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CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam Syllabus
UPSC exam for entry into IMA, OTA, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy for graduates.. The complete CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam outline — 5 subjects, 23 chapters and 93 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 17 topics · 31 sub-topics
General Knowledge6 chapters · 25 topics · 52 sub-topics
Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA and AFA only)6 chapters · 26 topics · 41 sub-topics
Intelligence and Personality Test (SSB Interview)4 chapters · 14 topics · 21 sub-topics
Reasoning and Mental Ability3 chapters · 11 topics · 13 sub-topics
CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam flashcard decks
251 question-and-answer cards across 5 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
How to work through the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA and AFA only) carries 26 topics while Reasoning and Mental Ability carries 11. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam.
The ~100 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus?
CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam covers 5 subjects: English, General Knowledge, Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA and AFA only), Intelligence and Personality Test (SSB Interview) and Reasoning and Mental Ability. Together they contain 23 chapters and 93 named topics.
How many topics does the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus contain?
The full CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam outline breaks down into 23 chapters, 93 topics and 158 sub-topics. Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA and AFA only) is the largest single subject with 26 topics across 6 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus?
Roughly 100 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam flashcards?
Yes — 251 question-and-answer flashcards across 5 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in India and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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