CDS OTA Syllabus 2023: Check Subject-wise Detailed Syllabus PDF
Combined Defence Services Exam 2025 ( CDS )
Exam On - 13 Apr '25
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?
Q: Are NDA and CDS syllabus same?
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. Candidates can check below in detail:
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?
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?
- 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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 hours ago
Want to become physiotherapist in defence services? Here's how to crack CDS exam:
1. Check Eligibility for Defence Physiotherapy Posts
CDS exam generally recruits officers for combat and administrative posts in Army, Navy and Air Force. For healthcare posts like physiotherapy you may need to enter thr
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 3 days ago
The UPSC conducts the National-level Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam to choose candidates who wish to join the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA). The CDS I 2025 exam has its scheduled date set as April 13, 2025 while the CDS II 2025 takes
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) organizes the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination as two annual sessions. The CDS examination application fee amounts to INR 200 for General and OBC male applicants yet female candidates along with SC and ST candidates are never required to pay any
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
For CDS (Combined Defence Services) preparation, it is very important to choose the right course to cover all aspects of the exam. CDS exam has three sections: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Here’s how to approach each:
English: Good command of English is must, focus on gramma
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 6 days ago
Males with Nursing degrees can submit applications for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam as Short Service Commission (SSC) Military Nursing Service applicants. Candidates seeking enrollment in the CDS exam need to possess an academic Nursing degree from an accredited institution along with be
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
According to your documents, at 23 years and 5 months old, you meet the age criteria for both the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers' Training Academy (OTA) through the CDS2 examination.the official age limits are
IMA: Unmarried male candidates born between July 2,2001, and July 1,2006.
OTA:
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month 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,
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month 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.
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Beginner-Level 3
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.
K
Contributor-Level 10
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
U
Contributor-Level 10
The authority released the CDS 2025 syllabus along with the notification. 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)
The syllabus for the IMA, INA and AFA comprises three sections English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Further, the syllabus for OTA comprises English and General Knowledge. OTA exam syllabus does not have a Maths section
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.