What are the exam dates for UPSC exams other than CSE in the 2026 calendar — NDA, CDS, CAPF, IFoS?

UPSC 2026 Exam Calendar: All Non-CSE Examinations

The UPSC Exam Annual Calendar 2026, released on 15 May 2025 and available at upsc.gov.in, lists the following confirmed dates for examinations other than CSE:

NDA and CDS: Eligibility Deep-Dive

NDA (National Defence Academy) 2026:

• Age: Candidates must be between 16.5 and 19.5 years as of the first day of the month the course begins. No age relaxation for any category.
• Qualification: Passed or appearing in Class 12. No degree required — this is the key distinction from CSE.
• Gender: Open to both male and female candidates since 2022.
• Services: Recruits for Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy.
• Vacancies (NDA I 2026): Approximately 400 vacancies total across Army, Navy, and Air Force.

CDS (Combined Defence Services) 2026:

• Age: 19–24 years for IMA and Officers Training Academy (OTA); 19–25 for Naval Academy; 19–24 for Air Force Academy. Category-wise relaxations apply.
• Qualification: Bachelor's degree for IMA and OTA; Engineering degree for Naval Academy and Air Force Academy.
• Gender: OTA is open to female candidates; IMA/Naval/Air Force are for male candidates.

Key difference from CSE: Both NDA and CDS recruit specifically for the armed forces. They are not stepping stones to the civil services in any formal sense — clearing NDA leads to a commission in the Army, Navy, or Air Force, not to IAS or IPS. However, ex-servicemen and commissioned officers who later appear for CSE get a 5-year age relaxation, so a defence service career followed by a CSE attempt is a legitimate (if rare) path.

CAPF 2026: Sub-Forces, Structure, and Eligibility

Full name: UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination 2026

Sub-forces covered: The CAPF exam recruits Assistant Commandants across five forces:

1. BSF — Border Security Force
2. CRPF — Central Reserve Police Force
3. CISF — Central Industrial Security Force
4. ITBP — Indo-Tibetan Border Police
5. SSB — Sashastra Seema Bal

Key 2026 details:

• Written exam: 19 July 2026 (Sunday)
• Application window: 20 February to 12 March 2026 (now closed)
• Vacancies: 349 Assistant Commandant posts across the five forces
• Application fee: Rs 200 (General/OBC); exempted for SC/ST and female candidates
• Age limit: 20–25 years (born between 2 August 2001 and 1 August 2006)
• Qualification: Bachelor's degree from a recognised university

Exam structure:

• Paper I: General Ability and Intelligence (objective, 250 marks)
• Paper II: General Studies, Essay, and Comprehension (descriptive, 200 marks)
• Physical and Medical Standards Test (PST/PMT) for Paper I and II qualifiers
• Interview/Personality Test: Final stage

CAPF is a popular parallel track for CSE aspirants because the GS preparation is substantially overlapping. However, the age ceiling of 25 is more restrictive than CSE's 32, so this window closes earlier.

IFoS 2026: Nature of the Exam and Why It Matters

Prelims: Held jointly with CSE Prelims on 24 May 2026. If you are registered for CSE 2026, you are already registered for IFoS Prelims — your CSE Prelims admit card covers both.

Mains: Scheduled for 22 November 2026. IFoS Mains is a distinctly different exam from CSE Mains:

• CSE Mains tests governance, social issues, ethics, and optional subjects from humanities/social sciences
• IFoS Mains consists of papers in general English, general knowledge, and two optional subjects drawn from: Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Agriculture, Forestry

Vacancies: Approximately 80 vacancies for IFoS 2026 (notified alongside CSE 2026 on 4 February 2026).

Career: IFoS officers are posted as Range Officers, Divisional Forest Officers, and eventually Conservators and Principal Chief Conservators of Forests. The service combines field conservation work with policy roles — distinct from the administrative-policy profile of IAS/IPS.

Who should consider IFoS seriously: Science graduates (botany, zoology, agriculture, forestry, geology, chemistry, physics) who are also preparing for CSE Prelims. With 80 vacancies and a narrower applicant pool than CSE, the probability of selection is meaningfully higher for well-prepared candidates.

ESE (Engineering Services Examination) 2026

Full name: UPSC Engineering Services Examination 2026

• Prelims held: 8 February 2026 (completed)
• Vacancies: 474 posts across Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering disciplines
• Age limit: 21–30 years as of 1 January 2026 (age reference date differs from CSE)
• Qualification: Bachelor's degree in Engineering (BE/B.Tech) or equivalent
• Exam structure: Stage I Prelims (objective: 500 marks), Stage II Mains (conventional descriptive: 600 marks), Stage III Interview (200 marks)
• Total marks: 1,300 marks
• Recruiters: Engineers placed in Group A Central Engineering Services including Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Central Engineering Service (Roads), Indian Defence Service of Engineers, etc.

ESE is the premier engineering examination in India for those seeking government engineering careers without transitioning to general administration.