Indian Armed Forces, which is also known as Defense Forces of India, is more of an emotion than a career option. Like other fields, people here don’t just come to earn money and make a career. In fact, they have a passion for doing something for the country.
But on the other hand, it is also a fact that it is a very fascinating career option for youth. Indian Armed Forces’ personal life and lifestyle are very different from that of an ordinary person. Being in the Indian Armed Forces is a matter of pride and honor.
So if you are also thinking of going to the officer level in the Indian Armed Forces or are preparing for it, then this article can be very helpful for you. To join the Indian Defense Forces, there are various exams and selection processes, which we will talk about later. Before that, let’s know the basics about these forces.
Indian Armed Forces comes under the Ministry of Defense. There are mainly three services in this. The Indian Army, which has a total of more than 12 lakh active personnel.
The Indian Air Force, which has a total of about 1,70,000 active personnel. The Indian Navy, which has a total of about 70,000 active personnel. In total, the Indian Defense Force has 14,40,000 active and about 1,50,000 reserved military personnel.
You must be aware of the Indian Army, which provides security to India on land. The Air Force is also clear from the name, which has to see security from the airways. After that, the Indian Navy, which provides security on India’s waterways.
Basically, the work of these three forces is to protect the country from external elements that can harm the people of the country and the country. And they also protect the borders of the country. By the way, apart from these three services in the Armed Forces, CAPF, Coast Guard which comes under the Home Ministry.
There are also some paramilitary forces and some special forces. Under the Ministry of Defense, there is a paramilitary force, the Indian Coast Guard, which some writers include in the Indian Armed Forces.
Although their uniform is similar to that of the Indian Navy, but their work is quite different. The Indian Coast Guard does not do any military or war operations like the Navy. They have different responsibilities.
Their job is to search, rescue and protect. Their job is to provide security to the fishermen, to preserve the marine environment and to control marine pollution. They work in coordination with Indian Navy, Department of Fisheries, Department of Revenue, and the Central and State Police Forces.
So, if youngsters want to join the Indian Armed Forces at the officer level, they should first get the basic knowledge of all these forces. Then they have to decide which type of service they want to join. Because these forces take different types of exams for recruitment.
And they have different eligibility criteria. And there are two types of officers in the Indian Armed Forces. PC i.e. Permanent Commission, SSC i.e. Short Service Commission.
PC officers are those whose service is permanent till the age of retirement. These officers are recruited on both 12th and graduation basis. While SSC officers are those who have a limited period of service.
Their service tenure is up to 10 years, which can be extended to 4 years in the future, i.e. a total of 14 years. In some branches of the Indian Armed Forces, some of these officers are given permanent commission based on their career performance and permanent commission based on vacancies in the department. These officers are recruited only on graduation basis.
Now let’s talk about those exams through which you can join the Indian Armed Forces. Let’s talk about the 12th basis. First of all, NDA, which is a common exam for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
Another Entry is TES, which is only for the Indian Army. Then Direct Entry, 10 plus 2, BTEC, which is only for the Indian Navy. All these entries are permanent commissioned in the Indian Armed Forces.
And if we talk about the graduation level, then first of all CDS, which is a common exam for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, which are permanent commissioned. Along with this, there is also a vacancy for the short service commission officers of the Indian Army. Next, UES, TGC, JAG, SSC Tech are such entries that are only for the Indian Army.
Among these, UES and TGC are permanent commissioned, the rest are short service commissioned. Next, FCAT is such an entry that is only for the Indian Air Force. From this exam, PC and SSC are both types of entries.
Next, INET is such an exam that gives entry to the Indian Navy at the graduation level. In this also, there are entries of PC and SSC type. Apart from all these, there is also NCC entry, which gives the opportunity to go to all three services after graduation.
Now let’s talk about the ways to join the Indian Armed Forces. The first and most famous one is NDA exam. NDA means National Defence Academy.
NDA exam is conducted by UPS, Union Public Service Commission. This exam is for 12th pass and appearing students. From this exam, vacancies of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are filled.
If we talk about eligibility, then for NDA, the age should be between 16.5 to 19.5 years. And for Indian Navy and Air Force, it is mandatory to have a Physics, Chemistry and Maths subject in 12th. Whereas in Army Wing, all 12th pass students of this team are eligible.
The level and standard of this exam is quite high. This exam is conducted twice in a year, NDA 1 and NDA 2. In every exam, total 400 vacancies are filled including these four services. And in this, around 5 to 7 lakh students apply.
After that, there is an MCQ type objective exam, which is qualified only by students of around 10,000. After written test, there is an interview round, which is conducted by SSB, Service Selection Board. SSB interview is a 5 days long process and it is done by making batches of 250 to 300 students. All candidates are called to different places for SSB interview according to their preference of service. In this, from first day screening test, there are many types of rounds.
Maximum students are given out in screening only. From every batch, OLQ candidates are selected and recommended. It is not necessary that only fixed number of candidates are selected from every batch.
It is also possible that many candidates are selected from one batch, and all candidates are rejected from one batch. After interview process of all around 10,000 candidates, in last batches, total 500 candidates are recommended. Then, on the basis of their scores, merit is made in final money list.
And candidates are selected according to their vacancy. We can say that standard of interview of Indian Armed Forces is much higher than any normal interview. After being selected for NDA, all candidates are given 3 years of training and graduation course.
After that, they are sent to different academies according to their service. After 1 year of training, they are commissioned as officers. Next is CDS exam.
CDS means Combined Defence Services is also conducted by UPSC at national level. It is for those candidates who have passed out in final year of graduation. If we talk about criteria, age for CDS should be between 19 to 25 years.
Age criteria is different for different services. CDS exam is also conducted twice in a year. CDS-1 and CDS-2.
In CDS exam, vacancies are between 350 to 400. CDS exam also includes written test and SSB interview like NDA. After that, medical examination is also conducted.
Candidates selected through this exam are given Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, Izhimala, AFA i.e. Air Force Academy, Hyderabad and OTA i.e. Officers Training Academy, Chennai which is sent for training in 4 institutes. Permanent Commissioned Officers go to IIMA, INA and AFA. Cadets who graduate from NDA also go to these academies according to their respective service.
Short Service Commissioned Officers go to OTA. Candidates have to fill Army, Navy and Air Force preference wise. OTA i.e. Short Service Commission automatically comes on 4th preference.
After completing 18 months training course from these institutes, candidates get post of Class 1 Officers. In which, in Indian Army, there is a Lieutenant, in Indian Navy, there is a Sub-Lieutenant and in Indian Air Force, there is a flying officer post. Next, TES i.e. Technical Entry Scheme which is for officer recruitment in technical trades of Indian Army.
For this, candidates should have PCM i.e. Physics, Chemistry and Maths subject in 12th and they should have minimum 60% marks. Also, they should appear in JEE Main Exams. This entry is conducted twice a year and in one time, around 90 vacancies come out.
Its age eligibility criteria is also same as NDA. There is no entrance exam in this. After completion of all procedures, final selected candidates are sent to OTA Gaya i.e. Officers Training Academy which is in Gaya district of Bihar for 5 years of training.
Next is Direct Entry 10 plus 2 BTech. This entry is only for Indian Navy. For this, candidates should have PCM i.e. Physics, Chemistry and Maths subject in 12th and they should have minimum 60% marks.
For this, candidates should have PCM i.e. Physics, Chemistry and Maths subject in 12th and they should have minimum 60% marks. Also, they should appear in JEE Main Exams. This entry is also conducted twice a year and its age eligibility criteria is same as NDA and TAS.
There is no entrance exam in this. Based on JEE Main Scores, candidates are called for SSB interview. After completion of all procedures, final selected candidates are sent to INA for 4 years of training.
After completion of this, they are given JNU B.Tech degree Next is UES i.e. University Entry Scheme which is only for Indian Army. This is also a technical entry which is for officers recruitment in technical trades of Indian Army. This entry is only for pre-final i.e. 3rd year students.
Age eligibility criteria is 18-24 years. This entry is conducted only once a year and it has 60 vacancies. In this, selected candidates are sent to IMA Dharadun for 1 year of training.
Next is TGC Entry. TGC i.e. Technical Grade Course also is a technical entry in Indian Army. This scheme is for engineers who are in final year or have completed their degree and want to join Army.
In this, cut-off percentage is decided branch-wise and candidates are called for direct SSB interview. i.e. engineers whose percentage is good can apply through this. In this, age eligibility criteria is 20-27 years.
This entry is also conducted twice a year and it has around 60 vacancies. In this, selected candidates are sent to IMA Dharadun for 1 year of training. Next is JG.
JG i.e. Judge Advocate General Branch is used to recruit Advocate Officers in Indian Army. If you have watched the movie, then the Advocate friends in that movie are enrolled in Indian Armed Forces through this entry. In this, age eligibility criteria is 21-27 years.
This entry is conducted twice a year and it has around 10 vacancies. In this, graduation should be done in LLB and registration should be done in Bar Council of India or State. In this, selected candidates are sent to OTA Chennai for 49 weeks of training.
Next is SSC Tech i.e. Short Service Commission Technical is used to recruit Short Service Officers In this, only final year students of B.Tech Engineering and graduation students can apply. In this, candidates are called for direct SSB interview on the basis of marks till 6th semester. In this, age eligibility criteria is 20-27 years.
This entry is conducted twice a year and it has around 100 vacancies. In this, selected candidates are sent to OTA Chennai for 49 weeks of training. Next is AFCAT i.e. Air Force Commission Admission Test.
Through this exam, entry is given to Indian Air Force. Apart from NDA, CDS and NCC entry, this is the only option through which you can join Indian Air Force. Indian Air Force has broadly two branches Flying Branch and Ground Duty Branch Technical and Non-Technical. Through this exam, both Permanent and Short Service Commission vacancies are given. But through this, Permanent Commission is not given in Flying Branch. It is given only to NDA and CDS candidates.
In this, age eligibility criteria for Flying Branch is 20-24 years and for Ground Duty Branch it is 20-26 years. This entry is also conducted twice a year and in this, graduation of a specific field is allowed in education qualification. And in maximum branches, Physics and Maths has compulsory subjects in 10 plus 2 with a minimum 50% marks requirement.
In this, candidates are sent to AFA i.e. Air Force Academy Hyderabad for training. This training is of 74 weeks for Flying Branch and Ground Duty Technical Branch and 52 weeks for Ground Duty Non-Technical Branch. Next is INET i.e. Indian Navy Entrance Test which is conducted on graduation basis.
Through this exam, different posts of Indian Navy are filled i.e. Pilot, Observer, ATC, General Service, Hydro, Naval Architect, Education, etc. In these, according to department, all age eligibility criteria are filled. Through this exam, both Permanent and Short Service Commission vacancies are given.
And this exam is also conducted twice a year. SSB interview is conducted for candidates who have cleared written exam and final selected candidates are sent to INA Izhimala for training. Next way is NCC.
NCC i.e. National Cadet Corps is also a special option to join Armed Forces. If you have already joined NCC and you have NCC-C Certificate in which you have got A or B grade in performance then it becomes easier for you to join Indian Armed Forces because in this case you don’t have to give any written test. With NCC Certificates, you become eligible for direct SSB interview round.
So these were the different ways to join Indian Armed Forces. Apart from these, there is also Territorial Army which is not a part of regular Army. That’s why we didn’t talk about it here. And neither did we talk about AFMS i.e. Armed Forces Medical Services for Education Corps.