Study Material Required To Clear CDS Written Exam | Complete list

In this blog, we will explore the complete list of study material for the CDS exam and what an aspirant should have beforehand. This is a crucial stage for aspirants beginning their CDS preparation, especially for those focusing primarily on self-study. The right study materials not only help channel energy and effort in the right direction but also save valuable time

It has been proven time to time that there is no need for 10 different guides and unrealistic study plan to clear CDS. Major number of candidates clear CDS just with few selected study material and right approach to study.

It’s true that, in today’s world, we are surrounded by entertainment-oriented study material. It is a fact that well edited or humorous videos won’t help you retain information in your head. Such content should never be a primary source for your preparation. While watching them may aid in revision, the foundation of your preparation should always be self-practice and independent study.

So, what are the primary Study Material one needs to have in hand

1. A Pen, Pencil and Practice notebook for each paper, i.e English, GK & Mathematics
2. A Guide to CDS that has complete syllabus, maps, charts. We highly recommend Mission CDS
3. A Practice Question Bank that has MCQs from all topics. Specially those questions that have mostly been repeated in one UPSC exam or the other. We highly recommend 5000+ Most Expected MCQs for GK , Practice papers Book for English and Mathematics
4. Mock Test Individual Booklets with OMR sheets. This is necessary at the end when you have completed your preparation. It is highly recommended to go through CDS Countdown with OMR Booklets

Now, that you know the study material you need at hand. Let us go through the approach that has majorly been used by those candidates who cleared CDS in their first attempt.

Starting with the Basics for English

Time and time again, it’s been shown that reading a storybook or fiction before bed instead of using your phone not only helps you fall asleep on time but also improves your vocabulary. You might not even notice it, but you’ll start using new words when speaking or writing. Often, we struggle with finding the right words, even though we know what we want to say. That’s why reading is a great way to boost your vocabulary

When preparing English for the CDS exam, it’s important to know the syllabus and practice the chapters thoroughly. Start by doing one exercise from each topic you’re working on. For example, if you’re studying ‘Sentence Improvement,’ your CDS guide will be super helpful! Now, remember that notebook? Open it, write the date at the top, and note how many answers you got right or wrong during your practice. For the wrong answers, write down the correct answer in practice notebook. By doing this, you’re training your mind and body to understand what went wrong and what was the correct answer. This method is way more effective than just practicing and checking the correct answers at the end

Make your approach smart! For example, when studying synonyms and antonyms, don’t just read them. If you come across a word you don’t know, say it out loud! Yes, speak and pronounce the word. If you have more time, try writing the meaning in your own simple words. For example, if you see the word ‘Erroneous,’ which means ‘incorrect,’ you can write down words like ‘wrong,’ ‘invalid,’ ‘inaccurate,’ ‘mistaken,’ or ‘false’ in your practice notebook. This way, you’ll have a better chance of remembering it if you came across the word again.

Once you’ve completed all the chapters and exercises, you’ll be well-prepared for the CDS English paper. The only thing left is to practice under exam-like conditions to gain confidence and to check if you have the right speed and approach. For this, you should go through the CDS Countdown. Practicing with 10 individual booklets and OMR sheets will boost your confidence and help you aim for a 70+ score in the English paper alone

Strategy For CDS General Knowledge Paper

1. Start with any chapter of your choice in Mission CDS Guide. It is for this Paper that you may need a highlighter or pencil to mark in the book. Highlighter can be used to mark an important fact or point to recall. Mission CDS presents each topic in a very easy to grasp manner with point to point Facts, table to memorise information as given below.
2. Now, There are two effective ways to study: one is to speak loudly and clearly to help you memorise, and the other is to make notes and recall them to check if you truly understand the topic. Choose the method that works best for you, as both have proven to be effective.
3. For subjects like Geography, keep blank Indian outline maps with you and mark them as shown in the Mission CDS guide. This will help you visualize Geography more clearly. While there might not be direct map questions in the CDS exam, knowing the maps will help you mentally plot locations and solve many questions indirectly.
4. Once you have completed the entire syllabus from mission CDS book, go through 5000+ MCQs Most expected Question bank. It will serve as a good practice and also there are high chances many questions will directly come from the given MCQs
5. Finally, practice the GK paper under exam-like conditions, with the given time limit and marking on an OMR sheet. This will help build your confidence before the actual exam. If you follow this approach, you can easily score 50+ in the General Knowledge paper, well above the required 25 marks

Strategy for CDS Mathematics Paper

Mathematics is the only paper that is lengthy and there are high chances that you will run out of time in Mathematics paper. Also, this paper needs actual solving of questions unlike ticking in General knowledge and mathematics. Start with any chapter of your choice. Understand the basics in the Mission CDS Guide and solve the practice examples provided there. The more you practice with a pen, the better you’ll get. Remember, simply reading through the questions, solutions, and tricks in mathematics won’t help. It may seem easy when reviewing them, but you’ll find it much more challenging when actually solving the problems. Mathematics is all about practice and nothing more

Mission CDS benefits by dividing all the chapters into broader sections based on the types of questions asked in UPSC CDS. There are proper practice examples and practice questions given for each topic in the chapter. Not only this, there are shortcut tricks too and you will find these really helpful while solving the question saving you a lot of time

Solved practice exercises also help you build confidence using the tricks. In short, MISSION CDS is the perfect guide for Mathematics. The key is to solve all the questions in the book in your practice notebook. By doing so, you’ll gain the confidence required in mathematics through the use of shortcut tricks.

Finally, you should go through the CDS Countdown and practice with actual booklets, following the instructions and completing the test under exam like conditions using the OMR sheets given. This will help you to check your speed and approach to the paper, and increase the likelihood of completing all the questions on time with confidence.