UPSC CDS I 2026 final result out, Lohitaksh Mahajan tops

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced the final result of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2026, on November 2, 2026. The results, available on the official UPSC website upsc.gov.in, list 243 candidates who have qualified for admission to the 162nd (DE) Course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), the Indian Naval Academy (INA), and the Air Force Academy (AFA).

Lohitaksh Mahajan has secured the top position in this year’s examination. The recruitment drive aims to fill 451 vacancies across the three defence academies, with the final list of qualified candidates not yet taking into account medical examination results.

Examination and Selection Process

The Combined Defence Services Examination (I) was conducted on April 12, 2026. The examination consisted of three shifts, with the English paper in the first shift, General Knowledge in the second, and Elementary Mathematics in the third. Following the written examination, the Services Selection Board (SSB) of the Ministry of Defence conducted interviews for admission to the various academies.

The SSB interviews were held for the 162nd (DE) Course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun; the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, Kerala; and the Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad, for the Pre-Flying Training Course (No. 221 F(P) Course). The application process for this examination began on December 11, 2025, and concluded on December 30, 2025.

Qualified Candidates and Academy Vacancies

A total of 243 candidates have qualified in the final result, with 181 unique candidates appearing across the merit lists. Lohitaksh Mahajan (Roll No. 0500513) topped the merit lists for IMA, INA, and AFA. Nine candidates, including Lohitaksh Mahajan, Aditya Sharma, Aryan, Ansh Sharma, Aaryan Mishra, Vinay Dhaka, Abhay Singh Chauhan, K R Rakshith, and Ujjwal Devgun, appear in all three academy lists.

The Commission had initially recommended 2,601 candidates for the Indian Military Academy, 770 for the Indian Naval Academy, and 610 for the Air Force Academy in the written examination. The final merit lists show 155 names for IMA against 100 vacancies, 63 names for INA against 26 vacancies, and 25 names for AFA against 32 vacancies. The discrepancy between the number of names in the merit list and vacancies is attributed to candidates appearing in multiple lists based on preferences, with final joining contingent on medical fitness and document verification.

Provisional Candidature and Next Steps

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has stated that the candidature of all selected candidates for the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2026, remains provisional. This is because the verification of their dates of birth and educational qualifications is still being conducted by the Army Headquarters. Also, the final list of qualified candidates was prepared without factoring in the results of their medical examinations, meaning final joining is contingent on medical fitness.

Qualified candidates are required to send their original certificates, along with self-attested photocopies, to their respective Army, Naval, or Air Headquarters, based on their first preference. These documents are necessary to support their claims regarding date of birth, educational qualifications, and other details. Candidates who have changed their addresses are advised to inform the relevant headquarters directly and promptly. The marks obtained by candidates will be published on the UPSC website only after the final result for the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) course for the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2026, is declared.

Further reading

• IPS Ankita Sharma’s viral AK-47 video highlights journey from Class 5 maths struggle to AIR 203 in UPSC
• UPSC CDS II 2026 written exam result declared for 451 posts
• UP Board: Register by October 22, 2026 for Classes 9-12
• UPSC CDS 2 result 2026 out; 8,956 candidates pass written exam

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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