UPSC CDS Tushar Topped, Written and SSB Marks

We have compiled the  CDS Toppers 2023 list based on their AIR. And, surprisingly most of them are from a non army background and hail from the non-metro cities of India, which itself is very inspiring and motivational for students who think that exams like CDS are only cleared by peers with army influence or background. Breaking the stereotype, presenting you with the toppers of the CDS I and CDS II examination respectively.

CDS Topper 2022: Defence jobs in Army, Navy and Airforce is one the of most favored career options among students and aspirants as it offers a variety of personal, professional, and societal growth. In India, defence jobs are not only a flag bearer of patriotism and service to the country but also a job, offering lifelong learning on security, skill development, leadership, educational, competitive compensation and specialized training. 

The Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) holds a national-level competitive exam called the Common Defence Service Examination(CDSE) twice a year to choose candidates for the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The candidates appear for this examination to be selected in Indian Military Academy(IMA), Indian Naval Academy(INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers’ Training Academy(OTA). There were 349 vacancies for CDS II 2023 and for CDS 2024, the vacancies are yet to be disclosed.

But Why CDS? The gamut of offering makes defence jobs among the most sought after career options for candidates after class 12 and graduation. One can enter the regime of Defence through three popular examinations like CDS, NDA and AFCAT. Among them CDS is one of the most popular examination candidates aspire to pursue after graduation. Aspirants who are below 25 years old can apply for the exam after their graduation. CDS provides a career opportunity to candidates to Join Indian Armed Forces as Commissioned Officers after they complete their training. 

On an average more than 8 lakh candidates appear for the CDS exam among which less than 1% of candidates are selected. The ratio between test takers and selected candidates is low therefore it is among the toughest exams in India to qualify.  But candidates with the right strategy, firm command over concepts and physically fit can qualify in the exams. Candidates who have secured All India merit rank suggests that the CDS is not a hard exam to crack but it requires strategy based studies and preparation where conceptual clarity is much needed. Also, the accuracy level to solve questions within the limited time frame is a distinguishing factor for selection.     

CDS Topper 2022

Here we bring the CDS Toppers insights and experience which will help you to understand ‘How to Qualify CDS’. Tushar Tanwar AIR 1 in CDS 2022 emphasizes the importance of fundamental and concept quality is key to score good marks while Yash Malhan who secured AIR 2 in CDS says that taking regular mock tests helps you to improve your preparation and securing good marks. 

We have compiled the  CDS Toppers 2023 list based on their AIR. And, surprisingly most of them are from a non army background and hail from the non-metro cities of India, which itself is very inspiring and motivational for students who think that exams like CDS are only cleared by peers with army influence or background. Breaking the stereotype, presenting you with the toppers of the CDS I and CDS II examination respectively.

UPSC CDS I toppers 2022

The Union Public Service Commission administered the Combined Defence Services Examination I,  in April 2022. The Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence conducted SSB interviews with the candidates after the written test. The 164 individuals listed in the final merit list have been recommended for admission to the corresponding academies after satisfactorily completing both of these rounds.

Tushar Tanwar AIR 1: CDS(I) Topper 2022 

Born in 20th feb 2001, Tushar bagged the AIR 1 in the CDS I 2022 examination. Hailing from UP, Tushar did not belong from an army background and joined an online coaching called Careerwill for his preparation. He states that it was his teachers, Neeraj Baisal and Rakesh Yadav for math and Gopal Verma for English that helped him crack the CDS examination. He adds that these teachers prepared his base and fundamentals, which is very important for such examinations. Rakesh Yadav, coach and math Guru to Tushar states that  “Tushar Tanwar always had the personality to become an army officer and it was evident that he will crack the exam.” Tushar always loved a disciplined lifestyle and included that while preparing for the exam, he said he studies online and saves a lot of time and dedicates it to developing his personality.

Yash Malhan AIR 2: CDS(I) Topper 2022 

Bagging the second rank is Yash Malhan, who is also a batchmate of AIR 1 Tushar Tanwar and a student at Careerwill. Yash was born on February 22, 2002 in UP and belongs to a middle class non army family. He studied under the guidance of Rakesh Yadav  at an online batch and states that sir is the only teacher he took lessons from and never missed any single class. Surprisingly, his graduation is not even completed as it will be his final semester and he cracked the CDS examination in his first attempt.

Amit Prakash AIR 3: CDS(I) Topper 2022 

Amit Prakash secured the third rank for CDS 1 2022. Although not hailing from an army background, Amit studied at Sainik school Kapurthala which he says has helped him a lot while preparing for both written and SSB. Amit says that the army schools aim to provide its students with education that can help them crack CDS or NDA. When asked about study material, he said he just followed the NCERT and practiced a lot of mock tests. Amit has previously appeared for NDA but could not get selected in any attempt, hence he learned from his mistakes and prepared everything by himself.

Neeraj Kapri AIR 4: CDS(I) Topper 2022 

The 4th rank in the CDS I 2022 was bagged by Neeraj Kapri. He hails from a place called Sadhgarh and completed his higher secondary from Pithoragarh. Although now in IMA, he belonged from a non army background and suffered the lack of education while growing up. He was one of the few people who got out of his village and the first person to join the army from his village. He states that he wants to be an inspiration for his village folks as it was his 16th attempt before joining IMA. Neeraj completed his post graduation before enrolling at IMA. He says his constant support was his family and he was always open for a second option since it is really tough to crack SSB interviews.

Abhishek Agarwal AIR 5: CDS(I) Topper 2022 

Someone has rightly said, “Hard work always pays off, whatever you do”  and Abhishek Agarwal has proved it. Born on March 28 2000, Abhishek secured AIR 5 for the CDS examination. It was his 5th CDS attempt and he joined the IMA.

UPSC CDS 2 toppers 2022

In September 2022, the Union Public Service Commission administered the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2022. Following the written test, the candidates went through SSB interviews with the Ministry of Defence’s Services Selection Board. The 204 individuals listed in the final merit list passed both of these tests and were given the go-ahead for admission to the corresponding academies.

Akash Bhadouriya AIR 1: CDS(II) Topper 2022 

Securing AIR 1, Akash Bhadouriya thanked his parents and institute Olive Green Chandigarh. He stated that for him physical fitness was always an important factor and he started preparing for SSB right after the CDS written exam. Akash was born in September second 1999, and hails from Delhi.

Vishal Agarwal AIR 2: CDS(II) Topper 2022 

By hook or by crook, this is the saying that goes best with the AIR 2 Vishal Agarwal. Born in august 21 1999, Vishal secured the second position in CDS II 2022. It was his 7th attempt and he mentioned how rigorously he worked hard to achieve his goals. Previously, he was working at Deloitte and comes from a non army background. He says he was inspired by the army people around him and NCC during his school days helped him achieve his dream of serving in the army.

Ankit Singh AIR 3: CDS(II) Topper 2022 

Ankit Singh managed to secure the third rank in the CDS II 2022 examination and is indeed a shining example of hardwork and discipline. He was born on October 26, 1999. 

Himanshu Ruhela AIR 4: CDS(II) Topper 2022 

Hardwork never fails and Himanshu Ruhela is the right example for that. Bagging the fourth rank in the CDS II 2022 examination, Himanshu proved that a candidate from non army background can crack one of the toughest exams of India. He was born on December 12, 2000 and at this young age is already looking forward to being a Lieutenant in the Indian Army.

Sarthak Akkar AIR 5: CDS(II) Topper 2022 

Sarthak Akkar bagged AIR 5 in CDS II 2022 examination and being from an arts background scored well enough in math to not only clear the written but the SSB interview as well. Sarthak was born December 17, 2001 to a non-army family. He mainly studied math from unacademy and says that he focused more on GS and English to balance out his weakness for math. He suggests aspirants to analyze previous year question papers and solve mock tests regularly to clear the examination.    

UPSC CDS I Toppers 2022

Based on the written test and SSB interview, the Union Public Service Commision prepared the final list. In total, 164 candidates were selected and 43 were from the IMA. You can check the list at: upsc.gov.in Below is the list of toppers from IMA:

UPSC CDS II Toppers 2022:

Based on the written test and SSB interview, the Union Public Service Commision prepared the final list. In total, 204 candidates were selected and 50 were from the IMA. You can check the list at: upsc.gov.in. Below is the list of toppers from IMA: