English
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Exam Central · Defence
CDS Exam Guide
Complete CDS guide: IMA, INA, AFA and OTA entries, eligibility, age limit, latest notification, English, GK and Elementary Maths syllabus, SSB, previous year papers, mock tests and a preparation strategy.
- 7 guides
- 2 timed tests
- Verified official links
- Mock tests
- 2
- Guides
- 7
- Practice questions
- 75
- Official links
- 6
At a glance
CDS: Combined Defence Services Examination
- Conducted by
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
- Eligibility
- Bachelor's degree (final-year students may apply); INA needs engineering or B.Sc. with Physics, AFA needs Physics & Maths at 10+2
- Age limit
- IMA & INA 19–24 · AFA 20–24 (26 with CPL) · OTA 19–25; women apply only for OTA
- Mode
- Offline (OMR) · Twice a year (CDS I & CDS II)
- Negative marking
- ⅓ of the question's marks
- Final merit
- IMA / INA / AFA: written 300 + SSB 300 = 600 · OTA: written 200 + SSB 200 = 400
- Selection
- Written exam (English, GK, Elementary Maths*) → SSB interview (5 days) → Medical → Merit list (*not for OTA)
The usual CDS year
- CDS I notificationDecember
- CDS I examApril
- CDS II notificationMay – June
- CDS II examSeptember
- SSB interviewsA few months after each written result
- Courses startIMA / INA / AFA: January (CDS I) or July (CDS II) · OTA: April or October of the following year
Typical timing from recent years — exact dates come with the official notification. Official website
Exam pattern
Selection process & marks
How the CDS exam works from the first paper to the final merit list.
-
Stage 1 Written exam
300 marks for merit
-
Stage 2 SSB interview
Counts for the final merit
-
Stage 3 Medical
Qualifying – must be cleared
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Counts for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exam | ||||
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 h | Merit |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 h | Merit |
| Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA, AFA only) | 100 | 100 | 2 h | Merit |
| SSB interview | ||||
| Stage I – OIR test + PP&DT | — | — | Day 1 | Screening |
| Stage II – psychology, GTO tasks, interview, conference | — | 300 (OTA 200) | 4 days | Merit |
| Medical | ||||
| Medical examination (+ CPSS for AFA) | — | — | — | Qualifying |
Final merit: IMA / INA / AFA: written 300 + SSB 300 = 600 · OTA: written 200 + SSB 200 = 400
Negative marking: ⅓ of the question's marks
Syllabus
CDS syllabus at a glance
The subjects each paper tests. Read the full syllabus guide for every topic, and keep the official PDF as your checklist.
General Knowledge
- Science
- History of India
- Geography
- Polity
- Economy
- Current events & defence
Elementary Mathematics
- Arithmetic
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Geometry
- Mensuration
- Statistics
SSB
- OIR & PP&DT
- Psychology tests
- GTO tasks
- Interview
- Conference
Guides
Everything about CDS
Read them in order, or jump straight to what you need.
01 About CDS & Latest Notification
02 CDS Syllabus & Exam Pattern
03 Practice, Papers & Mock Tests
04 CDS Preparation Strategy
Practice
CDS mock tests
Timed online tests with instant scoring, the correct answers and an explanation for every question. Free, no sign-up.
Official sources
CDS official links
Straight to the exam body's own pages – apply, download the syllabus and check notices only here.
UPSC official website
Union Public Service Commission – notices and results upsc.gov.in
Active examinations
Current notification, time table and press notes upsc.gov.in
Apply online (UPSC portal)
One Time Registration, application and answer-key representations upsconline.nic.in
Previous year question papers
Official question papers upsc.gov.in
UPSC exam calendar
Notification and exam dates for the year upsc.gov.in
SSB date selection (Join Indian Army)
Register after the written result (IMA / OTA first choice) joinindianarmy.nic.in
LearnFrenzy is not affiliated with the exam body. These links open its official website in a new tab; always confirm dates and rules in the current notification.
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