CDS 2 2023 English & General Knowledge Question Paper PDF
Combined Defence Services Exam 2025 ( CDS )
Registration - 10 Dec '25 - 30 Dec '25
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the CDS 2 2023 exam on September 3, 2023. The CDS 2 GK & English question paper 2023 PDF is available available. The candidates can check the CDS maths previous years' question paper PDF in the article.
CDS 2 Question Paper PDF for GK & English
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the CDS 2 2023 exam on September 3, 2023, and the question paper for the exam is available for download. The answer key for the CDS exam is also given in the article so that the candidates can analyse their performances.
The CDS exam is taken twice a year to enroll cadets for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA). The candidates qualifying for the CDS written exam are called for the SSB Interview.
Total number of questions asked in the English Language of CDS exam is 120. These questions are asked from different sections. These sections has been given below for the candidates: a) Basic Grammar b) Idioms & Phrases c) Synonyms and Antonyms d) Reading Comprehension Solving e) Substitution of Words f) Error Spotting g) Para Jumbles.
To clear the CDS exam a candidate needs practice and patience and one of the best ways to practice is solving the previous years' question paper. We have provided the CDS maths previous years' question paper PDF for the candidates in the article below.
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
11 Oct '25
13 Oct '25
14 Oct '25
26 Sep '25 - 16 Oct '25
18 Oct '25
30 Sep '25 - 31 Oct '25
31 Oct '25
31 Oct '25
8 Nov '25
9 Oct '25 - 7 Nov '25
Also Read: CDS 2 2023 Answer Key Live Updates
- CDS 2 Question Paper 2023
- UPSC CDS Answer Key
- UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2023
- CDS Exam Pattern 2023 for SSB Interview
- UPSC CDS Negative Marking 2023
CDS 2 Question Paper 2023
The candidate is able to download the question papers for GK and English below in the table:
| CDS Maths Question Paper 2023 | CDS Maths Question Paper PDF Download Link |
|---|---|
| CDS 2 2023 English Question Paper | Click Here |
| CDS 2 2023 GK Question Paper | Click Here |
Also Read: CDS 2023 Exam
UPSC CDS Answer Key
The candidates preparing for the CDS exam using the previous years' question paper will need the answer key to analyse their performance in the exam. The candidates can download the CDS answer key through the link given below. The candidates have to compare their responses with the answer key to get the marks.
CDS Answer Key Download Link: Year Wise CDS Answer Key
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2023
CDS exam pattern 2023 is divided into a written exam and SSB Interview. The written exam for IMA, INA, and AFA comprises three sections: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics. The test paper for admission to OTA comprises two sections: English and General Knowledge. Each section is held for two hours. The total marks of the test for IMA, INA, and AFA are 300, while it is 200 for OTA. The SSB Interview for IMA, INA, and AFA carries 300 marks each while it is 200 marks for OTA. The SSB Interview procedure consists of two stages: I and II. Stage I of the SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT) and Interviews, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and Conferences.
The candidates must solve more than 50 per cent questions to secure safe marks in order to qualify the CDS cut off. However, to qualify for the CDS exam, the candidates must secure more than 70 per cent marks to get selected for the CDS SSB interview surely. The candidates selected for the SSB interview will be assessed for their mental, physical, and medical ability. The candidates will be considered qualified for the SSB after qualifying the SSB interview. However, the marks of the interview can't be predicted as it completely depends upon the boards and interview panelists. The candidates must not that If they are NIT recommended by the board after the SSB interview they will not move forward for the next stage of the CDS selection to be come Commissioned Officers on the Indian Armed Forces.
The language of CDS question paper is bilingual, i.e, English and Hindi. The question paper for the English subject is in the English Language, while the questions for General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics subjects are available in both English and Hindi languages. Candidates can choose the language in which they want to attempt the question paper while filling their application form. It is important to note that the question paper for each subject will be available in only one language, and candidates cannot switch between languages during the exam.
The CDS question paper for Mathematics carries a total of 100 questions. The section from which the questions are asked has been given below for the candidates: a) Profit and loss b) Elementary Number Theory: Division algorithm c) Prime and composite numbers: Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11. d) Multiples and factors e) Factorisation Theorem, etc. The candidates must go through these Maths section to secure maximum marks as these section comprise maximum marks in the question paper in the Maths section.
CDS Exam Pattern 2023 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 Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and Conferences. These tests are conducted over days
UPSC CDS Negative Marking 2023
Read More: CDS 2024 Exam Dates
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week 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 a week 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
Yes, sometimes questions do get repeated in the CDS exam. However, the UPSC does not directly repeat the question word for word; instead, the basic part gets repeated. For example, you can SEE questions on Article 32 in different years framed differently. From the analysis of the previous year's question paper, it can be concluded that important themes get revisited in CDS. This is the same for GK, math, and English papers. This is why experts and toppers always suggest analyzing the previous year's question paper. By analyzing previous year's question Sets you can not just make a list of such repetitive themes but also understand the patterns in which questions can be framed. Hence, you must start CDS preparation by solving PYQ.