UPSC CDS I Recruitment 2026 Exam Pattern & Syllabus Out Now

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released Examination Notice No. 4/2026-CDS-I for Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination I, 2026 with 451 vacancies for Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Online applications open from 10 December to 30 December 2025.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

UPSC CDS I Recruitment 2026 Exam Pattern & Syllabus

Advt No – 4/2026-CDS-I | Short Details of Notification

WWW.GOVFORMHUB.COM

SSB Interview (After Written Exam)

Stage 1 (Screening):

Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) Test
Picture Perception & Description Test (PPDT)

Stage 2 (5 Days):

Day	Tests
Day 1	TAT, WAT, SRT, Self Description
Day 2-4	Group Tasks (GTO), Psychology Tests
Day 5	Conference & Final Result

Marks: IMA/INA/AFA: 300, OTA: 200 (Written) + 120 SSB Marks

Exam Pattern

For IMA, INA, AFA (300 Marks)

Paper	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	120	100	2 Hours
General Knowledge	120	100	2 Hours
Elementary Mathematics	100	100	2 Hours
Total	340	300	6 Hours

For OTA (200 Marks)

Paper	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	120	100	2 Hours
General Knowledge	120	100	2 Hours
Total	240	200	4 Hours

Marking Scheme: +1 mark per correct, -1/3 mark per wrong
Language: GK bilingual (Hindi/English), English & Maths in English only

Detailed Syllabus

1. English (120 Questions – 100 Marks)

Grammar: Spotting Errors, Sentence Improvement, Active/Passive Voice
Vocabulary: Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms & Phrases, One-word Substitution
Comprehension: Reading Passages, Cloze Test, Fill in Blanks
Sentence Rearrangement: Para Jumbles

2. General Knowledge (120 Questions – 100 Marks)

Current Affairs (30-40%):

National/International Events (last 12 months)
Sports, Awards, Books & Authors
Government Schemes, Summits

History (20%):

Indian Freedom Struggle (1857-1947)
Ancient/Medieval India, World History

Geography (15%):

Physical/Indian/World Geography
Rivers, Mountains, Climate, Agriculture

Polity & Economy (15%):

Constitution, Fundamental Rights, Parliament
Economic Planning, Budget, Banking

Science (10%):

Physics, Chemistry, Biology (10+2 level)
Defence Technology, Space, Environment

Miscellaneous: Defence Exercises, Ranks, Commands

3. Elementary Mathematics (100 Questions – 100 Marks)

Arithmetic (20-25 Q):

Number System, HCF/LCM
Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio
Time & Work, Speed & Distance, SI/CI

Algebra (15-20 Q):

Basic Operations, Quadratic Equations
Logarithms, Set Theory

Trigonometry (15-20 Q):

Identities, Heights & Distances
Sine/Cosine/Tangent values (0°-90°)

Geometry (15 Q):

Lines & Angles, Triangles, Circles
Congruency, Similarity Theorems

Mensuration (10-15 Q):

2D/3D Figures: Area, Volume (Triangle, Circle, Cube, Cylinder, Sphere)

Statistics (5-10 Q):

Mean, Median, Mode, Data Interpretation

7-Day Preparation Strategy

Day 1: English Grammar + Vocabulary
Day 2: GK – Current Affairs + History
Day 3: Mathematics – Arithmetic + Algebra
Day 4: GK – Geography/Polity + Maths Revision
Day 5: Full Mock Test (IMA Pattern – 300 Marks)
Day 6: Previous Papers + Weak Areas
Day 7: SSB OIR/PPDT Practice + Light Revision

Important Links:

Apply Online	Click Here
Join GovFormhub Channel	Telegram \| WhatsApp
Official Notification PDF	Click Here
Official Website	CLICK HERE

FAQs : UPSC CDS I Recruitment 2026

Negative Marking? Yes (1/3rd marks)
OTA Candidates? Skip Mathematics
SSB Mandatory? Yes (for all qualifiers)
Cut-off (Previous Year): Written ~90-110, Final ~180-220
Age Limit: 19-24 Years (varies by academy)