CDS vs AFCAT, Which is tough?

13-June 2023...........

The CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam and AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) Exam are the most popular defence exams among all defence aspirants in India. Both exams are known for their difficulty level, high rate of rejection, and high level of competitiveness. There is a parallel craze for both exams because on the one hand AFCAT exam offers a sky blue uniform and the CDS exam offers a gateway to all three armed forces of India. Both exams offer a chance to serve our nation. But, there are some candidates who want to appear in one exam and that’s why they want to focus on one exam only. In this article, we are going to do an in-depth comparison between the CDS exam and the AFCAT exam. We will tell you both similarities and differences between these two exams. We will also tell which exam is tougher.

CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam

CDS or Combined Defence Service Exam is a graduate-level defence exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission of India twice a year to recruit candidates for the rank of officer in the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. CDS is a graduate-level defence exam so only graduate passed/appearing candidates can apply for this exam. Girls are also eligible to apply for this exam but for the Officers Training Academy only. The successful candidates in the two-stage process of written exam and SSB interview get admission in OTA (Officers Training Academy), IMA (Indian Military Academy), AFA (Indian Air Force Academy), and INA (Indian Naval Academy). After completing their respective training, Cadets are commissioned into the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force as an officer.

AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) Exam

AFCAT or Air Force Common Admission Test is a graduate-level defence exam that is conducted by Indian Airforce to recruit candidates for ground duty technical, ground duty non-technical, meteorology, and flying roles. Any graduate male and female candidates can apply for this exam. This is an online computer-based test which includes 100 questions and candidates have to answer them in 120 minutes. AFCAT is a two-stage exam, in the first stage, an online computer-based test is conducted. Candidates who qualify for an online computer-based test, have to appear in AFSB. After getting recommended in AFSB, candidates get admission to Air Force Academy. After completing their training, candidates are commissioned in the Indian Force as Sub-Lieutenant.

Comparison between CDS and AFCAT
Basis of Comparison	AFCAT	CDS
Level	Graduate Level Defence Exam. Any Graduate Candidate can apply for this exam.	Graduate Level Defence Exam. Any Graduate Candidate can apply for this exam.
Services Covered	AFCAT Exam is conducted for Indian Air Force only.	CDS Exam is conducted for Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
Exam Conducting Agency	AFCAT Exam is conducted by the Indian Air Force.	CDS Exam is conducted by UPSC (Union Public Services Commission).
Eligibility	Flying Branch- 19-23 Years Ground Duty Technical- 18-28 Years Ground Duty Non-Technical- 20-26 years	Indian Army- 19-24 Indian Air Force- 19-23 Indian Navy- 19-22
Frequency of the exam	The AFCAT Exam is conducted twice a year.	CDS Exam is conducted twice a year.
Mode of exam	AFCAT Exam is a Computer Based Online Objective Exam.	CDS Exam is a pen-paper-based online objective-type exam.
Subjects Covered	English, Mathematics, Reasoning, and General Knowledge.	For OTA, Chennai- General English and General Studies For AFA, INA, and IMA- General English, General Studies, and Mathematics
Level of Questions	Questions asked in AFCAT Exam are of elementary level. There will be direct questions only in the AFCAT exam.	Questions asked in the CDS Exam are quite tough. There will be statement-type and code-type questions in the CDS exam.
Syllabus	Compared to the CDS exam syllabus, the syllabus of the AFCAT exam is very concise.	The syllabus of the CDS exam is very broad. The syllabus of general studies in the CDS exam is very comprehensive in nature. It will include subjects like history, geography, polity, science, current affairs, and other topics like defence-related facts and news.
Number of Questions and Duration	In the AFCAT exam, candidates have to solve 100 questions in 120 minutes.	A total of three papers are conducted in the CDS Exam. In the General English Paper, there will be 120 questions, and candidates will get 120 minutes to solve them. In the General Studies Paper, there will be 120 questions and candidates will get 120 minutes to solve them. In the Mathematics Paper, there will be 100 questions and candidates will get 120 minutes to solve them.
Choice of Role	Through the AFCAT exam, you can choose your i.e. Flying, Technical, Accounts, Administration, Logistics, etc.	Through CDS Exam, you can select training Academies only i.e. OTA, IMA, AFA, and INA. Candidates can choose their role after completing their training only.

If we closely analyze the comparison between both exams, it is very clear that the CDS exam is tougher than the AFCAT exam. The main reasons behind CDS being tougher than the AFCAT exam are the difficulty level of questions and the broad syllabus of the CDS exam. Every year about two lakh candidates apply for the AFCAT exam and ten thousand clear the AFCAT online exam. In the CDS exam, about six to seven lakh candidates apply but only three-four thousand candidates clear this written exam. It can be easily understood from these figures that the CDS exam is a tougher exam. But these two exams are two gateways to join the glorious defence career as an officer. It totally depends on the choice of the candidates in which exam he/she wants to appear.