The “Combined Defence Services” (CDS) Examination is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the selection of candidates into the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Indian Air Force Academy (AFA). The UPSC conducts the CDS written exam twice a year in the month of February and September.  Candidates who want or have the dream to serve the nation by joining the defence forces are eligible to apply for the CDS examination. To apply online for the CDS exam, candidates should fulfill all the eligibility requirements as per the Commission. Selection of the candidates depend on the written examination followed by an interview for intelligence and personality test. The shortlisted candidates are then placed at the respective academies based on their preference and merit.

Education Qualification:

• For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy-Degree a recognized University or equivalent degree is required
• For Indian Naval Academy-Degree in Engineering from a recognized University/Institution is required
• For Air Force Academy-Degree of a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering is required.

10 Tips For Cracking CDS Exam in First Attempt: 

• Know the Syllabus and Pattern well: Before beginning your preparation make sure you brush up the syllabus well. Have a look at what topics are more important for the exam, know your strengths and weakness, and start with your strong point. Always understand that you are reading the sources to solve questions based on them.

• Follow a Proper Timetable and study for not less than 5-6 hrs a day: Make a timetable and organize all your schedule. Organizing will help you to be more productive and also reduces stress. It also helps you to keep track of things and getting a hold on your syllabus and time.

• Analyze the questions and the pattern asked in each CDS paper: Go through all types of question papers, sets, mock tests, series, etc. and try to solve the same before the exam. It will surely make you confident and make you more familiar with the pattern.

• Begin the preparation 8 to 10 months prior to the exam: Begin well in advance and make a schedule as to how you will be preparing for the CDS exam, stick to this schedule till the end. Making a schedule is of prime importance when preparing for any examination. Hence, for CDS devise a plan for your studies, keeping in consideration all your study material and notes. You can set up a timetable by planning which topics you want to learn or revise first and set a priority wise list for the same. The most important thing to keep in mind is to follow the schedule made without failure because this routine will help you crack CDS.

• Use best sources and study material for preparation: Consider various preparation sources like Centurion Crack Exams, CDS Exam Online Course, blogs etc. This will make your preparation easier and to the point and you will also get a grasp of things which you are not aware of while preparing with a single source, the more you prepare, the more you gain. So, extend your mental capabilities to discover more things related to CDS exam preparation, you never know what advantage you will get by preparing with all other sources.

• CDS Daily Dose: Devote time for each subject and section equally. Practice English for at least 2 hours, and devote 4 hours to General Studies and 2 hours for Maths. Especially for Maths, practicing and solving questions every day is really important.

• Follow best online sources for mock tests and current affair capsules: Follow and refer Centurion Defence Academy CDS Mock Test Series as they help you to skip extensive study for the General Awareness part and impart a consolidated and precise knowledge which will save your time and effort. Mock tests will help you assess your preparation and knowledge level. It is advised to solve as many problems as possible in the form of mock tests and previous year papers because this holds the key to success.

• Attempt easier questions first: Candidates should refer all questions and try solving those questions on priority which they find easier and that require less time to score qualifying marks. Be careful of attempting questions that you are not confident or aware of as there is negative marking too.

• Revise multiple times: Revise as many times as you can. The more you revise, the better you will be able to recall during the exam and you become more confident. Revise your notes and remember the Key Points.

• Believe in yourself: Along with hard work and study, you also must be optimistic and confident about the future that you will make it. This will increase your self-esteem and boost your morale eventually helping you in your CDS preparation and ease your chances of selection.