UPSC Releases CDS 2 2025 Marks of Recommended Candidates, Cut-Offs and Merit Lists
The Union Public Service Commission has released the detailed marks of finally recommended candidates for the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2025, bringing the recruitment cycle for the exam to a close. The marks were published in an official PDF titled Marks of Recommended Candidates and uploaded on 21 August 2026 on the UPSC website.
With this release, all major stages of CDS (II) 2025 have now been disclosed publicly. The written examination was conducted on 14 September 2025. Final results for the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy were announced on 30 March 2026, followed by a minor revision in inter-se ranking on 7 April 2026. The Officers Training Academy result came in early August 2026, official cut-off marks were published on 14 August 2026, and the individual marks of recommended candidates are now available as well.
How many candidates were 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 |
Several candidates figure in more than one merit list, reflecting the preferences they had submitted and their performance across the selection process. On that basis, the total number of unique recommended candidates is approximately 510.
The number of names recommended is far higher than the vacancies notified for the course: 100 for IMA, including 13 for the NCC Army Wing; 26 for INA, including NCC Naval Wing and Hydro; and 32 for AFA, including NCC Air Wing. This is standard UPSC practice, intended to account for medical unfitness, withdrawals and other contingencies. Medical examination results were not considered while drawing up the merit lists. Candidature remains provisional until date of birth and educational qualification are verified by the respective service headquarters.
How the marks are calculated
- IMA, INA and AFA, which are Permanent Commission courses, carry a written examination of 300 marks — English 100, General Knowledge 100 and Elementary Mathematics 100 — followed by a 300-mark SSB interview. The total is 600 marks.
- OTA, the Short Service Commission course, has a 200-mark written exam in English and General Knowledge only, followed by a 200-mark SSB interview. The total is 400 marks.
The minimum qualifying mark in each written paper remained 20% across all academies.
Official cut-offs for the 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 |
Among the Permanent Commission academies, AFA had both the highest written cut-off and the highest final cut-off. In OTA, the women’s final cut-off was noticeably higher than the men’s.
Top scores across the merit lists
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
The highest written score in IMA was 183.79, while the highest SSB score reached 177. The lowest recommended final score was 249.61, and the average final score among recommended candidates was about 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
INA recorded the highest SSB score across all Permanent Commission lists, at 186. Its lowest recommended final score was 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 at 263.67, and only 27 candidates were recommended for the academy.
Officers Training Academy (OTA)
The highest overall score in OTA was posted by Khushmeet Kaur Sona, who scored 115.20 in the written exam and 124 in the SSB for a total of 239.28 out of 400.
Other leading OTA scorers included several candidates who also appeared in the IMA, INA and AFA lists, such as Karale Ritesh Shivanand with 231.73 and Sukhraj Singh Heera with 230.72. The lowest recommended score matched the OTA (Men) cut-off of 162.84. The OTA (Women) cut-off of 193.01 is also reflected in the merit list, with candidates such as Avnitika matching that figure exactly.
What the list tells future aspirants
- SSB remains the deciding factor. Many candidates with moderate written scores in the 130–150 range for IMA, INA and AFA made the final list because of strong SSB scores of 160 or more. Others with strong written performance were placed lower or missed out because of weaker SSB scores.
- AFA remains the most competitive among the Permanent Commission academies, both at the written stage and in the final aggregate.
- OTA (Women) continues to have a higher aggregate requirement than OTA (Men), reflecting the level of competition and performance among women candidates.
- Multiple recommendations are common, with candidates such as Jasnoor Singh, Anish Venkatesh Shastry, Karale Ritesh Shivanand and Samar Islam Laskar appearing across more than one list.
- The gap between written cut-off and final cut-off shows how heavily the SSB interview weighs in the overall selection process, accounting for 50% of the total marks.
Official document and candidate guidance
The complete UPSC document lists each recommended candidate’s roll number, name, written total, SSB marks, final total and date of birth. The official PDF is available for download through the UPSC release.
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.
For aspirants preparing for future CDS examinations, the figures offer a clear picture of the score ranges that led to recommendation in CDS (II) 2025. Strong performance in both the written examination and the SSB interview remained the route to selection across all academies.
