CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Check Subject-wise Detailed Syllabus PDF

Combined Defence Services Exam 2025 ( CDS )

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Exam On: 13 Apr '25

Updated on May 18, 2023 11:24 IST

CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 is released by the UPSC along with the CDS notification 2023. CDS 2 2023 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 3, 2023. Candidates can check the latest CDS OTA Syllabus in this article and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF through the link provided below.

UPSC CDS OTA Syllabus 2023

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declares the UPSC CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 on the official website. CDS OTA Syllabus is released along with the CDS Notification. Candidates can check the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 in this article and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF here. CDS 2 2023 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 3, 2023. Candidates who are preparing for CDS OTA exam should read the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 carefully first before preparing for the CDS exam. 

The Combined Defence Services Examination, commonly known as CDS, is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The exam is held twice a year, usually in February and September.

Q:   What is the syllabus for the CDS exam 2025, and where can I find it?

A:

Candidates who are preparing for CDS exam 2025 must follow the syllabus to prepare for the exam. The CDS syllabus is divided into two categories- a) INA (Indian Naval Academy), IMA (Indian Military Academy), and AFA (Air Force Academy) b) OTA (Officers Training Academy) Syllabus for INA, IMA and AFA The syllabus for the IMA, INA and AFA comprises three sections English GAT and Elementary Mathematics. To get the detailed syllabus for INA, IMA and AFA click on the refer to the link below: https://www.shiksha.com/exams/cds-exam-syllabus

OTA Syllabus:

The OTA syllabus has two sections English and general knowledge. OTA exam syllabus does not have a Maths section. The topic-wise syllabus for the OTA has been provided for the candidates.

English

  • Sentence Arrangement 
  • Synonyms and Antonyms 
  • Jumble Words 
  • Idioms and Phrases 
  • Ordering Sentences 
  • Ordering Words 

GAT (General Ability Test) 

  • Current Affairs 
  • History 
  • Polity 
  • Geography 
  • Physics 
  • Chemistry 
  • Biology 
  • Sociology 
  • Defence Related Awareness 
  • Sports and Culture 
  • Environmental Studies.

Q:   Are NDA and CDS syllabus same?

A:

NDA exam is conducted for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy Course. CDS exam is conducted to select eligible candidates for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA). NDA and CDS syllabus are different. The level of NDA syllabus is of Class 10, 11 and 12 levels. Whereas, the standard of CDS syllabus is of graduation level. NDA syllabus is divided into Maths and GAT. CDS syllabus is divided into Elementary Maths, English and General Awareness. The total marks allotted to the NDA written exam are 900. The total marks allotted to the written exam of CDS are 300 for IMA, INA and AFA and 200 for OTA. 

Q:   What is the syllabus for CDS Geography?

A:
Candidates in Geography should cover Agriculture, Air Drainage, Earth: Core and Surface, Environment, Forest and Wildlife Resources, Globe: Latitudes and Longitudes, Human Resources, Human Settlement, India: Climate, Vegetation and Wildlife, India: Physical Features (Size and Location), Industries, International Trade, Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources, Landforms of the Earth, Life on the Earth (Deserts, Ocean, Jungles, Mountain, Antarctic), Lifelines of National Economy, Maps, Minerals, and Energy Resources, Natural Hazards and Disasters, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife, Physiography, Population (Distribution, Density & Growth), Primary, secondary, Tertiary & Quaternary Activities, Resource and Development, Solar System, Topographic and Weather, Transport & Communication, Tropical, and the Subtropical Region, Water Resources.

CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 

The CDS OTA syllabus has two sections English and general knowledge. CDS OTA syllabus does not have a mathematics section. The topic-wise syllabus for the OTA has been provided for the candidates. Aspirants who are willing to appear for the OTA can go through the topic-wise syllabus for OTA CDS below on the page.

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CDS OTA Syllabus for English

The syllabus for English subjects has been given below for the candidates. However, the English syllabus is quite similar to IMA, INA, and AFA. But the candidates should go through the syllabus to know accurate information about the English syllabus for OTA CDS:

  • Sentence Arrangement 
  • Synonyms and Antonyms 
  • Jumble Words 
  • Idioms and Phrases 
  • Ordering Sentences 
  • Ordering Words
  • Fill up the blanks 

Also Read: CDS 2 Application Form 2023

CDS OTA Syllabus for General Ability Test

The General Ability Test (GAT) is taken to analyse the candidate's awareness about different topics that are currently going on, subjects that he or she has studied earlier, social awareness, and more. The candidates must go through the CDS GAT OTA syllabus given below to understand the syllabus:

Q:   What is the Syllabus for CDS Indian Polity?

A:
Candidates should prepare Indian Constitution, President and Vice President, Governor, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Emergency provisions, Chief Minister, Chairman and State Council Ministers, Legislative Assembly, SC & HC, Tribunals, Auditor General, Finance Commission and Election Commission, Centre-State and Inter-State Relations, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Amendments, Preamble, Panchayati Raj and Municipalities.
  • Current Affairs 
  • History 
  • Polity
  • Geography 
  • Physics 
  • Chemistry 
  • Biology 
  • Sociology
  • Defence Related Awareness
  • Sports and Culture 
  • Environmental Studies 

Also Read: CDS 2024 Syllabus 

CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 PDF

Candidates can check and download the CDS OTA Syllabus PDF through the link provided below.

CDS OTA Syllabus PDF- Click_Here 

CDS OTA Exam Pattern 2023

Candidates can check CDS OTA Exam Pattern 2023 in the table below.

Subjects No. of question Maximum marks Duration
English 100 100 2 hours
General knowledge 100 100 2 hours

Also Read: CDS Notification 2023

CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Best Books for Preparation

Compiled below are the section-wise books that will help candidates to prepare for the CDS OTA Syllabus 2023:

Name of Books Author/ Publication House
Objective General English S.P. Bakshi (Arihant Publications)
High School English Grammer & Composition Wren and Martin
General Awareness Manohar Panday (Arihant Publications)
Newspapers Hindu, The Indian Express, The Economic Times

Read More:

CDS OTA Syllabus 2023 FAQs

Q. What is the selection process of CDS OTA Exam?

A. The selection process of the CDS - OTA consists of 2 stages first, the written exam and the second, the SSB interview. The aspirants who qualified written exam followed by an SSB interview. And after qualifying for the interview the aspirants need to go for document verification and medical examination for the final selection.

Q. What is CDS OTA Syllabus 2023?

A. The OTA syllabus has two sections English and general knowledge. OTA exam syllabus does not have a Maths section. The topic-wise syllabus for the OTA has been provided for the candidates.

1) English

  • Sentence Arrangement
  • Synonyms and Antonyms
  • Jumble Words
  • Idioms and Phrases
  • Ordering Sentences
  • Ordering Words

2) GAT (General Ability Test)

  • Current Affairs
  • History
  • Polity
  • Geography
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Sociology
  • Defence Related Awareness
  • Sports and Culture
  • Environmental Studies

Q. Where can I download the CDS OTA syllabus?

A. The complete syllabus of the CDS OTA written exam is available on the official website of the CDS and UPSC board. Aspirants can easily download the CDS- OTA syllabus 2023 pdf from there. The official website is www.upsc.gov.in and www.upsconline.nic.in.

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Answered Yesterday

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,

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23637249
Ujjwal Gupta

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 5 days ago

CDS 1 2025 application form correction window is available now. 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.

G

Gunjan Majumder

Beginner-Level 1

Answered a week 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.

K

Khushi Gupta

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 weeks 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

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U

Udaya Bhaskar rao

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

You would be eligible to take the CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam in April 2025 if you were between the ages of 20 and 24 on January 1, 2025. You would be 24 years old in December 2024 because your birthday is December 15, 2000, hence you would be eligible to apply for the CDS exam in April 2

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Kritika Kumari

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The Union Public Service Commission released the CDS examination 2025 approximate number of vacancies. It is around 457 vacancies will be announced for various defence services.

S

Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Candidates can download the UPSC CDS 1 2025 recommended marks by following the steps given below:

  • Go to the official website 
  • Click on the CDS 1 2025 recommended marks link 
  • Click on the PDF link 
  • The CDS 1 2025 recommended marks PDF will appear on the screen 
  • Download the CDS 1 2025 marks and save it fo

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S

Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The CDS exam requires in depth knowledge and clarity of concepts or conceptual clarity. So, regular solving of mock tests of the CDS exam is essential. It provides an additional advantage that a candidate requires to succeed in the exam. It also helps to test the preparation level and evaluate the p

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S

Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The CDS exam is conducted twice a year for admission to IMA, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy. Basically, it works as a tool for students to prepare for an upcoming exam. Candidate will get an idea of the actual examination. Mock tests make candidates realise their mistakes that must be t

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Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The candidates who will qualify for the CDS 2 result in 2025 will proceed to the SSB interview. The CDS 2 result 2025 will be released on the official website. Basically, the result PDF, cut-off marks, and the final merit-list will guide candidates on their next steps, mainly for the SSB interview r

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Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10