, works through the negative-marking arithmetic that decides how many questions to attempt, and maps the rest of the book to the marks it serves.
KarmSakha preparation topics covered
- The four entries compared: commission, tenure, pay and the Agniveer package
- CDS (II) 2026: scheme, penalty, vacancies, age windows and preference rules
- AFCAT 02/2026: single paper, +3/−1 marking, branches and the 2026 changes
- CAPF (AC) 2026: Papers I and II, qualifying gates, relaxations and tie-breaking
- Agniveer: Army CEE categories, Navy MR INET and the IAF intake
- Negative marking: net score, expected value and break-even accuracy
- Official portals, practice tests and answer-key representations
- Mapping Chapters 2-12 to each paper; pace and the 2027 calendar
Four Entries Compared: What Each Exam Selects and the Terms of Service
The four entries in this course share a syllabus core but lead to different careers. The CDS examination, held by UPSC twice a year as CDS (I) and CDS (II), fills the graduate courses at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, the Indian Naval Academy (INA) Ezhimala and the Air Force Academy (AFA) Hyderabad, which end in a permanent commission, and at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) Chennai, which ends in a Short Service Commission (SSC). AFCAT is the Indian Air Force's own online test for its Flying and Ground Duty branches. CAPF (AC) is a UPSC examination for Group A Assistant Commandants in BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Agniveer is not an officer entry but a four-year enrolment in the ranks under the Agnipath scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet on 14 June 2022, with up to 25% of each batch kept in the regular cadre.
Read the terms before the syllabus. Officers commissioned through CDS or AFCAT start at Level 10 of the defence pay matrix (₹56,100-1,77,500) plus Military Service Pay (MSP) of ₹15,500 a month, and cadets draw a fixed stipend of ₹56,100 a month while training, a period that does not count as commissioned service. An OTA commission runs ten years, extendable by four, with permanent-commission consideration in the tenth year. In the IAF, Flying Branch SSC runs fourteen years, Ground Duty SSC ten plus a possible four, and SSC officers earn no pension. Army and Navy Agniveers draw ₹30,000 a month in year one, rising to ₹40,000 in year four; 70% is paid in hand and 30% goes to a corpus that the Government matches and pays out as Seva Nidhi. There is no gratuity or pension, and life cover is ₹48 lakh.
| Entry | Leads to | Training (approx.) | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDS: IMA, INA, AFA | Permanent commission | 18 months (IMA, INA); 74 weeks for AFA flying | Level 10 + MSP |
| CDS: OTA (men, women) | SSC, 10 + 4 years | 49 weeks | Level 10 + MSP |
| AFCAT | Flying SSC 14 years; GD SSC 10 + 4; a few GD(T) PC seats | 62 weeks (Flying, GD(T)); 50 weeks (GD(NT)) | Level 10 + MSP |
| CAPF (AC) | Group A Assistant Commandant | — | Not printed in the notice |
| Agniveer (Army, Navy MR) | Four years; up to 25% to regular cadre | — | ₹30,000-40,000 a month package |
CDS (II) 2026: Papers, Marks, Negative Marking and Academy-wise Eligibility
UPSC's Examination Notice No. 11/2026-CDS-II was notified on 20 May 2026, closed on 9 June 2026 and set the examination for 13 September 2026; the fee of ₹200 was waived for women, SC and ST candidates. All questions are objective, the GK and mathematics booklets are bilingual, and calculators and scribes are barred. Mathematics is set at Matriculation standard and the other papers at graduate standard; recent booklets have carried 120 questions in English, 120 in GK and 100 in mathematics. A wrong answer costs one-third (0.33) of the question's marks, marking two answers counts as wrong, and a blank costs nothing. Qualifying marks must be cleared separately in the written test and at the SSB, whose maximum equals the written maximum (300 for IMA, INA and AFA; 200 for OTA). Merit is the total; ties go to the written total, then GK, then the older candidate.
AFA must be the first choice, because AFA candidates take the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) and Air Force medicals; AFA in any later position is invalid. A man seeking OTA as well as IMA, INA or AFA must place OTA last (if he places it higher, UPSC simply treats OTA as his last choice), and women are considered only for OTA, as their sole choice. The second choice is considered only if the first is not offered, and declining an offered first choice cancels the other regular-commission choices. IMA, INA and OTA (men) take unmarried men; AFA candidates below 25 must be unmarried; OTA (women) takes unmarried women and issueless widows or divorcees who have not remarried; a male divorcee or widower does not count as unmarried. Final-year students may apply but must prove they have passed by 1 July 2027 (IMA, INA), 13 May 2027 (AFA) or 1 October 2027 (OTA).
- English (code 11): 2 hours, 100 marks, for all courses
- General Knowledge (code 12): 2 hours, 100 marks, for all courses
- Elementary Mathematics (code 13): 2 hours, 100 marks, for IMA, INA and AFA only
- SSB maximum equals the written maximum: 300 (IMA, INA, AFA) or 200 (OTA), so final merit is out of 600 for IMA, INA and AFA and 400 for OTA
| CDS (II) 2026 course | Vacancies | Born (both dates inclusive) | Education |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMA, July 2027 | 100 (13 NCC 'C') | 1 Jul 2003 to 1 Jul 2008 | Any degree |
| INA, July 2027 | 26 (6 NCC 'C', 1 Hydro) | 1 Jul 2003 to 1 Jul 2008 | Degree in Engineering, or B.Sc. with Physics as a core or elective subject (Physics and Mathematics at 10+2) |
| AFA, July 2027 | 32 (3 NCC 'C') | 1 Jul 2003 to 1 Jul 2007; CPL holders from 1 Jul 2001 | Degree with Physics and Maths at 10+2, or BE |
| OTA Men, October 2027 | 275 | 1 Jul 2002 to 1 Jul 2008 | Any degree |
| OTA Women, October 2027 | 18 | 1 Jul 2002 to 1 Jul 2008 | Any degree |
AFCAT 02/2026: The Single Online Paper, Branches and the 2026 Changes
AFCAT 02/2026, for courses starting in July 2027, took applications from 20 May to 19 June 2026 (later extended to 21 June) on afcat.edcil.co.in; the online test was held on 8 August 2026, and the fee was ₹550 plus 18% GST. The test is one paper of 100 questions for 300 marks in two hours, in English only, covering General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude. A correct answer earns 3, a wrong one loses 1 and a blank scores 0, so the penalty is one-third of a question's value. When the test runs in more than one shift, scores are normalised statistically. Numerical Ability is at Matriculation level and the rest at graduation level, and the notice prints no section-wise split. NCC Special Entry (Flying) candidates, holding an NCC Air Wing Senior Division 'C' certificate acquired within two years counted back from the AFCAT registration date, skip the test and go straight to the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB).
Age is counted on 1 July 2027. Flying Branch takes 20 to 24 years, born 2 July 2003 to 1 July 2007, with DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence holders accepted up to 26 (born from 2 July 2001). All Ground Duty branches take 20 to 26, born 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007. Candidates must be unmarried when the course begins, and marriage is not permitted during training; a cadet who marries during training is terminated and must refund the expenditure incurred on him or her. Flying and Weapon Systems need Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 plus a three-year degree or a BE/B.Tech; Administration and Logistics need any degree; Accounts needs a commerce or finance degree or a CA/CMA/CS/CFA qualification; Education needs a postgraduate degree; Meteorology needs a B.Sc. with Physics and Mathematics or a listed engineering degree. Two Ground Duty (Non-Technical) seats are reserved for law graduates.
Three changes in 2026 matter. First, unlike 01/2026, the 02/2026 notice includes a GATE Score Entry for Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) and (Mechanical): a BE/B.Tech in a listed discipline and a GATE score from within the three years before course commencement exempt the candidate from AFCAT, and shortlisted candidates go directly to AFSB. Second, AFCAT 01/2026 had demanded at least 50% each in Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 and 60% in the degree for Flying, with 60% degree minimums for Ground Duty too; the 02/2026 notice prints no minimum percentages. Third, many older guides describe an Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) for Ground Duty (Technical), but the scheme tables of both 2026 notices list only the AFCAT paper. Rules that changed within six months can change again, so check the next notice before deciding eligibility.
| AFCAT 02/2026 branch | PC (men / women) | SSC (men / women) |
|---|---|---|
| Flying | — | 30 / 5 |
| GD(T) Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) | 2 / 2 | 107 / 25 |
| GD(T) Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) | 8 / 2 | 52 / 13 |
| GD(NT): Weapon Systems, Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education, Meteorology | — | 21/5, 50/12, 4/2, 5/2, 1/2, 1/2 |
| GATE Score Entry: AE(L); AE(M) | 1/1; 1/1 | 12/3; 6/1 |
| Total (tentative) | 18 | 361 (grand total 379); NCC Special Entry seats are 10% out of AFCAT SSC and CDSE PC vacancies |
CAPF (AC) 2026: Paper I, Paper II and the Qualifying Gates
UPSC's Examination Notice No. 08/2026-CAPF, dated 20 February 2026, closed on 12 March 2026 and set the written examination for 19 July 2026. Tentative vacancies were BSF 108, CRPF 106, ITBP 12, SSB 53 and CISF 70, a total of 349, with 10% earmarked for ex-servicemen; men and women are both eligible, and the fee of ₹200 is waived for women, SC and ST candidates. A candidate must be at least 20 and under 25 on 1 August 2026, that is, born between 2 August 2001 and 1 August 2006. The upper limit is relaxed by up to five years for SC and ST, three for OBC candidates entitled to reservation, and five for civilian Central Government servants and ex-servicemen. Any bachelor's degree qualifies. Forces are allotted by merit and the preferences given in the application.