The Combined Defence Services Examination (abbreviated as CDS Exam) is a national-level examination administered twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to select eligible candidates for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Air Force Academy (IAF), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Officer Training Academy.

To be selected, candidates will go through a selection process that includes a written examination and an interview conducted by the Service Selection Board.

Candidates preparing for this exam find the previous year question papers to be valuable resources. These papers provide information about the exam's structure, allowing candidates to identify their areas of strength and weakness. For your convenience, we have included CDS previous year papers in this article.

CDS Previous Year Paper PDFs

Candidates preparing for the Combined Defence Services Examination, also known as the CDS exam, which is scheduled for April 21, 2024, should begin by solving the previous year papers. These papers help candidates understand the structure and difficulty level of the exam. Applicants can assess their areas of weakness by reviewing the previous year papers. You can download the subject-specific PDFs of the UPSC CDS previous year's papers from the table given below.

Combined Defence Services (General Knowledge) Previous Year Papers

When preparing for the CDS Exam, the most important section is General Knowledge. This section can make or break your chances of selection. To help you prepare for the CDS 2024 examination, we have provided Free GK Previous Year Papers.

CDS G.K. PDF Download Links
CDS - 1	CDS - 2
CDS 1 GK 2023	CDS 2 GK 2023
CDS 1 GK 2022	CDS 2 GK 2022
CDS 1 GK 2021	CDS 2 GK 2021
CDS 1 GK 2020	CDS 2 GK 2020
CDS 1 GK 2019	CDS 2 GK 2019
CDS 1 GK 2018	CDS 2 GK 2018
CDS 1 GK 2017	CDS 2 GK 2017

Combined Defence Services (English) Previous Year Papers

The English section of the CDS exam assesses candidates' basic competency and proficiency in the English language. It covers topics like sentence correction, fill-in-the-blanks, reading comprehension, and more. It is recommended that candidates practice with previous year's question papers in order to expand their knowledge, sharpen their comprehension of critical information, and improve their ability to answer language questions.

CDS English PDF Download Links
CDS - 1	CDS - 2
CDS 1 English 2023	CDS 2 English 2023
CDS 1 English 2022	CDS 2 English 2022
CDS 1 English 2021	CDS 2 English 2021
CDS 1 English 2020	CDS 2 English 2020
CDS 1 English 2019	CDS 2 English 2019
CDS 1 English 2018	CDS 2 English 2018
CDS 1 English 2017	CDS 2 English 2017

Combined Defence Services (Mathematics) Previous Year Papers

Calculations in the Elementary Mathematics section are typically time-consuming, but practicing enough questions from CDS previous year question papers will help applicants keep up. This section's questions cover topics from 11th and 12th-grade mathematics. The questions in this section are complex and difficult, but if answered correctly, you can receive full marks.

CDS Maths PDF Download Links
CDS - 1	CDS - 2
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2023	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2023
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2022	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2022
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2021	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2021
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2020	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2020
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2019	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2019
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2018	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2018
CDS 1 Elementary Mathematics 2017	CDS 2 Elementary Mathematics 2017

CDS Exam Previous Year Questions

The UPSC Previous Year Questions are a great resource for getting ready for the CDS I & CDS II Exam. They provide helpful details about the structure of the exam, different kinds of questions asked, areas of importance, and time management strategies. They also assist candidates in monitoring their development and boosting their self-esteem.

Candidates should make solving CDS previous year papers a regular part of their study schedule and preparation approach. This improves their chances of passing the challenging exam with good scores and achieving their goal of serving the nation.

UPSC frames CDS questions in a way to assess candidates' analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. Reviewing questions from previous papers and time-bound practice of the last few years' papers assists defence aspirants in identifying repetitive question topics and improving their time and space management for the actual exam.

Benefits of Practising with CDS Exam Previous Year Paper

Practising with CDS previous year question papers is one of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the upcoming CDS I exam 2024. Here are some of the benefits of answering previous years' question papers that you should be aware of.

The CDS exam is extremely competitive, and the question paper of the General Knowledge is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of a wide range of topics. By solving UPSC previous year question papers, you will understand the pattern and level of the questions asked.
The CDS previous year question papers and their solutions assist students in devising alternative/shortcut methods for approaching the given questions.
As you solve CDS previous year papers, you will begin to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses in various topics. This allows you to concentrate on the areas/topics that need the most improvement.
Each UPSC CDS paper is a 120-minute (2-hour) exam, so make the most of your time by answering all questions. Solving previous years question papers will help you determine how much time you should devote to each question.
You will become more assured of your ability to handle exam questions as you practice more. Solving CDS previous years' question papers is an excellent way to boost your confidence and prepare for the exam.

How to Effectively Solve CDS PYP?

Solve CDS Previous Year Papers in the following ways to improve your performance and increase your chances of passing the exam.

Basic Techniques

To simulate an exam setting, candidates must complete the paper within the time limit set for the actual examination. Aspirants should attempt the paper in a distraction-free environment, and using a countdown timer can help.
Before attempting the questions from the previous year's UPSC CDS paper, make sure to carefully read them.
Always remember that incorrect answers will result in a negative grade, so avoid guessing or simply marking the answer without thoroughly reading the question.
When the timers go off, do not attempt any more questions. Compare your marked answers to the answer key to determine your overall performance and any errors that need to be corrected.

Keep These Points in Mind

If you have diligently prepared for an exam and an answer choice appears to be completely different, it is most likely incorrect. In these situations, use the elimination technique. This method, while not foolproof, may help you avoid getting negative marks on difficult questions. Rule out options that appear unlikely, thereby narrowing the options. This increases your chances of selecting the correct answer and reduces the risk of negative marking in the CDS exam.
Avoid guessing on the CDS exam. Blindly selecting an option may result in a negative marking in the CDS entrance exam. It's preferable to avoid losing marks by not answering a question if you're not sure of the answer.
The CDS exam places a strong emphasis on accuracy. You should mark each answer accurately and thoughtfully. It is advisable to check your answers twice if you are not sure about that question, before submitting them to prevent negative marking that lead to low scores.

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam Overview

The UPSC conducts a CDS Examination twice a year (in April and in December), which includes a Written Examination and an SSB Interview. Candidates taking the CDS 1 and CDS 2 Examination in 2024 should check the important exam details in the table below.

CDS Exam - Important Updates
Exam Conducting Organization	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Name	Combined Defence Services Examination 2024
Frequency of Examination	Bi-annually
Selection Process	Written Examination SSB Interview (Personality Test)
Official Website	upsc.gov.in

Combined Defence Services (CDS) Exam Pattern

As previously stated, the Combined Defence Services Exam is a national-level exam administered by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to select candidates for the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy. The CDS Exam is administered twice a year in offline mode (written test). The sections of the exam for each academy are as follows.

SCHEME OF EXAMINATION for IMA, INA and Air Force Academy

The test will consist of three sections: English, general knowledge, and elementary mathematics. Each section will have 100 marks and a duration of 2 hours.

Subject	Code	Exam Duration	Marks
English	11	2 Hours	100
General Knowledge	12	2 Hours	100
Elementary Mathematics	13	2 Hours	100
TOTAL		6 Hours	300
Interview			300

CDS OTA Examination Pattern

The Elementary Mathematics section is not included in the CDS OTA exam. All other aspects, such as duration and total marks, remain unchanged.

Subject	Code	Exam Duration	Marks
English	11	2 Hours	100
General Knowledge	12	2 Hours	100
TOTAL		4 Hours	200
Interview			200

Marking Scheme

The type of question will be of Multiple Choice (MCQs) having four options. For each incorrect answer, one-third of the mark, or 0.33 times the mark assigned to that question, will be deducted as a negative mark.

Subject	No. of Questions	Marks	Correct Answer	Wrong answer
English	120	100	0.83	0.27 Marks
General Knowledge	120	100	0.83	0.27 Marks
Elementary Mathematics	100	100	1 Mark	0.33 Marks
TOTAL	240	200	-	-

Note: If two or more choices are marked as answers, a third of the mark will be deducted.