UPSC CDS Syllabus Subject Wise- UPSC invites applications for Combined Defence Service Examination (CDS) twice a year. The application process for CDS I is currently active and interested applications have submitted applications and are busy preparing for the exam that is scheduled to be conducted on 16th April 2023. Before preparing for the exam, one must have complete information on the UPSC CDS Syllabus so that he/she can prepare accordingly.
UPSC CDS Syllabus Subject Wise
UPSC CDS is a national-level competitive examination through which suitable candidates are shortlisted for the post of commissioned Officers in various Indian Defence forces viz. IMA (Indian Military Academy), INA (Indian Naval Academy), OTA (Officers Training Academy), and IFA (Indian Air Force Academy).
The selection is based on an examination followed by an interview conducted by the SSB (Service Selection Board). CDS I for 2023 will be conducted on 16th April and candidates who have submitted applications must have prepared for the same as per the syllabus issued by the Commission. CDS syllabus is communicated to candidates through the official examination notice. For the convenience of the examinees, we have shared the subject-wise syllabus details of the exam here. To get full information about the CDS exam pattern and syllabus do read this article till the end.
UPSC CDS 1 Exam 2023: Key Information
| Name of the exam | Combined Defence Service Examination (CDS) |
| Article Category | Syllabus |
| Conducting Authority | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Selection at | IMA, INA, OTA & IAF Academy |
| Post Offered | Commissioned Officer |
| Mode of Examination | Offline |
| Date of CDS 1 | 16th April 2023 |
| Availability of Syllabus | Available |
| Official website | www.upsc.gov.in |
How to Check UPSC CDS syllabus?
UPSC CDS syllabus is communicated to the candidates through the official website of UPSC. CDS aspirants can avail it from the official examination notification on the UPSC portal by following the given instructions-
- Go to the UPSC portal.
- Click on Examination Notifications link.
- CDS II notification details will open.
- Click on Document link and the examination notification pdf will open.
- Enter Ctrl+f and syllabus.
- Syllabus page will appear.
- Check the syllabus for each paper/subject.
- Take the screenshot of the syllabus or download the pdf.
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UPSC CDS Examination Pattern
The competitive exam will consist of a Written exam and interview. Go through the examination scheme shared here before moving to the subject-wise syllabus-
CDS exam is a written exam conducted in offline mode.
For IMA, INA & IAF Academy
| Subject | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
| Total | 340 | 300 |
For OTA
| Subject | No. Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
| English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
UPSC CDS Subject-wise Syllabus
The level of the elementary mathematic paper will be of High School/ Matriculation level. While the level of papers of other subjects will be of graduation level. Therefore, for mathematics, applicants can refer to their class 10th Mathematics books and for other subjects, they can refer to the graduation books. Before that, they must have complete knowledge about the syllabus for each paper. They can get subject-wise syllabus information in this particular section-
- Subject – English (Code No. 01)
| English | Comprehensions Spotting Errors Selecting Words Synonyms Antonyms Word Substitution Sentence Improvement/ Arrangements Ordering of Sentence Idioms and Phrases Fill in the blanks etc. |
- Subject- General Knowledge (Code No. 02)
| General Knowledge | Current Affairs and questions regarding- History – Geography – Science (PCB) – Economics – Politics – Sociology – Culture and Traditions – Books & Authors – Awards – Sports – Environment |
- Subject- Elementary Mathematics (Code No. 03)
| ArithmeticNumber System | Number System- – Integers – Natural numbers, – Fundamental Operations, Decimal fractions – Rational & Real numbers – Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division Square Roots, – Unitary method, – Simple Interest & Compound Interest (Applications) Percentages, – Profit and Loss Time & Distance – Time & work, – Variation Ratio and Proportion Elementary Number Theory- – Prime & Composite No. – Division Algorithm – H.C.F. and L.C.M – Multiples & Factors – Logarithms to base 10 – Tests of divisibility – Factorization Theorem – Use of logarithmic tables – Laws of logarithms – Euclidean algorithm |
| Algebra | – Basic Operations – Simple Factors – L.C.M., H.C.F., – Solutions of quadratic equations – Remainder Theorem – Set language and Set Notation – Theory of polynomials – Relation b/w its roots & coefficients – Rational expressions & conditional identities – Simultaneous linear equation in 2 unknowns—Analytical & graphical sol. – Laws of Indices – Simultaneous linear inequations in 2 variables and sol. – Practical problems |
| Trigonometry | – Sin×, cos×, Tan × when 0° < × < 90° – Values of sin ×, cos × and tan ×, for × = 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° & 90 degree – Trigonometric tables (Use) – Simple trigonometric identities – Heights & Distances (simple cases) |
| Geometry | – Lines and angles – Plane and plane figures – Theorems on- Angles at a point (Properties)-Triangle (Sides & Angles) Parallel lines Similar Triangles Sides, Angles & diagonals (Properties) Congruency of triangles Loci Circles (properties, tangents & normal) Concurrence of altitude & medians |
| Mensuration | – Areas of figures like Triangle, Circle, squares, rectangles, parallelograms – Areas of figures of Field Book – Cuboids (Surface area & volume) – Right circular cones and cylinders (Lateral Surface & volume) – Spheres (Volume and surface areas) |
| Statistics | – Collection & Tabulation of data – Frequency polygons (graphical representations) – Pie charts, Histograms & Bar graphs – Measures of Central tendency |
Intelligence & Personality Test
Candidates who pass the Written examination (stage 1) are invited to attend the Intelligence and Personality Test (Commonly known as SSB round). This round includes two selection stages-
- 1st stage – Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR)
- 2nd stage includes an Interview, Psychology Tests, GTOT (Group Testing Officer Tasks), and Conference.
UPSC CDS Schedule
| Examination Activities | CDS I | CDS II (Tentative) |
| Release of official notification | 21 December | August |
| Commencement of CDS online Application form submission | 21 December | August |
| Date of exam | 16 April | November |
| Date of result | TBA | To be announced later |
| Conduct of SSB | TBA | To be announced later |
Important Links
| UPSC official portal | www.upsc.gov.in |
| UPSC CDS II Examination Notification/Syllabus PDF | Click Here |
Contact Information
For inquiries or queries regarding UPSC CDS examination 2023, you can contact at-
Union Public Service Commission
Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road,
New Delhi – 110069
Facilitation Centre- 011-23098543/23381125/23385271/23098591
Fax JS (Exam)- 011-23387310
Email-Id- Oracell-Upsc@nic.in/ Oracell-Upsc@gov.in
FAQs
It is going to be held on 16th April 2023
The syllabus of the upcoming exam is available and you can get it from the examination notification.
The CDS Stage 1 examination is conducted in offline mode (OMR-based).
