CDS Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme and Syllabus
CDS Exam Pattern: The competitive exam comprises of two stages viz:
- Written Exam
- Interview for intelligence and personality test
Check CDS Exam Syllabus
The subjects of CDS written exam, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject is tabulated below:
| For Indian Military, Indian Naval and Air Force Academy | |||
| Subject | Duration | Max. Marks | |
| English | 2 hours | 100 | |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 | |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 | |
For Officers’ Training Academy
| |||
| Subject | Duration | Max. Marks | |
| English | 2 hours | 100 | |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 | |
Highlights of CDS Exam Pattern
| Mode of Exam | Offline only (Pen and paper mode) |
| Number of Questions asked | 300 MCQ Type |
| Number of questions in OTA | 200 MCQ Type |
| Maximum Marks | 300 and 200 (OTA) |
| Duration of Exam | 2 hours (120 minutes) for each paper |
| Medium | Hindi or English |
| Negative marking | One third mark deducted for every incorrect response |
CDS Exam Pattern in Detail
Mode of Exam: Offline i.e. candidates will be allocated an OMR sheet wherein they must color the appropriate response.
Type of Questions: Objective Type i.e. each question will have four options. A candidate must choose the most appropriate response.
Medium of Exam: Bilingual in Hindi as well as English
Standard of Questions: Given below is the expected standard of each section in CDS Exam:
- The standard of the papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation level. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University.
- English: The question paper will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.
- General Knowledge: General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on History of India and Geography of a nature which candidate should be able to answer without special study.
Other Facts:
- Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write answers for them.
- The Commission has the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
- The candidates are not permitted to use a calculator for answering objective type papers (Test Booklets). They should not, therefore, bring the same inside the Examination Hall.
- Those who qualify in the written test are called for the second stage i.e., Intelligence and Personality Test.
- The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e. the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.
CDS Marking Scheme
Negative marking is applicable for every wrong marked answer. In CDS paper, each question carries 4 options and out of which only 1 option is correct. For each incorrect answer, 1/3 of the marks will be deducted. More than one option marked is treated as incorrect. However, if a question is left unanswered there will be no negative marking.
The following table explains the detailed marking scheme of the exam.
| CDS Paper | English | GK | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for Correct answer | +1 marks for each correct option | +1 marks for each correct option | +1 marks for each correct option |
| Negative marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
Check CDS II Preparation Tips
The following table shows Marking scheme for 2019 OTA (Officers Training Academy):
| CDS Paper | English | GK |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for Correct answer | +1 marks for each correct option | +1 marks for each correct option |
| Negative marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
Distribution of Questions
Equal weightage is given to all the sections- GK, Mathematics and English.
| Paper | Number of questions |
|---|---|
| English | 100 |
| Mathematics | 100 |
| GK | 100 |
The selection of the candidates is on the basis of marks scored in the interviews. Total marks for interview for Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy is 300 marks, whereas 200 marks are allotted for interview for OTA.
CDS Intelligence and Personality Test Pattern
SSB interview will be the 2nd part of the selection procedure. SSB Interview will contain two stages i.e. Stage 1 and Stage 2. Candidates qualify the stage 1 exam will be called for stage 2.
Stage 1: It is an OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating) Test which contains Picture Perception and Description Test (PP & DT). Candidates will be shortlisted as per their performance in OIR test and PP and DT.
Stage 2: Candidates passing stage 1 will be called for this stage. This part consists of Group Testing Officer Tasks, Interview, Conference and Psychology Test. These tests are organized in four days.
Prepare better with CDS II Practice Papers
CDS Syllabus for English
English question paper will be designed to test the candidates' understanding of English language. As per previous year analysis, following are the important topics asked in English paper.
| Topic | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence Improvement | 20 | Easy |
| Reading Comprehension | 23 (5 passages) | Easy to Moderate |
| Synonyms | 8 | Moderate |
| Antonyms | 7 | Easy |
| One Word Substitution | 5 | Moderate |
| Para-Jumble | 10 | Easy to Moderate |
| Sentence-Jumble | 7 | Moderate |
| Spot the Error | 20 | Easy |
| Cloze Test | 20 | Easy |
Recommended Books
CDS Exam Preparation English books are mentioned below:
| Name of the Book | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Objective English | S.P. Bakshi | 978-9351768449 |
| Quick Learning objective English | R.S. Aggarwal | 978-8121922111 |
CDS Syllabus for General Knowledge
For GK paper, candidates can cover the following topics:
- Latest Current Affairs
- Indian Constitution
- Indian History
- Indian Economy
- Indian Geography
- Indian Politics
- Indian Navy & Military
- Religions
- Books & Authors
- Sports, Awards, etc
As per previous year analysis following are the important topics for GK paper:
| Topic | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| History | 19 | Difficult |
| Science | 27 | Easy (Concept based questions) |
| Geography | 22 | Moderate (Analytical based questions) |
| Ecology | 06 | Moderate (Fact based questions) |
| Polity | 20 | Easy to Moderate |
| Economy/Trade | 11 | Moderate (Fact based questions) |
| Miscellaneous /Armed Forces | 15 | Moderate (Fact based questions) |
Preparation Books
CDS does not have a well-structured syllabus for General Knowledge so a thorough study is needed for GK paper. The following books can be followed to study for GK paper.
| Name of the Book | ISBN |
|---|---|
| Manorama Yearbook 2017 (English) 50th Edition | ASIN: B00O1N77HG |
| Lucent’s General Knowledge | ISBN-10: 8192933563 |
CDS Syllabus for Elementary Mathematics
Mathematics paper covers topics from diverse topics. Following are the topic covered in CDS 2019 Mathematics paper.
- Arithmetic
- Number System
- Elementary Number Theory
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Geometry
- Mensuration
In the following table, previous year paper analysis of mathematics paper is mentioned.
| Topic | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Mensuration | 14 | Easy |
| Algebra | 7 | Easy to Moderate |
| Mean-Median-Mode (Frequency Distribution Table) | 4 | Easy |
| Time speed and Distance | 6 | Easy |
| Number System | 20 | Easy to Moderate |
| Simple interest/Compound interest | 5 | Easy |
| Percentage | 2 | Easy |
| Profit/Loss | 1 | Easy |
| Mixture | 1 | Easy |
| Time and Work | 3 | Easy |
| Trigonometry | 14 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Set Theory | 1 | Easy |
| Clock | 2 | Easy |
| Geometry | 20 | Easy to Moderate |
Recommended Books
Candidates can follow the NCERT books to clear the basics but for competitive exam level mathematics, you need a book on quantitative aptitude to learn and practice advanced concepts.
List of Mathematics books is as follows:
| Name of the Book | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude | Dr. R.S. Aggarwal | B01MCU1JSH (ASIN) |
| Quicker Mathematics | M. Tyra | 978-8190458924 |
| Quantitative Aptitude Numerical Ability: Fully Solved 7000 + Objective Questions | Kiran Parkashan | B00U241N14 (ASIN) |
Instructions to Fill CDS Answer Sheet
Candidates are advised to follow the instructions to fill OMR sheet very carefully as the answer sheets are to be evaluated on the machine and any violation of these instructions may result in the reduction of scores. Before marking responses on the Answer Sheet, aspirants have to fill in various particulars in it.
After receiving CDS 2019 Answer Sheet, candidates have to check that it is numbered at the bottom. If it is un-numbered, it has to be replaced by a numbered one. The top of the answer sheet will have the particulars shown in the figure below.
The following points should be kept in mind while filling CDS answer sheet:
- Write with black ball pen only.
- The test Booklet Series will be indicated by Alphabets A, B, C or D at the top right-hand corner of the Booklet.
- Find out the appropriate subject code from the test booklet. Thereafter, encode the test booklet series, subject code and the roll number by using black pen.
- Write and encode test booklet series after receiving the Test Booklet. For example, for English paper of ‘A’ Test Booklet Series you have to encode the subject code, which is 01 as shown below:
- In the next step, you have to encode the Roll No. An example to encode the Roll Number is shown below.
- Candidates have to make sure that they have carefully encoded their subject Test Booklet series and Roll Number.
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