Know All About the Combined Defence Civil Services Exam (CDS)

What is UPSC CDS?

First things first, let’s start with the simplest possible question: what exactly is the CDS exam?
“CDS” is an acronym for “Combined Defence Services” Examination. The “Combined Defence Services”Examination (CDS) is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment into the Indian Military Academy, officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Indian Air Force Academy.
After completing our undergrad course most of us go through this dilemma of what next?? A post graduate degree in your subject of graduation, a UPSC or an MBA is the option that comes to mind. But have you ever explored the option of working for your nation? Then the Combined Defence Services exam is your chance to join the army, navy or air force. Think about it?? What can be more fulfilling than making working for your country and making a real difference to the lives of people, protecting civilians and feeling a sense of accomplishment that stays with you throughout your life? We get this opportunity twice in a year as the CDS Exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission twice in a year for recruitment to the Army, Navy and Air force.

Stages of the Recruitment process involve:

1.    Qualifying the written test.

2.    Appearing for an interview with the Service Selection Board.

3.    If selected, you get admitted to one of the following-

4.   Indian Military Academy, Dehradun – Permanent Commision

5.    Naval Academy, Goa – Permanent Commission

6.   Air Force Academy, Begumpet – Permanent Commission

7.    Officers Training Academy, Chennai – Short Service Commission

8.   Officers Training Academy, 18^th SSC Women(Non-technical) – Short Service Commission

On the basis of your preferences and ranking in the merit list.
One small thing though, Women candidates are eligible for the Officers Training academy only!

CDS Exam: Recruitment Process

 

Elaborating the recruitment process:

1. Qualifying the written test

Before writing the exam you need to check if you fulfill the eligibility criteria for CDS. These are mentioned in detail on the website www.upsconline.nic.in

The CDS is an objective paper that tests your general knowledge, elementary Math and English aptitude. There are two different exams:

A. One for the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy aspirants.

The pattern for this exam is

Section	No. of questions	Maximum marks
English	120	100
General Knowledge	120	100
Elementary Mathematics	100	100

The questions are in the MCQ format with 4 options for each question. There is a negative marking of 0.33 marks for every wrong answer. The 340 questions need to be attempted in 360 minutes (3 hours).

B.  The second is for the Officer Training Academy aspirants

This exam does not have a Mathematics section and is of 200 marks with each section of 100 marks each.

Section	No. of questions	Maximum marks
English	120	100
General Knowledge	120	100

The English section is aimed at testing a candidate’s basic English skills. Questions in the English section include Synonyms, Antonyms, Reading comprehension, Jumbled sentences, Sentence correction and Fill in the blanks.
The General Knowledge section requires you to have up-to-date knowledge of Current Affairs, scientific inventions, History, Geography and any other topics of importance.
The Elementary Mathematics section tests your knowledge on all topics that have been taught up to the class 10 level.

Cut Offs: Combined Defence Services Exam?

Course	2014	2015	2016
IMA	237	231	235
INA	231	231	229
AFA	266	266	272
OTA (Men)	158	158	160
OTA (Women)	159	160	158

Clearing the cut-offs ensures an interview call.

What happens after the CDS Exam?

 

2. The Interview

·         The Union Public Service Commission will declare the list of candidates short-listed for the interview based on the written test.

·         The Selected candidates will be appearing before a Service Selection Board for the Intelligence and Personality test. The candidate will also be put through a series of group activities and asked to give lectures and brief topics. These tests are aimed at getting an overall assessment of your intellectual and social traits.

·         Candidates for the INA and IAF will also have to undergo a Pilot Aptitude Test.

·         Based on their performance in these tests the candidates will be evaluated out of 200 marks for the OTA and 300 marks for the IMA, INA and IAF.

·         Candidates who qualify the minimum cutoff requirements for the SSB and written examinations will be placed in order on the basis of the marks received.

The final selections will be made on the basis of the vacancies available.

Wish you all the best for the exam!

Best Books For the preparation for the CDS and Defence Services

Best Books for CDS : With the UPSC CDS exam date nearing, aspirants must be exhausting themselves for its preparation. It is not just preparation but the quality of your preparation that matters for this exam. In order to have a sound preparation, candidates should have the best resource.

Aspirants should have the best books for CDS to assist them to crack the exam. Having loads and loads of books does not help until you have the best ones. Note that you can crack the exam even with a single but the best reference.

Best Books for CDS

Let us bring you the different stages of CDS exam. CDS Exam has 2 selection stages:

• Stage I: Written Examination
• Stage II: SBB Interview

CDS Exam has only one Written Test. It comprises 3 sections namely Elementary Maths, English Language and General Knowledge. These sections are for aspirants applying for admission in Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy. Candidates applying for admission in Officers’ Training Academy has only English Language and General Knowledge sections. Before getting into the list of the best CDS study material, candidates should be aware of CDS Exam Pattern.

Look below for the best books for CDS for each section:

Best Books for CDS for Mathematics

This section is for aspirants applying for admission to Indian Military Academy (IMA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Indian Naval Academy (INA). This section of CDS exam tests your mathematical knowledge. The level of questions asked here is of matriculation level.

Best books for CDS for Mathematics
Books	Description
Mathematics for CDS by R.S.Aggarwal https://amzn.to/2TxDqDq	This book is the best package for all the mathematical topics. CDS aspirants can practice all kinds of questions from all the chapters from this singular book. It has solutions by short-cut methods as well. This assists the candidates in solving problems in less time. The book covers every important topic like Arithmetic, Mensuration, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, and Statistics.
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S.Aggarwal https://amzn.to/2O3tiML	This book extensively covers and explains all the topics required for you to score well in the examination. The book covers topics from all the branches of Mathematics- Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry. When it comes to scoring high in the exam, this book is highly dependable.

Best Books for CDS  for English Language

This section is for every aspirant wanting to get admission into Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officers’ Training Academy. English Language section examines your grammar and vocabulary knowledge. It also tests your skill at playing around with words.

Best books for CDS for English Language
Books	Description
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis https://amzn.to/2HxdbFV	The book has everything that is required to improve a candidates’ vocabulary. Along with teaching different topics like idioms, synonyms, antonyms, preposition etc, this book also teaches its readers about the correct usage of similarly spelt words.
English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin https://amzn.to/2Hvb7OT	This high school English Grammar and Composition book provide aspirants guidance in sentence building, comprehension, composition, correct usage of words, autobiography, letter writing, essays etc. This is an effective self-guide book to refer to.
Objective General English by SP Bakshi https://amzn.to/2HiiFFp	Apart from the theory part, this book assists aspirants in practising too. The book has practice papers for each topic covered. It basically helps candidates in an overall preparation for the exam.

Best Books for CDS 2018 for General Knowledge

This section is for every aspirant wanting to get admission into Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officers’ Training Academy. GK section tests your general knowledge on the current events. Along with the books, you should also read newspapers like the Hindu, the Indian Express, etc. and journals for your reference on the current affairs.

Best books for CDS for General Knowledge
Books	Description
Manorama Yearbook by Malayala Manorama Publishers	This magazine updates aspirants on events surrounding Science and Medicine, Census reports, Election results, Economic indicators, Art, National days, List of Union Cabinet Ministers, GK, Awards, Books etc.
General Knowledge by Manohar Pandey https://amzn.to/2Hi5PqC	This study material has topics related to Indian History, Indian Economy, Indian Polity, Geography, General Science etc. This book also deals with current affairs and events.

Important Topics For CDS Exam

We have mentioned a list of important topics for each section below:

Mathematics

Below are the important topics for Mathematics:

Important Topics For CDS Mathematics
Natural numbers	Quadratic equation
Square roots	Simultaneous linear equation
Percentage	Theory of polynomials
Prime and Composite numbers	Trigonometry
Factorisation	Theorems
Logarithms	Mensuration
Laws of indices	Statistics

English Language

Below are the important topics for English Language:

Important Topics For CDS English Language
Spotting errors	Sentence arrangement
Synonyms	Antonyms
Selecting words	Ordering of sentences
Comprehension	Ordering of words in a sentence
Fill in the blanks	Composition

General Knowledge

Below are the important topics for General Knowledge:

Important topics For CDS General Knowledge
Indian Polity: Constitution of India President of India Judiciary https://amzn.to/2CkGmbU	Indian Geography: Ores & Minerals Oil Mills Lakes of India Rivers, Tributaries and their directions Clouds Longitude and Latitude Islands of India States Comparison by Population and Area
Indian History https://amzn.to/2CjZOpl	Military knowledge
Current affairs: Awards Government welfare schemes International trades of India FDI	Applied science: Physics Chemistry Biology

Best Books for IAS Preparation by IAS Toppers

Books play a vital role in the IAS Preparation. Best books impart the best knowledge and in turn is very useful in the IAS Preparation. IAS Toppers and the teachers, lay stress on reading the best available books rather aspiring the best books and do not rely on the available one. The basic concepts are same in all the books but the application of the concept makes all the difference hence some books are considered as the best books.

Books for IAS are considered as an inextricably important during IAS preparation. No person can say that he or she did not study the relevant books for the IAS Exam during IAS preparation. However, the main issue is to do selection of appropriate or best books which are quite relevan and effective for IAS preparation. The easiest way to solve the best books for IAS puzzle by asking the IAS Toppers and follow the suggestions given by them. It will be easy and more effective for an IAS aspirant to follow the way and essential books for IAS Exam adopted by any of the IAS Toppers.

We have prepared a list essential books for IAS Exam suggested by the IAS Toppers of the last few years. IAS Toppers have mentioned the books for IAS Exam that helped them immensely during IAS preparation and to score maximum in every stage of IAS Exam. Basis of those important books for IAS they they able to make their place among the toppers of IAS Exam.

This article suggests the best books for IAS Exam. It is very important to read relevant books for IAS Exam. By choosing relevant books, IAS aspirants can save their precious time during IAS preparation and they can score maximum as well. Suggested books in this write-up have a good coverage of topics of UPSC IAS Exam syllabus.

General Studies Paper I

Indian History

1.   Ancient History: ‘Ancient India’ by RS Sharma (Old NCERT) has good coverage of UPSC IAS Prelims syllabus and you will find a number of questions that has been directly asked from this book.

https://amzn.to/2ETeIn2

2.   Medieval History: History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra (Old NCERT) is more relevant in this section because it has good coverage of topics of Medieval History of India.

 https://amzn.to/2F477TX

  

3.   Modern History: ‘A Brief History of Modern India’ by Spectrum as well as ‘Concise History of Modern India’ by Sujata Menon have good coverage of the Modern History syllabus for IAS Prelims Exam.

 https://amzn.to/2HdIEh0

4. Indian Culture: For this section, the aspirant should go through the book ‘Facets of Indian Culture’ by Spectrum and also through the website of ‘Centre for Cultural Resources and Training’.

https://amzn.to/2SZpnkW

Ancient History	1.‘Ancient India’ by RS Sharma (Old NCERT)
Medieval History	1. History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra (Old NCERT)
Modern History	1. ‘A Brief History of Modern India’ by Spectrum 2.‘Concise History of Modern India’ by Sujata Menon
Indian Culture	1.‘Facets of Indian Culture’ by Spectrum 2. CCRT website

Indian Geography

Old NCERT books are most preferred for the preparation of Indian Geography. For Physical Geography Goh Cheng Leong’s ‘Certificate Physical and Human Geography’ is more relevant. Aspirants must go through the Oxford School Atlas while studying physical geography.

 https://amzn.to/2Ho4b5Y

Geography

1. Old NCERT books 2.Physical Geography by Goh Cheng Leong 3.For Maps Oxford School Atlas

Indian Polity

Books most recommended for the preparation of Indian Polity are ‘Indian Polity’ by Laxmikanth, ‘An Introduction to the Constitution of India’ by D. D. Basu and 'The Constitution of India’ by P. M. Bakshi. With the above standard books for Indian Polity, the IAS aspirant must finish the old NCERT books of Indian Polity.

https://amzn.to/2HaBf2l

Indian Polity

1.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth 2.An Introduction to the Constitution of India by D. D. Basu 3.The Constitution of India by P. M. Bakshi 4.Old NCERT books for Indian Polity

Economy

For the basic concepts and terminologies of economics NCERT books are enough for IAS Preparation. It is essential to reach the Macroeconomics Class 12th textbook by NCERT because it covers the basic terminologies of an economy which are quite helpful for understanding the growth and development of a country.

https://amzn.to/2HeScIE

For further study on Indian Economy, most recommended books are ‘Indian Economy’ by Ramesh Singh, ‘Indian Economy’ by Mishra and Puri and the precise material of Economic Survey. But these study materials are quite comprehensive in content, so, aspirants have to be selective while preparing specifically for IAS Prelims Exam. For Economic Survey, part, every year, we provide Indian Economy Quiz based on the Economic Survey of the respective year.

Indian Economy

1.Class 11 and Class 12 NCERTs 2.Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh 3.Indian Economy by Mishra and Puri 4.Current Economic Survey

Science & Technology

For this section, IAS aspirants must stick to the daily newspapers because the questions asked under Science & the Technology section of the IAS Prelims Exam, are generally based on the current events. The NCERT books of class 9th and 10th are also recommendable for IAS Prelims Preparation but not necessary (in case they have enough time).

Science and Technology

1.Newspaper (The Hindu, Economic Times, The Indian Express) 2.ISRO Website, other Online Resources

Environment and Ecology

For the preparation of Environment and Ecology section, the IAS aspirants must go through the study materials provided by NIOS. Apart from that aspirants should keep a close watch on the development projects of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India and United Nations’ UNFCCC.

Environment and Ecology

1.NIOS Study Material for Environmental Studies 2.Newspaper, Online Study Material

Current Affairs

As usual, the study of newspapers on a daily basis will help them out for the preparation of Current Affairs for IAS Prelims Exam. Particularly, for this section, we to provide valuable study material for current affairs preparation at a regular interval. We are continuously providing Current Affairs Quiz as well as issue-based analytical articles which are quite relevant for IAS preparation.

Current Affairs

1.Newspaper (The Hindu, Economic Times, The Indian Express) 2.Jagran Josh, other Online Resources

General Studies Paper II CSAT (Aptitude)

General Studies Paper II CSAT of IAS Prelims Exam comprises of the topics like English Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability, Mathematics, Decision Making. Since, the Paper II CSAT has been made qualifying only, aspirants should tailor preparation by which they can score at least 40-50 marks easily. However, only 33% is required to qualify the Paper II CSAT.

English Comprehension

The passages asked in this section are generally taken from standard journals and newspapers. To buy a book, particularly for this section is a waste of money. So, stick to magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, Frontline and the newspapers like Indian Express, The Hindu, EPW and Livemint. Also, do the practice of Previous Year Question Papers.

Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability

In this section, most of the aspirants prefer RS Aggrawal but they should also take the help of MK Pandey’s Analytical Reasoning. RS Aggarwal has good coverage of various topics, but in terms of comprehension MK Pandey’s explanations and illustrations are much more advanced and lucid.

https://amzn.to/2TulycS

Mathematics

RS Aggarwal of S Chand publication is enough for the preparation of Mathematics. This book has comprehensive coverage of the topics of IAS syllabus and there is no requirement of studying other books separately.

https://amzn.to/2TqHNQG

Decision Making

Read General articles from newspapers. The news articles related to the problems of a particular area or community and how the respective civic bodies solving those problems will help aspirants to develop decision-making skills in them.

Conclusion

IAS aspirants should not prefer a large number of books for any subject. They should follow standard books and study materials only. They should focus on to revise those standard books again and again rather going for another new study material.

Essential Books for IAS

Subjects	Books	Subjects	Books
Ancient History	‘Ancient India’ by RS Sharma (Old NCERT)	World Geography	1.Fundamentals of Human Geography (NCERT) 2.Certificate Physical And Human Geography
Medieval History	History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra (Old NCERT)	Economy	1.India People and Economy (NCERT) 2.Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
Modern History	1.A Brief History of Modern India by Rajiv Ahir 2.World History by Norman Lowe 3.‘Concise History of Modern India’ by Sujata Menon	Polity	Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
Indian Culture	1.‘Facets of Indian Culture’ by Spectrum 2.Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania 3.CCRT website	Current Affairs	The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, Jagran Josh
Physical Geography	Certificate Physical And Human Geography	Science & Tech	1.Notes by Shankar IAS 2.Daily Newspapers ISRO website
Indian Geography	India: Physical Environment (NCERT)	Environment & Ecology	1.Recent Events on Climate change through Newspapers 2.NIOS Study Materials