CDS syllabus 2026 has three papers for IMA, INA and AFA: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics, each 2 hours with 1/3 negative marking. OTA has only English and GK.
The CDS syllabus 2026 covers three subjects: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. For the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA) you sit all three papers for 300 marks, while the Officers Training Academy (OTA) sits only English and General Knowledge for 200 marks, with no Mathematics. Each paper runs for 2 hours, every wrong answer costs 1/3 of a mark, and the whole exam is an offline OMR test.
CDS stands for Combined Defence Services and is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year to recruit graduate officers for the Army, Navy and Air Force. This guide gives you the exact paper-wise pattern, the full syllabus for English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics, how the IMA and OTA papers differ, why CDS Mathematics stays at Class 10 level unlike NDA, and the complete selection process, grounded in the question bank we built for the CDS full mock test series on Quiz4Exam. Always re-verify the final numbers against the live UPSC CDS notification, since the next cycle updates them.
The CDS 2026 written exam has up to three objective papers taken offline on OMR sheets. For IMA, INA and AFA there are 3 papers of 100 marks each (300 marks total): English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Each paper lasts 2 hours, applies 1/3 negative marking, and awards fractional marks per question because the question count and the maximum marks differ.
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Correct | Wrong | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 120 | 100 | +0.83 | -0.28 | 2 hours |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | +0.83 | -0.28 | 2 hours |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 100 | +1.0 | -0.33 | 2 hours |
| Total (IMA/INA/AFA) | 340 | 300 | - | - | 6 hours |
Notice the marks per question are fractional for English and General Knowledge: 120 questions carry 100 marks, so each correct answer earns about 0.83 marks and each wrong answer deducts about 0.28 marks (1/3 of 0.83). In Elementary Mathematics 100 questions carry 100 marks, so a correct earns 1.0 mark and a wrong answer deducts 0.33 marks. A blank answer always scores 0. The CDS II 2026 cycle was notified for 451 vacancies (IMA 100, INA 32, AFA 32 and OTA 287) and the written exam is confirmed for 13 September 2026, with admit cards released on 3 September 2026. Confirm the live UPSC CDS notification for anything beyond this cycle, since a fresh one follows.
The core difference is Mathematics: IMA, INA and AFA candidates take 3 papers for 300 marks (English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics), while OTA candidates take only 2 papers for 200 marks (English and General Knowledge, with no Elementary Mathematics). English and General Knowledge are common to every candidate; Elementary Mathematics is unique to IMA, INA and AFA.
| Feature | IMA / INA / AFA | OTA |
|---|---|---|
| Number of papers | 3 | 2 |
| Total marks | 300 | 200 |
| English | Yes | Yes |
| General Knowledge | Yes | Yes |
| Elementary Mathematics | Yes | No |
| Commission type | Permanent Commission | Short Service Commission |
| Admits women | No (men only) | Yes (men and women) |
OTA leads to a Short Service Commission and is the only CDS track open to women, so if you want to skip Mathematics or you are a woman candidate, OTA is your route. IMA, INA and AFA lead to a Permanent Commission and require the Elementary Mathematics paper. The SSB Interview that follows is worth 300 marks for every track, regardless of how many written papers you sat.
The CDS syllabus has three papers. English is graduate level; General Knowledge spans History, Geography, Polity, Economics, General Science at Class 9 to 10 level, Current Affairs and Defence; Elementary Mathematics is Class 10 matriculation arithmetic with no calculus, no matrices and no complex numbers. English and General Knowledge apply to all candidates, Mathematics only to IMA, INA and AFA.
The English paper is degree standard and tests your command of the language, not literature: reading comprehension, spotting errors, sentence improvement, synonyms and antonyms, ordering of words and sentences, fill in the blanks and cloze passages. The General Knowledge paper covers History (ancient, medieval, modern and freedom struggle), Geography (Indian and world), Polity (Constitution, Parliament, governance), Economics, General Science at Class 9 to 10 level, Current Affairs of the last 1 to 2 years, and Defence and static general knowledge. The Elementary Mathematics paper is matriculation or Class 10 level: number system, HCF and LCM, ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time and distance, algebra, elementary trigonometry, geometry, mensuration, and basic statistics. It is arithmetic-heavy and excludes calculus, matrices and complex numbers.
CDS Elementary Mathematics is Class 10 matriculation level, while NDA Mathematics is Class 11 to 12 level. This is the single biggest difference aspirants search for: CDS Maths has no calculus, no matrices, no vectors, no 3D geometry and no complex numbers, whereas NDA Maths tests all of those. CDS Maths is arithmetic and Class 10 algebra, geometry and trigonometry only.
| Feature | CDS Elementary Mathematics | NDA Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Class 10 matriculation | Class 11 to 12 |
| Calculus | No | Yes |
| Matrices and determinants | No | Yes |
| Complex numbers | No | Yes |
| Vectors and 3D geometry | No | Yes |
| Marks (Maths paper) | 100 | 300 |
| Eligibility | Graduate | Class 12 pass |
The practical takeaway: if you are a graduate whose Maths is rusty, CDS is far more approachable than NDA because the syllabus stops at Class 10. From the question bank we built for our CDS series, the Elementary Mathematics paper rewards fast, accurate arithmetic rather than advanced technique. Do not over-prepare with Class 12 topics that never appear.
CDS selection has two stages plus a merit list: the written exam, then the SSB Interview worth 300 marks, then a final merit list combining written and SSB scores. You must be a graduate in any discipline for IMA and OTA, with Physics and Maths at 10+2 or an engineering degree for AFA, and an engineering or science background for INA. UPSC conducts CDS twice a year, and only OTA admits women.
The written exam is only the qualifying gateway. Candidates who clear the written cutoff are called for the SSB Interview, a separate 5-day process worth 300 marks with screening, psychological tests, group testing officer tasks and a personal interview. The final merit list adds your written marks (300 for IMA, INA and AFA, or 200 for OTA) to your SSB marks (300), followed by a medical examination. The general age band is roughly 19 to 25 years and varies by academy. CDS runs twice a year as CDS I (exam around April) and CDS II (exam around September). The CDS II 2026 exam is confirmed for 13 September 2026 for those 451 vacancies, and admit cards were released on 3 September 2026; for the next cycle, treat dates as expected until the live UPSC notification confirms them.
For a full study plan, read our CDS 2027 preparation strategy guide, see what officers earn in our CDS salary and job profile guide, and if you are still choosing your defence entry, compare both routes in NDA vs CDS: which defence exam.
Ready to practise? Our CDS full mock test series mirrors the exact English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics pattern with 1/3 negative marking, so your attempt strategy is realistic from day one.
Yes. CDS applies 1/3 negative marking in every paper. In English and General Knowledge each wrong answer deducts about 0.28 marks, and in Elementary Mathematics each wrong answer deducts 0.33 marks. A blank answer scores 0. Because a wrong answer costs a third of the marks, avoid blind guessing and answer only when you can eliminate options.
For IMA, INA and AFA, CDS has 3 papers of 100 marks each (300 total): English 120 questions, General Knowledge 120 questions and Elementary Mathematics 100 questions. OTA has only English and General Knowledge for 200 marks. Each paper is 2 hours, taken offline on OMR sheets with 1/3 negative marking.
CDS Elementary Mathematics is Class 10 matriculation level. It has no calculus, no matrices and no complex numbers, unlike NDA Mathematics which is Class 11 to 12 level. CDS Maths covers arithmetic, Class 10 algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mensuration, so a graduate can prepare it faster than the harder NDA syllabus.
IMA, INA and AFA candidates take 3 papers for 300 marks, including Elementary Mathematics, and lead to a Permanent Commission for men. OTA candidates take only 2 papers for 200 marks (English and General Knowledge, no Mathematics), lead to a Short Service Commission, and OTA is the only CDS track that admits women.
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Yes. After the written exam, qualified candidates attend the SSB Interview worth 300 marks, a separate 5-day process with screening, psychological tests, group testing officer tasks and a personal interview. The final merit list combines your written marks (300 or 200) with your SSB marks (300), followed by a medical examination.
