UPSC CDS Exam Pattern
Check out the latest UPSC CDS Exam Pattern from this page to prepare for the upcoming UPSC CDS 1 & 2 Examination. Know about the Making Scheme, Paper Pattern, Exam Analysis, and Preparation Books to ace the UPSC CDS 2022 Written Tet and SSB Interview.
The Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam is a gateway through which young men, as well as women, can be a part of any of the three wings of the Indian Defence Services- Indian Army, Indian Air Force, or Indian Navy. So, start your preparation for the upcoming CDS 2022 Exam from the below-given UPSC CDS (Topic-Wise) Exam Scheme.
UPSC CDS 2022 Exam:
The UPSC CDS Exam is conducted twice a year. In IMA (Indian Military Academy), Air Force Academy, and Indian Naval Academy exams, 100 multiple choice questions will be asked in three sections.
UPSC CDS 2022 Highlights:
| Mode of Exam | Offline |
| Number of Questions asked | 300 MCQ Type |
| Number of questions in OTA | 200 MCQ Type |
| Maximum Marks | 300 ( Indian Military, Navy, and Air Force) and 200 (OTA) |
| Duration of Exam | 2 hours (120 minutes) for each paper |
| Medium | Hindi or English |
| Negative marking | One-third marks for every wrong answer |
CDS Exam Pattern
UPSC CDS Exam is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). You need to check UPSC CDS Exam Pattern as updated here to prepare in a better way for the upcoming exam. Contenders must know the CDS 1 & 2 (Topic-Wise) OTA, IMA, AFA marking Scheme, and CDS exam pattern.
We have provided here complete details regarding the Union Public Service Commission CDS 2 Exam on this page. So, have a look at this page Union Public Service Commission is going to conduct the CDS 1 Exam and CDS 2 Exam on the scheduled date.
CDS Exam Pattern 2022 – Written Test
The written test for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Navy Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) include 03 sections – English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics.
The written test organized for Officers Training Academy (OTA) consists of 2 sections – English and General Knowledge.
- Mode of Exam: Offline which means the examinees will be given 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 alternative.
- The medium of Exam: Bilingual (Hindi & English)
CDS Exam Pattern for For IMA, INA, AFA:
Aspirants can check the UPSC Combined Defence Services Exam Pattern for the Military academy, IAF, and Indian naval academy as well. Please have a look at the below table..!!
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English Language | 2 hrs | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hrs | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hrs | 100 |
CDS Exam Pattern for OTA:
Here we have provided the UPSC CDS 2022 Paper Pattern for the written test conducted for Officers Training Academy (OTA) posts, have a look..!!
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 hrs | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hrs | 100 |
Check Complete & Detailed: CDS Syllabus
CDS Exam Pattern – SSB Interview
The maximum marks for the Service Selection Board (SSB) Interview will be 300 for IMA, INA & AFA. For OTA posts, it carries 200 marks. The SSB Interview is comprised of two stages:
Stage 1:
- OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating) Test
- PP & DT ( Picture Perception Description Test)
Stage 2:
- Interview
- Group Testing Officer Tasks
- Psychology Tests
- Conference
The Psychological Test includes:
- Situation Reaction Test
- Self Description Test
- Word Association Test
- Thematic Apperception Test
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
Download From Here: CDS Previous Year Paper
UPSC CDS 2022 Marking Scheme
CDS Marking Scheme for IMA, INA, AFA:
Candidates will have to go through the negative marking for every wrong answer. In the question paper, aspirants will get 4 options and they have to choose the right one. For each wrong answer, there will be a deduction of 1/3 of the marks.
For Mathematics & English:
| Details about the UPSC CDS Exam 2022 | Mathematics | English Exam |
| Total marks | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for the correct answer | +1 mark for each correct option | +1 mark for each correct option |
| Marks for Negative marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
For General Knowledge:
| Details about the UPSC CDS Exam 2022 | General Knowledge |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Marks for the correct answer | +1 mark for each correct option |
| Marks for Negative marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
CDS Marking Scheme for OTA:
The following table shows CDS Marking Scheme 2022 for Officer Training Academy (OTA):
| CDS 2022 Paper | English | GK |
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for Correct answer | +1 mark for each correct option |
+1 mark for each correct option |
| Negative marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
-0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
CDS Previous Year Paper Analysis – Subject-wise
Distribution of Questions:
| Paper | Number of questions |
| English | 100 |
| Mathematics | 100 |
| GK | 100 |
Important topics asked in English paper:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Sentence Improvement | 20 |
| Reading Comprehension | 23 (5 passages) |
| Synonyms | 8 |
| Antonyms | 7 |
| One Word Substitution | 5 |
| Para-Jumble | 10 |
| Sentence-Jumble | 7 |
| Spot the Error | 20 |
| Cloze Test | 20 |
Important topics for GK paper:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| History | 19 |
| Science | 27 |
| Geography | 22 |
| Ecology | 06 |
| Polity | 20 |
| Economy/Trade | 11 |
| Miscellaneous /Armed Forces | 15 |
Paper Analysis Of Mathematics Paper:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Mensuration | 14 |
| Algebra | 7 |
| Mean-Median-Mode (Frequency Distribution Table) | 4 |
| Time speed and Distance | 6 |
| Number System | 20 |
| Simple interest/Compound interest | 5 |
| Percentage | 2 |
| Profit/Loss | 1 |
| Mixture | 1 |
| Time and Work | 3 |
| Trigonometry | 14 |
| Set Theory | 1 |
| Clock | 2 |
| Geometry | 20 |
Best Preparation Books for CDS 2022:
| Name of the Book | Subject | Author/Publication |
| Objective General English | English Language | S.P. Bakshi (Arihant Publications) |
| Manorama Yearbook | General Awareness | Philip Mathew |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations |
Quantitative Aptitude | R.S. Aggarwal |
Check Now: CDS Exam Preparation Books
CDS Exam Pattern 2022 FAQs
Ques1. How many vacancies are there in the CDS 2022?
Ans. There are a total of 339 vacancies as per the officially released CDS 2 2022 notification. Candidates can fill out the CDS application form from May 18 to June 07, 2022.
Ques2. How many times CDS is conducted in a year?
Ans. UPSC conducts the CDS exam twice a year.
Ques3. How many exams are there in CDS 2022?
Ans. There are two stages of the CDS exam, the written test and the SSB interview round. It is a pen and paper-based exam conducted in offline mode.
Ques4. How many attempts are allowed for the CDS exam?
Ans. There are no such restrictions on the number of attempts for CDS.
Ques5. What is the level of Maths in the CDS exam 2022?
Ans. Mathematics asked in the CDS exam is up to the Class 10th level.
Ques6. Is there a negative marking in the CDS exam?
Ans. Yes, 1/3 of the marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
Ques7. What is the salary of CDS officer?
Ans. The starting salary i.e. the training stipend is Rs.56,100 per month.
UPSC CDS 2022 Exam:
Union Public Service Commission conducts the Combined Defence Service exam twice every year for the recruitment of candidates to office cadre of the Army, Navy, and Air force.
Candidates who will be able to clear the Written Test will be called by Service Selection Board for an interview. If aspirants will be finally selected, depending upon the choice given by them and their merit list ranking, are sent to one of the following institutes for orientation training as follows:
- Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
- Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala
- Air Force Academy, Hyderabad
- Officers Training Academy, Chennai
- Officers Training Academy, Chennai 23rd SSC Women (Non-Technical)
Press Here To Check UPSC CDS Official Website
Final Words:
Candidates can check the UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2022 from this page. You can bookmark this page of www.recruitmentinboxx.com and stay in touch with us for more updates.
You May Also Like To Check This Section
| CDS Exam Centres | CDS Result |
| CDS Admit Card | CDS Eligibility Criteria |
| UPSC CDS Officer Salary | UPSC CDS 2 Exam Result |
| UPSC CDS 2 Answer Key | UPSC Entrance Exam |
| UPSC Calendar | _ |