The schedule for the Defence exams 2023 has been released by the respective authorities for respective departments. These opportunities include jobs under the Indian Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, medical & engineering services, JAG’s department or in the Education Corps with prestigious career and overall development. 

Every year lakhs of aspirants appear for their Defence exam to fulfill their dream of being a part of the armed forces. Those candidates who are looking for the defence exam 2023 can check the complete list of all upcoming exams for the year 2023. Candidates can check Defence exam calendar 2023 for further details.

Upcoming Defence Exam 2023

Defence exams offer prestigious career opportunities to all the aspirants seeking for it. Most of the Defence exams are conducted by the UPSC – Union Public Service Commission. The list of defence exams are given below –

• CAPF – Central Armed Police Force
• NDA – National Defence Academy / Naval Academy
• AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test
• CDS – Combined Defence Services

Defence Exams – Dates

All the dates of Defence exams are announced by the conducting body on the official defence exams calendar 2023 which are as follows –

Defence Exams	Notification	Exam Dates
NDA	NDA 1 – 21st December 2022NDA 2- 17 May 2023	NDA 1 – April 16th 2023 NDA 2- September 3rd 2023
CDS	CDS 1- 21st December 2022CDS 2- 17 May 2023	CDS 1- April 16th 2023 CDS 2- September 3rd 2023
CAPF	April 26th 2023	August 6th 2023
AFCAT	November 26th 2022	24-26 February 2023

Defence Exams 2023 – Notification

The notification details of these exams (CAPF, AFCAT, CDS, and NDA) for the year 2023 are as given below –

CAPF Exam

CAPF exam is conducted annually as an All India Level exam. The exam is conducted to recruit various officers to Group A and Group B in the seven security forces of India. The notification will be released on April 26, 2023 and the exam date is August 6, 2023. Check the table below for more details

Defence Exam 2023 – CAPF Dates

Official Notification	26 April 2023
Online Application	26 April 2023 to 16 May 2023
Admit Card	July 2023
CAPF Written Exam	06 August 2023
CAPF Result	To be notified
CAPF Interview	To be notified

Previous year vacancy details are given below –

UPSC CAPF (AC) Vacancies 2022

Security Forces	Vacancies
Border Security Force (BSF)	66
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)	29
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)	62
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)	14
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)	82
Total	253

NDA Exam

NDA exam is also the All India Defence Exam conducted by the UPSC twice a year. The UPSC NDA-I 2023 Offline Written Examination will be conducted on 16th April 2023 (Sunday) & NDA-II will be conducted on 03rd September 2023 (Sunday) as mentioned in the notification pdf. 

Defence Exam Date – NDA 2023

NDA exam events	NDA I Exam	NDA II Exam
NDA Notification & commencement of application	21st December 2022	17th May 2023
Last date for NDA Online application	12th January 2023	06th June 2023
NDA 2023 Written exam	16th April 2023	3rd September 2023
NDA Result	May 2023	September 2023

Previous year vacancy details are given below –

CDS Exam

CDS exam is again conducted by the UPSC. CDS exam is conducted biannually in the month of February and September. The important dates for the CDS exam is given below –

Defence Exam 2023 – CDS Dates

CDS exam event	CDS 1	CDS 2
CDS notification	21st December 2022	17th May 2023
CDS Online Application	21st December 2022- 10th January 2023	17th May 2023 to 06th June 2023
CDS Admit Card	24th March 2023	August 2023
CDS Written exam	16th April 2023	03rd September 2023
CDS Result	May 2023	September 2023

Previous year vacancy details are given below –

CDS (I) 2023 Vacancies

Academy	Course	Total Vacancies
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai	33rd SSC Women (Non-Technical) Course commencing in April 2024	17
Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai	119th SSC (Men) Course (NT) commencing in April 2024	170
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad	(Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January 2024	32
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala	Course commencing in January 2024 Executive (General Service)/ Hydro	22
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun	156th (DE) course commencing in January 2024	100
Total	341

AFCAT Exam

AFCAT exam is conducted to select candidates for multiple posts in the Air forces such as Flying officers, officers in ground duty, technical post and non technical post. The AFCAT exam is also conducted biannually. The details for important events for AFCAT exam are highlighted below –

AFCAT 2020	AFCAT 1	AFCAT 2
AFCAT Notification	27 November 2022	May 2023
AFCAT Registration	1 December 2022 to 31 December 2022	June 2023
AFCAT Admit Card	10 February 2023	July 2023
AFCAT exam date	24, 25, and 26 February 2023	August 2023
AFCAT Result	13 March 2023	September 2023

Previous year vacancy details are given below –

Entry	Course Number	Branch	Vacancies (Women)- 33	Vacancies (Men)- 225
NCC Special Entry	215/24F/PC/M and 215/24F/SSC/M&W	Flying	10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC.
AFCAT Entry	214/24G/SSC/M & W	Ground-Duty(Non-Technical)	Weapon System (WS) Branch: 02 Admin: 05 Accts: 02 Lgs: 02 Edn: 02 Met: 02	Weapon System (WS) Branch: 15 Admin: 43 Accts: 11 Lgs: 19 Edn: 08 Met: 07
214/24T/SSC/ 104AEC/ M & W	Ground-Duty(Technical)	AE(L): SSC – 10AE(M): SSC – 03	AE(L): PC – 23, SSC – 80AE(M): PC – 07, SSC – 26
215/24F/SSC/M & W	Flying	SSC – 05	SSC- 05

Defence exams 2023 Eligibility Criteria

Exams	Minimum Age	Maximum Age
CAPF	20 years	25 years
NDA	16 years	19 years
CDS	19 years	22 years – INA 23 years – AFA 24 years – IMA 25 years – OTA
AFCAT Exam	20 years	24 years – Flying Branch 26 years – Ground Duty

Defence exams 2023 Educational Qualification

The minimum education for the Defence exam is 12^th board. The details for different exams are mentioned below –

Exams	Minimum Education Requirement
CAPF	A Bachelor’s degree from any Government recognized University Or Deemed to be University
NDA/NA Exam	12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination
CDS Exam	Graduation/Bachelors from a Government recognized University
AFCAT Exam	A Graduation degree from any Government recognized University

Defence exams 2023 syllabus and exam pattern

Defence Exams	Exam Pattern	Syllabus
CAPF	Paper-I – Objective; 250 marksPaper-II – Subjective; 200 marksPhysical Efficiency Test – on qualifying Paper I & IIPersonality test/Interview – 150 marks	Paper I – General Ability and IntelligencePaper-II – General Studies, Essay and Comprehension
NDA	Written Exam ( Part I – Maths – 300 marks, Part II – GAT –  600 marks)SSB Interview – Two stages – 900 Marks	Written exam – broadly covers subjects like Maths, English, and General knowledge
CDS	Written Exam – (INA/IMA/AFA – 300 marks & OTA – 200 marks)SSB Interview	English, General knowledge and Elementary Mathematics
AFCAT	Written test (compulsory for all branches) – 300 marksEKT(Only for Technical) – 100 marks	Written test– General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test EKT– Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical & Electronics

Defence exams 2023  preparation

For the defence exam preparation, aspirants can follow certain tips as mentioned by the best Defence coaching in Kolkata. 

1. Make a proper routine and set a schedule for your defence exam preparation. 

2. Socialize with the people who are preparing for the same.

3. Socialize with the experts of the defence coaching in Kolkata. Get effective study materials, learning notes, mock tests and a lot more from the defence coaching in Kolkata.

4. Speed up your learning by following some memory techniques

FAQs on Defence Exams 2023

Q1. Which exam is easiest to join Defence?

Ans: - NDA or National Defense Academy is the easiest way to join the Indian Army after 12^th. The candidates get their training here and move to their respective training academies for their further training.

Q2. What is the eligibility for defence?

Ans :- An Indian candidate who is unmarried and has completed 12^th with Physics and Mathematics as their compulsory subject can apply for the defence exam.

Q3. What is the age limit for defence exams?

Ans: - The age limits for defence exams are 18 to 42 years.

Q4. How many attempts are there in Defence exams?

Ans: - The number of attempts is unlimited for the defence exams. As per the UPSC guidance, there is no cap on the number of attempts in the CDS. 

Q5. How many seats are there in defence?

Ans: - Indian Army - 208. Indian Air Force - 92. Indian Navy -60.