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UPSC CDS exam pattern 2025 is different for the posts offered through the exam. UPSC CDS 1 2025 Exam is all set to be held on April 13, 2025. The paper consists of a written examination along with interviews for Intelligence and personality tests of such candidates may be called for the interview at one of the services selection centres. The applicants for UPSC CDS 2025 must go through the exam pattern thoroughly to ace the written test.
The UPSC CDS paper pattern and marking scheme are the same for INA, AFA, and IMA papers. However, the UPSC CDS OTA paper pattern is different. The UPSC CDS Exam is held in two stages: a written exam followed by an SSB interview process, and is held in offline mode. Candidates must note that the UPSC CDS negative marking is 0.33 marks for each wrong answer. The details UPSC CDS marking scheme have been provided below for better reference.
UPSC CDS Test Pattern Highlights 2025
Candidates can refer to the exam pattern to prepare well for the examination. The standard of the question papers in Elementary Mathematics will be of Matriculation level. The standard of papers in other subjects will approximately be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University.
The question paper on English will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. The pattern for UPSC CDS 1 includes two parts:
- Written exam
- SSB interview
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern for INA, AFA, and IMA
| Paper / Subject | No. of Questions | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 Hours | 100 |
UPSC CDS OTA Exam Pattern
| Paper / Subject | No. of Questions | Duration | Marks |
| English | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
UPSC CDS SSB Interview Pattern
The candidates who qualify UPSC CDS written exam are required to appear in the SSB interview. For the CDS interview round, candidates will be called at one of the Services Selection Centres. According to UPSC CDS exam pattern 2025, the interview will be conducted in two stages. The candidates are advised to practise the important questions asked in SSB interview to tackle the PI day.
Only those candidates who clear stage I of the CDS interview are permitted to appear for stage II. Check below the details about both stages of the CDS interview.
- Stage I: Stage I of the CDS interview consists of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Tests (PP and DT).
- Stage II: The CDS 2 interview stage II includes a personal interview, Group testing officer tasks, psychology Tests and the conference.
UPSC CDS Exam 2025 Important Points
Important points to consider for the UPSC CDS 2025 exam:
- Maximum Marks: The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e. the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.
- Type of Questions: All the papers will only consist of objective-type questions or MCQ.
- Medium: The question papers (Test Booklets) of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.
- Metric System: In the question papers, wherever necessary, questions involving the metric system of Weights and Measures only will be set.
- Scribe: Candidates must write the papers themselves. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write answers for them.
- Qualifying Marks: The commission has the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
- Calculator: The candidates are not permitted to use the calculator for answering objective-type papers (Test Booklets).
UPSC CDS Marking Scheme: Check CDS Negative Marking
The UPSC CDS marking scheme is given below.
| Specifications | English | GK | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Marks for Correct Answer | +1 mark for each correct option | +1 mark for each correct option | +1 mark for each correct option |
| Negative Marking | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer | -0.33 marks for each wrong answer |
UPSC CDS Previous Year Paper Analysis
The candidates are also advised to refer to the UPCS CDS paper analysis for previous tests to analyze the number of questions expected in each section. This will help the applicants prepare for the sections according to their difficulty level and weightage.
