The Combined Defence Services Examination or CDS is the first step to becoming an officer in the Indian Armed Forces. Every year lakhs of candidates appear for it but most fail because they lack a solid CDS exam strategy for it. Hence, today we share some tried and tested tips to score well in CDS this time and get a chance at the SSB interview.
What is CDS?
CDS is a defence exam conducted by UPSC twice each year to shortlist candidates for the SSB interview. Candidates can give an order of preference among the four academies given (each catering to a service), that is IMA and OTA for Army, INA for Navy, and AFA for Air Force. The syllabus involves the following papers:
- English for 100 marks
- General Knowledge for 100 marks
- Elementary Mathematics for 100 marks (not for OTA entry)
Each paper comprises 120 questions. You get 0.83 marks for a correct answer, and a negative 0.27 for each wrong one. Hence, you need to be sure of the answer to avoid negative marking, which can affect your score. Therefore, you need these tips to score well in CDS.
Tips To Score Well in CDS
As we’ve shared above, people do not fail CDS because they did not study, but because they lacked the correct CDS exam strategy for it. To be honest, you can trust us when we say that these tips to score well in CDS are tried and tested because I have cleared the exam 5/5 times with consistently increasing scores. So, let’s get started.
I. Know your basics well
Being very straightforward here, you cannot clear CDS in your lifetime if your basics are not clear. A person who cannot tell the basic properties of acids or the kinds of soil found in India will never be able to answer the questions that the exam comprises. Hence, work on your basics as the first one of the tips to score well in CDS.
You can focus on NCERT, which is the Bible of competitive exams in India and will give you a clear account of everything. However, if you don’t have time, you can skip the self-study part and do the following:
- Online YouTube videos for each subject, where the lecturer tells you things from the basics. You can easily find a plethora of videos on the platform.
- Check out our book Mission CDS: Path to Success, which compiles everything at one place in the form of notes.
Similarly, for English and Mathematics, know the Grammar rules and formulae respectively because you can only find the area of a hexagon or a square when you know the relevant formula.
II. Give timed mocks
Let us assume that you have a fan at home but you never switch it on. It just accessorises your ceiling. Is there a point of such an appliance? Similarly, your knowledge of basics is useless if you do not put it to the test. Hence, next in the list of tips to score well in CDS is: Give as many mocks as possible. There isn’t a fixed number of mock tests that you should give, but the more you give, the better.
In fact, don’t just stop at attempting mocks, go a step further and analyze your mistakes for further improvement. You can access mocks online through a variety of platforms, which also give you the analysis on-the-spot. However, if you want to take your preparation a step further you can get your hands on two of our books:
These two come with OMR sheets, which will give you an exam hall-like feeling and on the D-day you will find yourself more comfortable while answering questions.
III. Take a chance with the questions
This is the last of the three tips to score well in CDS and applies to the exam day. Once you sit for the exam, please take a chance with the questions that you get. When I appeared for CDS for the first time, I only attempted questions that I was 100% sure of. Due to this, while I was able to clear the exam, I eventually did not make it to the merit. Later, I worked on this shortcoming, took chances, and ended up scoring as high as 115!
When we ask you to take chances, there is a nuance that you must look into. By taking chances we do not mean blindly circling answers even when you are completely unaware. You should only take a chance when you’re 50 to 75% sure of the answer. Here is an example question:
Which traditional Indian folk theatre form from Karnataka is known for its elaborate costumes, vibrant makeup, and performances based on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, or local folklore?
a. Yakshagana
b. Tholu Bommalata
c. Lavani
d. Bihu
Now, anyone who has sound reasoning will easily eliminate the last two options because they are not related to South India. Once done, you’re sure that the answer is either of the first two options. Out of them, Yakshagana sounds more related to folklore as compared to Tholu Bommalata. So, you can take a chance by ticking Yakshagana.
If you get it right, you’ll gain 0.83 marks, but if you get it wrong, you only lose 0.27. So, if you do the Math, taking a chance isn’t that harmful. Remember that the exam is not testing your knowledge alone, rather your presence of mind as well, hence following these tips to score well in CDS will boost your performance.
Final Thoughts
These three tips have helped me clear CDS every single time. In fact, if you ask any person who has scored well in the same, they will agree to these tips to score well in CDS. Therefore, pull up your socks in the final few weeks. Best of luck!
