While thinking of being a part of the Defence Forces, the first thing that comes to mind is the CDS. Young candidates looking to have a career full of excitement and challenges while serving the country can appear for the CDS paper. All the CDA aspirants can go through the entire write-up to get a step-by-step Guideline on CDS regarding its Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Marking Scheme, Paper Analysis, and much more.
What is Combined Defence Services Examination
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam for the appointment of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. CDS exam is held twice a year and every time there is a large number of candidates giving the national-level defence entrance examination. Candidates appearing for the CDS exam get selected based on the written exam followed by SSB Interview for intelligence and personality test.
All the students appearing for the CDS exam 2021 can read on to know more about academies based on their preferences and merit.
Eligibility Criteria for CDS Exam
The minimum and maximum age limits to apply for CDS Exam are mentioned below:
| Academies | Age Limit |
| Military Academy | 19 to 24 years |
| Air Force Academy | 19 to 23 years |
| Naval Academy | 19 to 22 years |
| Officers’ Training Academy | 19 to 25 years |
Educational Qualification for CDS Exam:
OTA and IMA: Minimum eligibility requirement is a graduation degree in any discipline.
INA: Candidates applying must have an Engineering degree
Air Force Academy: Candidate must have cleared 12th level with Mathematics and Physics subjects and must hold a degree from a recognized university. Candidates having Bachelor’s degrees in Technology/Engineering can also apply.
Highlights of CDS Exam Pattern 2021
| Mode of Exam | Offline only |
| Total Questions | 300 MCQ Type |
| Total questions in OTA | 200 MCQ Type |
| Maximum Marks | 300 (Indian Military, Navy, and Air Force)
200 (OTA) |
| Time limit | 2 hours for every paper |
| Mode of exam | Hindi or English |
| Negative marking | One-third mark will be deducted for every wrong option. |
The selection criteria for the CDS exam include the Written Exam and Interview.
CDS Exam Pattern 2021 – Written Test
Candidates giving the CDS exam (IMA, INA, AFA) have to study three sections including English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics. The written paper for OTA consists of 2 sections including English and General Knowledge. Further details are mentioned below:
Mode of Exam: The exam will be taken in an offline mode.
Kind of Questions: MCQs are asked in the CDS exam.
Mode of Exam: The mode of exam is Bilingual, Hindi and English
CDS Exam Pattern: IMA, INA, AFA
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English Language | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 |
CDS Exam Pattern for OTA
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
CDS Interview
The final selection will be made based on the scores obtained in the interviews. Total marks for the interview for Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy is 300 marks, while the interview round for the OTA will be 200 marks.
Candidates appearing for the SSB Interview round have to clear two stages including Stage 1 and Stage 2. Stage 1 consists of an Officer Intelligence Rating Test consisting of Picture Perception and Description Test test. While in Stage 2, candidates are given different tasks related to Group Testing Officer Tasks, Interview, Conference, and Psychology Test.
CDS 2021 Syllabus
The syllabus and exam pattern for all CDS exams is similar, excluding the OTA paper. The syllabus for IMA, INA, and AFA is further segmented into 3 subjects and while the OTA paper has 2 subjects. The kind of questions asked in Mathematics will be of grade 10 and for other subjects, it will be of graduation level.
CDS Syllabus 2021: Subject-Wise Syllabus
Candidates interested in applying for the UPSC CDS Syllabus can check the detailed syllabus mentioned below:
| Sections | Topics |
| English | ● Spotting Errors Questions
● Sentence Arrangement Questions ● Synonyms & Antonyms ● Selecting Words ● Ordering of Sentence ● Comprehension Questions ● Ordering of words in a sentence ● Fill in the blanks questions ● Idioms and Phrases |
| General Awareness | ● Economics
● Physics ● Current Affairs ● Environment ● Sport ● Biology ● Politics ● Chemistry ● Sociology ● History ● Defense related Award ● Geography ● Cultural ● Book ● Statement ● true/false |
CDS Elementary Mathematics: Syllabus
| Topics | Details |
| Algebra | ● Basic Operations
● simple factors ● Remainder Theorem ● H.C.F. ● L.C.M, etc. |
| Arithmetic | ● Unitary method
● Time and distance ● Time and work ● Percentages ● Elementary Number Theory: Division algorithm ● Applications to simple and compound interest, etc. |
| Geometry | ● Lines and angles
● Plane and plane figures ● Theorems on angles’ properties ● Parallel lines ● Sides and diagonals of a Parallelogram ● Sides and angles of a triangle, etc. |
| Mensuration | ● Areas of squares
● Rectangles ● Parallelograms ● Triangle and circle ● Areas of figures ● Graphical representation frequency polygons, etc. |
In the CDS exam, candidates need to choose one correct option out of the given four options. For each incorrect answer, candidates will lose 1/3 marks while no marks will be deducted for the questions left unanswered.
Candidates obtaining the minimum cut-off marks required for the CDS Written test and SSB will be invited for Document Verification and Medical examination procedures before making the final selection.
Combined Defence Services is the best way to realize the dream of joining the Indian Armed Forces. Everyone looking forward to joining the defense can give the CDS exams conducted by the UPSC.