CDS Cut Off 2026: Previous Year Written and Final Marks

The CDS cut off is released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for each academy at two levels: the written cut-off, which is the aggregate of the last candidate called for the SSB, and the final cut-off, which is the written plus SSB marks of the last candidate recommended. UPSC publishes these only after the final result, so the CDS II 2026 cut-off will come out in 2027.

CDS Written Cut Off

CDS Final Cut Off

The CDS II 2025 figures were released in August 2026 and are reported to two decimal places. Earlier cycles were published as whole numbers.

Two patterns stand out. AFA has the highest written and final cut-off among IMA, INA and AFA in all three cycles, and the OTA (Women) final cut-off rose sharply in CDS II 2025 because of the small number of seats.

What Decides the CDS Cut Off

• Paper difficulty: A tougher English or GK paper pulls the written cut-off down.

• Vacancies: AFA and OTA (Women) have few seats, which pushes their cut-offs up.

• SSB performance: The final cut-off depends on how the shortlisted candidates perform at the SSB.

• Minimum marks in each paper: UPSC can fix qualifying marks per paper, so a high total does not help if one paper falls below the minimum.

When candidates tie, UPSC ranks them by aggregate marks, then written marks, then General Knowledge marks, and then age, with the older candidate placed higher.

How to Set Your Target

Cut-offs change every cycle, so treat these figures as a benchmark only. Aim for a clear margin of about 15 to 20 marks above the latest written cut-off for your first-choice academy, rather than a bare pass. For IMA, that means steady mock scores of around 140 out of 300; for OTA, around 100 out of 200. A margin also protects you from the per-paper minimum.

Check the official cut-off documents are on upsc.gov.in.