CDS 2025 Exam Analysis for GK, Maths and English

Exam On - 13 Apr '25

Updated on Dec 3, 2024 13:55 IST

By Shikha Goyal, Assistant Manager

CDS Exam Analysis: The CDS 2025 analysis will be provided here once the exam is conducted. The CDS 1 2025 exam will be conducted on April 13, 2025. Till then, candidates can check below the CDS 1 & 2 analysis 2024.

UPSC conducts the CDS exam for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Candidates who seek recruitment in IMA, INA, and AFA are required to appear for all three sections, English, and Elementary Maths, while candidates seeking admission in OTA are required to appear for two sections only English and General Knowledge. The written exam for admission to IMA, INA, and AFA carries 300 marks while the exam for admission to OTA carries 200 marks. Based on their performance in the written exam, candidates are called for the SSB Interview.

Table of content

CDS Exam Analysis
CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis English & GK
CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis Maths
CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2024
CDS 2 English & GK Exam Analysis 2023
CDS 2 2023 Exam Analysis Maths
CDS 1 Exam Student's Review
CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2023: Students' Reaction Video
Previous Years' Exam Analysis
CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2022
CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2021
CDS Analysis 2024 FAQs

CDS Exam Analysis

The CDS 2 exam was conducted on September 1, 2024. Analysis is provided here for CDS 2 English, GK and Maths Paper 2024.

As per the students responses received, the overall difficulty of the CDS 2 English paper 2024 was easy but lengthy. Paper pattern is changed. Some new questions were asked. Good attempts 90 to 93.

According to the students review, the overall difficulty level of the GK paper was moderate. Current affairs questions asked were not direct, similar to CDS 1 exam, 70-80 questions attempted, polity questions were asked.Questions are asked from current Affairs, history, polity etc.

As per the students, overall Difficulty level of the CDS 2 2024 Maths question paper was moderate. Pattern was changed. Statement questions were asked. Trignometry questions were there. Expected cutoff for Maths will increase.

The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducted the UPSC CDS 1 exam on April 21, 2024. The candidates can check the CDS 1 exam analysis. The CDS 1 2024 exam was moderate to tough in terms of difficulty level. However, the Maths and English sections were moderate in comparison to the previous year's exam.

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Ongoing

Exam Date

Results

Cutoff

Counselling

CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis English & GK

Candidates can check below the CDS 2 2024 exam review recorded at the exam centre from the students who gave the CDS 2 exam 2024:

English Paper

Total questions attempted: 90-93
English paper was lengthy
Paper pattern is different as compared to CDS 1
Overall difficulty: Easy
New questions asked in the English exam

GK Paper

Shiksha reporter Rupali Pruthi reported live from the centre in Delhi to gather the candidates' feedback regarding the difficulty level of the English and GK sections.

As per the student reactions', the overall difficulty level of the paper was Moderate. More questions were asked from current affairs. History, polity, and science questions were also asked. Good attempts 70-75.

CDS 2 English and GK Exam Analysis 2024

CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis Maths

The CDS 2 Maths exam was successfully conducted on September 1, here we have provided the exam analysis including the difficulty level, student reactions, and more.

Shiksha reporter Rupali Pruthi reported live from the centre in Delhi to gather the candidates' feedback regarding the difficulty level of the Maths section. As per the students, overall Difficulty level of the CDS 2 2024 Maths question paper was Moderate. Pattern was changed. Statement questions were asked. Trignometry questions were there. Expected cutoff 120-150. Good attempts 70-80

CDS 2 2024 Maths Exam Analysis Video

CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2024

The candidates can check the CDS 1 exam review recorded at the exam centre from the students who took the CDS 1 exam:

Yash Tomar said, " The CDS exam for OTA was moderate in nature. However, the GK paper was moderate to difficult. The questions were asked from economics in General Awareness. The English paper was easy and dowable in nature."
Adhirat Deshwal said, "The exam pattern was a bit different in English from the previous year's exam i. No questions were asked from modern history. The English paper was moderate to difficult and the question, synonyms, and antonyms were dominant in the English question Paper."
Nishant said, " The CDS maths questions were moderate. The questions from Economics were dominant approximately 10 to 15 questions from the subject. The questions from Science was decreased."
Jasveer said, " The Maths was easy as compared to the previous year. The pattern was changed in the English section, the questions from linguistics were dominant in the English section."
Rajnish said, " The overall difficulty level for the CDS exam was moderate. The General Knowledge section was doable in nature and the Maths section was moderate in nature.

CDS 1 English and GK Exam Analysis 2024

CDS 2 English & GK Exam Analysis 2023

The CDS 2 2023 English section analysis was shared on September 3, 2023, after the exam got over. Check the topic-wise difficulty level of English and GK below:

Manish Kumar Jha Said, " The CDS exam for OTA was moderate in nature. However, the GK paper was moderate to difficult. The questions were asked from the 8 months of current affairs. The English paper was easy and dowable in nature."
Himanshi said, "The exam pattern was a bit different from the previous year's exam. No questions were asked from modern history. The English paper was easy and the question, synonyms, and antonyms were dominant in the English question Paper. The latest currents were asked in the GK."
Narayani Kumari," The questions were good for both English and Gk Sections. The questions were asked from recent current affairs and had questions from all sections like Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The expected cut-off for the General candidates can go up to 120 marks."
Sandeep," The exam was lengthy for GK and English. The overall difficulty level for the exam is moderate to difficult. The current affairs were asked till January 2023. The cut-off for the CSD 2 exam will be below 100 for the General candidates.

CDS 2 2023 Exm Analysis VIdeo (GK & English)

CDS 2 2023 Students Review (Shorts)

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many questions are asked in the English section of CDS exam?

Total number of questions asked in the English Language of CDS exam is 120. These questions are asked from different sections. These sections has been given below for the candidates: a) Basic Grammar b) Idioms & Phrases c) Synonyms and Antonyms d) Reading Comprehension Solving e) Substitution of Words f) Error Spotting g) Para Jumbles.

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Q: How many questions are asked in CDS General Awareness section?

The CDS General Awareness section comprises 120 question for 100 marks. The candidates need to solve all the questions as all question are compulsory. If the candidates leaves the question no marks will be awarded for it, however, if the candidates answer it wrong then the penalty of 1/3 marks will given against the wrong answer. The General Awareness section comprises questions from the Current Affairs general Science, history, polity, geography, Maths etc. The candidates can prepare for the CDS General Awareness section by following the analysis of the CDS exam and solving the previous year's question papers. However, the candidates must pen down that the CDS exam follows a negative pattern and they must marks their answer correctly or they will get their marks deducted.

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Q: What was the difficulty level of General Knowledge and English paper in CDS 2 2023 exam?

The CDS 2 2023 exam for English and General Knowledge was conducted at 9:00 to 11:00 pm and 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm respectively by the Union Public Service Commission on September 3, 2023. The difficulty level of the CDS 2 English paper was easy. The questions were asked from synonyms & antonyms, jumbled words, sentence error and more. On the other hand, the CDS 2General paper was moderately difficult as the question were asked form the current affairs till January 2023 and the question from the Science section were equally distributed from biology, chemistry and physics.

Overall, the CDS 2 English and GK ections were moderate in nature as per the difficulty level. The candidates scoring more than 125 marks can qualify for the SSB interview.

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CDS 2 2023 Exam Analysis Maths

Check the reaction of the students who have taken the CDS 2 maths exam below:

Rishabh Anand Mandal said, "Maths was a little difficult as compared to the other sections. The paper was lengthy and the questions from algebra were dominant in the exam".
Devesh said, "The exam was good and the difficulty level of the maths paper was high and the questions were asked from advanced algebra. The expected cut-off will be around 120".
Saransh said," The maths was moderately difficult. The questions were asked from statistics, percentages, algebra, arithmetic, triangles, and more.
Md. Mursallain said, "The maths sections were easy. The questions were asked from trigonometry and the difficulty level of them were easy, geometry and mensuration question were dominant in the paper.

CDS 2 2023 Maths Exam Analysis Video

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many questions are asked in the Maths section of CDS exam?

The CDS question paper for Mathematics carries a total of 100 questions. The section from which the questions are asked has been given below for the candidates: a) Profit and loss b) Elementary Number Theory: Division algorithm c) Prime and composite numbers: Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11. d) Multiples and factors e) Factorisation Theorem, etc. The candidates must go through these Maths section to secure maximum marks as these section comprise maximum marks in the question paper in the Maths section.

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Q: What was the difficulty level of maths section in CDS 2 2023 exam?

The CDS 2 maths exam was condcuted for the candidates who want to enroll for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy at 3:00 pm t0 5:00 pm on September 3, 2023 by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The maths section was modrately difficult in terms of the difficulty level. Te questions were asked form the advanced algebra, arithmetic, time and distance, clock, statement and more.

The candidates who have answered more than 60 question can considered it as a good attempt. There are high chances that the candidates securing more than 120 marks will qualify for the CDS 2 2023 exam.

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CDS 1 Exam Student's Review

CDS 1 Exam Reaction Video (Youtube Shorts)

The candidates who appeared for the CDS 1 exam gave their reviews of the exam:

Pradeep said,' The difficulty level of English and GK was moderate nature. In English Paper question paper was asked from Jumble words, Spotting Errors, Determiners, etc. whereas in the General paper question were from current affairs, Geography, History, etc.
Santosh Said, " The over all difficulty for OTA exam was moderate. The questions were majorly asked from current affairs, history, etc. The expected cut of for the CDS exam will be around 105 marks."

CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2023: Students' Reaction Video

CDS 1 Exam Analysis (Shorts)

The candidates can go through the CDS 1 exam analysis for the year 2023 below in the table:

English Language

English	Questions Range
Ordering of Sentences	10
Ordering of words in a Sentences	10
Fill in the Blanks	10
Spotting Error	10
Reading Comprehension	10
Antonyms	10
Synonyms	10
Part of Speech	10
Completion of Sentence	10
Cloze Composition	10
Preposition and Determiners	10
idioms & Phrases	10

Subjects	No. Of Questions
Indian Polity	21
Indian History	13
Indian Economy	6
Geography	22
General Science	30
Environment	3
Science & Tech	3
Art & Culture	3
Current Affairs	19
Total	120

Maths

Topic	Number of questions
Mensuration	12
Geometry	11
Algebra	6
Number system	9
Trigonometry	17
Time and Work	1
Speed & Distance	4
Simple Interest and Compound Interest	1
Venn Diagram	4
Profit and Loss	2
Miscellaneous	24
Total	100

Previous Years' Exam Analysis

The candidates can check the previous year's exams analysis cum reaction videos below. By analysing the exam reaction and analysis given by the candidates, the candidates can get the expected cut off for the CDS 1 exam 2023.

Watch CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2022 for Maths

Watch CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2022 for English & GK

Also Read: CDS 2 2022 Paper Analysis Out for English, Maths & GK

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CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2022

The overall difficulty level of the CDS 1 2022 GK and English papers was moderate. The English paper was difficult while the GK was easy. Questions in Current Affairs were asked from Pinaka Missle. The Mathematics paper was easy. The paper was calculative and lengthy. Maximum questions were asked from Trigonometry, Geometry, and Mensuration. CDS 1 exam analysis 2022 for GK and English Language is given below:

CDS Paper Analysis 2022 English Language

Questions are asked from error detection, grammar usage, idiom and phrases vocabulary, etc.

Topics	No. of Questions
Ordering of Sentences	10
Ordering of words in a Sentences	10
Fill in the Blanks	10
Spotting Error	10
Reading Comprehension	10
Antonyms	10
Synonyms	10
Part of Speech	10
Completion of Sentence	10
Cloze Composition	10
Preposition and Determiners	10
idioms & Phrases	10

CDS Paper Analysis for General Knowledge

In General Knowledge, questions were asked from Science, Polity, Economics, History, Geography, Defence GK, and Current Affairs. Candidates can check below the distribution of questions in this paper.

Topics	No. Of Questions
Indian Polity	21
Indian History	13
Indian Economy	6
Geography	22
General Science	30
Environment	3
Science & Tech	3
Art & Culture	3
Current Affairs	19
Total	120

Watch CDS 1 2022 Exam Analysis Video for GK and English

CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2022 for Maths

The distribution of questions in Maths paper is given below.

Topic	Number of questions
Mensuration	12
Geometry	11
Algebra	6
Number system	9
Trigonometry	17
Time and Work	1
Speed & Distance	4
Simple Interest and Compound Interest	1
Ven Diagram	4
Profit and Loss	2
Miscllaneous	24
Total	100

Watch CDS 1 2022 Exam Analysis Video for Maths

Commonly asked questions

Q: What was the difficulty level of CDS 1 2022 exam?

The CDS 1 2022 exam was conducted on April 16, 2023 to recruit the candidates in India Armed Force Training Academies like IMA (Indian Military Academy), AFA (Air Force Academy), INA (Indian Naval Academy) and OTA (Officer's Training Academy). The difficulty level of the CDS 1 2022 exam was moderate to difficult in nature. There were PYQs (Previous Years Questions) in the question paper. However, the difficulty level of the Maths paper was difficult in comparison to the previous session questions. On the other hand, the difficulty level of the General Awareness and English were easy to moderate in nature. However, the candidates at the exam centre had different view on the question paper according to their preparation for the CDS 1 exam. In conclusion we can say that the CDS 1 2022 was overall moderate in terms of difficulty level.

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Q: What was the difficulty level of Elementary Maths in the CDS 1 2022 exam?

The difficulty level of the CDS elementary Maths in the CDS 1 exam was moderately difficult. As per the opinion of the candidates taken the CDS 2 exam on April 16, 2023, the elementary Maths on the tougher side as compared to the CDS English and General Awareness. The question were asked from exponents, Algebra remainder theorem, quadratic, arithmetic progression, age, speed of boat and train, compound interest, simple interest, profit and loss, Trigonometry surface area and volume, tangents, Triangles etc. As per the response of the candidates the questions difficulty level varied for person to person according to their preparation level. However, the over all difficulty level for the CDS 1 elementary Maths was moderate to difficult in nature.

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Q: What was the difficulty level of CDS English paper in CDS 1 2022 exam?

The difficulty level of CDS 1 2022 exam was easy to moderate in terms of difficulty level. There were questions asked from the previous year's question paper. The questions paper comprised questions from topics like Noun, prepositions, pronoun, reflexive pronoun, demonstrative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, adjective, adverb, ordering of chunks in a sentences, idiom and phrases, spotting errors, synonyms, antonyms, cloze composition, prepositions and determiners, completion of sentences, comprehension, unseen passage, etc. According to the responses of the candidates taken the exam on April 16, 2023, the overall difficulty level of the CDS English exam was easy to moderate in terms of difficulty level.

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Q: What was the difficulty level of CDS General Awareness in CDS exam?

The CDS General Awareness was moderate to difficult in terms of difficulty level for the CDS 1 2022 exam taken on April 16, 2023. However, the view on the difficulty level varies from candidate to candidate as per the preparation level of the candidates for the CDS General Awareness paper. The question paper comprised topics from the Indian States, true-false statements, Indian forests, Article 51, Sahitya Academy Awards, power and focal length, acid and bases, Koya and Konda tribal, India G20 summit, Vedas, GMT, regulations for Indian President, Citizenship ACT 1955, Ohms law, Country and Places, States and Rivers, etc. To conclude we can say that the overall difficulty level was moderate to difficult for the CDS 1 2022 exam. The candidates preparing for the upcoming exam must solve the CDS 1 question papers to secure maximum marks in the exam.

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CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2021

The overall and section-wise difficulty levels of CDS (2) 2021 exam are given below.

Overall Difficulty

The overall difficulty level of CDS (II) exam was moderate.

Sections	Number of Questions	Level
English	120	Moderate
General Knowledge	120	Moderate
Elementary Mathematics	100	Tough
Overall	300	Moderate

Section-Wise CDS 2 Analysis 2021

The section-wise difficulty level of CDS (II) exam is given below.

English Language

Questions in the English Language are asked from Error Detection, Grammar Usage, Idiom and Phrases Vocabulary, etc.

English	No. of Questions
Cloze Test	10
Preposition & Determinants	10
Completion of Sentence	10
Antonyms	10
Part of Speech	10
Spotting Error	10
Ordering of Word in a Sentence	10
Fill in the Blanks	10
Synonyms	10
Idioms & Phrases	10
Ordering of Sentences	10
Total	120

Elementary Maths

Most of the questions in Elementary Maths were based on formulas and were calculative. The questions were asked from basic Mathematics.

Topic	No. of Questions
Mensuration	14
Geometry	20
Algebra	7
Number system	20
Trigonometry	14
Average/Statistics	4
Time and Work	3
Speed & Distance	6
Simple Interest and Compound Interest	5
Percentage	2
Clock	2
Profit and Loss	1
Mixture and allegation	1
Set Theory	1
Total	100

General Knowledge

Questions in General Knowledge were asked from Science, Polity, Economics, History, Geography, Defence GK, and Current Affairs.

Subjects	No. Of Questions
Geography	16
History	24
Economy	11
Polity	17
Physics	11
Chemistry	17
Biology	7
Current Affairs	18
Static/Misc.	2
Total	120

CDS 2 2021 Student Reaction

Candidates can check below CDS 2 2021 student reaction for GK, English and Maths.

CDS 2 2021 student reaction for GK and English

CDS 2 2021 student reaction for Maths

CDS (1) 2021 Exam Analysis

The overall difficulty level of CDS (1) 2021 exam was moderate. The difficulty level of English and General Knowledge was moderate. The difficulty level of the Mathematics paper was difficult. The overall CDS (1) 2021 exam analysis is provided below for candidates.

Overall Analysis

Subject

Total questions

Difficulty level

General Knowledge

120

Moderate

English Language

120

Easy to Moderate

Mathematics

100

Moderate to difficult

Section-wise Analysis

Mathematics

Topic	No. of questions
Logarithm	2
Trigonometry	16
Number system	12
Percentage	2
Time & Distance	2
Profit & Loss	2
Simplification	11
Statics	5
Triangle	10
3D Mensuration	16
Data Interpretation	4
Average	2
Quadrilateral	3
Circle	1
Polynomial	3
Sequence & Series	1
Divisibility Rule	2
Remainder Theorem	1
LCM & HCF	2
Time & Work	2
2D Mensuration	1

General Knowledge

The distribution of questions in General Knowledge section is given below.

Topics	Number of questions
Current Affairs	12
Economics	13
Geography	18
Medieval History	5
Modern History	16
Polity	20
Physics	9
Chemistry	12
Biology	9
Defence	3
Static GS	3

English Language

The distribution of questions in English Language section is given below.

Topics	Number of questions
Comprehension	10
Synonyms	10
Antonyms	10
Parts of Speech	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

Watch CDS (1) 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students for Mathematics

Watch CDS (1) 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students for GK and English

CDS (1) Exam Analysis 2020

Overall Analysis

Sections	Total Questions	Difficulty Level
General Knowledge	120	Easy to moderate
English Language	120	Easy to Moderate
Elementary Mathematics	100	Difficult
Total	340	Moderate to difficult

Section-wise Analysis

CDS Exam Analysis for GK

Questions in the GK section were asked from current affairs, history, geography, economics, science, polity, etc.

Topics	Level of difficulty	Number of questions
History	Moderate	18
Geography	Moderate to Difficult	17
Polity	Moderate	13
Economy	Moderate	14
Current Affairs	Easy to Moderate	20
Physics	Moderate	8
Chemistry	Moderate	10
Biology	Moderate to Difficult	9
Static GK	Easy to Moderate	11

CDS Exam Analysis for Elementary Maths

The Elementary Maths paper was conducted for 100 marks. Questions were asked from the topics like Arithmetics, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Simplification, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportion, average, etc.

Topics	Level of difficulty	Number of Questions
Number System	Easy	20
Mensuration	Moderate	15
Geometry	Moderate to Difficult	11
Time, Speed and Distance	Moderate	6
Simple Interest/Compound interest	Easy	2
Trigonometry	Moderate	12
Algebra	Moderate to Difficult	10
Percentage	Moderate	4
Mixture	Moderate	1
Time and Work	Moderate	5
Ratio & Proportion	Easy	2
Profit/Loss	Moderate	1
DI & DS	Moderate	3
Statistics	Easy	8

CDS Exam Analysis for English

The questions in the English section assessed a candidate's understanding of the language. The questions in the English section were usually asked from topics like RC, spotting errors, fillers, antonyms, synonyms, idioms and phrases and cloze test, etc.

Topics	Number of questions
Parts of Speech	10
Spelling Mistakes	10
Ordering of Sentence	10
Synonyms	10
Antonyms	10
Fill in the Blanks	10
Ordering of Words in a Sentence	10
Idioms and Phrases	10
Comprehension	2 Passages
Spotting Errors	10
Synonyms	10
Spelling mistakes	10
Transformation of sentences	10
Reported speech	10
Antonyms	10

Watch CDS (1) 2020 exam analysis for General Knowledge and English

CDS (1) 2020 Exam Analysis by Students for Elementary Mathematics

CDS 2 Analysis 2020

Exam Analysis for English and GK

Overall Analysis

Subjects	Difficulty level	Good attempts
General Knowledge	Moderate to Difficult	80-90
English	Easy	85-95

English Language

Questions in this section were asked from Spell Check and Correction, Synonyms, Antonyms, Spotting Errors, Ordering of Sentences, Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Rearrangement of Sentences, Idioms and Phrases, Parts of Speech.

Topics	No. of questions
Synonyms	10
Ordering of words	10
Antonyms	10
Spelling Mistakes	10
Comprehension	10
Error Spotting	10
Idioms and Phrases	10
Fill in the blanks	10
Cloze test	10

General Knowledge

Topics	Number of questions
Physics	-
Biology	-
Current Affairs	-
Polity	5 to 6
Modern History	5 to 6
Medieval	2 to 3
Ancient History	3 to 4
Geography	5 to 6

Watch this video on CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2020 for English & GK by students

Exam Analysis 2020 for Mathematics

The Mathematics section was moderate. Questions were asked from Number System, Mensuration, Geometry, Time, Speed and Distance, Simple Interest/Compound Interest, Trigonometry, Algebra, Percentage, Mixture, Time and Work, Ratio and Proportion, Profit/Loss, DI and DS, Statistics.

Topics	No.of questions
Number System	20
Mensuration	15
Geometry	11
Time, Speed and Distance	6
Simple Interest/Compound interest	2
Trigonometry	12
Algebra	10
Percentage	4
Mixture	1
Time and Work	5
Ratio & Proportion	2
Profit/Loss	1
DI & DS	3
Statistics	8

Watch this video on CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2020 for Mathematics by students

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CDS Analysis 2024 FAQs

Refer CDS Analysis FAQs Here

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many question should I answer to get a good score in the CDS exam?

The candidates must solve more than 50 per cent questions to secure safe marks in order to qualify the CDS cut off. However, to qualify for the CDS exam, the candidates must secure more than 70 per cent marks to get selected for the CDS SSB interview surely. The candidates selected for the SSB interview will be assessed for their mental, physical, and medical ability. The candidates will be considered qualified for the SSB after qualifying the SSB interview. However, the marks of the interview can't be predicted as it completely depends upon the boards and interview panelists. The candidates must not that If they are NIT recommended by the board after the SSB interview they will not move forward for the next stage of the CDS selection to be come Commissioned Officers on the Indian Armed Forces.

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Q: How many attempts are there for CDS exam?

There is no attempt limit in the Combined Defence Services CDS exam. This exam is conducted twice a year, and you can appear any number of times after attaining the age of 19. However, there is an age limit in CDS which is as follows: 1. For the Indian Naval Academy, the maximum age limit is 22 years, up to which you can apply. 2. To apply to the Air Force Academy, the upper age limit is 23 years. 3. The maximum age at which you can apply for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) is 24. 4. If you want to apply for the Officers' Training Academy, the maximum age is 25 years. Therefore, you can apply for the CDS exam until you attain the maximum age of 25 years.

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Q: Is there any question repetition in the CDS exam?

Yes, sometimes questions do get repeated in the CDS exam. However, the UPSC does not directly repeat the question word for word; instead, the basic part gets repeated. For example, you can SEE questions on Article 32 in different years framed differently. From the analysis of the previous year's question paper, it can be concluded that important themes get revisited in CDS. This is the same for GK, math, and English papers. This is why experts and toppers always suggest analyzing the previous year's question paper. By analyzing previous year's question Sets you can not just make a list of such repetitive themes but also understand the patterns in which questions can be framed. Hence, you must start CDS preparation by solving PYQ.

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Q: Does the difficulty level of CDS exam affect the CDS cutoff?

Yes, the difficulty level of the CDS exam affects the CDS exam cut off. If the CDS exam difficulty level is easy to moderate in comparison of previous session then the CDS cut off will be higher than the previous cut off. If the CDS difficulty level of the exam is moderate to difficult in nature in comparison to the previous session then the CDS cut off will be lower than the previous cut off. However, the CDS cut off depends on the other factors also. The CDS cut off does not depend only on the CDS cut difficulty level. It also depends upon the other parameters like number of candidates taken the exam, exam pattern, etc. Therefore, the candidates are advised to prepare for the exam accordingly and does not rely only on the difficulty level exam for the CDS cut off.

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I have completed Part 1 and 2 of UPSC CDS form and also paid the fee on 31 Deecember 2024. I am unable to choose centre. What to do?

Answered 3 weeks ago

If you have completed Part I and Part II of the application form for UPSC CDS and also paid, but are not able to select an exam center, then there are a few things you can do;

Check your Form:

Ensure that each required section is filled in appropriately in both parts of the application form.
Sometimes,

Ujjwal Gupta

Contributor-Level 9

What are the correction dates for CDS 1 2025 application form?

Answered 4 weeks ago

CDS 1 2025 application form correction window was closed. The authority extended the last date to apply for the CDS 1 2025. The last date to apply for CDS 1 2025 was January 1, 2025.

Gunjan Majumder

Beginner-Level 2

My sister is currently in class 12 and having biology subject. Is she eligible for CDS exam?

Answered a month ago

Your sister can surely give the CDS exam. Since she is class 12 and studying Biology, she needs to complete her graduation first, as CDS exam requires candidates to be a graduate from any recognised university.

Khushi Gupta

Contributor-Level 10

Can OBC category female students apply for CDS-1 exam?

Answered a month ago

Any OBC girl is free to apply for the CDS-I examination under reservation benefits extended by the government.

The eligibility of OBCs, including girls, is similar to that of general categories regarding age and educational qualifications. However, here his age limit has been relaxed and certain seat

Udaya Bhaskar rao

Contributor-Level 10

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