CDS Exam Pattern 2025

Overview

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts several exams each year. Among these, one of the most aspired examinations is the Combined Defence Services exam or the CDS Exam. The UPSC will soon release the official notification for the UPSC CDS (I) 2024 on its website on 21st December 2023.

UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2024 - Written Test

The pattern of examination is not the same for all military academies. The exam conducted for the Officers' Training Academy varies slightly in terms of the number of sections. However, the questions in both papers will be objective type only. The paper will be bilingual. The details are as follows:

A. UPSC CDS Exam Pattern For Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy

A total of three sections will be included in the test namely English, GK, and Elementary Mathematics. Each section will carry 100 marks and the duration will be 2 hours.

• English
  • Total Duration: 2 hours
  • No. of Questions: 120
  • Max. Marks: 100
• General Knowledge
  • Total Duration: 2 hours
  • No. of Questions: 120
  • Max. Marks: 100
• Elementary Mathematics
  • Total Duration: 2 hours
  • No. of Questions: 100
  • Max. Marks: 100

B. UPSC CDS Exam Pattern For Officers’ Training Academy

The Elementary Mathematics section is not included in this exam. All other aspects like duration and total marks remain the same as discussed above.

CDS Exam Marking Scheme

• There will be four alternatives provided as an answer to each question. For every wrong answer, 1/3rd of the mark i.e. 0.33 times the mark assigned to that question will be deducted.
• If two or more choices have been marked as answers, there will be a deduction of 1/3rd mark as mentioned above.
• There will be no penalty in the case of unattempted questions.

Details about the UPSC CDS Exam

Marks for Negative marking

• -0.33 marks for each wrong answer in Mathematics
• -0.33 marks for each wrong answer in English Exam
• -0.33 marks for each wrong answer in General Knowledge

CDS Syllabus

Now that candidates are familiar with the exam pattern and marking scheme, it's essential to delve into the basics of the UPSC CDS Syllabus.

A. English

This section aims to assess candidates' comprehension of English and their adept use of language. The expected level of proficiency in English is akin to that of a graduate from an Indian University.

B. General Knowledge

This section's difficulty level is designed for individuals with a general education background and no specialized knowledge in scientific subjects.

• Current events
• Matters of everyday observation
• Scientific aspects as expected from a layman
• History of India
• Geography

C. Elementary Mathematics

The standard of the papers in the Elementary Mathematics section corresponds to the Matriculation level.

• Athletics
• Algebra
• Trigonometry
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Statistics

CDS Exam Pattern 2024 - SSB Interview

- SSB Interview

The Service Selection Board (SSB) Interview for IMA, INA & AFA carries a maximum of 300 marks, while for OTA, it is conducted for 200 marks. Candidates are evaluated by three officers: Interviewing Officer (IO), a Psychologist, and Group Testing Officer (GTO). Assessment is done holistically without specific weightages for individual tests.

A. Stage 1

• OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating) Test
• PP & DT (Picture Perception Description Test)

Stage 1 consists of the OIR Test and PP & DT. These tests are crucial in evaluating candidate suitability for the armed forces.

B. Stage 2

• Interview
• Group Testing Officer Tasks
• Psychology Tests
• Conference

Stage 2 involves the Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and Conference, which collectively provide a comprehensive assessment of the candidate.

The Psychological Test includes:

• Situation Reaction Test
• Self Description Test
• Word Association Test
• Thematic Apperception Test

The Psychological Test assesses various aspects of the candidate's personality and cognitive abilities.

The various Group Activities include:

• Group Discussion
• Group Obstacle Race
• Lecturette
• Group Planning Exercise
• Individual Obstacles
• Command Task
• Final Group Task
• Progressive Group Task
• Half Group Task

The Group Activities test the candidate's leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills in a team environment.

CSD Exam2024: Instructions to Fill the Answer Sheet

Candidates appearing for the CSD Exam must carefully follow the instructions provided for filling out the OMR sheet. It is crucial to adhere to these guidelines as the answer sheets are processed by a computer, and any deviation may lead to a reduction in the final score.

Important Guidelines:

• Candidates should use a black ball pen to mark their responses on the answer sheet.
• The Exam Booklet Series, denoted by the letters A, B, C, or D, will be located in the upper right-hand corner of the booklet.
• Locate the correct subject code in the exam booklet. Subsequently, using black ink, encrypt the exam booklet series, subject code, and roll number.
• Upon receiving the Test Booklet, proceed to write and encode a series of tests. For example, encode the subject code for an English paper from the 'A' Test Booklet Series.
• Following this, encode the Roll Number as the next step in the process.

It is essential to ensure that the CDS Answer Sheet is numbered at the bottom. In case it is unnumbered, it should be exchanged for a numbered sheet. These steps are crucial to ensure the accuracy and processing of the answer sheet.

CSD Exam Analysis

The candidates can have a look at the subject-wise exam analysis of the CDS Exam. This analysis has been carried out by referring to the previous years' question papers. This analysis can help the aspirants get an idea regarding the general trend of questions asked in the CDS exam.

A. Elementary Mathematics

The exam analysis including the weightage in terms of the number of questions asked is as follows:

• Mensuration

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
  • Number of Questions: 15

• Algebra

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy
  • Number of Questions: 8

• SI/CI

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy
  • Number of Questions: 5

• Speed and Distance

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy
  • Number of Questions: 6

• Number System

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
  • Number of Questions: 18

• Mixture

  • No specific details provided

• Percentage

  • Number of Questions: 2

• Profit/Loss

  • No specific details provided

• Geometry

  • Level of Difficulty: Moderate
  • Number of Questions: 20

• Time and Work

  • Number of Questions: 3

• Trigonometry

  • Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
  • Number of Questions: 14

• Mean-Median-Mode

  • Level of Difficulty: Moderate
  • Number of Questions: 4

• Clock

  • Number of Questions: 2

CDS Exam General Knowledge Topics and Difficulty Levels

• History

  Difficulty Level: Moderate

  Total Questions: 19

• Science

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 27

• Polity

  Difficulty Level: Easy

  Total Questions: 20

• Ecology

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 6

• Military Wings/ Forces

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 15

• Economy/Trade

  Difficulty Level: Difficult

  Total Questions: 11

• Geography

  Difficulty Level: Moderate

  Total Questions: 22

CDS General Knowledge Question Types and Difficulty Levels

• Cloze Test

  Difficulty Level: Easy

  Total Questions: 20

• Reading Comprehension

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 22

• Synonyms/ Antonyms

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 15

• One Word Substitution

  Difficulty Level: Moderate

  Total Questions: 5

• Para-Jumble

  Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

  Total Questions: 10

• Sentence-Jumble

  Difficulty Level: Moderate

  Total Questions: 7

• Error Detection

  Difficulty Level: Easy

  Total Questions: 20

• Sentence Improvement

  Difficulty Level: Easy

  Total Questions: 20