Hello friends, today we will discuss the syllabus for the CDS 1 exam in 2026, and what types of questions are asked in the CDS exam. In this article, we will thoroughly analyze all three CDS papers and provide you with an accurate syllabus.
CDS stands for Combined Defence Service. This allows you to become an officer in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Candidates between the ages of 19 and 24.5 can generally apply.
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized university. There are no percentage requirements; passing is sufficient.
UPSC conducts three papers for the CDS exam: English, General Knowledge, and Mathematics, which are not exclusively for OTA candidates. The remaining three papers are for the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy.
Now we're going to discuss the first paper of the CDS, English.
CDS 1 2026 ENGLISH SYLLABUS
The English paper of the CDS exam consists of 120 questions, carrying a total of 100 marks. You must achieve a passing score of 40% for this paper. If you fail to achieve 40%, you will not be considered successful.
This paper tests your English comprehension. Questions are asked on the following topics in this paper:
📍 Spotting Errors Questions
📍 Sentence Arrangement Questions
📍 Synonyms & Antonyms
📍 Selecting Words
📍 Ordering of Sentences
📍 Reading Comprehension Questions
📍 Ordering of Words in a Sentence
📍 Fill-in-the-Blanks Questions
📍 Idioms and Phrases
📍 Sentence Improvements or Sentence Corrections
Questions on these types of topics are asked in the CDS English paper.
Now let's move on to the second paper, the General Knowledge paper.
CDS General Knowledge Syllabus
This paper contains 120 questions carrying 100 marks, covering topics ranging from international, national, sports, defense, and daily life.
If you have only filled out your preference for the Officer Training Academy, you will only have to take two papers: the first being English and the second being GK.
The GK paper contains questions from the following topics:
📍 Economics
📍 Physics
📍 Current Affairs
📍 Politics
📍 Chemistry
📍 Sociology
📍 History
📍 Defense-related
📍 Awards
📍 Geography
📍 Environment
📍 Sport
📍 Biology
📍 Cultural
📍 Books
The UPSC has made it clear in its syllabus that candidates should have only general knowledge, not deep study.
Of all these, the biggest role is played by current affairs, biology, physics, and chemistry, meaning approximately 41 percent of questions come from current affairs and science.
Looking at past trends, approximately 16-20 questions are asked from current affairs and 30 from science. If you want to succeed in CDS, if you have a good grasp of English, current affairs, science, and polity, the paper is not too difficult. This is only for OTA, as IMA, INA, and AFA also require maths.
CDS 1 2026 Maths Syllabus
If you are dreaming of joining the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, or Air Force Academy, maths is essential. Even if you are weak in this subject, it is extremely important to get passing marks. There are 5 to 6 main topics in maths, on which questions are asked. These are as follows:
📍 Number System: Natural Numbers, Integers, Rational And Real Numbers.
📍Fundamental Operations: Addition,
Substraction, Multiplication, Division, Square Roots, Decimal Fractions
📍 Unitary Method
📍 Time And Distance
📍 Time And Work
📍 Percentages
📍 Applications To Simple And Compound Interest
📍 Profit And Loss
📍 Ratio And Proportion
📍 Variation
📍 Elementary Number Theory: Division Algorithm
📍 Prime And Composite Numbers
📍 Tests Of Divisibility By 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 And 11
📍 Multiples And Factors. Factorisation Theorem
📍 H.C.F. And L.C.M.
📍 Euclidean Algorithm
📍 Logarithms To Base 10
📍 Laws Of Logarithms
📍 Use Of Logarithmic Tables
Algebra
📍 Basic Operations Simple Factors
📍 Remainder Theorem
📍 H.C.F.
📍 L.C.M.
📍 Theory Of Polynomials
📍 Solutions Of Quadratic Equations
📍 Relation Between Its Roots And Coefficients (Only Real Roots To Be
Considered)
📍 Simultaneous Linear Equations In Two Unknowns—Analytical And Graphical
Solutions
📍 Simultaneous Linear Inequations In Two Variables And Their Solutions
📍 Practical Problems Leading To Two Simultaneous Linear Equations Or
Inequations In Two Variables Or Quadratic Equations In One Variable & Their
Solutions
📍 Set Language And Set Notation
📍 Rational Expressions And Conditional Identities
📍 Laws Of Indices
Trigonometry
📍 Values Of Sin ×, Cos × And Tan ×, For ×= 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° And 90°
📍 Simple Trigonometric Identities
📍 Use Of Trigonometric Tables
📍 Simple Cases Of Heights And Distances
GEOMETRY
📍 Lines And Angles
📍 Plane And Plane Figures
📍 Theorems On Properties Of Angles At A Point 📍 Parallel Lines
📍 Sides And Angles Of A Triangle
📍 Congruency Of Triangles
📍 Similar Triangles
📍 Properties Of Angles
📍 Sides And Diagonals Of A Parallelogram
📍 Rectangle And Square
📍 Circles And Its Properties Including Tangents And Normals
📍 Loci
STATISTICS
📍 Collection
And Tabulation Of Statistical Data
📍 Graphical
Representation Frequency Polygons
📍 Histograms
📍 Bar
Charts
📍 Pie
Charts Etc
📍 Measures
Of Central Tendency
Exam Pattern for INA, IMA, and AFA:
|
Subject |
Duration |
Maximum
Marks |
Negative
Marks |
|
English |
2 Hours |
100 |
One-third |
|
General Knowledge |
2 Hours |
100 |
One-third |
|
Elementary Mathematics |
2 Hours |
100 |
One-third |
Exam Pattern for OTA
|
Subject |
Duration |
Maximum
Marks |
Negative
Marks |
|
English |
2 Hours |
100 |
One-third |
|
General Knowledge |
2 Hours |
100 |
One-third |
