CDS 1 2026 Cut off and Exam Analysis

CDS 1 2026 Cut off

The CDS 1 2026 exam conducted by the UPSC is now over, and most aspirants are eagerly waiting to know the expected cut off and their chances of clearing the written exam. Based on exam analysis, previous year trends, and difficulty level, we can estimate a safe score range for different academies.

In this blog, we will help you understand the expected cut off for CDS 1 2026, previous trends, and what you should do next.

The final cut off depends on multiple factors:

(1) Difficulty level of the paper

(2) Number of candidates appearing

(3) Number of vacancies

(4) Overall performance of candidates

Generally, if the paper is easy, the cut off increases. If it is tough, the cut off drops.

CDS 1 2026 Exam Analysis

Based on feedback from aspirants, the CDS 1 2026 English paper was of a easy and quite manageable. Most candidates were able to attempt a good number of questions, with around 80 – 85 attempts considered a strong performance. The topics were largely familiar like Reading comprehension, Error detection, Synonyms/Antonyms and Sentence improvement.

In contrast, the General Knowledge paper turned out to be more challenging. The overall level ranged from moderate to difficult, with a noticeable focus on History and Science. Good amount of questions appeared from Geography, Polity, and Current Affairs. Many aspirants found this section slightly tougher than expected.

Additionally, the Mathematics paper was of moderate to difficult level, with most questions coming from Algebra and Arithmetic. Attempting around 50–60 questions would be considered a good attempt.

Previous Year Cut off

The below table will give you an idea about the cutoff trend based on marks declared by UPSC in the past years. In addition, it also gives an insight on the difficulty levels of the exam and chances of selection for the SSB interview.

Considering the above cut off trends it is expected that the CDS 1 2026 cut off will be:

A good book can be an invaluable resource when preparing for an exam. The new edition of Mission CDS Book and CDS OTA Book has once again proved to be the best book due to its clear explanations of the concepts, practice questions, exercises, and sample tests. According to aspirants, many direct questions appeared from the book in CDS exam. Moreover, aspirants who practiced with the CDS Countdown Mock Test Papers noticed that several direct questions appeared in the actual exam, which helped them attempt more questions and manage their time effectively.