UPSC CDS Exam : Pattern, Syllabus, Qualification and Tips

UPSC is our countries central agency which holds the authority of conducting many high level exams such as Civil Services Exam, IFS, NDA, CDS, and SCRA etc. Civil services examination is mostly known as IAS exam but other than this there are other various exams taken all over India like IFS, IPS, IRS, and IRPS and many more. CDS exam is the most repudiated exam and the toughest exam to crack in India. Almost 2 lakh students appear for this exam every year. There are around 980 vacancies for UPSC CDS according to the UPSC latest notification. Clearing this exam is not an easy job as some of many hardworking students goes through clearing it and this all can be done not only by hard work carried with a good preparation strategy.

ELIGIBILITY FOR UPSC CDS EXAMINATION

Nationality :

Applying candidate must either be

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Bhutan, or
• A subject of Nepal, or
• A Tibetan refugee who migrated to India before 1 July 1962 to settle in India permanently, or
• a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

Educational qualification :

• For IMA and OTA: the candidate should hold a graduation degree from any recognized university.
• For INA: the candidate must hold and engineering degree.
• For Air Force Academy: the candidate should must have cleared 12^th standard with math and physics and having a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a graduation degree from a recognized university.

Age criteria :

• For Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy: Unmarried male applicants born not earlier or later than the date held out on the notification that is on the UPSC official website.
• For Officers Training Academy: Male aspirants (Married or Unmarried) born not earlier or later than the particular date provided by UPSC in the notification.

PATTERN OF UPSC CDS EXAMINATION

In CDS examination, the entire question paper present will be objective. All the questions will be worth of 100 marks totally and the total number of questions will be 120. There are a total of three examinations in the Indian Military Academy, the Indian Naval Academy, and the Indian Air Force Academy which are:

• CDS English paper: maximum marks 100 and total time duration will be 120 minutes (2 hrs) 
• General Knowledge paper: maximum marks 100 and total time duration will be 120 minutes (2 hrs )
• Elementary Mathematics: maximum marks 100 and total time duration will be 120 minutes (2 hrs)

PAY SCALE

The UPSC CDS Pay scale has undergone an increase along with the introduction of many other allowances that of the UPSC CDS Officers. The selected aspirants for CDS job profile can go through the Pay Scale of Army Officers and equivalent ranks in Air Force and Navy.

UPSC CDS EXAMINATION PREPARATION

While the preparation of this exam, you have to be full of confidence and determination. Being a part of our country’s defence and safety is not an easy task. This is why thousands of candidates prepare for this examination every year and reverence of their motherland aspires to join the forces.

The selection process of the candidate of CDS is very scientific based and well-evolved techniques of testing that aim at assessing their personality in the context of the traits needed for the fence forces. For the selection of INA, IMA, AFA and Officers’ Training Academy, the candidates have to undergo written examination followed by a face-to-face interview with the Services Selection Board.

Some important points to take care on are mentioned below:

Know Your Syllabus

The candidates should know about the syllabus and the topics in it before starting the preparation of the CDS exam. By this the candidates will know what kind of topics the exam will include. Accordingly, you can strategize you exam preparation. Candidates should know what they are and what they need to prepare exactly.

Keep yourself updated

Aspirants should be aware of every new thing happening around the globe. They should read newspapers, magazines, take part in events near them, so they will be notified every time something comes up.

Time Management

Time management is not only important in just CDS exam but in every competitive exam happening. The paper is designed in such a way that tests the speed of the candidate. Candidate should divide the sections and give time to each section equally. Candidates should try mock tests to improve their time management skills.

Pick one topic at a time

Candidates should pick one topic at a time. Picking too many topics at the same time to prepare will leave the candidate confused.

Solving previous year Question Papers are important

 Previous year papers are the best example to analyze the exam pattern and also to judge preparation concentration topic wise. By solving them, the Candidate will be able to understand the level and type of questions asked in the CDS exam. Solving previous year question paper and other available tests will move the candidate into practice mode and make most of their time.

Revision is must

Do not try something new before the time of the examination. Just revise the books that you have already studied and have gone through before.

Negative Marking

Do not try and guess the answers for the questions as negative questions are allowed in this exam and answer a question if you are confident about it. If you’ll just make wild guesses it may leave the candidate to negative marks

Be positive

Candidates should always have a positive approach. They should not think about failure. They should work hard and give their 100 percent during the exam.

Be confident

Confidence is a must when you are preparing any exam or any topic. After all the defence forces of our country is about confidence and courage.

Preparation books

Books are the main source of the preparation. Candidates should prepare mostly from various books available for CDS exam preparation.

Do not panic

The thing that is strictly not allowed for a candidate is panic. Instead, the candidate should study in a planned manner and be relaxed while the preparation

Make Notes

Students should keep notes about what they are studying. Note making can be very important part of the preparation as they may revise the candidate about old details or topics and notes should never be lengthy. They should be able to revise in 10 minutes.

Take proper sleep

Proper rest and sleep should be taken before the exam. As a healthy mind resides a healthy body. Lack of sleep will make candidate mentally unhealthy and they will not be able to perform well in the exam.

Hope you found all the necessary information on UPSC CDS exam preparation. If you have any queries, suggestions, complaints or question please mention them in the comment section and we will try to resolve them to make you aware of all the queries. To keep yourself updated, check more articles on our website.