The CDS Examination is a competitive exam held in India that is conducted by the UPSC of India under the name of the Combined Defence Services. This is a window for the graduates to enter the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). The CDS exam is conducted twice a year, either in February or November, and it is considered one of the dignified means for candidates who are willing to join the Indian Armed Forces. The CDS Syllabus is comprehensive and is made to test the efficiency of the students.
There are certain prerequisites that you should check before sitting for the CDS exam. In general, the candidate qualified should be a university graduate or a candidate in the final year of the university. For employing a professional in the IMA or OTA, one does not require academic qualifications in any specified field but only a degree. However, to apply for the Indian Navy (INA), the candidate needs to have a degree in engineering, while for the Indian Air Force (IAF-AFA), one needs to have physics and mathematics at the 10+2 level and also a degree in engineering, or B.Sc.
UPSC CDS Syllabus: A Brief Overview
Its components include a written examination and an interview by the Services Selection Board (SSB). The written test for the IMA, INA, and AFA includes three sections: English and General Knowledge, each worth 100 marks. There is also an additional subject called elementary mathematics.
Alternatively, the CDS Syllabus is well known for having high standards and criteria. The written test is in two parts and aims to evaluate the English language competency, general knowledge, and arithmetic knowledge of the candidate. The candidates who qualify for the written examination are invited for the SSB interview, and the test that is conducted for two days is a rigorous one that measures personality, intelligence, and the potential to be an officer in the Indian military.
After passing the SSB interview, the candidates go through medical tests as part of the preliminary process to determine their ability to fit the physical requirements of the armed forces. Those individuals who successfully complete all the phases of the selection procedure finally get to join their respective academies with a view to preparing them as commissioned officers for the Indian Armed Forces. The CDS exam is, therefore, a relevant factor due to the need to employ competent people who feel committed to the nation’s service.
Understanding the CDS Syllabus:
Before one tries to understand, one should know that the number of sections differs from paper to paper. For instance, if you are appearing for the Indian Military Academy Exam and the Indian Naval Academy Exam, the CDS exam syllabus will be slightly different as you have to answer three sections of questions.
On the other hand, if you are appearing for the Officers’ Training Academy Examination, then you have to answer two sections of questions. The exam is held for two hours, and the candidates can choose to answer in Hindi or English.
It is very crucial for students to keep checking and start preparing beforehand. The CDS Syllabus is quite comprehensive, and one would need to spend a good amount of time getting acquainted with the syllabus beforehand.
The CDS syllabus 2024 comprises English, General Knowledge, and Basic Mathematics. This is used for admission to the Indian Naval Academy, the Indian Military Academy, and the Air Force. The CDS Syllabus for the Officers’ Training Academy is slightly different. It focuses only on English and general knowledge.
CDS Syllabus for Each Subject:
CDS Syllabus for English:
The CDS Syllabus for English is comprehensive and designed to understand the proficiency level of the candidate. One needs to start preparing for the English section of the CDS Syllabus well before the time of the exam. The syllabus can turn out to be challenging if one does not start making efforts towards the exam beforehand.
The candidate should ensure that they are reading the newspaper daily. They should keep a diary where they maintain a list of difficult words that they have learned throughout the week. This exercise will help to increase the vocabulary of the students. One of the most difficult parts of the CDS Syllabus is the reading comprehension questions; hence, candidates need to ensure that they are well-prepared with their vocabulary.
The CDS Syllabus pertaining to English is mentioned below:
- Reading comprehension questions
- Improvement of the Sentence or Correcting the Sentence Questions
- Idioms and Phrases Questions
- Filling in the Blanks with the Correct Subject-Verb Agreement Questions
- Finding Out the Error Questions
- Arranging the Sentence or Jumbled Questions
- Synonyms and Antonyms Questions
CDS Syllabus for Mathematics:
The CDS Syllabus for mathematics can only become easy for the candidates if they keep practicing the sums on a daily basis. In order to fully comprehend the CDS Syllabus, the candidates should ensure that they are solving enough question papers. The CDS Syllabus for Mathematics comprises topics from arithmetic, geometry, statistics, and mensuration.
This CDS Syllabus is quite comprehensive, and one needs to keep solving papers as that will increase the speed and accuracy of their answers. An overview of the CDS Syllabus for mathematics is given below:
- For the arithmetic portion of the CDS Syllabus, candidates need to ensure that they are looking into topics such as profit and loss, work and time, percentage, simple and compound interest, ratio and proportion, decimal fractions, square roots, and natural numbers. The CDS Syllabus also consists of prime and composite numbers, the Euclidean algorithm, and tests of divisibility.
- For the algebra portion, the CDS Syllabus comprises basic operations, the remainder theorem, rational expressions, and conditional identities, laws of indices, and others.
- The syllabus for Mathematics also consists of portions from geometry, mensuration, and statistics. For instance, the statistics portion of the syllabus comprises the collection and tabulation of statistical data, graphical representations of frequency polygons, bar charts, histograms, pie charts, and also measures of central tendency.
The mensuration part of the syllabus has portions like areas of parallelograms, squares, rectangles, and circles, along with the lateral surface and the volume of right circular cones and cylinders.
CDS Syllabus for General Knowledge:
The CDS Syllabus for general knowledge cannot be studied from any specific book and does not also fall under any certain domain. One needs to be well aware of the current events in the country and should have a basic understanding of the country’s history. One of the best ways to comprehend general knowledge is to keep reading the newspaper daily, which will give you the required information.
CDS Syllabus for General Knowledge: –
- Indian History
- Geography
- Political Science
- Environment
- General Science, comprising physics, chemistry, and biology
- Current affairs comprises national and international awards, summits, sports awards, books, and authors.
- Defence-Related Questions: Army, Navy, and Air Force
CDS OTA Syllabus:
There is only one slight difference between the CDS Syllabus for the OTA exam and the other exams for INA, IMA, and AFA. This exam does not have a mathematics section. Except that the CDS Syllabus for English and general knowledge remains the same as that of the other exams.
Conclusion:
If one wants to clear the CDS exam, then they should start looking up the CDS Syllabus beforehand and preparing with enough time in hand. It is not that difficult to crack the CDS examination if one has studied and solved a sufficient number of question papers.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the CDS exam pattern?
Answer: The CDS exam pattern for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy is slightly different from the Officers’ Training Academy. The syllabus for the IMA, INA, and AFA comprises English, general knowledge, and mathematics. Thus, the examination pattern for admission to these departments has three sections each for English, general knowledge, and mathematics. The marks allotted for each of these sections are one hundred. For the Officers’ Training examination, the only difference is that there are two sections of 100 marks each, namely English and General Knowledge.
Are all kinds of pens allowed for the CDS examination?
Answer: No, only a black ballpoint pen can be used for writing in the CDS examination.
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