CDS Cut Off Last 10 Years: Official Marks For IMA, INA, AFA And OTA

Looking for the CDS cut off of previous years before you start your preparation? We have put the CDS cut off last 10 years data in one place, from CDS 1 2016 to CDS 2 2025. Every number in this post is taken from the official cut off notices published by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on upsc.gov.in.

The notification for CDS 1 2027 is expected on 2 December 2026 and the exam will be held on 11 April 2027, as given in our post on the NDA 1 and CDS 1 2027 notification date. So, this is the right time to see how much you need to score for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA.

How To Read The CDS Cut Off

UPSC publishes two cut off marks for every academy after the final result of each CDS exam is declared.

• Written cut off: the aggregate marks of the last candidate who qualified the written exam and was called for the SSB interview.
• Final cut off: the marks (written exam plus SSB interview) of the last candidate who was recommended in the final merit list.

Apart from the aggregate cut off, you also have to score minimum qualifying marks in each paper. In most of the notices this was 20 percent in each paper. The CDS 1 2024 notice mentions a minimum of 18 percent in each subject, and the CDS 1 2019 notice mentions 20 percent in Paper I, 10 percent in Paper II and 20 percent in Paper III. You can read the paper pattern in our CDS syllabus and exam pattern guide and the negative marking rules in the CDS exam marking scheme.

CDS IMA Cut Off Of Last 10 Years

The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun trains the candidates who join the Army through CDS. Here is the CDS IMA cut off of the last 20 exams. Click on the exam name to open the official UPSC notice.

In the last 10 years, the lowest written cut off for IMA was 72 (CDS 1 2016) and the highest was 145 (CDS 1 2021), out of 300 marks. The final cut off stayed between 214 (CDS 1 2016) and 268 (CDS 1 2021), out of 600 marks. The average of the last six exams (CDS 1 2023 to CDS 2 2025) is about 123 in the written exam and about 247 in the final result.

CDS INA Cut Off Of Last 10 Years

The Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala is for the candidates who choose the Navy. The INA cut off is usually a little lower than the IMA cut off.

In the last 10 years, the lowest written cut off for INA was 63 (CDS 1 2016) and the highest was 136 (CDS 1 2021), out of 300 marks. The final cut off stayed between 217 (CDS 1 2016) and 260 (CDS 1 2021), out of 600 marks. The average of the last six exams (CDS 1 2023 to CDS 2 2025) is about 106 in the written exam and about 234 in the final result.

CDS AFA Cut Off Of Last 10 Years

The Air Force Academy (AFA), Dundigal has the highest written cut off among all the academies in every single exam of the last 10 years.

In the last 10 years, the lowest written cut off for AFA was 123 (CDS 1 2016) and the highest was 158 (CDS 1 2021), out of 300 marks. The final cut off stayed between 248 (CDS 2 2024) and 281 (CDS 1 2021), out of 600 marks. The average of the last six exams (CDS 1 2023 to CDS 2 2025) is about 132 in the written exam and about 257 in the final result.

CDS OTA Cut Off Of Last 10 Years

The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is for the Short Service Commission. OTA candidates do not write the Mathematics paper, so the CDS OTA cut off is out of 200 marks in the written exam and out of 400 marks in the final result.

CDS OTA Cut Off For Men

In the last 10 years, the lowest written cut off for OTA (Men) was 68 (CDS 1 2016) and the highest was 107 (CDS 1 2021), out of 200 marks. The final cut off stayed between 150 (CDS 1 2016) and 189 (CDS 1 2021), out of 400 marks. The average of the last six exams (CDS 1 2023 to CDS 2 2025) is about 89 in the written exam and about 170 in the final result.

CDS OTA Cut Off For Women

In the last 10 years, the lowest written cut off for OTA (Women) was 68 (CDS 1 2016) and the highest was 107 (CDS 1 2021), out of 200 marks. The final cut off stayed between 150 (CDS 1 2018) and 193.01 (CDS 2 2025), out of 400 marks. The average of the last six exams (CDS 1 2023 to CDS 2 2025) is about 92 in the written exam and about 178 in the final result.

Till CDS 1 2025, the written cut off for OTA men and OTA women was the same in every exam. In CDS 2 2025, UPSC published a separate and higher written cut off for women (98.06) than for men (80.01). The CDS 2 2025 notice also gives the marks in decimals for the first time in this period.

What The CDS Previous Year Cut Off Tells You

When you put the CDS previous year cut off of all the academies side by side, a few clear points come out.

• The lowest written cut off of the last 10 years for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA (Men) was in CDS 1 2016. The written cut off for IMA was only 72 in that exam.
• The highest cut off for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA (Men) was in CDS 1 2021, when the IMA written cut off went up to 145 and the AFA written cut off touched 158.
• AFA had the highest written cut off in all 20 exams. INA was lower than IMA in the written exam in all 20 exams.
• From CDS 1 2024 to CDS 2 2025, the IMA written cut off has stayed between 117 and 124.11, and the OTA (Men) written cut off between 80.01 and 87.
• The final cut off for IMA has been 120 to 142 marks higher than the written cut off in every exam. It shows that your SSB interview marks matter as much as your written marks.

How Much Should You Score In CDS 1 2027?

Nobody can tell the exact CDS cut off before the exam, because it changes with the difficulty of the paper and the number of vacancies. But the official data of the last 10 years gives you a safe target. This is our suggestion and not an official figure.

Also remember that crossing the written cut off only gets you an SSB call. The more you score in the written exam, the easier it becomes to make it to the final merit list. For example, see how the final marks decided the ranks in the CDS 1 2026 merit list.

For your preparation, you can use Mission CDS by Defence Direct Education for all three papers. If you are preparing only for OTA, the Mission CDS OTA book covers English and General Knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the CDS cut off for IMA in the last exam?

As per the official UPSC notice for CDS 2 2025, the written cut off for IMA was 124.11 out of 300 and the final cut off was 249.61 out of 600.

What is the highest CDS cut off of the last 10 years?

For IMA, the highest written cut off was 145 and the highest final cut off was 268, both in CDS 1 2021. For AFA, the written cut off was 158 in the same exam.

What is the CDS OTA cut off?

In CDS 2 2025, the written cut off for OTA was 80.01 for men and 98.06 for women, out of 200. The final cut off was 162.84 for men and 193.01 for women, out of 400.

Is there a minimum mark in each paper of CDS?

Yes. Along with the aggregate cut off, UPSC fixes minimum qualifying marks in each paper. It was 20 percent in most of the exams of the last 10 years.

Has UPSC released the CDS 1 2026 cut off?

Not yet. As on 15 November 2026, the official cut off page of UPSC lists the cut off marks up to CDS 2 2025. We will add the CDS 1 2026 marks when UPSC publishes them.

Source: Official cut off notices of the Combined Defence Services Examination from CDS (I) 2016 to CDS (II) 2025, published on the UPSC cut off marks page and its archives.