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CDS

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Source checked 28 September 2026

Exam syllabus

2026 official source located

Source document: UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination II 2026 notice, Appendix I syllabus

Elementary Mathematics · IMA/INA/AFA only

7units

Arithmetic and number systems
Elementary number theory
Algebra
Trigonometry
Geometry
Mensuration
Statistics

English · all academies

1units

Understanding English and workmanlike use of words

General Knowledge · all academies

2units

Current events and everyday scientific observations
History of India and geography

Ten mapped written-paper headings from Appendix I. The English and General Knowledge subjects are intentionally broad in the official notice; detailed Mathematics subtopics remain in the PDF. OTA candidates do not take the Elementary Mathematics paper.

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Exam authority source

Official paper pattern

UPSC · Combined Defence Services Examination II 2026 notice, Appendix I · Source year 2026 · Document date 2026-05-20 · Last reviewed 2026-09-28

IMA / INA / AFA · written examination

Three objective papers of two hours each. The 2026 notice gives no fixed question count.

Section	Questions	Marks	Minutes	Paper language
English	—	100	120	English
General Knowledge	—	100	120	English and Hindi
Elementary Mathematics	—	100	120	English and Hindi
Total	—	300	360	—

OTA · written examination

Officers' Training Academy candidates take English and General Knowledge only, not Elementary Mathematics. These are two separate two-hour objective papers.

Section	Questions	Marks	Minutes	Paper language
English	—	100	120	English
General Knowledge	—	100	120	English and Hindi
Total	—	200	240	—

SSB interview · academy-specific

The two rows are alternatives: 300 marks for IMA/INA/AFA or 200 marks for OTA, equal to that academy's written maximum. They are not additive.

Section	Questions	Marks	Minutes	Paper language
IMA / INA / AFA · SSB	—	300	—	Not specified on linked page
OTA · SSB	—	200	—	Not specified on linked page

Key rules and selection stages

Each wrong objective answer loses one third of its assigned marks; blank answers have no penalty. UPSC may set qualifying marks in any or all written subjects.
The CDS II 2025 academy cut-offs below are historical results; 2026 thresholds are not established by them.

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Authority source

Previous-year cut-offs

UPSC · CDS II 2025 recommendation cut-offs · Exam cycle 2025 · Source published 2026-08-14

Academy-specific historical CDS II 2025 thresholds. IMA, INA and AFA written papers are out of 300 and final totals out of 600; OTA written papers are out of 200 and final totals out of 400. Each written subject also requires at least 20%. These are not CDS 2026 thresholds.