Union Public Service Commission conducts the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination for recruiting in the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy. Generally UPSC CDS exam will be conducted twice in a year. The UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2025 consists of a written examination followed by the The Services Selection Board (SSB) Interview. The written test is objective in nature has a duration of 2 hours per each paper 300 marks for IMA/INA/AFA) 200 marks for OTA. In this article we provide the previous year question papers of CDS exam which was very helpful to the aspirants who are preparing for the above posts. By solving previous year question papers one must understand the type of questions, difficulty level and areas asked questions by UPSC.
UPSC CDS IMA, INA, AFA and OTA Exam Pattern:
Here we provided the exam pattern for Admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA).
Exam Pattern for IMA, INA, and AFA:
The CDS Exam for above posts comprises 3 subjects, English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics. The exam consist of objective-type questions .The question papers on General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi and English. Time duration will be provided 02 hours for each subject. Total Marks:300
| Subject | Duration | Maximum marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 hours | 100 |
Exam Pattern for OTA
The CDS Exam for above posts comprises 2 subjects, English, General Knowledge, The questions will consist of objective-type questions. The question papers for General Knowledge will be set in bilingually in Hindi and English. Each subject consists of 100 marks. The time duration for each subject is 02 hours. Total Marks:200
| Subjects | Duration | Maximum marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
Negative marking is applicable for every wrong-marked answer. For each incorrect answer, 1/3 of the marks will be deducted. More than one marked option is treated as incorrect. However, if a question is left unanswered there will be no negative marking.
UPSC CDS Question Papers PDF:
Here we provide CDS exam question papers and answer keys in pdf format
For Downloading Question Papers (2024) Click Below Links
QP-CDSE-II-ELEMENTARY-MATHEMATICS-2024
QP-CDSE-II-GENERAL-KNOWLEDGE-2024
For Downloading Answer Keys (2024) Click Below Link
CDS_II_2024_Answer Key English
For Downloading Question Papers (2025) Click Below Links
QP-CDSE-I-ELEMENTARY-MATHEMATICS-2025
QP-CDSE-I-GENERAL-KNOWLEDGE-2025
Downloading and solving Previous year question papers will help to aspirants to understand the exam pattern, difficulty level, and the type of questions asked in the exam.
SSB Interview Pattern for CDS:
After clearing the written exam, candidates appear for the interview conducted by The Services Selection Board (SSB), which carries a maximum of 300 marks (IMA, INA, AFA) and 200 marks (OTA). The interview is based on intelligence, personality, and leadership qualities. The interview will be conducted in two stages:
Stage I: Stage I includes Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT)
Stage II: Candidates who will qualify Stage I, will move to Stage II. It comprises Interviews, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and Conferences.
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UPSC CDS Exam material: CLICK HERE