Dashboard · Exams · CDS
Combined Defence Services Examination
UPSC CDS — three papers (English, GK, Elementary Maths) for entry to Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers Training Academy.
Sourced
Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →
Free CDS preparation on Shishya
Take expert-curated mocks, practise previous year papers, and Ask Shishya when you're stuck — verified by students who cleared the same path. All free, no credit card. Sign in with Google to begin.
Sign in to start →Start with a diagnostic
10 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.
Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.
Historical cutoffs are a guide, not a prediction. Use them to set a realistic target, not to predict next year's exact number.
2025
20 questions
Take paper →2024
20 questions
Take paper →2023
20 questions
Take paper →2022
20 questions
Take paper →2021
20 questions
Take paper →Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).
CDS — Quick Practice
FULL20 questions · 360 min
Start mock →| Year | Category | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | IMA — written cutoff | 112 (written) · 297 (final, with SSB out of 600) |
| 2023 | INA — written | 108 · 308 final |
| 2023 | AFA — written | 126 · 309 final |
| 2023 | OTA (men) — written | 97 · 257 final |
| 2023 | OTA (women) — written | 97 · 257 final |
| 2022 | IMA | 137 · 318 final |
| 2022 | INA | 131 · 314 final |
| 2022 | AFA | 144 · 327 final |
| 2022 | OTA (men) | 112 · 264 final |
Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.
Topic-by-topic weightage averaged across 2022-2024 papers. Use this to decide where to invest study hours, not where to skim. Source ↗ · verified 2026-05.
100/300 marks avg
Reading Comprehension + Cloze Test
Grammar + Sentence Improvement + Synonyms/Antonyms
Para Jumble + Sentence Completion + Spotting Errors
100/300 marks avg
Indian Polity + History + Geography
Current Affairs + Defence + Sci-Tech
Economy + Environment + Sports + Culture
35/300 marks avg
Arithmetic + Algebra
47/300 marks avg
Geometry + Mensuration + Trigonometry
Statistics + Probability
Approximate starting gross at an X-class (metro) posting. Actual pay depends on post, city, year of joining and prevailing DA.
Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.
Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.
What can I get from CDS?
Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.
Outstanding — Top merit range
85–100% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
Excellent — Top tier selection
75–85% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
Strong position — All academies
65–75% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
Competitive — IMA/AFA contention
50–65% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
Borderline — OTA possible
35–50% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
Below cut-off range
0–35% · Post-based exam (no numeric rank)
AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.
UPSC released the official CDS 2 2026 notification on May 20, 2026, announcing 451 vacancies for officer recruitment. Online applications are open from May 20 to June 9, 2026, with the written exam scheduled for September 13, 2026.
Source →UPSC declared the CDS 1 2026 written exam result on May 8, 2026. A total of 8,826 candidates qualified for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview round for admission to IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA.
Source →UPSC released the official answer key for CDS 1 2026 exam on April 16, 2026, allowing candidates to review their responses and estimate scores before the result announcement.
Source →The admit card for CDS 1 2026 was released by UPSC on April 2, 2026, ten days before the written examination. Candidates downloaded their e-admit cards using registration credentials from the official portal.
Source →CDS 2 2026 application deadline (last date to apply)
12 days awayTue, 9 Jun, 2026
Final date to submit online application form for CDS 2 2026 by 6:00 PM
CDS 2 2026 admit card release (expected)
98 days awayThu, 3 Sept, 2026
Admit card typically released 2-3 weeks before exam date
📌CDS II 2026 — written exam
101 days awaySun, 6 Sept, 2026
📌CDS 2 2026 written examination
108 days awaySun, 13 Sept, 2026
Offline exam for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA - English, GK, and Elementary Mathematics
CDS 2 2026 answer key release (expected)
112 days awayThu, 17 Sept, 2026
Provisional answer key typically released within 3-4 days after exam
CDS 2 2026 written result announcement (expected)
134 days awayFri, 9 Oct, 2026
Result with merit list for SSB interview shortlisted candidates
Click any topic to read study notes
Spotting Errors
Identify the part of a sentence containing a grammatical or usage error — high-frequency CDS topic.
Sentence Improvement
Choose the best alternative for an underlined part of the sentence.
Ordering of Sentences / Para Jumbles
Re-order jumbled sentences to form a coherent paragraph.
Sentence Completion / Fill in the Blanks
Complete sentences with appropriate words or phrases.
Synonyms
Word-meaning questions — closest in meaning to the underlined word.
Antonyms
Word-meaning questions — opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
Idioms and Phrases
Meaning of idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs.
Cloze Test / Comprehension
Fill multiple blanks within a passage; reading comprehension on graduation-level texts.
Reading Comprehension
Passage-based questions on main idea, vocabulary and inference.
Active and Passive Voice
Convert sentences between active and passive voice.
Direct and Indirect Speech
Convert sentences between direct and indirect narration.
Transformation of Sentences
Simple-compound-complex, affirmative-negative, etc.
Spelling Check
Identify the correctly or incorrectly spelt word.
One-Word Substitution
Replace a phrase with a single word that has the same meaning.
History
Indian history from ancient to modern, with focus on freedom struggle.
Geography
Physical, Indian and world geography.
Indian Polity and Constitution
Constitution, governance and defence-related polity.
Economics
Indian economy, planning and economic policy.
General Science
Science of NCERT Class VIII–X level with defence applications.
Current Affairs
National and international events of the last 12 months.
Arithmetic
Number theory, basic operations and applied arithmetic at Class-X level.
Algebra
School-level algebra of polynomials, equations and inequalities.
Trigonometry
Trigonometric ratios, identities and applications to heights and distances.
Geometry
Lines, angles, triangles, quadrilaterals and circles.
Mensuration
Areas, perimeters and volumes of standard 2D and 3D figures.
Statistics
CDS 1 2027 notification release (expected)
197 days awayFri, 11 Dec, 2026
Next cycle notification typically released in mid-December
CDS 1 2027 application deadline (expected)
217 days awayThu, 31 Dec, 2026
Application window typically closes 3 weeks after notification
📌CDS 1 2027 written examination (expected)
320 days awayTue, 13 Apr, 2027
First exam cycle of 2027, typically held in April
Collection, representation and central tendency of statistical data.