The Union Public Service Commission is going to conduct Combined Defence Services Exam on 14th September, 2025. The main purpose of the exam is to recruit the most suitable candidates in the various defence sectors like Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Air Force Academy and the Indian Naval Academy.
The Union Public Service Commission conducts the CDS Exam twice a Year. Students who are planning to appear for the CDS Exam organizing on September 14 are strongly suggested to go through the whole syllabus of CDS 2 Exam. Besides the Syllabus, students must have knowledge about the Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme, Total Marks and the total duration of the exam, Various important topics of the syllabus as well as the Selection Criteria.
Syllabus plays a vital role for any type of exam. You also need to follow the previous year question paper as well as exam pattern to score well in this exam. In this Post, I will discuss the exam pattern and the whole syllabus topic wise below…
UPSC CDS Syllabus 2025 Basic Overview
In order to get enough marks in the CDS 2 2025 Exam, you need to know the syllabus and the exam patter very well which will help you to choose which topic you should focus on more and what to skips during the exam preparation. The Written Exam for CDS will be help Offline and there will be Multiple-Choice-Questions asked in the Written Test.
The CDS Syllabus 2025 includes topics like English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics specially for those who are going to be recruited in the Indian Naval Academy, Indian Military Academy, and Air Force Academy. Those preparing to take admission in the Officers Training Academy (OTA) will have to answer questions which included topics like English and General Knowledge Only.
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Services (CDS) 2 Exam 2025 |
| Mode of Exam | Pen and paper based (Offline) |
| CDS 2 Exam Date | 14th September 2025 (Sunday) |
| Number of Sections | IMA, INA, AFA – 3 sectionsOTA – 2 sections |
| Total Marks | IMA, INA, AFA – 300 marksOTA – 200 marks |
| Type of Questions | Multiple choice questions (Objective type) |
| Exam Language | Questions asked in both Hindi and English |
| Time Duration | 2 hours for each section of the exam |
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2025
The CDS Exam Pattern has been described in the Official notification in a detailed format whose aims is to appoint the most capable candidates in the defence sectors like Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy.
In this Particular Exam, you will be asked questions from these three subjects like English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. There will be Objective Type MCQs question set for the exam paper and you have to pic the correct answer from the given options.
The question papers for General Knowledge and Mathematics will be asked in both Hindi and English, so you can choose your most suitable language. You will get 2 hours to solve each subject. Aspirants who are applying for Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) will be asked questions from General Knowledge and English Subject.
The Written Exam will be done in offline mode and each subject carries 100 marks. If you are able to clear the Written Test, you will be called for SSB Interview. The SSB Interview will be completed within 5 days carrying 300 Marks in total. This whole process checks your knowledge, your thinking ability, your confidence, and your personality to see if you are fit to become an officer in the Indian Armed Forces.
CDS Exam Pattern for Admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy
| Subject / Stage | Time Given | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 2 Hours | 100 Marks |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 Marks |
| Mathematics | 2 Hours | 100 Marks |
| SSB Interview Process | Around 5 Days | 300 Marks |
CDS Exam Pattern for Admission to the Officers’ Training Academy
| Subject / Stage | Duration | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 2 Hours | 100 Marks |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 Marks |
| SSB Test / Interview | 5 Days | 300 Marks |
UPSC CDS Syllabus Notification PDF
UPSC CDS 2025 Exam Self-Preparation Strategy
To prepare for the UPSC CDS 2025 exam at home, you need to follow a simple and clear plan. First, you should understand the exam pattern and syllabus properly. This means you need to know which subjects to study — like English, General Knowledge, and Maths (only if you are applying for IMA, INA, or AFA). For OTA, you only need to study English and General Knowledge.
After knowing the syllabus, the second step is to collect good books and study materials. Choose books which explain topics in easy language and have practice Sets.
The third step is to make a daily timetable. Decide how many hours you will study each day and spend equal time for each subject. Try to follow your timetable regularly.
Now, in the fourth step, start reading each topic one by one. After learning a topic, solve some basic questions to check what is your preparation level.
After finishing the syllabus once or twice, you need to solve the previous year question paper. This will help you understand the type of questions asked in the real exam.
Try to take regular mock test which will help you to improve your speed, accuracy and time management. Check your mistakes after every mock test and try to improve the weaken areas of your syllabus.
Also, every day, spend 15-20 minutes reading the newspaper or current affairs to keep yourself updated.
In this way, you will make your exam preparation stronger and better day by day.
Dear sir,
My son is studying Engineering at Bangalore. 3rd year in Mechanical engineering
So he is eligible for applying.
Please advise and reply sir.
Thank you.