UPSC CDS Study Plan for 2025: 30 days Study Plan, Get now!
UPSC conducts Combined Defence Services Examination two times each year. This exam is one of the most prestigious defense tests among the candidates who dream of becoming an Officer and joining the Countryβs prestigious in the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Officers Training Academies. With the Combined Defence Services exams only a month around the corner, it becomes very important for candidates to prepare for those last days. These last days will determine the quality of the exams you will take. So make sure to read this article carefully to ensure that you are following the 30 days CDS Study Plan religiously.
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UPSC CDS Exam Pattern
UPSC CDS has different exam patterns for the two of its military academies. They are listed below-
A. UPSC CDS Exam Pattern For Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy
It has three sections that will be included in the test. These are English, GK, and Elementary Mathematics. Each section will carry 100 marks and the duration will be 2 hours.
Subjects/ Sections |
Duration |
Max. Marks |
English |
2 hours |
100 |
General Knowledge |
2 hours |
100 |
Elementary Mathematics |
2 hours |
100 |
Total |
6 hours |
300 marks |
B. UPSC CDS Exam Pattern For Officersβ Training Academy
In this exam, the Elementary Mathematics section is not included. However, all the other things like duration and total marks remain the same as discussed above.
Subject |
Duration |
Marks |
English |
2 hours |
100 |
General Knowledge |
2 hours |
100 |
Total |
4 hours |
200 marks |
How to follow the UPSC CDS study plan for 30 days?
These are some of the important steps to keep in mind before following the UPSC CDS study plan for 30 days
- Set a target of solving 50 questions daily. You can modify this target according to your capacity.
- Current affairs for the past 6 months is very important, so do not miss on that
- The concepts should be clear. Memorization alone does not help.
Check out CDS GK Questions for SSB Interview here!
UPSC CDS Study Plan for 30 days
With the CDS exam around your corner, we bring forward to you a comprehensive 30 days study plan that will help you schedule your activities accordingly while scoring the maximum marks.
UPSC CDS Study Plan 30 days |
|||
Day |
General Knowledge |
English |
Elementary Mathematics |
Time |
3 hours |
2.5 hours |
2.5 hours |
1 |
Economics |
||
2 |
Current Affairs |
||
3 |
Politics |
||
4 |
Current Affairs |
||
5 |
Sociology |
Reading Comprehension Solving |
|
6 |
History |
Reading Comprehension Solving |
|
7 |
CDS Previous Year Question or Mock Test |
Previous Year Question Or Mock test |
|
8 |
Current Affairs |
||
9 |
Environment |
||
10 |
|
||
11 |
Current Affairs |
||
12 |
Art & Culture |
||
13 |
Books & Author |
||
14 |
Previous Year Question or Mock Test |
Previous Year Question Or Mock test |
Previous Year Question Or mock test |
15 |
|||
16 |
Chemistry |
|
|
17 |
|||
18 |
Current Affairs: Last 6 Months |
||
19 |
Substitution of Words |
|
|
20 |
Current Affairs: Last 6 Months |
Phrasal Verbs |
|
28 |
Previous Year Question or Mock Test |
Previous Year Question Or Mock test |
Previous Year Question Or mock test |
22 |
True/False |
Prefix Suffix |
|
23 |
Current Affairs: Last 6 Months |
||
24 |
Error spotting |
||
25 |
Geopolitical Affairs: Paris Climate Change Agreement |
||
26 |
Defense-related Award |
||
27 |
Current Affairs: Last 6 Months |
||
28 |
Statements |
Spellings |
|
29 |
Previous Year Question or Mock Test |
Previous Year Question Or Mock test |
Previous Year Question Or mock test |
30 |
Previous Year Question or Mock Test |
Previous Year Question Or Mock test |
Previous Year Question Or mock test |
Get the detailed CDS Syllabus here!
Things to remember while following UPSC CDS 30 days Study Plan
- Do not rush with anything: while following the study plan, have extreme patience. Do not rush into completing the whole topic at one time. Remember this is not a preparation, it is just a revision. So, this is why we read the subjects calmly. If possible, take a 10-minute break after every 1 hour. In this way, you will not feel like you have to study for 8 hours a day.
- Start writing down your answers: while you are preparing a topic, do not forget to write it down as well. Write some important things about the topic and even the answers you are preparing. In this way, you will be accustomed to writing from beforehand only, and in the exam hall, it will not be a new practice to you.
- Learn by mistakes: this time is meant for revision. If you have not studied anything, we advise you to take the next exam as 30 days is a short amount of time to prepare for such a hectic exam.
- Current affairs: the most important part of this exam. Both levels namely: IMA, INA, AFA as well as OTA are bound to ask questions from this. So, try to give a little extra effort in this section.
Check the CDS Exam 2025 Salary and Job Profile here!
We hope you understood the reason behind creating this 30-day plan. It was to make sure the candidates are giving their best in the last few days while preparing for the exam for the whole year. If you want to keep up with more such competitive exams, download our Testbook app. It is a free app from where you can learn about competitive exams, mock series, and more.
Related Links
Last updated: April 18, 2025
-> The UPSC CDS 2 Notification has been released at upsconline.gov.in. for 453 vacancies.
-> Candidates can apply online from 28th May to 17th June 2025.
-> The CDS 2 Exam will be held on 14th September 2025.
-> Attempt UPSC CDS Free Mock Test to boost your score.
-> The selection process includes Written Examination, SSB Interview, Document Verification, and Medical Examination.
-> Refer to the CDS Previous Year Papers to enhance your preparation.