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CDS

CDS (I) 2027 exam (tentative): 11 Apr 2027 (official — upsc.gov.in). Official site: upsc.gov.in.

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.

183 days to exam(official)340 Qs300 marks360 minNegative: −1/3📅 Dates & updates📋 Full syllabus🎯 Expected cutoff🧠 Tricks & mnemonics📖 How to crack it🔁 Mistake Notebook⌨️ Typing practice✍️ Essay & letter check

Free CDS mock tests and previous year paper practice — start now.

Full-length mocks with instant scoring and solutions, PYQ-pattern papers, topic-wise tests and Ask Shishya when you're stuck. Your scores and a free day-by-day plan are saved to your account. All free, no credit card. Content is AI-drafted and checked against the official notification.

Sign up with GoogleNo forms. A five-question CDS test opens for you.Start CDS practice now: after you sign up, a five-question starter test opens by itself and CDS is set up as your exam. From then on you can write whole timed mocks, each score is kept, and every mock records your weak topics. Free, with your Google account, no forms.Try a free 5-question quiz — no signup →
🎓 Preparing for CDS? Get a free day-by-day plan to exam day. Rebuilt every morning around what you actually did — miss a day, nothing is lost.Build my plan →
~451 vacancies(indicative / typical)✓ Verify on Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) ↗

Updated 24 Aug 2026 ·Vacancy counts change every cycle — always confirm the exact number in the latest official notification before applying.

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Sourced

Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →

✦ Try a CDS question — free, no signup

Complete the sentence with the most appropriate option: The new policy will be ________ only after it receives approval from the board of directors.

Tap an option to check your answer.

Start with a diagnostic

5 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.

This becomes your exam: a Daily 5 email on mornings after you visit, and emails about your streak, live tests, exam date and result day, or after a week away. Each has an unsubscribe link.

🧩 Build your own mock — pick exact topics → · every mock readable in हिंदी + 17 languages inside the test

CDS eligibility

Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.

Age
19 – 25 years (General)Range varies by academy: IMA 19-24, INA 19-24, AFA 20-24, OTA 19-25. Date of birth bounds revised every cycle — see latest notification.
Education
IMA / OTA: Bachelor's (any discipline). INA: Bachelor's in Engineering. AFA: Bachelor's with Physics + Maths at 10+2 OR Bachelor's in Engineering.
  • Final-year graduates can appear if results are out before the academy commencement date.
  • Engineering degree mandatory for the Naval Academy.
Attempts
No formal attempt limit other than the upper age cap.
Nationality
Indian citizen (or Nepal/Bhutan subject for IMA & OTA; specific certificate norms apply).
Other
  • Unmarried male candidates for IMA / INA / AFA. OTA admits both unmarried males and females (and married males in special quotas).
  • Physical + medical standards as per Service Selection Board (SSB) — vision, height, chest, BMI, etc.
  • All shortlisted candidates undergo a 5-day SSB interview after the written exam.
Reservations
  • No reservation in the CDS written exam itself; representation goes through different academy intakes.

CDS cutoffs

Historical cutoffs are a guide, not a prediction. Use them to set a realistic target, not to predict next year's exact number.

Written cutoff (qualifying for SSB interview)

out of 300 marks (IMA/INA/AFA — 3 papers) · 200 marks (OTA — 2 papers)
YearCategoryCutoff
2023IMA — written cutoff112 (written) · 297 (final, with SSB out of 600)
2023INA — written108 · 308 final
2023AFA — written126 · 309 final
2023OTA (men) — written97 · 257 final
2023OTA (women) — written97 · 257 final
2022IMA137 · 318 final
2022INA131 · 314 final
2022AFA144 · 327 final
2022OTA (men)112 · 264 final

Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.

CDS paper analysis — what actually got asked

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.

English (100 marks)

100/300 marks avg

  • Reading Comprehension + Cloze Test

    ~30 marks(10%)

  • Grammar + Sentence Improvement + Synonyms/Antonyms

    ~40 marks(13%)

  • Para Jumble + Sentence Completion + Spotting Errors

    ~30 marks(10%)

General Knowledge (100 marks)

100/300 marks avg

  • Indian Polity + History + Geography

    ~40 marks(13%)

  • Current Affairs + Defence + Sci-Tech

    ~30 marks(10%)

  • Economy + Environment + Sports + Culture

    ~30 marks(10%)

Elementary Mathematics (100 marks, IMA/INA/AFA only)

35/300 marks avg

  • Arithmetic + Algebra

    ~35 marks(12%)

Elementary Mathematics

47/300 marks avg

  • Geometry + Mensuration + Trigonometry

    ~35 marks(12%)

  • Statistics + Probability

    ~12 marks(4%)

Takeaways for prep planning

  • OTA candidates skip Maths — only English + GK count. That makes OTA the lowest-bar academy in terms of written cutoff.
  • GK is the highest-variance section; static GK + current affairs of the 6 months before the paper carry the bulk.
  • Most candidates clear the written but fail SSB — focus on personality + group tasks at least as hard as the written prep.

CDS salary after selection

Approximate starting gross at an X-class (metro) posting. Actual pay depends on post, city, year of joining and prevailing DA.

  • Lieutenant on commissioning (IMA / OTA) / equivalent in Navy & Air Force

    Pay Level 10
    Basic pay
    ₹56,100
    Gross monthly
    ₹85,000 – ₹1,00,000+ (after commission, including MSP ₹15,500 + Kit + Transport allowance)
    Perks
    • Free accommodation in officer quarters
    • Free ration + uniform allowance
    • Free medical for self + dependants (lifelong)
    • Concessional travel (railway / air)
    • Pension under NPS + service pension
    • AGIF / CSD canteen access

    Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.

CDS — Frequently asked questions

Is Shishya free for CDS preparation?
Yes. Every CDS mock test, PYQ-pattern paper and study tool on Shishya is completely free — no subscription and no credit card. Questions are written with AI to follow each exam's syllabus topics on Shishya, and re-checked whenever a student reports one.
How many CDS practice questions does Shishya have?
Shishya has 106 CDS practice questions, written with AI; every one of them has passed an automated answer check (three independent AI solves and an examiner), and any question a student reports is re-checked. They are available as adaptive mock tests with a worked solution for every question.
Are CDS previous year question papers available?
Yes. The official CDS previous year papers the conducting body published are linked on this page, and Shishya has free PYQ-pattern practice papers covering 2021–2025 (5 years) — questions freshly worded in the pattern of each year's paper, not the paper itself; each year's page shows how many questions it holds against the real paper's count. Each is a timed practice set with full solutions.
What is the expected cutoff for CDS?
Cutoffs change every cycle with paper difficulty and vacancies. Shishya maintains indicative score-to-rank bands and category-wise (General/EWS/OBC/SC/ST) expected cutoffs — not official figures — at https://shishya.in/exams/CDS/cutoff
Can I build a topic-wise CDS mock test?
Yes — pick any topics from the CDS syllabus, choose 10, 25 or 50 questions and the difficulty, and attempt it as a timed mock with solutions and weak-topic analysis, free, at https://shishya.in/exams/CDS/build-mock — questions can be read in Hindi and 17 other Indian languages inside the test.
How can I prepare for CDS for free?
Shishya offers CDS preparation 100% free: adaptive mock tests, official previous year papers (linked from the conducting body) and PYQ-pattern practice papers modelled on each year's paper, the full syllabus (https://shishya.in/exams/CDS/syllabus), subject-wise memory tricks (https://shishya.in/exams/CDS/tricks), a free day-by-day coach plan and an AI tutor in 18 Indian languages.

Previous year papers

100 questions across all years

Official papers

Question papers and answer keys as the conducting body published them. Each link opens the body's own file.

Published by Union Public Service Commission

Previous year paper practice: each year is a set of PYQ-pattern questions — freshly worded in the pattern of that year's paper, not the paper itself. Every card shows how many it holds against the real paper's count.

Practise PYQ-pattern questions topic by topic, across all years →

Mock tests

Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).

New to CDS? Start small:a 25-question subject test first — 4 in 5 aspirants finish these; full mocks after your first win.Pick a subject test ↓

  • CDS — Quick Practice

    SET

    20 questions · 360 min

    Start mock →

  • CDS — 2025 PYQ-pattern set (20 of 340 questions)

    SET

    20 questions · 360 min

    Start mock →

  • CDS — 2021 PYQ-pattern set (20 of 340 questions)

    SET

    20 questions · 360 min

    Start mock →

  • CDS — 2024 PYQ-pattern set (20 of 340 questions)

    SET

    20 questions · 360 min

    Start mock →

Practice by subject & topic

Full-length subject tests below — 25 questions each, real exam format, instant scoring.Want to drill a single topic? Open it from the syllabus — a topic that has practice questions has a short quiz on its page.

  • English

    54 Qs

  • General Knowledge

    27 Qs

  • Elementary Mathematics

    25 Qs

🎯 Build my own mock

Tell Shishya exactly what to test you on — topics, size, difficulty — and get a fresh mock in seconds. Leave the box blank and we'll target your weakest topics.

Questions
Difficulty

Your rank

vs everyone who has taken this exam

Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.

Students

43

Mocks taken

110

Average score

37%

Top score

100%

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.

AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.

News & timeline

See older updates →

Latest news

Important dates

  1. 🇮🇳CDS II 2026 exam

    passed

    Sun, 13 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Three shifts: English (9-11 AM), GK (12:30-2:30 PM), Mathematics (4-6 PM); offline OMR-based exam

  2. CDS 2 2026 provisional answer key

    passed

    Wed, 16 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Provisional answer key published with 5-day window for candidate representations

  3. CDS II 2026 provisional answer key

    passed

    Fri, 18 Sept, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    Provisional answer key published 5 days after exam; objections window typically follows

  4. CDS II 2026 written result (expected)

    15 days away

    Sun, 25 Oct, 2026

    Expected

    Official notification mentions result likely in October 2026; typically 35-45 days after exam

  5. CDS (I) 2027 notification (tentative)

    53 days away

    Wed, 2 Dec, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): CDS (I) shares its dates with NDA & NA (I). Liable to alteration.

  6. CDS (I) 2027 last date to apply (tentative)

    73 days away

    Tue, 22 Dec, 2026

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): last date for receipt of applications. Liable to alteration — the notification is final.

  7. 🇮🇳CDS (I) 2027 exam (tentative)

    183 days away

    Sun, 11 Apr, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): Sunday 11 Apr 2027. Liable to alteration.

  8. CDS (II) 2027 notification (tentative)

    214 days away

    Wed, 12 May, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): CDS (II) shares its dates with NDA & NA (II). Liable to alteration.

  9. CDS (II) 2027 last date to apply (tentative)

    234 days away

    Tue, 1 Jun, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): last date for receipt of applications. Liable to alteration — the notification is final.

  10. 🇮🇳CDS (II) 2027 exam (tentative)

    344 days away

    Sun, 19 Sept, 2027

    Officialupsc.gov.in ↗

    UPSC Calendar 2027 (as on 20.05.2026): Sunday 19 Sep 2027. Liable to alteration.

Syllabus

Tap any topic for its study notes + a 10-question topic test

English