How to Join Indian Army as an Officer & PBOR [Full Detail]

The youth of the nation is inclined to join the Indian Army, but many of us are not aware of the opportunities that the Indian Army provides.

This article will also help many aspirants and make them aware of various entries in the Indian Army.

How to Join Indian Army

There are two types of positions available in the Indian army:

1. Officer
2. Personnel Below Officer Rank

A. Joining Indian Army as an Officer:

An officer in the Indian Army is a person that holds responsibility and position of authority. They are the leaders of the future who lead the men into the battlefield.

The Indian Army recruits most of the officers at a young age of 16 -19 years but there are opportunities for graduates, postgraduates as well as working people.

The Indian Army provides two types of commission:

1. Permanent Commission
2. Short Service Commission

Permanent Commission of the Indian Army means a career in the army until one retires. The entries which are of permanent commission – NDA, TES, CDS (IMA) etc.

Short Service Commission of the Indian Army means serving the army until a period of 10 years. After the end of 10 years an officer has 3 options – either select permanent commission or extend his service up to 4 years or he can opt out. The entries which are of short service commission – SSC Tech, CDS (OTA), NCC entry, JAG entry etc.

Below is a chart that depicts the about the various entries by which you can join the army as an Officer:

The above entries can be classified into the following:

1. Written Entry
2. Direct Entry

Written entries are those entries in which a qualifying exam needs to be cleared. Following is the list of written entries:

• National Defence Academy (NDA): The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the biannual exam conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) for young aspirants of age 16½ yrs to 19½ yrs. It is generally conducted in the months of March and August. The candidate must be appearing or should have passed 10+2. The candidate needs to appear for a written exam consisting of 3 subjects (English, General Knowledge, Mathematics), clear SSB Interview, and medical examinations. The exam is conducted in the month of April and September. The Notification comes out in December – January, and May – June.
• Combined Defence Service Exam (CDS): The Combined Defence Service Exam is the biannual exam conducted by UPSC for graduates who are interested to join the Indian Army. The age criteria for the aspirants applying for IMA (Indian Military Academy) should be between 19 – 24 yrs while those who apply for OTA (Officers Training Academy) should be within the age of 19 – 25 yrs. The exam is conducted in the month of February and November. The Notification comes out in October and June respectively.
• Territorial Army (TA): The Territorial Army (TA) is the opportunity for already employed candidates to serve the nation. The candidates must be within the age of 18-42 years. It is not a regular job and you will be called as when required. You need to appear for a written exam after which you need to appear from the Preliminary Interview Board (PIB), SSB interview and medical.

Direct Entries are those in which there is no qualifying exam here a candidate is shortlisted for the SSB Interview directly on the basis of percentage in class 12 or graduation. Following is the list of direct entries:

• Technical Entry Scheme (TES) or 10+ 2 Tech: This is a direct entry for candidates who have passed class 12th in science stream with a minimum of 70% marks. The age criteria are between 16 ½ to 19 ½ yrs. All students need to apply in the website and then based on the cut off percentage, candidates are called for SSB Interviews. The Notification comes out in May/June and October/November.
• Short Service Commission Technical (SSC Tech): The candidates who have completed their engineering can apply for this entry into the Indian Army. The selected candidates will serve the army under Short Service Commission, i.e 10 years which can be extended for a period of 14 years. The Notification comes out in July and December/January.
• National Cadet Corps Special Entry (NCC): The NCC entry is an opportunity for young graduates who have aggregate 2 years of service in senior division army and have successfully attained B grade in NCC “C” certificate can apply for this entry. They need to secure a min of 50% marks in their graduation. The age limit for these candidates is 19 to 25 years. The Notification comes out in January and July/August.
• Judge Advocate General Entry (JAG): This is an excellent opportunity for the law student who has passed LLB with a minimum of 50% and should be eligible for registration in Bar Council of India. The candidate can apply online and then after getting shortlisted they need to appear for SSB interview. The age limit for this entry is 21 to 27 years. The Notification comes out in July and January.

Note:

Technical Graduate Course (TGC) and University Entry Scheme (UES) has been closed by the Indian Army to boost the strength of SSC Tech-Entry.

The CDS (OTA), TA, SSC Tech, NCC Special Entry, and JAG Entry is for both Men & Women. 

B. Joining Indian Army as a Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR):

Personnel below officer rank is the backbone of the Indian Army, it mainly consists of combat, technical, service, and administrative troops.

They are further classified into:

• Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO)
• Other Ranks (OR)

Below is a chart that depicts the about the various entries by which you can join the army as a JCO/OR:

The below table shows the education criteria for recruitment of JCO/OR:

Category	Age	Education
Soldier General Duty	17 ½ – 21 years	Passed Class 10th with 45% aggregate and 33% marks in each subject.
Soldier Tech (Technical Arms, Army Air Defence, Artillery)	17 ½ – 21 years	Passed 12th Std. with Science Stream (PCM, English); 50% aggregate and 40% marks in each subject.
Soldier Clerk/ Store Keeper	17 ½ – 23 years	Passed 12th std with 60% aggregate and 50% marks in each subject. 50% in English and Maths/Bookkeeping in 12th.
Soldier Nursing Assistant/Tech	17 ½ – 23 years	Passed 12th std. in Science with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English; 50% marks in aggregate; min 40% in each subject.
Sepoy Pharma (Army Medical Corps)	19 – 25 years	Passed 10+2 or equivalent exam with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English; Qualified D.Pharma with 55% marks in aggregate and registered with State Pharmacy Council/Pharmacy Council of India. The individual should be qualified in B Pharma with minimum 50% marks and registered with State Pharmacy Council/Pharmacy Council of India is also eligible.
Soldier Nursing Assistant Veterinary (Remount Veterinary Corps)	17 ½ – 23 years	Passed 12th std in Science with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English with Min 50% marks in aggregate and minimum 40% in each subject.
Soldier Tradesmen	17 ½ – 23 years	Passed 10th std. with a minimum of 33% marks in all subjects
Survey Automated Cartographer	17 ½ – 23 years	BA / B Sc with Maths. Should have also passed 12th std with Maths and Science as main subjects.
Junior Commissioned Officer Religious Teacher (All Arms)	25 – 34 years	Graduate; must be qualified in his religion and religious practices
Junior Commissioned Officer Catering (Army Service Corps)	21 – 27 years	Diploma in Hotel Management
Havildar (Army Education Corps)	20 – 25 years	There are 2 positions: Group X: Passed MSc/MCA/MA or BSc/BA/BCA/BSc (IT) with B.Ed Group Y: Passed BSc/BA/BCA/BSc (IT) without B.Ed

In addition to this, the recruitment entails a physical fitness test (qualifying test) and a written test.

The Physical Fitness test for JCO/OR recruitment is of 100 marks which consist of:

1. 1.6 Km Run
2. Pull-ups
3. Balancing Beam
4. 9 Feet ditch

The marks are awarded on the following basis:

The 1.6 Km run is of a total of 60 marks.

Timings	Marks
Less than 5 min 30 sec	60 Marks
Between 5 min 31 sec to 5 min 45 sec	48 Marks
Above 5 min 45 sec	Fail

The Pull-ups is of a total of 40 marks:

Pull-ups	Marks
10 and above	40 Marks
9	33 Marks
8	27 Marks
7	21 Marks
6	16 Marks

Balancing beam and 9 feet ditch are only of the qualifying level and no marks are awarded. After these tests, a candidate needs to appear for a written examination.

we hope that you would have got some new information about various ways to join the Indian Army.