CDS Exam Pattern 2025: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) defines the exam pattern for the CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam, which includes a written test and an SSB interview.
This exam offers an excellent career path for individuals aiming to become commissioned officers in the Indian Armed Forces. To successfully qualify for the CDS exam, candidates must be familiar with both the CDS exam pattern and syllabus.
The CDS 1 2025 exam is scheduled for April 13, 2025. While the CDS exam patterns for the INA, AFA, and IMA are similar, the OTA exam pattern differs slightly. The CDS exam is conducted in two phases: a written test and the SSB interview.
It is an offline, pen-and-paper-based exam. Candidates can find detailed information on the marking scheme, negative marking, total marks, exam duration, and paper pattern for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA below.
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 Overview
Candidates can find a brief overview of the CDS exam pattern outlined below:
| CDS Exam Pattern 2025 Overview | |
| Parameters | Details |
| Mode of exam | Offline |
| Number of sections | Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA): 3
Officers’ Training Academy (OTA): 2 |
| Total marks of the test | IMA, INA, and AFA: 300
OTA: 200 |
| Nature of questions | Objective type |
| Language of question paper | Hindi and English |
| Duration of the test | 2 Hours for Each Section |
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 for INA, AFA, IMA
Candidates planning to join the Indian Defence Forces through INA, IMA, or AFA must understand the CDS exam pattern for better preparation. Knowing the exam format helps candidates approach the test with a clearer perspective. Here’s a breakdown of the UPSC CDS exam pattern for INA, IMA, and AFA:
- The written exam consists of three sections: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics.
- The total exam duration for IMA, INA, and AFA is six hours, with each section allocated two hours.
- The total marks for the exam are 300.
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 for Written Exam
Candidates can refer to the table below for the CDS written test exam pattern:
| CDS Exam Pattern | |
| Mode of Exam | Offline |
| Number of Subjects | 3 |
| Name of Subjects | English, General Awareness, and Maths |
| Total Marks | 300 marks |
| Time Duration | 6 hours |
| Type of exam | Objective |
| Medium of Exam | Bilingual (Hindi and English) |
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 for OTA
The OTA (Officers Training Academy) exam follows a different pattern compared to the IMA, INA, and AFA exams. Below is the CDS exam pattern for the UPSC CDS OTA exam to help candidates understand its structure:
- The written exam for OTA consists of two sections: English and General Knowledge.
- The total exam duration for OTA is four hours, with each section allocated two hours.
- The total marks for the OTA exam are 200.
CDS Question Paper Structure
The structure of the CDS question paper for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA is as follows:
| CDS Question Paper Structure for IMA, INA and AFA | ||
| Subject | Duration (In hours) | Maximum marks |
| English | 2 | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 | 100 |
| CDS Question Paper Structure for OTA | ||
| Subject | Duration | Maximum marks |
| English | 2 hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 hours | 100 |
CDS Marking Scheme
The section-wise marking scheme of the CDS exam is provided below to help candidates understand its detailed structure:
| CDS Marking Scheme | |||
| Specifications | English | General Knowledge (GK) | Mathematics |
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for Correct Answer | +1 mark for each correct answer | +1 mark for each correct answer | +1 mark for each correct answer |
| Negative Marking | -0.33 marks for each incorrect answer | -0.33 marks for each incorrect answer | -0.33 marks for each incorrect answer |
CDS Exam Negative Marking
To help you understand the CDS exam marking system better, we’ve outlined the key points below. This includes a section-wise breakdown of how marks are awarded.
- For each incorrect answer, 1/3 mark is deducted.
- If you select more than one option for a question, it will be considered incorrect.
- There is no penalty for leaving a question unanswered.
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 for SSB Interview
The SSB Interview for IMA, INA, and AFA is scored out of 300 marks each, while for OTA, it is scored out of 200 marks. The SSB Interview is divided into two stages: Stage I and Stage II. Only candidates who clear Stage I can proceed to Stage II. Below are the details of each stage:
Stage I: Includes the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and the Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT).
Stage II: Comprises interviews, Group Testing Officer tasks, psychology tests, and a conference. These tests are spread across multiple days.
This structured procedure assesses various skills and abilities over a series of steps.
How to Fill CDS Answer Sheet?
Candidates appearing for the CDS exam must follow the instructions carefully to avoid errors while filling out the OMR answer sheet. The guidelines are as follows:
- Upon receiving the answer sheet, ensure that it is numbered at the bottom. If it’s not numbered, immediately ask for a replacement.
- Use a black ball pen to write the exam center name and subject, either in English or Hindi.
- The test booklet series is shown by alphabets (A, B, C, or D) at the top-right corner.
- Write your roll number exactly as it appears on your e-Admission Certificate using a black ball pen in the provided boxes. Do not omit any zeros in your roll number.
- Locate the appropriate subject code from the Time Table.
- Encode the Test Booklet Series, Subject Code, and Roll Number in the respective circles using a black ball pen. Do not encode the exam center name.
- Finally, after receiving the Test Booklet, confirm the booklet series and encode it correctly.
CDS Syllabus 2025
In the CDS Syllabus 2025, the standard of the Elementary Mathematics paper is at the Matriculation level, while the papers in other subjects are set at the level expected of a graduate from an Indian university. The question paper is designed to assess the candidates’ understanding of English and their ability to use words effectively.
General Knowledge covers current events and matters of everyday observation and experience, particularly in their scientific aspects, which an educated person should know without specializing in any scientific field. The paper also includes questions on Indian History and Geography, which candidates should be able to answer without specialized study.
The CDS syllabus includes the following subjects and topics:
- English: Tests understanding of English and grammar.
- General Knowledge: Includes Economics, Physics, General Awareness, Politics, History, Geography, Sociology, etc.
- Elementary Mathematics: Includes Arithmetic, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics, etc.
CDS Exam Pattern 2025 FAQs
What is the total marks for the CDS exam?
The total marks for the CDS exam are 300 for IMA, INA, and AFA, and 200 for OTA.
What is the duration of the CDS exam for IMA, INA, and AFA?
The duration of the CDS exam for IMA, INA, and AFA is 6 hours.
What subjects are included in the CDS written exam for IMA, INA, and AFA?
The subjects include English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics.
How is the CDS exam marked?
Each correct answer gets +1 mark, and each incorrect answer results in a deduction of 0.33 marks.
What is the exam format for the OTA in the CDS exam?
The OTA exam consists of two sections: English and General Knowledge, with a total of 200 marks.
