CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Check Subject-wise Detailed Syllabus PDF
Combined Defence Services Exam 2026 ( CDS )
Registration - 20 May '26 - 9 Jun '26
CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 is released by the UPSC along with the CDS notification 2023. CDS 2 2023 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 3, 2023. Candidates can check the latest CDS OTA Syllabus in this article and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF through the link provided below.
UPSC CDS OTA Syllabus 2023
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declares the UPSC CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 on the official website. CDS OTA Syllabus is released along with the CDS Notification. Candidates can check the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 in this article and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF here. CDS 2 2023 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 3, 2023. Candidates who are preparing for CDS OTA exam should read the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 carefully first before preparing for the CDS exam.
The Combined Defence Services Examination, commonly known as CDS, is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The exam is held twice a year, usually in February and September.
Commonly asked questions
The authority released the CDS 2025 syllabus along with the notification. Candidates who are preparing for CDS exam 2025 must follow the syllabus to prepare for the exam. The CDS syllabus is divided into two categories-
a) INA (Indian Naval Academy), IMA (Indian Military Academy), and AFA (Air Force Academy)
b) OTA (Officers Training Academy)
The syllabus for the IMA, INA and AFA comprises three sections English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Further, the syllabus for OTA comprises English and General Knowledge. OTA exam syllabus does not have a Maths section
To get the detailed syllabus for INA, IMA and AFA click on the refer to the link below: https://www.shiksha.com/exams/cds-exam-syllabus.
NDA exam is conducted for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy Course. CDS exam is conducted to select eligible candidates for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA).
The level of NDA syllabus is of Class 10, 11 and 12 levels. Whereas the standard of CDS syllabus is of graduation level. NDA syllabus is divided into Maths and GAT. CDS syllabus is divided into Elementary Maths, English and General Awareness. The total marks allotted to the NDA written exam are 900. The total marks allotted to the written exam of CDS are 300 for IMA, INA and AFA and 200 for OTA.
- CDS OTA Syllabus 2023
- CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 PDF
- CDS OTA Exam Pattern 2023
- CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Best Books for Preparation
- CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 FAQs
CDS OTA Syllabus 2023
The CDS OTA syllabus has two sections English and general knowledge. CDS OTA syllabus does not have a mathematics section. The topic-wise syllabus for the OTA has been provided for the candidates. Aspirants who are willing to appear for the OTA can go through the topic-wise syllabus for OTA CDS below on the page.
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CDS OTA Syllabus for English
The syllabus for English subjects has been given below for the candidates. However, the English syllabus is quite similar to IMA, INA, and AFA. But the candidates should go through the syllabus to know accurate information about the English syllabus for OTA CDS:
- Sentence Arrangement
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Jumble Words
- Idioms and Phrases
- Ordering Sentences
- Ordering Words
- Fill up the blanks
Also Read: CDS 2 Application Form 2023
CDS OTA Syllabus for General Ability Test
The General Ability Test (GAT) is taken to analyse the candidate's awareness about different topics that are currently going on, subjects that he or she has studied earlier, social awareness, and more. The candidates must go through the CDS GAT OTA syllabus given below to understand the syllabus:
- Current Affairs
- History
- Polity
- Geography
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Sociology
- Defence Related Awareness
- Sports and Culture
- Environmental Studies
Also Read: CDS 2024 Syllabus
CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 PDF
Candidates can check and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF through the link provided below.
CDS OTA Syllabus PDF- Click_Here
CDS OTA Exam Pattern 2023
Candidates can check CDS OTA Exam Pattern 2023 in the table below.
| Subjects | No. of question | Maximum marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General knowledge | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
Also Read: CDS Notification 2023
CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Best Books for Preparation
Compiled below are the section-wise books that will help candidates to prepare for the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023:
| Name of Books | Author/ Publication House |
|---|---|
| Objective General English | S.P. Bakshi (Arihant Publications) |
| High School English Grammer & Composition | Wren and Martin |
| General Awareness | Manohar Panday (Arihant Publications) |
| Newspapers | Hindu, The Indian Express, The Economic Times |
Read More:
CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 FAQs
Q. What is the selection process of CDS OTA Exam?
A. The selection process of the CDS - OTA consists of 2 stages first, the written exam and the second, the SSB interview. The aspirants who qualified written exam followed by an SSB interview. And after qualifying for the interview the aspirants need to go for document verification and medical examination for the final selection.
Q. What is CDS OTA Syllabus 2023?
A. The OTA syllabus has two sections English and general knowledge. OTA exam syllabus does not have a Maths section. The topic-wise syllabus for the OTA has been provided for the candidates.
1) English
- Sentence Arrangement
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Jumble Words
- Idioms and Phrases
- Ordering Sentences
- Ordering Words
2) GAT (General Ability Test)
- Current Affairs
- History
- Polity
- Geography
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Sociology
- Defence Related Awareness
- Sports and Culture
- Environmental Studies
Q. Where can I download the CDS OTA syllabus?
A. The complete syllabus of the CDS OTA written exam is available on the official website of the CDS and UPSC board. Aspirants can easily download the CDS- OTA syllabus 2023 pdf from there. The official website is www.upsc.gov.in and www.upsconline.nic.in.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
There are various coaching institutes for CDS in Dehradun. Some of them are Doon Defence Dreamers, Centurion Defence Academy, Brigadier Defence Academy, etc. It will be better to visit personally to the coaching institutes in Dehradun, take the reviews regarding faculties, infrastructure, requiremen
C
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
Doon Defence Dreamers as per the results and reputation is considered to be the top choice institute for the CDS preparation. But before joining any institute, it will be better to visit the campus in Dehradun, evaluate the faculty, infrastructure and the guidance provided there.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
There are several CDS coaching institutes in Dehradun which provides comprehensive written and SSB guidance. Some of the academies are mentioned below:
Centurion Defence Academy
Prasad's Banking SSC and CDS Coaching Institution
Major Kalshi Classes
Dehradun Defence School, etc.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
The top CDS coaching institute in Dehradun include Cadets Defence Academy, often recognised for high selection rates and tailored SSB training, and Dehradun National Academy of Defence (DNAD). Candidates can check below for some of the other notable institutes -
1. Centurion Defence Academy
2. Doon De
T
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
In the CDS exam, a good score varies as per the academy. Generally as per the experts, 120 to 150+ in the written exam for IMA/INA/AFA and 90 to 110+ for OTA are considered to be the good score along with the strong SSB performance. Also, cutoff changes every year and candidates required a minimum
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
Generally, the CDS 1 exam is considered to be moderate to difficult level as the syllabus is vast and consists of challenges which are subject specific. But as per the previous year trend it is moderate in difficulty level. With proper strategy, consistency and hard work exam can be cracked by the c
C
Contributor-Level 6
Can anyone share honest reviews about CDS coaching in Dehradun? Are there better options for best CDS coaching in Dehradun?