The UPSC CDS exam is conducted twice a year. If you are preparing for UPSC CDS 2019, then you must prepare for UPSC CDS Previous Year Question Paper. The UPSC CDS Previous Year Paper would help you understand the pattern of the questions and the difficulty of the questions. In the following post, we would take a look at the UPSC CDS Previous papers from 2018, 2017 and 2016.
UPSC CDS Previous Year Question Paper – Understanding the Exam Pattern
Before we take a look at the UPSC CDS Previous papers, we would take a look at the exam pattern and syllabus. This would help you to know what you should study and the topics that would come in the UPSC CDS Paper. As you might now, the entire exam pattern has only one written stage followed by the SSB Interview
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern for the Written Exam
As said before, the written exam consists of objective type paper. The exam pattern is different for Candidates for OTA and Candidates for IMA, AFA and INA. Let us take a look at the different exam patterns.
Exam Pattern for Candidates for OTA
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern for INA, IMA, AFA
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 Hours | 100 |
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern for Personality Test
Let us take a look at the exam pattern for the personality test. The personality test doesn’t have an exam pattern like the written test. As said above, the personality test would have the OIR test and the PP&DT. To know more about the tests, you can click on the button below:
UPSC CDS Previous Year Question Paper
Let us now look at the UPSC CDS Previous Year Question Paper. We have UPSC CDS Question Paper from 2018, 2017 and 2016. You can click on the links to download the UPSC CDS Previous Year Paper.
UPSC CDS Question Paper 2018
UPSC CDS Question Paper 2017
UPSC CDS Question Paper 2016
These were some of the UPSC CDS Previous Year Question Paper that you can use for preparation. We would upload more UPSC CDS Previous Papers as we get it. To know more about the UPSC CDS 2019 exam, click on the link below
UPSC CDS Previous Year – Syllabus
Let us now take a detailed look at the UPSC CDS exam syllabus. The candidates appearing for OTA would have to answer questions on English and GK and the candidates appearing for the IMA, AFA and INA would have the answer questions on mathematics in addition to English and GK. The syllabus for English and GK is the same for both the candidates. You need to know the syllabus to answer the UPSC CDS Question Paper. The detailed UPSC CDS Syllabus is given below:
UPSC CDS Syllabus for ENGLISH (Code No. 01)
The question paper will be designed to test the candidates’ understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.
UPSC CDS Syllabus for GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (Code No. 02)
General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on History of India and Geography of nature which candidate should be able to answer without special study.
UPSC CDS Syllabus for ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS (Code No. 03)
ARITHMETIC
Number System—Natural numbers, Integers, Rational and Real numbers. Fundamental operations, addition, substraction, multiplication, division, Square roots, Decimal fractions. Unitary method, time and distance, time and work, percentages, applications to simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, variation.
Elementary Number Theory—Division algorithm. Prime and composite numbers. Tests of divisibility by 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11. Multiples and factors. Factorisation Theorem. H.C.F. and L.C.M. Euclidean algorithm. Logarithms to base 10, laws of logarithms, use of logarithmic tables.
ALGEBRA
Basic Operations, simple factors, Remainder Theorem, H.C.F., L.C.M., Theory of polynomials, solutions of quadratic equations, relation between its roots and coefficients (Only real roots to be considered). Simultaneous linear equations in two unknowns—analytical and graphical solutions. Simultaneous linear inequations in two variables and their solutions. Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear equations or inequations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable & their solutions. Set language and set notation, Rational expressions and conditional identities, Laws of indices.
TRIGONOMETRY
Sine, cosine, Tangent when 0° < x < 90° Values of sin x, cos x and tan x, for x = 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°
Simple trigonometric identities.
Use of trigonometric tables.
Simple cases of heights and distances.
GEOMETRY
Lines and angles, Plane and plane figures, Theorems on (i) Properties of angles at a point, (ii) Parallel lines, (iii) Sides and angles of a triangle, (iv) Congruency of triangles, (v) Similar triangles, (vi) Concurrence of medians and altitudes, (vii) Properties of angles, sides and diagonals of a parallelogram, rectangle and square, (viii) Circles and its properties including tangents and normals, (ix) Loci.
MENSURATION
Areas of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangle and circle. Areas of figures which can be split up into these figures (Field Book), Surface area and volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders, surface area and volume of spheres.
STATISTICS
Collection and tabulation of statistical data, Graphical representation frequency polygons, histograms, bar charts, pie charts etc. Measures of central tendency.
