CDS Exam Pattern

The Combined Defence Services Examination pattern is based according to the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy  selection procedure. CDS Exam Pattern for Indian Military, Indian Navy and Air Force Academy Exam divided into 3 sections, whereas Officers’ Training Academy Exam divided into 2 sections, The subjects of the written examination, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows:

For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy:—

Specifications 

Details 

Papers 

  • Paper I – English Paper
  • Paper II – General Knowledge Paper
  • Paper III – Elementary Mathematics

Number of Questions 

  • Paper I – 120 Questions
  • Paper II – 120 Questions
  • Paper III – 100 Questions

Maximum Marks 

  • Paper I – 100 Marks
  • Paper II – 100 Marks
  • Paper III – 100 Marks

Time Duration 

  • Paper I – 2 Hours
  • Paper II – 2 Hours
  • Paper III – 2 Hours

Exam Shift 

  • First Shift – English Paper 
  • Second Shift – General Knowledge Paper
  • Third Shift – Elementary Mathematics

Positive Marking 

  • 0.833 marks will be given for every correct answer in the English and General Knowledge papers.
  • While in the Elementary Mathematics paper, 1 mark will be given for every correct answer. 

Negative Marking 

  • 0.277 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer in the English and General Knowledge papers. 
  • While in the Elementary Mathematics paper, 0.33 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer.

Nature of Questions 

Multiple-Choice Questions

Mode of Exam 

Offline (OMR-Based) 

For Admission to Officers’ Training Academy :—

Specifications 

Details 

Papers 

  • Paper I – English Paper
  • Paper II – General Knowledge Paper

Number of Questions 

  • Paper I – 120 Questions
  • Paper II – 120 Questions

Maximum Marks 

  • Paper I – 100 Marks
  • Paper II – 100 Marks

Time Duration 

  • Paper I – 2 Hours
  • Paper II – 2 Hours

Exam Shift 

  • First Shift – English Paper 
  • Second Shift – General Knowledge Paper

Positive Marking 

0.833 for every correct answer 

Negative Marking 

0.277 for every wrong answer

Nature of Questions 

Multiple-Choice Questions

Mode of Exam 

Offline (OMR-Based) 

CDS Exam Pattern Important Points:-

The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e.

–          Indian Military Academy – 300 Marks

–          Indian Naval Academy – 300 Marks

–          Air Force Academy – 300 Marks

–          Officers’ Training Academy – 200 Marks

·         Objective type questions only for CDS written exam
·         Bilingual language i.e. Hindi and English for General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics questions

The amount of time required to put on particular subject topic-wise or concept-wise approaches the maximum points in CDS exam.

CDS Exam: English
TopicNumber of Questions
Sentence Improvement20
Reading Comprehension23 (5 passages)
Synonyms8
Antonyms7
One Word Substitution5
Para-Jumble10
Sentence-Jumble7
Spot the Error20
Cloze Test20
CDS Exam: General Knowledge
TopicNumber of Questions
History19
Science27
Geography22
Ecology06
Polity20
Economy/Trade11
Miscellaneous /Armed Forces15
CDS Exam: Elementary Mathematics
TopicNumber of Questions
Mensuration14
Algebra7
Mean-Median-Mode (Frequency Distribution Table)4
Time speed and Distance6
Number System20
Simple interest/Compound interest5
Percentage2
Profit/Loss1
Mixture1
Time and Work3
Trigonometry14
Set Theory1
Clock2
Geometry20

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