UPSC CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024 OUT: Pattern, Marking Scheme, PDF Link & More
Combined Defence Services Exam 2025 ( CDS )
Registration - 10 Dec '25 - 30 Dec '25
CDS 2 English question paper has released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on September 1, 2024. The candidates can download the CDS 2 English question paper below. The candidates can check the CDS English previous years' question papers and more in the article.
CDS 2 English Question paper @upsc.gov.in
CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is conducting the CDS 2 English exam on September 1, 2024. The candidates can download the CDS 2 question papers for English in the article below. However, the candidates can check the CDS English previous years' question papers, exam pattern, marking scheme, and more in the article.
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 2024 will be called for the SSB Interview.
Yes, the examination authority will release the CDS Question Papers 2026 officially at upsc.gov.in. The question papers will be released in the form of PDF. Candidates can download the CDS question papers 2026 from this page also for free. The question papers will help candidates to check the difficulty level of the exam, questions asked, pattern changed or not, etc.
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 English previous years' question paper PDF for the candidates in the article below.
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Also Read:
CDS 2 2024 English and GK Question Paper Analysis
CDS 1 Maths Question Paper 2024
CDS 2 English and GK Exam Analysis 2024
- UPSC CDS 2 English Exam Timing
- UPSC CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024
- CDS English Previous Years Question Paper 2024
- UPSC CDS Answer Key 2024
- UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2024
- CDS Exam Pattern 2024 for SSB Interview
- UPSC CDS Negative Marking 2024
UPSC CDS 2 English Exam Timing
The UPSC will conduct the CDS 2 English exam in the first shift along with the CDS General Knowledge on September 1, 2024. The candidates can check the shift timing of the CDS 2 English and GK in the table below:
| English |
General Knowledge |
|---|---|
| 9.00 am to 11.00 am |
12.00 pm to 2.00 pm |
UPSC CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024
The candidates will be able to check the CDS 2 English question paper for the CDS 2 exam in the table below. The UPSC CDS English question paper can help the candidates to practice, calculating their expected marks from the provisional answer key and more:
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.
| CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024 | |
|---|---|
| CDS 2 English Question Paper 2024 | Click Here |
| CDS 2 English Answer Key for all Sets ( by Major Kalshi) | |
| CDS 1 English Question Paper 2024 | |
|---|---|
| CDS 1 English Question Paper 2024 | Click Here |
CDS English Previous Years Question Paper 2024
The previous years' question papers for the CDS English exam will help the candidates prepare for the UPSC CDS English exam. The candidates can check the repeated questions, pattern, and subject-wise weightage in the CDS question paper. The direct PDF link to download the question papers are given in the table:
| CDS English Previous Year Question Papers | |
|---|---|
| CDS 2 English 2023 Question Paper | Click Here |
| CDS 1 English 2023 Question Paper | Click Here |
| CDS 1 English 2022 Question Paper | Click Here |
| CDS 1 English 2021 Question Paper | Click Here |
UPSC CDS Answer Key 2024
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 2024
CDS exam pattern 2024 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.
CDS Exam Pattern 2024 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
UPSC CDS Negative Marking 2024
- For the incorrect answer, 1/3 mark is deducted
- Candidates marking more than one option are treated as incorrect
- If a question is left unanswered, there will be no negative marking
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 weeks ago
Here are the list of some of the books which can help candidates in their preparation.
- High School English Grammar & Composition Edition by Wren and Martin
- Objective General English by SP Bakshi
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- English Grammar & Composition by S.C Gupta
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
The authority released a total of 453 vacancies for the CDS 2 exam 2025 for admission to the Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy for courses.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
It is recommended to the candidates to reach the CDS exam centre at least one hour prior to the reporting time. The CDS exam centre allotment is done on a first-apply-first-allot basis.
C
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, the English section of the CDS exam is scorable if it is prepared properly. Usually the difficulty level of the exam is moderate.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Candidates can check the cut off marks for the CDS exam by visiting the official website at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC will release the cutoff according to the academy or course.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The steps to check the CDS cut off marks is provided below:
- Visit at upsc.gov.in
- Click on the :Examination" tab
- Go to the "Cut Off Marks" dropdown menu.
- Click on the download link and save it for future reference
I
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month 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 month 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 2 months 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
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.