The clock is ticking, and the Combined Defence Services Exam (2) 2026 is about 20 days away. Most of you must be in the final stage of your preparation now, but none of it will make sense if you do not know about the CDS exam marking scheme. We understand that most of you must already be aware about the way you are marked in the examination, we try to elaborate on the details that most of us miss out.
What is the CDS Exam?
Before we learn about the CDS exam marking scheme, we should know the basics. While most of us know already what the CDS exam entails, for a quick revision, this exam is conducted twice a year by UPSC for candidates aspiring to become commissioned officers in the Indian Armed Forces.
It has four academy preferences, namely, IMA, OTA, AFA, and INA. The first two taken in candidates for the Indian Army, whereas the last two enlist IAF and Navy candidates respectively.
The exam is fairly simple, with syllabus that comprises English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics (not applicable for OTA entry). Candidates get two hours for each paper, and have to answer a total of 360 questions (120 questions in each paper).
Please bear in mind that all the three papers will not happen in one sitting; rather you will get about 1.5 hours between each paper to relax, and revise as well.
CDS Exam Marking Scheme
Unlike other examinations, the CDS exam marking scheme is quite distinct. Hence, before you sit for the exam, you must be well aware of the CDS exam marking scheme, which will affect how you attempt the number of questions. So, let us get started.
It is a well-known fact that each paper in the exam comprises 120 questions. The maximum marks are 100 for each, so if you do a little Math, you’ll realize that the CDS exam marking scheme is as follows:
- A positive 0.83 for every correct answer marked
- A negative 0.27 for every incorrect answer marked
- 0 for unattempted questions
Please notice that we have mentioned “marked” against each bullet point. This means that mere knowing of the answer would not help you. You also need to mark the same correctly in the OMR sheet.
Sometimes, we try to complete the exam hastily to do well in the CDS exam marking scheme, and encircle incorrect options. This is not a computer-based test, hence, marked answers cannot be erased later. Therefore, be very careful while marking your responses.
Sectional and Aggregate Cut-offs in CDS Exam
This part is beyond the CDS exam marking scheme and something that most of the fresher candidates do not know. To pass the exam, and get shortlisted for the SSB interview, you need to qualify these two conditions:
- Clear the sectional cut-off for each paper, which is generally 20% of the maximum marks. This means that you will necessarily need about 20 marks in each paper to qualify the written.
- Pass the aggregate cut-off for all three papers.
This means that if the maximum marks are 200, and the aggregate cut-off is 80 marks for OTA, you must compulsorily have a combined score of 80 or above in both the papers. At the same time, you should have at least 20% in each paper. Here is an example scenario of who qualifies the CDS exam with these conditions, and who does not:
Candidate A
She gets 70 marks in English, and 15 marks in General Knowledge. Now, her combined score is 85 marks, which is above the aggregate cut-off. However, she will not qualify the exam because she has failed to clear the sectional cut-off in GK.
Candidate B
She gets 50 marks in English, and 30 in GK. Her combined total is 80, which is lower than Candidate A’s score, but satisfies both the conditions to qualify the exam. Hence, she will be shortlisted for the SSB interview.
In short, you must get 20% or above in each paper, as well as qualify the overall cut-off to reach the next stage of selection.
Different Cut-off For Women
Starting with CDS (2) 2025, UPSC announced in its notification that since the Short Service Commission (SSC) Non-Tech for men and women are separate entries, the cut-off marks for both men and women applying for OTA will also be different. As a result of this, for the same cycle, the cut-offs varied.
Hence, if you are a woman candidate you can expect a higher cut-off than men in the CDS exam marking scheme. However, do not be discouraged because this will only reduce the competition in SSB for the better, as a higher cut-off would mean the following:
- Only serious aspirants would clear the exam.
- Less number of women will report at the SSB centre for the screening.
- Better chances to get screened in, as competing against about 90 is easier than doing the same against 300+ women.
- Good AIR in merit, and higher chance of reaching the academy, as this time you must have noticed that women who have scored just two marks above the cut-off have also been merit in.
Therefore, view this as an opportunity, and work harder to clear the written exam. Best of luck!
