Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
About CDS Exam
The full form of the CDS exam is the National Defence Academy examination. It is the exam conducted by the UPSC twice a year for male candidates. It selects the candidates for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Airforce Academy (AFA) for the branch of Army, Navy, and Airforce.
The CDS exam is conducted in the two shifts for the OTA and in 3 shifts for the other candidates, in the first morning shift English paper is conducted, in the second shift General Knowledge paper is conducted, and in the evening Mathematics paper is conducted. Every year around 4 lakhs students give the CDS Exam and approximately 6000 cleared the exam and is called for the stage 2 selection that is Service Selection Board (SSB).
The candidates who will clear the stage 2 SSB will be sent for the medical examination, and the final selection is made on the basis of combined marks of the CDS Exam (written exam) and SSB. Around 350 candidates made it to the merit list of the CDS Exam. The candidate who will be made to the merit list will be called for the training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Airforce Academy (AFA).
How to manage time during CDS Exam Preparation
CDS is an exam that demands a focused approach for the selection. The syllabus of the CDS exam is very broad which needs to be covered in a short span of time and that can be done only by the proper time management. Follow these simple tips to manage your CDS preparation. Here the time frame is divided into percentages because every aspirant has a different time frame for preparation.
- First and most important analyse your strength and weakness.
- Make list of all the weak as well as your strong areas.
- Allot 50% of your preparation time on weak areas so that you can make it strong.
- Allot 25% of your total preparation time on sharpening your strong areas, because they will be your “weapons”.
- Give 15% of total preparation time on building your physical strength. Because that you will need in your SSB.
- Give 10% of your total preparation time on reading newspaper. Because it will update you about the current affairs that will be helpful in exam and also it boosts your confidence in SSB.
Analysis of CDS Exam
If you are preparing for any exam then analysing the exam is very important because it gives you insight into the exam. And same is true for the CDS exam to get the nerve of the exam analysing the exam is very important.
It can be analysed by seeing the previous year’s question papers and practicing MCQs for the exam and give few mock tests before the CDS examination. Make the list of topics and subjects from which questions are mostly asked. Our website also gives a regular update regarding important topics, so subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates.
CDS Exam Preparation Tips
Following are the tips you can follow to boost and speed up your preparation.
Tip 1- Analyse the exam pattern.
Tip 2- Focus on weak areas.
Tip 3- Minimize your notes (make short notes if required).
Tip 4- Read selected books.
Tip 5- Choose books and reading material very wisely.
Tip 6- Revise at regular intervals of time.
Tip 7- Don’t be anxious when your exam is near and avoid reading new study material as much as possible.
Tip 8- Practice MCQ questions on our website, because they are specially designed for the CDS exam.
Tip 9- Brush up your current affairs.
Tip 10- Read at least 10 months of current affairs.
Tip 11- Give 3 or 4 full mock tests.
Tip 12- Read the above tips again and again so that you don’t lose your focus.
Important Books and Study material for CDS Exam
The list of the recommended books and sources of study material for the CDS Exam is given below:
| S.NO | Books and Study material | Buying link of Books |
| 1. | Ancient History | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 2. | Medieval History | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 3. | Modern History | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 4. | Physical Geography | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 5. | Indian Geography | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 6. | Polity (very important but read selected topics) | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 7. | Atlas (very important for map-based questions) | See here on Amazon (for English) See here on Amazon (for Hindi) |
| 8. | Science (general science) Class 10 ncert | See here on Amazon |
| 9. | Science (general science) Class 9 ncert | See here on Amazon |
| 10. | Math | See here on Amazon |
| 11. | English | See here on Amazon |
| 12. | MCQ & Quizzes | https://www.gkquestions.info/ |
| 13. | Free Test Series and Quiz | https://www.gkquestions.info/ |
| 14. | Current Affairs | Indian Express https://www.gkquestions.info/ |
| 15. | Best Telegram Channel for CDS | Click Here |
Important Related Links for CDS Exams
How to prepare for CDS Physical & Medical Test
Candidates preparing for the CDS Exam need to prepare themselves for the physical as well as for the medical examination. Physical preparation is required for the SSB as well as when the candidate got recommended and join the CDS for the training.
Following are the few tips which a CDS aspirant can keep in mind while preparing for the CDS exam.
- First and most important keep your diet good and healthy.
- Make exercise your daily habit and routine.
- Work on your strength, stamina, speed, and flexibility.
- Reduce your weight if you are overweight and increase your weight if you are under weight.
- Add running in your exercise because it will help you a lot in your SSB especially during GTO and while doing individual obstacles.
- Remove your ear wax because after getting recommended and getting temporary rejection (TR) because of ear wax in medical will not make you feel good.
How to prepare for CDS SSB Interview
After qualifying for the CDS written exam the candidate has to appear for the SSB. The testing in the SSB is done in two stages that stage 1 is screening and stage 2 is of Psychologist, Group Task, and Interview.
Read here complete: CDS SSB Process
The candidate can follow the following tips while preparing for the SSB interview.
- Work on your strength, stamina, speed, and flexibility.
- Brush up current affairs of at least past six months.
- Prepare your self-description (SD) in advance that will help you in your Psychology test.
- Improve your communication skills.
- Practice some Word Association Test (WAT), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and Situation Reaction Test (SRT).
How to prepare for CDS Exam without coaching
Anyone can Prepare for the CDS exam without coaching by just keeping few things in mind. Follow these simple tips while preparing for the CDS exam without coaching.
- Make your own preparation strategy.
- Analyse previous years question papers.
- Read authenticated study material.
- Focus on daily current affairs.
- Revise what you have read.
- Practice more MCQ tests.
- Give some full-length tests.
Difficulties in CDS Exam preparation
There are some difficulties that a CDS aspirant may face while preparing for the CDS examination.
- Vast syllabus in CDS exam.
- Covering syllabus in less time.
- Less reliable coaching institute.
- Confusion with study material available on the internet and market.
- No good test series available in the market.
- Unable to manage time.
- Focusing too much on selected subjects and neglecting other subjects.
- Unable to practice MCQ’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans.) The CDS exam is the Common Defence Services examination. It is the exam conducted by the UPSC twice a year for male candidates. It selects the candidates for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, Indian Naval Academy, and Airforce Academy for the branch of Army, Navy, and Airforce.
Ans.) CDS exam is conducted in offline mode and it has two stages that is stage 1 is of written exam which is conducted in two shifts and stage 2 is of SSB, those candidates who clear stage 1 will appear for the SSB.
Ans.) The detailed syllabus of the CDS exam makes it tough, but with a better preparation strategy and focus it is easy to clear the CDS exam.