I am planning to apply for the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exams. Will you tell pay scale difference between CDS Vs NDA Exams?

The National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exams are gateways to tri-services of the Indian Armed Forces.

Though both the exams are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, i.e. UPSC, there are many similarities and differences in the recruitment, training, salary, perks and promotion opportunities, etc.

Training details:

On getting through the NDA exam, candidates are required to go through the following training programs:

Army candidates – three years at NDA, Pune and one year at IMA (Indian Military Academy), Dehradun – total duration 4 years.
Navy candidates – three years at NDA, Pune and one year at the Naval Academy, Kerala – total duration 4 years.
Air Force candidates – three years at NDA, Pune and 18 months at Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.

On getting through the CDS exam, candidates are required to go through the following training programs:

Army candidates – 18 months at IMA (Indian Military Academy), Dehradun.
Navy candidates – 37-40 months at Naval Academy, Kerala.
Air Force candidates – 74 months at Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.

In both cases, cadets are offered a stipend of ₹21,000 per month during training.

Pay scale:

NDA Officer Pay vs. CDS Officer Pay

Rank NDA Officer Pay (in Rupees) CDS Officer (Total Pay in Rupees)
Rank Pay Grade Pay
Lieutenant 15,600—39,100/- 5,400/- 56,100 – 1,77,50
Captain 15,600—39,100/- 6,100/- 6,13,00-1,93,900
Major 15,600—39,100/- 6,600/- 6,94,00 – 2,07,200
Lieutenant Colonel 37,400—67,000/- 8,000/- 1,21,200 – 2,12400
Colonel 37,400—67,000/- 8,700/- 1,30,600-2, 15,900
Brigadier 37,400—67,000/- 8,900/- 1,39,600-2,17,600
Major General 37,400—67,000/- 10,000/- 1,44,200-2,18,200
Lieutenant General HAG Scale 67,000/–79,000/- – 1, 82, 200-2,24,100
HAG + Scale 75,500/- 80,000/- – 2,05,400 – 2,24,400
VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG) 80,000/- – 2,25,000/-(fixed)
COAS 90,000/- (fixed) – 2,25,000/-(fixed)