UPSC CDS II Syllabus Details 2026 Check Now

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) II 2026 for 451 vacancies. The online application started on 20 May 2026 and the last date to apply is 09 June 2026 at the UPSC online portal.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

UPSC CDS II Syllabus Details 2026

Advt No NO.11/2026-CDS -II | Short Details of Notification

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📌 Selection Process

Written Examination (CBT)
- IMA/INA/AFA: 3 papers (English + GK + Mathematics) = 300 marks
- OTA: 2 papers (English + GK) = 200 marks
SSB Interview (Intelligence & Personality Test)
- Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) + Picture Perception & Description Test (PPDT)
- Stage II: Psychological tests, Group Testing Officer (GTO) tasks, Personal Interview, Conference
Medical Examination
- After SSB, candidates are sent for medical fitness test.
Final Merit List
- Based on Written Exam + SSB Interview marks.

📌 Exam Pattern (Written Test)

For IMA, INA & AFA (3 Papers)

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	100	100	2 hours
General Knowledge	100	100	2 hours
Elementary Mathematics	100	100	2 hours
Total	300	300	6 hours

For OTA (Men & Women) (2 Papers Only)

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	100	100	2 hours
General Knowledge	100	100	2 hours
Total	200	200	4 hours

OTA के लिए Mathematics नहीं है — केवल English + GK।

📌 Detailed Syllabus

1. English Language (100 Marks, 2 Hours)

Syllabus Topics:

Reading Comprehension
- Passages (factual, descriptive, argumentative)
- Main idea, inference, tone, vocabulary in context
Spotting Errors
- Grammar errors in sentences (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, etc.)
Sentence Improvement
- Correcting faulty sentences, improving structure
Fill in the Blanks
- Grammar-based (tense, preposition, article, conjunction)
- Vocabulary-based (synonyms, antonyms, idioms)
Synonyms & Antonyms
- Word meanings, opposite words
Idioms & Phrases
- Common idioms, phrasal verbs, expressions
Para Jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement
- Reordering jumbled sentences to form a coherent paragraph
Other Grammar Topics
- Tenses, Voice, Narration (passive/indirect speech basics)
- Articles, Determiners, Conjunctions, Prepositions

Level: 10th–12th standard English.

2. General Knowledge (100 Marks, 2 Hours)

Syllabus Topics:

(A) Current Affairs

National & International events (last 6–12 months)
Government Schemes & Policies
Awards & Honours (Padma, Bharat Ratna, Gallantry Awards)
Sports (major tournaments, awards)
Important Days & Events
Summits, Conferences, Appointments

(B) History

Ancient India: Indus Valley, Vedic, Maurya, Gupta, etc.
Medieval India: Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Bhakti & Sufi movements
Modern India:
- Freedom Movement (1857 Revolt, 1885–1947)
- Important movements, leaders, Congress sessions
- Post-independence consolidation

(C) Geography

Indian Geography:
- Physical features (mountains, rivers, plateaus, plains)
- Climate, Monsoon, Soils, Natural Vegetation
- Agriculture, Minerals, Industries
World Geography:
- Continents, Oceans, Major physical features
- Climate zones, Important latitudes & longitudes

(D) Polity & Governance

Indian Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights, DPSP, Fundamental Duties
Parliament, President, Prime Minister, Judiciary
Elections, Panchayati Raj, Union Territories
Important Amendments

(E) Economy

Basic concepts: GDP, GNP, Inflation, Budget, Fiscal Policy
Economic Planning, Five-Year Plans (broad idea)
Banking, Monetary Policy, RBI basics
Current Economic Schemes, Poverty Alleviation, Employment

(F) General Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)

Physics: Motion, Force, Work, Energy, Sound, Light, Electricity, Magnetism
Chemistry: Elements, Compounds, Acids & Bases, Metals & Non-metals, Chemical reactions
Biology: Human body systems, Diseases, Nutrition, Genetics basics

(G) Defence Awareness

Ranks in Army, Navy, Air Force
Major Defence Exercises (India & friendly countries)
Important Commands, Base Commands
Defence Technology (missiles, aircraft, ships, tanks – basic level)
Defence Acquisitions, Indigenous programmes (Tejas, Arjun, INS Vikrant, Agni missile series)

(H) International Relations

India’s neighbours & key relations
Important International Organisations (UN, WHO, IMF, World Bank, SAARC, BRICS, G20)

Level: 10th–12th standard + current affairs.

3. Elementary Mathematics (100 Marks, 2 Hours)

(Only for IMA, INA, AFA – NOT for OTA)

Syllabus (NCERT Class 10 level):

(A) Arithmetic

Number System: Natural, Whole, Integers, Rational, Irrational
HCF & LCM
Percentage
Ratio & Proportion
Profit & Loss
Simple Interest & Compound Interest
Time & Work
Time, Speed & Distance
Average
Partnership (basic)
Mixture & Alligation (basic)

(B) Algebra

Basic algebraic operations
Linear Equations (in one/two variables)
Quadratic Equations (basic)
Polynomials (basic)
Remainder & Factor Theorem (basic)

(C) Geometry

Lines & Angles
Triangles: properties, congruence, similarity
Quadrilaterals: parallelogram, rectangle, square, rhombus, trapezium
Circles: chords, tangents, secants, properties
Basic constructions (angle bisector, perpendicular, etc.)

(D) Mensuration

Areas & Perimeters: triangle, rectangle, square, circle, parallelogram, trapezium
Volume & Surface Area: cuboid, cylinder, cone, sphere, hemisphere

(E) Trigonometry

Trigonometric Ratios: sin, cos, tan, cot, sec, cosec
Identities: basic identities (sin²θ + cos²θ = 1, etc.)
Heights & Distances (simple problems)
Values of standard angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°)

(F) Statistics & Probability (basic)

Statistics:
- Mean, Median, Mode
- Graphs: Bar diagram, Pie chart, Line graph, Histogram (basic)
Probability:
- Basic probability of simple events (coin, dice, cards)

Level: 10th standard mathematics (NCERT).

Important Links : UPSC CDS II Recruitment 2026

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Official Website	UPSC

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📌 Quick Preparation Tips

English: Daily reading (newspaper), grammar practice (spotting error, sentence improvement), vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, idioms).
GK:
- Current affairs: last 6–12 months (national + defence + economy).
- NCERT (Class 6–12) for History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science.
- Defence awareness: regular updates on exercises, missiles, aircraft, ranks.
Mathematics (IMA/INA/AFA):
- NCERT Class 9–10 maths + previous year CDS papers.
- Focus on Arithmetic + Trigonometry + Mensuration + Algebra.
Mock Tests:
- Take full-length CDS mocks (2 hours per paper).
- Analyse mistakes and revise weak areas.

FAQ

Item	Details
Exam Name	UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Total Vacancies	451 posts: IMA 100, INA 26, AFA 32, OTA 276 (Men) + 19 (Women)
Notification Date	20 May 2026
Application Dates	Start: 20 May 2026, Last Date: 09 June 2026
Modification Period	10 June – 16 June 2026
Admit Card	06 September 2026
Exam Date	13 September 2026 (Sunday)
Exam Mode	Offline (Pen & Paper)
Negative Marking	0.33 marks deduction per wrong answer
Official Website	upsconline.nic.in