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Union Public Service Commission conducts the CDS Exam. The Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam is a gateway to entering the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). To succeed, candidates need to understand the CDS Syllabus 2025 and follow a strategic study plan. The commission has released the official syllabus along with a notification in PDF format. We have provided the official PDF in this article.
CDS Syllabus 2025
The CDS Syllabus 2025 consist of three paper which is English, Mathematics and General Knowledge. Candidate preparing for the UPSC CDS Recruit should have idea about the Syllabus and Exam Pattern. In this article, we have discussed the syllabus of the CDS exam along with the CDS Exam Pattern 2025 for the subject topic. Candidates have the option to select from categories like the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Officers’ Training Academy.
Overview | |
Name of the Exam | Combined Defence Forces (CDS) |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Exam Conducted in A Year | Twice a Year |
Mode of Examination | Offline |
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
Medium | Hindi or English |
Number of Questions |
|
Time Duration | 2 hours for each paper |
Negative Marking | Yes (1/3rd deducted for every wrong answer) |
CDS Exam Pattern 2025
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 consists of two processes: written and interview. The Written exam includes papers on English, General Knowledge and Mathematics, varying in marks and duration. The interview assesses candidates’ personalities, leadership qualities, and suitability for commissioning into the Indian Armed Forces.
CDS Exam Pattern for IMA, INA, AFA
Subject
|
Duration
|
Maximum Marks
|
English
|
2 Hours
|
100
|
General Knowledge
|
2 Hours
|
100
|
Mathematics
|
2 Hours
|
100
|
SSB/Interview
|
5 Days
|
300
|
CDS Exam Pattern for OTA
Subject
|
Duration
|
Maximum Marks
|
English
|
2 Hours
|
100
|
General Knowledge
|
2 Hours
|
100
|
SSB/Interview
|
5 Days
|
300
|
Also, Check CDS Previous Year Question Paper
CDS English Syllabus 2025
To score better in this section, candidates should read newspapers daily point out the difficult words at a place, and find their meaning which will help to improve their vocabulary and understanding of the comprehension passages with ease. The purpose of this paper is to assess the applicants’ command of the English language and their ability to use words professionally.
- Reading Comprehension Questions.
- Spotting the Errors Questions.
- Fill in the Blanks Questions.
- Synonyms & Antonyms Questions.
- Idioms and Phrases Questions.
- Sentence Arrangement or Jumbled Questions.
- Ordering of words in Sentence Questions.
- Sentence Improvement or Sentence Correction Questions.
Important Topics
- Vocabulary
- Reading passages
- Grammar, including topics such as:
- Tenses
- Parts of speech
- Active and passive voice
- Rearrangement of sentences
- Cloze test
Also, Check CDS Salary 2025
CDS General Knowledge Syllabus 2025
General knowledge includes awareness of current affairs and everyday observations and experiences that include a scientific component, as might be anticipated of an educated person who has not specifically studied any scientific field. Additionally, there will be geography and Indian history questions on the examination that any qualified candidate should be able to respond to without additional study.
CDS Syllabus 2025 for General Knowledge |
|
CDS Maths Syllabus 2025
CDS Mathematics Syllabus 2025 covers topics like Arithmetic, trigonometry, geometry, measurements, statistics, and other related topics that comprise the syllabus of CDS Elementary Mathematics. We have provided the complete syllabus for individual mathematics topics. Please follow the table below for the mathematics syllabus of the CDS 2025 exam.
CDS Syllabus for Mathematics | |
Arithmetic | Number System
Elementary Number Theory
|
Algebra |
|
Trigonometry |
|
Geometry | Plane and plane figures, Lines and angles, Theorems on:
|
Mensuration |
|
Statistics |
|
Topic-Wise Distribution of Questions
Elementary Mathematics
Topic | No. of Questions |
Trigonometry | 16 |
3D Mensuration | 16 |
Number System | 12 |
Simplification | 11 |
Triangle | 10 |
Statics | 5 |
Data Interpretation | 4 |
Quadrilateral | 3 |
Polynomial | 3 |
Logarithm | 2 |
Percentage | 2 |
Time & Distance | 2 |
Profit & Loss | 2 |
Average | 2 |
Divisibility Rule | 2 |
LCM & HCF | 2 |
Time & Work | 2 |
Circle | 1 |
Sequence & Series | 1 |
Remainder Theorem | 1 |
2D Mensuration | 1 |
General Knowledge
Topics |
Number of Questions
|
Polity | 20 |
Geography | 18 |
Modern History | 16 |
Economics | 13 |
Current Affairs | 12 |
Chemistry | 12 |
Physics | 9 |
Biology | 9 |
Medieval History | 5 |
Defence | 3 |
Static GS | 3 |
English
Topics | Number of Questions |
Comprehension | 10 |
Parts of Speech | 10 |
Antonyms | 10 |
Synonyms | 10 |
Cloze Test | 10 |
Spotting Error | 10 |
Fill in the blanks | 10 |
Ordering of words in a sentence | 10 |
Ordering of sentence | 10 |
Completion of sentence | 10 |
Preposition & Determinants | 10 |
CDS Syllabus 2025 PDF Download
Candidates can download the CDS Syllabus 2025 from the link provided below. The commission released the CDS Syllabus in PDF Format along with the official notification. The Syllabus of CDS PDF Contains the topics from which questions can be asked in this exam. Get the direct link to download the CDS Syllabus 2025 PDF below: