How To Prepare CDS Exam | UPSC CDSE Action Plan

By Satyam Pathak

I have received many messages in which people have asked me how to prepare for CDS exam. After seeing the same question in various groups, I decided to dedicate a post to Combined Defence Services Examination and its preparation plan.

Combined Defence Services Examination is broadly classified into three parts:
1. English
2. General Knowledge
3. Elementary Mathematics (Not for candidates opted for Officers Training Academy, Chennai only)

Clearing this exam requires intensive time management and study plan. I have seen people reading and practicing almost from everything to everything which i feel is not required to clear this exam. Being conducted by UPSC, this exam is highly unpredictable. Hence, mugging up the things in the hope of facing them in examination hall will not yield to productivity. Whoever has contacted me regarding this exam, I have suggested them to download the previous years question papers from UPSC website and to analyze the content properly. The basic aim for this exercise is to make yourself aware about your preparation as per the different sections in the exams.

Once you will be aware about your weak concepts then it will become easier for you to prepare in the right direction. For instance, when i attempted the questions of previous years question papers months before the last time I gave this exam, I found that my concepts of Indian Polity and Trigonometry are weak. I started preparing for both using the books by authors M Laxmikant and RS Aggarwal. On the final day I was able to attempt all the questions correctly in both of these sections.

Here is what I always recommend others regarding CDSE preparation:

English:

English Part of CDSE is considered to be the easiest of all three. This part comprises of questions based on comprehensions, synonyms & antonyms, cloze test, error detection, sentence improvement, phrases etc.

Comprehensions: Questions based on comprehensions are generally easy and can be answered quickly once the passage is read properly. Hence, emphasis should be given to reading and understanding the text quickly. Previous year question papers are enough to prepare for questions based on comprehensions.

Synonyms & Antonyms:
It takes time to develop vocabulary. If you have only few days left then you should not actively waste your time in memorizing random words. It is advisable to recall synonyms & antonyms questions and options given in previous year question papers. Ideally one should learn only 10-20 words per day. Read newspaper daily as it is the best source to enhance vocabulary. Highlight the words which are in trends.

Error Detection & Sentence Improvement:
There are certain rules learning all of which can help you in answering all UPSC level error detection and sentence improvement questions without much difficulty. These rules can be obtained from most of the competitive exams books of English Grammar. You may also drop your email id in the comments and I will share with you all those rules.

Cloze Test:
It requires basic grammar knowledge to answer these questions. Practicing different type of cloze tests will help.

Phrases:
These are just like Synonyms & Antonyms which can give you full marks. Start with previous year questions papers of CDSE and once that is over refer Phrases asked in other UPSC exams like NDA(NA), CAPF, CSAT etc.

General Knowledge:

General Knowledge is a very vast subject in itself. A person derives knowledge according to his/her experiences and environment. Hence, no one can have the knowledge of everything. This part comprises of questions related to current affairs, geography, economics, history, polity, physics, chemistry, biology etc.

These days UPSC is asking questions which checks candidate's deep knowledge related to that topic.

Current Affairs:

One can't afford missing this section as there are many direct or multiple statement based questions on current affairs. If you have plenty of time then start following any good newspaper, news bulletin and magazine on current affairs from today. Some of the best options to go with are: News bulletin on AIR FM Radio, DD News, LSTV, RSTV, The Hindu, Indian Express, Economics Times, Competition Success Review, Pratyogita Darpan etc.

Geography, Economics, History, Polity, Physics, Chemistry, Biology:
Don't start your preparation without analyzing previous year question papers. These subjects are very broad in nature. You must know in which topic you are weak and start preparing with those weak topics in depth. Develop your insights on those topics by studying NCERT books and then only think about covering the whole section that too only if time permits. You may notice topics getting repeated from these subjects. For example, it is quite certain to have questions on topics like Indian parliament, fundamental rights and duties, Indian Constitution, constitutional bodies, national parks and wildlife centuries, different type of rocks, winds, conservation of momentum, sessions of Indian national congress, satyagrah etc. Never miss preparing such high value topics.

When you will feel you have prepared a lot then go back to the previous year question papers and make sure you haven't left any topic unprepared. While exploring the question papers the topics that you have prepared will come again and again and this will automatically complete your revision part.

As each of the above mentioned subjects can be further divided in different sections, I am not mentioning those here. If you need the detailed plan of action to prepare GK for CDSE topic wise then write it in the comments below with your email id.

Elementary Mathematics:

Here comes the most critical and extensive part of this exam. To make it simple and easy for you, I would just suggest you to complete the book: CDS Mathematics by RS Aggarwal. Practice as much as you can. Give more focus to Trigonometry, Geometry and Mensuration part. Mug up the formula. Prefer using short tricks. It is equally important to concentrate on methodology to solve the question. The right approach will save your time.

You should practice enough in such a way that your brain can be able to quickly forecast the way to solve the question the moment you read it. Give more focus to the questions which keeps on getting repeated. For example: "If the price of a product is increased by X% then how much should the consumption be reduced to get same expenditure." Now if you will solve these type of questions twice or thrice then the solution will strike quickly in your mind whenever you start reading similar questions.

Clearing exams like Combined Defence Examination is not a matter of luck at all, it is all about how effectively you prepared. To prepare for anything one needs a strategy or plan. Hope this article will help you. Kindly let me know if it added any value in your preparation. If you want to edit or include anything then feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

All the best for your preparation!