CDS 2023 Preparation Tips by Toppers: Check tips & strategies

CDS Preparation Tips by Toppers: The Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) conducts Combined Defence Services Examination or CDS twice a year. The exam is conducted for the selection of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Selected candidates are required to undergo training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers’ Training Academy (OFA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA). Being one of the most coveted defence entrance exams, students get perplexed during the preparation. One common question asked by students is ‘how to prepare for the exam’. In order to avoid confusion, candidates must learn from the experiences of toppers. We have compiled here CDS preparation tips 2020 by toppers. Aspirants can follow the success mantras shared by the CDS toppers to score good marks in the exam.

Also Read: CDS 2023 Admit Card

CDS Preparation Tips 2023 by Toppers

The first step towards preparation is chalking out a preparation strategy for the exam. Candidates should go through CDS exam pattern and CDS syllabus. After completing the syllabus, candidates must proceed towards solving CDS previous years’ question papers. Candidates must also attempt mock tests to improve speed and accuracy. Even CDS toppers have also followed the same strategy to clear the exam. Let us hear from CDS toppers of previous years’ below.

CDS (I) 2019 Topper-AIR 3 (Air Force Academy)

Kaanad Wanchoo, who cracked CDS (I) 2019 exam by securing AIR 3 (Air Force Academy), has shared the following strategies:

• Hard work coupled with smart work matters to crack the exam
• SSB Interview is a bit tricky which students need to understand
• The written exam is not tough to crack
• English and Maths should be focused more
• Prepare GK in such a way that candidates can clear the cutoff marks
• CDS preparation book by pathfinder helped me a lot to crack the exam
• Stay updated to current affairs
• Focus on accuracy
• Six months of dedicated preparation will help to crack the exam
• Students should study three to four hours regularly
• SSB Interview tests Officer qualities, therefore, candidates should work upon developing them
• Identify your weak and strong areas and prioritise studies accordingly

CDS (1) 2018 Topper- AIR 11 (INA) and AIR-20 (IMA)

Surya Satyanarayana has cracked CDS 1 2018 by securing AIR 11 under the Indian Naval Academy merit list and AIR 20 under Indian Military Academy (IMA) merit list. He has shared the following strategies to ace the exam:

• Focus on things that candidates know best
• In Maths, candidates should focus on speed
• Questions asked in Maths are very simple and are easy to score above 50
• Current affairs can be prepared by referring to the newspapers
• Mock tests are very important for Maths
• Attempt those questions which you are 100 per cent confident because there is negative marking

CDS 2018 Topper- AIR 1

Lakshmi R Krishnan, shares here strategy of getting AIR 1 in CDS 2018 exam:

• For General English paper, try to get hold of previous years’ question papers
• Try to rectify mistakes and do not make the same mistakes in the examination
• For General Studies, put in an effort to go through the newspaper regularly and also defense-related news
• Read NCERT books of Class 6 to 12
• Read Indian Polity book by Lakmikant and other books recommended by UPSC
• SSB Interview is a five-day process. The first day is a screening test. For Screening, an aptitude exam is conducted with 100 marks and it is followed by Picture Perception Test and Group Discussion.
• After screening psychological test is conducted
• While writing Thematic Appreciation Test, candidates must make sure that they write stories that are very simple
• For Ground Task, physical stamina is very important
• For Personal Interviews, make sure you are aware of yourself, parents, family, educational qualifications
• For SSB Interview, candidates should be confident of themselves, do not be overconfident, do not fake yourself, do not be scared, and practice well before appearing for the exam

CDS (II) 2018 Topper-AIR 1 in IMA and INA

Abhishek Raj, who has cracked CDS (II) 2018 exam by securing AIR 1 in IMA and INA along with continuing his job, shared the following strategy:

• Students should be goal-oriented
• Identify strong and weak topics
• Do subject-wise preparation
• Time-management is most important
• It is not necessary to attempt all the questions. Students should attempt a certain number of questions so that they can clear the cutoff marks

Read More:

• CDS 2023 Books
• CDS 2023 Preparation