CDS Exam Pattern 2026: Check CDS 1 & 2 Paper Pattern
Combined Defence Services Exam 2025 ( CDS )
Registration - 10 Dec '25 - 30 Dec '25
CDS Exam Pattern 2026: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) specifies the CDS exam pattern for the written exam and SSB Interview. UPSC lays the best career option for candidates who want to become a commissioned officer in the Indian Defence Forces. The candidate who wants to qualify for the CDS exam must go through the exam pattern and syllabus of the CDS exam.
The CDS 1 2026 exam will be conducted on April 12, 2026. CDS exam patterns for the INA, AFA, and IMA are similar but the CDS OTA exam pattern is slightly different from the other three. The UPSC CDS exam will be conducted in two stages, the written exam and the SSB interview. The CDS exam is an offline exam conducted in pen paper-based format. The CDS marking scheme, negative marking, total marks, exam timing, and the paper pattern for the IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA are available below for the CDS exam.
Also Read:
- Highlights of CDS Exam Pattern 2026
- CDS Exam Pattern for INA, AFA, IMA
- CDS Exam Pattern OTA
- Structure of CDS Question Paper
- CDS Negative Marking
- CDS Exam Pattern 2026 for SSB Interview
- CDS Previous Years' Paper Analysis
- Instructions to fill CDS Answer Sheet
- CDS Syllabus 2026
- CDS Best Preparation
Highlights of CDS Exam Pattern 2026
Candidates can check in brief, the exam pattern of the CDS exam as mentioned below:
| Parameters | Details |
|---|---|
| Mode of exam |
Offline |
| Number of sections |
Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA)-Three Officers’ Training Academy (OTA)-Two |
| Total marks of the test |
IMA, INA, and AFA-300 OTA-200 |
| Nature of questions |
Objective type |
| Language of question paper |
Hindi and English |
| Duration of the test |
Two hours for each section of the test |
Commonly asked questions
CDS Exam Pattern for INA, AFA, IMA
The candidates appearing for the CDS exam to become defence personnel through INA, IMA and AFA must know the exam pattern. The candidates can understand the exam with a better perspective if they know the exam pattern. The UPSC CDS exam pattern has been given below for INA, IMA, and AFA:
- The written exam for IMA, INA, and AFA comprises three sections: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics
- The total exam duration for IMA, INA, and AFA is six hours (each section is for two hours)
- The total marks of the test for IMA, INA, and AFA are 300
CDS Exam Pattern for IMA, INA and AFA
Candidates can check below the table to know about the exam pattern.
| Subject | Code | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 11 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 12 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elemantary Mathematics | 13 | 2 Hours | 100 |
CDS Exam Pattern for Written Test (Overview)
The candidate can check the CDS written test exam pattern in the table below:
| CDS Exam Pattern | |
|---|---|
| Mode of Exam | Offline |
| Number of Subjects | 3 |
| Name of Subjects | English, General Awareness, and Maths |
| Total Marks | 300 marks |
| Time Duration | 6 hours |
| Type of exam | Objective |
| Medium of Exam | Bilingual (Hindi and English) |
Commonly asked questions
CDS Exam Pattern OTA
OTA (Officers Training Academy) has a different exam pattern as compared to the IMA, INA, and AFA exams. The exam pattern for the UPSC CDS OTA exam has been given below for the candidates to know the intricate pattern of the exam easily:
- The written exam for OTA comprises two sections: English and General Knowledge
- The total exam duration for OTA is four hours (each section is for two hours)
- The total marks of the test for OTA are 200
| Subject | Code | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 11 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 12 | 2 Hours | 100 |
Commonly asked questions
Structure of CDS Question Paper
The structure of the CDS question paper for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA is as follows:
IMA, INA, AFA |
||
|---|---|---|
| Subject |
Duration (In hours) |
Maximum Marks |
| English |
2 |
100 |
| General Knowledge |
2 |
100 |
| Elementary Mathematics |
2 |
100 |
OTA |
||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Duration (In hours) | Maximum Marks |
| English |
2 |
100 |
| General Knowledge |
2 |
100 |
Commonly asked questions
CDS Negative Marking
CDS Exam Pattern 2026 for SSB Interview
The SSB Interview for IMA, INA, and AFA is for 300 marks each while for OTA, it is 200. The SSB Interview procedure consists of two stages: I and II. Only those candidates who qualify the stage I are permitted to appear in stage II. The details of both stages are given below:
- Stage I comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT)
- Stage II comprises Interviews, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and Conferences. These tests are conducted over days
| Download CURRENT AFFAIRS Guide -Click Here |
Related Links:
CDS Previous Years' Paper Analysis
The previous years' paper analysis for the CDS exam is given below. This analysis will help candidates to know the types of questions asked in the exam.
English
The English question paper is designed to test the candidates' understanding of the English language.
| English | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Cloze Test |
10 |
| Preposition & Determinants |
10 |
| Completion of Sentence |
10 |
| Antonyms |
10 |
| Part of Speech |
10 |
| Spotting Error |
10 |
| Ordering of Word in a Sentence |
10 |
| Fill in the Blanks |
10 |
| Synonyms |
10 |
| Idioms & Phrases |
10 |
| Ordering of Sentences |
10 |
| Total |
120 |
Elementary Maths
The distribution of questions in this subject is given below.
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Mensuration |
14 |
| Geometry |
20 |
| Algebra |
7 |
| Number system |
20 |
| Trigonometry |
14 |
| Average/Statistics |
4 |
| Time and Work |
3 |
| Speed & Distance |
6 |
| Simple Interest and Compound Interest |
5 |
| Percentage |
2 |
| Clock |
2 |
| Profit and Loss |
1 |
| Mixture and allegation |
1 |
| Set Theory |
1 |
| Total |
100 |
General Awareness
The distribution of questions in GK paper is given below.
| Subjects | No. Of Questions |
|---|---|
| Geography |
16 |
| History |
24 |
| Economy |
11 |
| Polity |
17 |
| Physics |
11 |
| Chemistry |
17 |
| Biology |
7 |
| Current Affairs |
18 |
| Static/Misc. |
2 |
| Total |
120 |
Also Read: CDS Exam Analysis
Instructions to fill CDS Answer Sheet
CDS Syllabus 2026
CDS Best Preparation
CDS Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days ago
Yes. In the CDS exam there is a negative marking. One-third mark will be deducted for an incorrect answer. No mark will be deducted for unanswered questions.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
The CDS exam is conducted in an offline mode that is in a pen-paper mode. The exam consists of objective type questions and need to mark their answers in an OMR sheet.
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
Apart from the salary, CDS officers receive several allowances, including DA, high altitude allowance, uniform allowance, transport allowance, medical aid, accommodation, children's education allowance, etc. It depends upon the amount of salary, and it varies depending on the designation and academy
G
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
Candidates can check below the CDS 2 2025 age limit:
- IMA: Candidates for IMA should be unmarried and must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2002, and not later than July 1, 2007.
- INA: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than July 2, 2002, and not later than July 1, 2007, can apply for INA
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
Yes, the CDS 2 application last date to apply was extended to June 20 from June 17, 2025. A one-time extension was provided by the commission. The application correction window was opened from July 7 to July 9, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
No, the CDS 1 2025 result will be released after the conduction of an exam on the official website. The result will be released in the form of a PDF and consists of the roll numbers of candidates who have qualified for the SSB interview.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
IBPS Clerk prelims admit card 24 Sep '25 - 5 Oct '25 IBPS RRB application form 2025 correction window 6 Oct '25 - 7 Oct '25
Is there a negative marking in the CDS exam?