How to Join the Indian Army after Graduation
Joining the Indian Army is the dream of almost every Indian. Becoming an Indian Army officer is perhaps the most satisfying, high paying and luxurious jobs one can long for. Indian Army officers are treated with great respect and honor in this patriotic country. If you have completed your graduation and have made up your mind to join the Indian Army, then this oneHOWTO article is going to tell you how to join the Indian army after graduation. Basically, there are several ways of joining the Indian Army for candidates with different qualifications. Let’s talk about some of them in a little more detail.
CDSE or Combined Defense Services Exam
The combined defense services exam or CDSE is a specialized UPSC examination designed for graduate candidates to join the Indian Army and/or Indian Air Force. To sit for this examination, you should match the following criteria:
- Be between 19 and 24 years of age.
- Should have completed graduation from an institution or university recognized by the UGC.
- Male candidates can select to go to the Officers Training Academy (OTA) or Indian Military Academy (IMA) for training, while female candidates can go to OTA only.
The CDSE examination is conducted twice every year, around September and March. Notifications for the same are widely published in all major journals and newspapers.
NCC special entries
The NCC is the National Cadet Corps, which is open to both school and college students.
There is no written examination for candidates seeking entry through NCC. To apply for this entry, you have to match the following requirements:
- Be a law graduate with at least 50% marks, backed up by at around 2 years of experience in the NCC Senior Division Army.
- You must have qualified in at least C or B grade examination.
- Be an Indian citizen between the ages of 19 to 25.
If you meet all these eligibility requirements, you can be called directly for the SSB interviews and make entry into the Indian Army. Any candidate from 19 to 25 years of age can apply for this special entry, and join OTA for training. Look for notifications twice every year around April and October.
For technical graduates
If you have completed a BE or B.Tech. from a recognized university or institution, you have two ways of entering the Defense Forces.
If you are a male between 20 and 27 years of age, then you can go for a technical graduate course for the permanent commission.
Another way is to go for short service commission, open for both male and female candidates. In this case you must follow the following criteria:
- Males should be 20 to 27 years of age, and females should be 19 to 25 years of age.
- Candidates going through permanent commission are sent to IMA for formal training, while those going through SSC are sent to OTC.
Notifications for SSC come around June and July, while those for permanent commission come twice every year, in April and in October.
JAG entry
If you are a law graduate with at least 55% marks, and if you are registered to the BCI or the bar council of your state, then you can join the Indian Army through the JAG course. The candidates should be between 21 and 27 years of age. Training for candidates applying for JAG entry is given at OTA, and entries are based upon your SSB interview performance. Once the interviews are conducted, a list of qualifying candidates is published, after which the selected candidates are sent for formal training at OTA. Look for notifications in June and July.
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