The UPSC Combined Medical Services Examination (CMS) is a national-level recruitment examination for medical officers and related government medical posts. This guide covers CMS eligibility, MBBS requirements, posts, vacancies, selection stages, application, exam preparation and official links.

CMS 2026 at a glance

The official CMS 2026 notification was dated 11 March 2026. Applications were accepted until 31 March 2026 at 6:00 PM, and the written examination was scheduled for 2 August 2026. Applications are made online through the UPSC application portal.

The notification listed 1,358 tentative vacancies: 864 Medical Officers Grade in General Duty Medical Officers Sub-cadre of Central Health Service, 450 Assistant Divisional Medical Officers in the Railways, 14 General Duty Medical Officers in New Delhi Municipal Council and 30 General Duty Medical Officers Grade-II in Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Vacancy numbers are tentative and liable to alteration.

Services and posts

Category I includes Medical Officers Grade in General Duty Medical Officers Sub-cadre of the Central Health Service. Category II includes Assistant Divisional Medical Officer in the Railways, General Duty Medical Officer in NDMC and General Duty Medical Officer Grade-II in MCD.

Candidates may apply for one or more services or posts if eligible. Preferences are indicated at the appropriate stage. A candidate who does not indicate service preferences may not be considered for service allocation.

Eligibility

For admission, a candidate should have passed the written and practical parts of the final MBBS examination. A candidate who has appeared or is yet to appear in the final MBBS examination may apply provisionally, subject to producing valid proof of passing within the prescribed time.

A candidate who has not completed the compulsory rotating internship may be educationally eligible to appear, but appointment is made only after completing the internship. Candidates must also satisfy the prescribed physical and medical standards.

For CMS 2026, the general upper age limit is 32 years as on 1 August 2026, meaning the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2 August 1994. For Medical Officers Grade in General Duty in the Central Health Service, the upper age limit is 35 years. Relaxations apply as provided in the rules for eligible categories.

Fee and application

The examination fee is Rs. 200. Female candidates and candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwBD categories are exempt from the fee, subject to the notification conditions. OBC and EWS candidates are not automatically exempt and must pay the prescribed fee.

Create an account, complete the Universal Registration Number profile and Common Application Form, and submit the CMS examination-specific module. The 2026 notice introduced live photo capture, required a photo ID for future reference and required three signatures written one below another on plain white paper using black ink. Verify all details carefully because applications cannot be withdrawn and corrections are not allowed after submission, although a one-time URN profile edit facility is provided under the stated conditions.

Selection process

CMS has a written examination followed by a Personality Test. The written part carries 500 marks and the Personality Test carries 100 marks. Candidates qualifying the written examination are called for the Personality Test or Interview. Final appointment depends on merit, preferences, vacancies, eligibility, medical fitness and completion of required internship conditions.

Preparation strategy

Prepare General Medicine and Paediatrics as one integrated revision block and Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and Preventive and Social Medicine as the second block. Revise clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, emergency medicine, national health programmes, preventive medicine, epidemiology, obstetrics protocols and common surgical conditions.

Use previous CMS papers to identify repeatedly tested topics. Practise timed MCQs, maintain an error notebook, revise guidelines and national programmes carefully, and use short high-yield tables for differentials, investigations, treatment and contraindications. Keep the final phase for mixed mocks and rapid revision rather than new resources.

Important official links

• CMS 2026 official notification
• UPSC active examinations
• UPSC previous question papers
• UPSC online application portal

This evergreen guide should be used with the latest UPSC notification for dates, vacancies, eligibility and service rules.

The UPSC CMS written examination has two objective papers, each carrying 250 marks. Paper I covers General Medicine and Paediatrics. Paper II covers Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and Preventive and Social Medicine. Each paper has 120 questions.

Paper I: General Medicine and Paediatrics

General Medicine includes cardiology, respiratory diseases, gastro-intestinal conditions, genito-urinary disease, neurology, haematology, endocrinology, metabolic disorders, infections and communicable diseases, nutrition and growth, dermatology, musculoskeletal disease, psychiatry, emergency medicine, poisoning, snakebite, tropical medicine, critical care, medical procedures, pathophysiological basis of disease and vaccines.

Paediatrics includes common childhood emergencies, basic newborn care, normal developmental milestones, accidents and poisoning in children, birth defects and counselling including autism, immunisation, recognising children with special needs and national programmes related to child health.

Paper II: Surgery

The Surgery syllabus includes general surgery, wounds, infections, tumours, lymphatics, blood vessels, cysts and sinuses, head and neck, breast, alimentary tract, liver, bile duct, pancreas, spleen, peritoneum, abdominal wall and abdominal injuries. It also includes urological surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, thoracic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, anaesthesiology and traumatology.

Prepare common presentations, indications, complications, emergency management, trauma protocols, perioperative care and high-yield clinical decision points. Use concise comparison tables and practise applying concepts through clinical vignettes.

Paper II: Gynaecology and Obstetrics

Prepare antenatal care, normal pregnancy, labour, complications of pregnancy, obstetric emergencies, postpartum care, contraception, infertility, menstrual disorders, common gynaecological diseases, pelvic pathology, malignancy, reproductive health and national programmes. Revise diagnosis, management, screening, contraindications and emergency algorithms.

Paper II: Preventive and Social Medicine

Prepare epidemiology, biostatistics, communicable and non-communicable diseases, screening, nutrition, maternal and child health, immunisation, occupational health, environmental health, health education, health planning, national health programmes, demography, vital statistics, public health administration and health indicators.

Connect PSM preparation with current Indian health programmes and field-level implementation. Practise calculations and interpretation in epidemiology and biostatistics.

How to study the CMS syllabus

Make a topic tracker with columns for first reading, MCQ practice, previous-paper questions, error review and final revision. Study standard clinical patterns first, then add rare but repeatedly tested facts. Use active recall for drug choices, diagnostic criteria, vaccines, screening, national programmes and emergency steps.

A practical plan is to complete one full subject pass, solve topic-wise MCQs, take mixed tests, revise errors, and finish with full-length simulations. Do not leave PSM or Paediatrics entirely for the end.

Previous papers and revision

Download official previous CMS papers from UPSC. Solve them under timed conditions, classify mistakes as knowledge, interpretation, calculation or careless error, and revisit the corresponding topic. Repeat wrong questions after a gap so that revision tests retention rather than recognition.

Official sources

• CMS 2026 official notification
• UPSC previous question papers
• UPSC active examinations

The notification and rules are final for the current syllabus and paper scheme.