UPSC will release the official CDS 1 question papers 2026 online on the official website, upsc.gov.in. The official previous years' UPSC CDS question papers will also be available to download on the official website. Candidates can download the question paper of UPSC CDS exam directly from this page. For the CDS 2026 question papers, various coaching institutes release the unofficial CDS answer key.
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Those who are preparing for the CDS exam are advised to make use of previous years question papers in order to prepare more thoroughly for the exam. Candidates can download the previous years CDS question papers from the links provided below.
You can download UPSC CDS question papers from the links below
Candidates can download the CDS 2 2025 question paper from the table below after the official release.
| Papers | Download link |
| Elementary Maths | Download here |
| English | Download here |
| General Knowledge | Download here |
Candidates can download the CDS 1 2025 question paper from the table below after the official release.
| Papers | Download link |
| Elementary Maths | Download here |
| English | Download here |
| General Knowledge | Download here |
Candidates will be able to download the CDS 2 2024 question paper from the below table after the official release.
| Papers | Download link |
| Elementary Maths | Download here |
| English | Download here |
| General Knowledge | Download here |
Candidates can download the CDS 1 2024 question paper from the below table.
| Papers | Download link |
| Elementary Maths | Download here |
| English | Download here |
| General Knowledge | Download here |
CDS English Question Paper | CDS General Knowledge Question Paper | CDS Mathematics Question Paper | |
CDS Question Papers 2023 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2022 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2021 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2020 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2019 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2018 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2017 | Click Here |
CDS 2 English Question Paper | CDS 2 General Knowledge Question Paper | CDS 2 Mathematics Question Paper | |
CDS Question Papers 2023 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2022 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2021 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2020 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2018 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2017 | |||
CDS Question Papers 2016 |
Candidates attempting the CDS previous year question paper with the solution can benefit aspirants in many ways, some of which are mentioned below -
Practising with past question papers helps gauge the exam's difficulty level.
Candidates can become aware of how important topics in the CDS syllabus will be presented in the exam.
By practising the CDS previous year's question papers, candidates will be able to get an idea of their progress.
Solving past question papers helps candidates understand their weak points so that they can figure out how to improve them.
Solving CDS question papers while keeping a timer will make it easier for candidates to answer questions in the actual CDS exam on time. It has the added benefit of increasing accuracy and question-solving speed.
Also download question papers of other UPSC exams
Visit the UPSC official website - upsc.gov.in
In the header tab, click on "Examination" and select "Previous Year Question Paper" from the dropdown
Select the year for which the CDS question paper needs to be downloaded
Download the CDS question paper and practice daily.
After the exam is conducted, UPSC will provide aspirants with a challenge option which is also known as the "Question Paper Representation Portal" QPRep. Candidates will be able to challenge the CDS 2026 question papers within one week. The steps to challenge are mentioned below -
Visit the official UPSC - upsc.gov.in.
Click on the examination tab and select “Time Frame for Representation”.
A new window will appear. Click on the link given in PDF i.e. https://upsconline.nic.in/miscellaneous/QPRep/.
Click on made representation for CDS question paper.
Fill in all details in the required field and submit the representation.
Check here list of other government exams
CDS written exam is conducted in pen and paper mode. CDS 1 question paper 2026 with answer pdf is MCQ-based. Each section consists of 100 marks with a time duration of 2 hours. There is a negative marking of 1/3rd marks which will be deducted for wrong answers.
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Apart from the question papers, UPSC will also release the CDS 2026 answer key on the official website. The official website will have all the correct answers to the questions asked in the exam. However, as soon as the exam is over, various coaching institutes release the unofficial CDS answer keys 2026, which are memory-based.
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The CDS 2026 syllabus is mentioned in the official notification. The syllabus consists of all the subjects, topics, and sections on which the CDS question paper 2026 will be based. As per the IMA, INA, and AFA syllabus, the subjects are English, GK, and Elementary Knowledge. For OTA, the subjects are English and GK.
To prepare for the CDS 2026 exam, aspirants need to follow the steps mentioned below -
Stick to the official syllabus and CDS 2026 exam pattern.
Download the CDS's previous year's question paper and practise it regularly.
The difficulty level of the exam is graduation level, so just make sure to cover the syllabus topics
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can download the CDS question paper 2026 from the official website and from the download links that are mentioned in the article.
The CDS cut off 2026 is released according to the difficulty level of the CDS question paper.
No, the exam is not very difficult however, the competition is tough due to a lot of candidates applying for few, limited vacancies. If you prepare well you can qualify for the exam.
Yes, there is negative marking in the exam which is 1/3rd mark per wrong attempt.
The CDS questions 2026 are available under the 'Previosu year Question Paper' section on the website.
On Question asked by student community
Hello aspirant,
On August 23, 2024, the Union Public Service Commission made the NDA 2 2024 admit card available on its official website, upsc.gov.in/upsconline.nic.in. The timeframe for editing NDA 2 2024 application forms was open until June 11, 2024. On June 5, 2024, the NDA rectification window opened. On June
Hello there,
Yes, you can apply for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) after completing your graduation in 2027, based on your date of birth, 29th November 2003. Here’s how your eligibility works out:
Eligibility Criteria for CDS IMA:
Age Limit: For IMA, the
To determine your eligibility for the CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam in 2027, we need to consider the age criteria set by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the exam.
For the CDS exam, the age criteria generally are as follows:
Hello aspirant,
The upper age limit for CDS IMA is 24 years. Since you are currently 21 years 3 months old, you have 2 years and 9 months left to appear for the CDS IMA exam. This means you can attempt the exam 3 more times before reaching the age
Hello Aspirant
The eligibility criteria for CDS is that the candidate must be between the ages of 19 to 25 years. Since you were born in 2003, that will make you 24 years old, making you eligible for the exam.
But, just to be on the safer side, I would