The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has published the detailed marks of finally recommended candidates for the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2025. The official PDF, titled Marks of Recommended Candidates, was uploaded on 21 August 2026 and is available on the UPSC website.
This completes the full disclosure cycle for CDS (II) 2025. The written examination was held on 14 September 2025. Final results for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) were declared on 30 March 2026 (with a minor revision in inter-se ranking on 7 April 2026). The Officers Training Academy (OTA) result followed in early August 2026. Official cut-off marks were released on 14 August 2026, and the individual marks of recommended candidates have now been made public.
Number of Candidates Recommended
| Academy | Recommended Candidates | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy (IMA) | 190 | 600 |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA) | 85 | 600 |
| Air Force Academy (AFA) | 27 | 600 |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA) | 483 | 400 |
Some candidates appear in more than one list because they were recommended for multiple academies based on their preferences and performance. The total number of unique recommended candidates is approximately 510.
Vacancies notified were significantly lower: 100 for IMA (including 13 NCC Army Wing), 26 for INA (including NCC Naval Wing and Hydro), and 32 for AFA (including NCC Air Wing). The higher number of recommended candidates reflects the standard practice of recommending more names than vacancies to account for medical failures, withdrawals, and other contingencies. Medical examination results were not taken into account while preparing the merit lists. Candidature remains provisional pending verification of date of birth and educational qualifications by the respective service headquarters.
Marking Scheme
- IMA / INA / AFA (Permanent Commission courses): Written examination – 300 marks (English 100 + General Knowledge 100 + Elementary Mathematics 100); SSB Interview – 300 marks; Total – 600 marks.
- OTA (Short Service Commission): Written examination – 200 marks (English + General Knowledge only); SSB Interview – 200 marks; Total – 400 marks.
Minimum qualifying marks in each written paper remained 20% across all academies.
Official Cut-Off Marks (Last Recommended Candidate)
| Academy | Written Cut-off (Last Qualified) | Final Aggregate Cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| IMA | 124.11 | 249.61 / 600 |
| INA | 109.23 | 238.50 / 600 |
| AFA | 132.51 | 263.67 / 600 |
| OTA (Men) | 80.01 | 162.84 / 400 |
| OTA (Women) | 98.06 | 193.01 / 400 |
AFA recorded the highest written and final thresholds among the permanent commission courses. OTA (Women) had a noticeably higher final cut-off than OTA (Men).
Top Performers and Score Analysis
Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Top 5
- Samar Islam Laskar – Written 183.79 + SSB 161 = 344.79
- Karale Ritesh Shivanand – 171.73 + 168 = 339.73
- Aman Kumar – 175.89 + 160 = 335.89
- Sukhraj Singh Heera – 152.05 + 174 = 326.05
- Ashish Gurjar – 153.22 + 170 = 323.22
Highest written score: 183.79. Highest SSB: 177. Lowest recommended final score: 249.61. Average final score among recommended candidates: approximately 282.
Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Top 5
- Jasnoor Singh – 165.73 + 153 = 318.73
- Anish Venkatesh Shastry – 170.33 + 138 = 308.33
- Vaibhav Walyat – 132.28 + 173 = 305.28
- Prathamesh Shankar Lakhe – 142.77 + 158 = 300.77
- Agam Singh Arora – 120.44 + 179 = 299.44
Highest SSB score across all permanent commission lists was recorded here (186). Lowest recommended final: 238.50.
Air Force Academy (AFA) – Top 5
- Jasnoor Singh – 165.73 + 153 = 318.73
- Alok Singh – 162.17 + 144 = 306.17
- Chakshu – 161.17 + 141 = 302.17
- Ayush Kumar – 161.23 + 139 = 300.23
- V Pavan Karthikeya Chandaka – 136.78 + 163 = 299.78
AFA had the tightest and highest final cut-off (263.67). Only 27 candidates were recommended.
Officers Training Academy (OTA)
The highest overall score was secured by Khushmeet Kaur Sona (Written 115.20 + SSB 124 = 239.28 / 400).
Other high scorers included several candidates who also featured in the IMA/INA lists (Karale Ritesh Shivanand 231.73, Sukhraj Singh Heera 230.72, etc.). The lowest recommended score matched the OTA (Men) cut-off of 162.84. The OTA (Women) cut-off of 193.01 is clearly visible in the merit list, with candidates such as Avnitika exactly matching that figure.
Key Observations for Aspirants
- SSB remains the differentiator: Many candidates with moderate written scores (130–150 range in IMA/INA/AFA) made it into the final list purely on the strength of high SSB marks (160+). Conversely, some candidates with strong written scores were pushed down or missed the list due to average SSB performance.
- AFA is the most competitive on both written and final aggregate among the permanent commission academies.
- OTA (Women) continues to demand higher aggregate scores than OTA (Men), reflecting both the competition and the performance levels of women candidates.
- Multiple recommendations are common. Several top candidates (Jasnoor Singh, Anish Venkatesh Shastry, Karale Ritesh Shivanand, Samar Islam Laskar, and others) appear across IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA lists.
- The gap between written cut-off and final cut-off underscores the decisive weight of the SSB interview (50% of total marks).
Official Document
The complete list with Roll Number, Name, Written Total, SSB Marks, Final Total, and Date of Birth for every recommended candidate is available in the official UPSC PDF:
Candidates are advised to download and preserve their marks for future reference. Any discrepancy should be taken up with the UPSC Facilitation Counter or the concerned service headquarters.
This release provides valuable data for future CDS aspirants on the actual score ranges required for recommendation. Consistent high performance in the written examination combined with a strong SSB performance remains the only reliable path to joining the academies.
