CDS Exam 2017 - Eligibility, Dates, Patterns & Tips

The CDS Exam (Combined Defence Services) is conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) twice in a year, for selecting suitable candidates for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Indian Air Force Academy (AFA). Mostly, the exam is held twice a year, in February and November. Notifications for CDS exam are mostly released in the months of October and June. The exam is open for unmarried graduates only. Successful candidates are interviewed by the SSB (Services Selection Board) taken into respective Academies.

CDS 2017 Eligibility Criteria

Age Criteria

CDS Educational Qualifications

Indian Military Academy	Bachelor's Degree from a Recognized University
Naval Academy	Bachelor's Degree with Physics & Mathematics or BE/BTech
Officers’ Training Academy	Bachelor's Degree from a Recognized University
Air Force Academy	Bachelor's Degree with Physics & Mathematics or BE or BTech

CDS Exam Patterns

The Combined Defence Services examination tests how good is a candidate’s proficiency in English Language, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Each of these papers carry 100 marks each and are objective in nature. There are negative marking for wrong answers. So candidates have to be very careful.

However, for Officers’ Training Academy exam there is no Elementary Mathematics paper.

CDS Previous Question Papers

Subjects	Question Papers 2016
English	English Question Paper
Elementary Mathematics	Mathematics Question Paper
General Knowledge	GK Question Paper

CDS Exam Dates

• Application should be completed by December, 2016
• Exam will be conducted in February, 2017

How to prepare for CDS Exam?

Check out these preparation tips to clear the CDS exam:

Know the syllabus - There are three subjects - English, G.K. and Elementary Mathematics. Go through the syllabus first so that you can clear all math concepts, grammar rules and build up your General Knowledge and work on your doubts.

Maintain a study timetable - Nothing great can be achieved if you don’t put in efforts and stick to a timetable. It will ensure that you form a habit of studying  on a regular basis and cover more topics and solve different mathematical problems.

Build your G.K. -  General Knowledge is quite a vast subject. Ensure that you read daily newspapers, magazines, keep an eye on what’s happening around the world, government, political, economic or climatic changes.

Solve previous question papers - Solving question papers of previous years is of utmost importance.  You can understand what type of questions are asked by studying the patterns of old question papers.

Accuracy is key - When you attempt objective questions, it is essential that you select 100% correct answer. Selecting a wrong answer will reduce your marks  as negative marking would be there. So be cent percent sure of the accuracy of your answers. If you are looking for UPSC CDS Coaching, post your requirement here.