5 ways to Join Indian Army After Graduation

How to Join Indian Army after Graduation as Officer – Various Entries

Here are different ways through which you can Join Indian Army after Graduation. First this is possible through UPSC CDS examination. Already much explained about CDS exam in this website but as we are compiling How to join Indian Army after graduation, we are giving a summary of CDS exam too.

1- CDS Exam

Joining Indian Army is a cherished dream for every young, enthusiastic, and brave Indian. If you are also a defence aspirant who missed your chance after school, you can go for Combined Defence Services Examination or CDS. It is the entrance exam required to be passed to join Indian Army after completion of Graduation. This exam is held twice every year in February-March and September-October. There are certain eligibility criteria to appear in CDS exam like:

1. Aspirant has to be a physically fit Citizen of India
2. A Graduate/Final year of Graduation from a recognized institution

• At the commencement of CDS, age should be between:
• 19 and 24 for IMA (PC), Male
• 19 and 25 for OTA (SSC- Non Tech), Male/ Female

CDS comprises of a written exam which is followed by SSB interview which is held overfive days. Day 1 starts with verbal and non verbal reasoning as a part of screening;Day 2 includes Psychological tests; Day 3 and Day 4 involve group task activitieswhile the final Day 5 is of Personal Interview.

Once you clear SSB, it takes one medical examination and then you get selected for IMA a door to join Indian Army in Officer Cadre.

2.Join Indian Army through NCC Special Entry Scheme

NCC cadets eyeing for a career in Indian Army can attain their goal through NCC Special Entry Scheme which is open for both Male and Female candidates.Those applying in this scheme are granted Short Services Commission in the Army. On special screening of the applications received by ADG Recruiting, direct calls for SSB are made to the shortlisted candidates. Notifications for this regard are issued every year in April and October.

The eligibility criteria specified for NCC Special Entry are:

• Age of candidates should be between 19 and 25 years
• Candidates should be Graduate/ Final year appearing with aggregate 50% marks in any discipline and should have completed 2 years of service in NCC Senior Division Army along with minimum of ‘B’ grade in ‘C’ certificate examination.

Eligible candidates will be called at selection center where two stages of screeningwill be run and those clearing Stage-I will undergo five-day SSB interview. Successful candidates from here will move on to medical examination for physical fitness. As per the merit list prepared by DG Recruiting, selected candidates will get admission into Indian Army through OTA Chennai.

It should be noted here that application has to be made on plain paper in a prescribed format as given in the notification and it should be sent to nearest OC/NCC unit.

3.Join Indian Army through University Entry Scheme (UES)

The final and pre final year students of Engineering can apply to Indian Army as an Officer through University entry scheme. This is a permanent commission into Technical services and branches of Army. It is open only for Male candidates andnotification for the same is issued in May every year. This course commences in month of July at IMA Dehradun.

There are certain eligibility criteria to be fulfilled by candidates like:

• Age of the aspirants should lie between 19 and 25 years for Final yearstudents. It should be between 18 and 24 years for Pre Final students.
• Only Final and Pre-Final year students of Engineering degree courses canapply for this entry

Applications are to be made in the format prescribed in notification and once duly completed, should be sent to respective Command Headquarters.

For selection, candidates are shortlisted after a preliminary campus interview.Selected candidates from here are sent for Service Selection Board (SSB) interview conducted for five days including psychological tests, group activities test, and personal interview.

The qualifying candidates are required to undergo a medical fitness test by themedical board of Army. On final selection, candidates are sent for pre commission training at IMA, Dehradun for duration of 12 months. 

4.Join Indian Army through Technical Entries (TGC and SSC-Tech)

For the technical graduates, it is an excellent opportunity to join Indian Armythrough Technical Graduate Course entry (TGC) which is for the male graduates, or through Short Services Commission (SSC-Tech), which is forboth males and females. Application to these courses can be made from final year of engineering and onward. It is held twice every year in April and October for TGC and SSC-Tech (Men) while it’s in December-January and June-July for SSC-Tech (Women).

The eligibility criteria for enrollment into this one year long course are:

For TGC:

• Males in the age group of 20-27 years
• Should hold BE/B.Tech degree or appearing in final year in streams notified by Indian Army

For SSC- Tech:

• Males in the age group of 20-27 years and Females in age group of 19-25 years
• Degree in BE/B.Tech or Appearing in Final year in the streams as notified by Indian Army

It has to be noted here that the candidates applying for TGS/SSC-Tech are shortlisted for entry as per the cut off decided by Army. There are no such percentage criteria at the time of application.

The mode of application is online and shortlisted candidates are called for SSB interview which is a five- day process including screening tests, psychological tests, group tasks, and Personal Interview.

While candidates get entry to IMA through TGC, it is into OTA through SSC-Tech. However, they have to pass a medical examination for selection after SSB Interview.

5.Join Indian Army through Judge Advocate Entry After Law Graduation

Judge Advocate Entry is specifically meant for the Law students (Males and Females) who want to pursue a career in Indian Army. Candidates are commissioned into OTA Chennai for 49 weeks long training. While Males applying to it may bemarried/Unmarried, Females are required to be Unmarried for enrollment.Notification regarding same is issued in months of June-July every year by Additional Directorate General Recruiting/ AG Branch.

Eligibility required for this entry are:

• Candidates must be the citizens of India
• Age of candidates should be between 21 and 27 years as on first date of year in which course will commence
• Candidates should be LLB/LLM Graduates with minimum 55% aggregate marks and they should compulsorily hold registration with Bar Council of India/State.

For applying, candidates have to send their application in format prescribed in the issued notification, along with all relevant documents, to ADG Recruiting/ AG branch.

Initial short listing on the basis of application will be done at Recruiting Directorate, Army Headquarters. Selected candidates will be sent for 5 days long SSB interview. Those qualifying this interview along with physical fitness test will be selected as permerit.

It is to be noted here that application must be sent in prescribed form completely filled by candidate. Directorate reserves the right to shortlist the candidates as per their marks in LLB exams.