UPSC CDS 1 exam pattern 2024 is different for the posts offered through the exam. UPSC CDS 1 Examination 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 1 2024 must go through the exam pattern thoroughly to ace the written test.
| UPSC CDS 1 Syllabus 2024 | UPSC CDS Previous Years Question Papers |
UPSC CDS 1 Exam Pattern
Candidates can refer to the Exam pattern to prepare well for the Examination and also UPSC CDS 1 Syllabus and Preparation Tips for UPSC CDS 1 can be referenced. 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 of 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 1 2024 Exam Pattern for Written Exam
The first stage of UPSC CDS 1 recruitment is the written exam. One written exam is conducted for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Navy Academy (INA) AND Air Force Academy (AFA) and another one for Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). The questions are asked from all three subjects in the written test for IMA, INA, and AFA, whereas there is no mathematics paper for OTA course.
The total time duration for IMA, INA, and AFA written test is 6 hours whereas for OTA written test 4 hours is allotted. Check below the tables to know more details regarding UPSC CDS 1 exam pattern. For Admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy:
| Paper / Subject | No. of Questions | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 2 Hours | 100 |
For Admission to Officers' Training Academy:
| Paper / Subject | No. of Questions | Duration | Marks |
| English | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 2 Hours | 100 |
UPSC CDS 1 Exam Pattern for SSB Interview
The candidates who qualify UPSC CDS 1 written exam are required to appear in the SSB interview. For the CDS 1 interview round, candidates will be called at one of the Services Selection Centres. According to UPSC CDS exam pattern 2024, the interview will be conducted in two stages.
Only those candidates who clear the stage I of CDS interview are permitted to appear for stage II. Check below the details about both the stages of the CDS interview.
- Stage I: Stage I of CDS interview consists of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP and DT).
- Stage II: The CDS 2 interview stage II includes personal interview, Group testing officer tasks, psychology Tests and the conference.
UPSC CDS 1 2024 Exam - Important Points
Important points to consider for UPSC CDS 1 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 in their own hand. 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 1 Marking Scheme
The marking scheme for UPSC CDS 1 exam 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 |
