UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam Pattern 2026
The full UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam pattern for 2026 — 4 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Then take a free UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) mock in the real pattern below.
Paper I — English
- Mode
- Offline OMR-based objective paper
- Sections
- Grammar (spotting errors, sentence improvement, jumbled sentences/paragraphs), Vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms & phrases), Reading Comprehension (one or two passages), Cloze / Fill in the blanks (single + double blanks), Active-Passive and Direct-Indirect transformations.
- Questions
- 120
- Marks
- 100
- Duration
- 2 hours (120 minutes)
- Negative marking
- 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer
Common to BOTH IMA/INA/AFA and OTA candidates. Difficulty is calibrated for graduate level — vocabulary depth is closer to SSC CGL Tier II than to a typical Tier I screening test. Strong grammar fundamentals (Wren & Martin level) are non-negotiable.
Paper II — General Knowledge
- Mode
- Offline OMR-based objective paper
- Sections
- Indian History (Modern + Freedom Struggle), Geography (Indian + World), Polity (Constitution, governance), Economy (basics, RBI, schemes, Budget), General Science (NCERT 9-12), Defence Affairs (Armed Forces structure, ranks, recent inductions, joint exercises), Current Affairs (last 12 months), Sports, Books & Authors, Awards, Static GK.
- Questions
- 120
- Marks
- 100
- Duration
- 2 hours (120 minutes)
- Negative marking
- 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer
Common to BOTH IMA/INA/AFA and OTA candidates. Defence-flavoured current affairs (Rafale, Tejas, Vikrant, INS Arnala, Agni series, BrahMos, S-400, Yudh Abhyas / Malabar / Indra / Garuda exercises) recur heavily — typically 30-40% of GK questions have a defence angle. Generic-GK preparation alone leaves marks on the table.
Paper III — Elementary Mathematics
- Mode
- Offline OMR-based objective paper
- Sections
- Arithmetic (number system, HCF/LCM, decimals, percentages, profit/loss/discount, simple + compound interest, ratio + proportion, time + work, time + distance, partnership, mixtures + alligation), Algebra (linear + quadratic equations, factorisation, polynomials, surds + indices), Geometry (lines + angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, tangents, cyclic quadrilateral), Mensuration (2D + 3D), Trigonometry (ratios at 0/30/45/60/90, identities, heights + distances), Statistics (mean/median/mode, frequency tables, basic graphs).
- Questions
- 100
- Marks
- 100
- Duration
- 2 hours (120 minutes)
- Negative marking
- 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer
Applicable to IMA, INA and AFA candidates ONLY. OTA candidates skip this paper entirely — their written total is 200 marks across English + GK. Difficulty is matriculation-to-Class-12 level on paper, but real-paper cutoffs are pushed up by the over-preparation of defence aspirants — target 75+/100, not just a pass.
SSB Interview (Services Selection Board) — Stage II
- Mode
- Offline, 5-day residential procedure at a designated SSB centre
- Sections
- Day 1 — Screening: OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating verbal + non-verbal tests) + PP&DT (Picture Perception & Discussion Test). Day 2 — Psychological Tests: TAT (Thematic Apperception Test), WAT (Word Association Test), SRT (Situation Reaction Test), SD (Self Description). Day 3-4 — GTO (Group Testing Officer) tasks: GD, GPE (Group Planning Exercise), PGT (Progressive Group Task), HGT (Half Group Task), IO (Individual Obstacles), Snake Race / Group Obstacle Race, Lecturette, FGT (Final Group Task). All days — Personal Interview with the Interviewing Officer. Day 5 — Conference + closing.
- Questions
- Not applicable — personality and officer-potential assessment
- Marks
- 300 (equally weighted with the entire written paper)
- Duration
- 5 days residential
- Negative marking
- Not applicable — recommendation is holistic, based on the 15 Officer-Like Qualities
Only candidates recommended at SSB AND found medically fit (AAB Cat I for AFA, equivalent standards for IMA/INA/OTA) are placed in the final merit list. Final allotment to academy is by combined Written + SSB marks AND the candidate's preference order AND medical category AND service availability — high marks alone do not guarantee first-preference academy.
You know the pattern — now practise in it.
Practice UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) free →