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CDS 1 Question Paper 2026 - Download Subjectwise Question papers PDFs
The Union Public Service Commission releases the CDS 1 question paper 2026 a few weeks after the completion of the examination at the official website, upsc.gov.in. Candidates can access the memory-based question paper PDFs released by various coaching institutes released almost immediately after the completion of the examination. The official previous years’ question papers can be downloaded from the official website. The applicants preparing for the CDS exam must go through these question papers to prepare for the exam.
The UPSC CDS question paper can be directly downloaded from this page. Candidates can make use of the previous years question papers to prepare more thoroughly for the exam. The following article provides the CDS question papers PDF links, which the candidates can download.
CDS 1 Question Paper 2026 PDF
Candidates can download the CDS 1 2026 question paper PDFs for all sets (Set A, B,C, and D) shortly after the completion of the examination. The official PDFs and memory based papers will be updated below once available.
Paper | Download link |
English | Download here |
General Knowledge | Download here |
Elementary Maths | Download here |
As per the official schedule released by the UPSC, all the papers in the CDS exam will be conducted on the same day in multiple shifts. The exam schedule according to the timetable is as follows:
English - 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
General Knowledge- 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Elementary Maths- 4:00 p.m. to 6 p.m.
CDS 1 2026 Exam Pattern
The candidates must understand the CDS 1 2026 exam pattern to prepare for the examination. The CDS 1 exam is an offline examination, conducted in two stages: written exam, and SSB Interview. The following tables provide detailed information about the exam pattern.
For IMA, INA, AFA
Subject | No. of questions | Marks | Duration |
English | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
General Knowledge | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
Elementary Maths | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
For UTA
Subject | No. of questions | Marks | Duration |
English | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
General Knowledge | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
Note: Each incorrect answer will be carrying a ⅓ negative marks.
Previous Years’ CDS Question Papers
Candidates are advised to solve at least the last 5 to 10 years CDS question papers along with the CDS 1 2026 question paper for better preparation. This would help the candidates understand the recurring patterns and exam trends. The following tables provide the previous years’ CDS question papers.
CDS 1 Previous Years’ Question Papers
Question Paper | English | General Knowledge | Elementary Maths |
CDS 1 2025 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
CDS 1 2024 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
CDS 1 2023 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
CDS 2 Previous Years’ Question Papers
Question Paper | English | General Knowledge | Elementary Maths |
CDS 2 2025 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
CDS 2 2024 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
CDS 2 2023 | Click here | Click here | Click here |
How to download the CDS 1 2026 Question Paper?
Candidates can follow the below steps to download the CDS 1 2026 question paper from the official website.
Visit the official website, upsc.gov.in
Navigate to the examination section
Click on the ‘Previous Question Papers’ tab
Select CDS examination
Download the required paper PDF
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: When will the CDS 1 2026 question paper be released?
A:
Memory-based questions and answer keys are released immediately on exam day (April 12, 2026) by various coaching institutes, with the official UPSC paper released later.
Q: What is the difficulty level?
A:
The CDS 1 2026 paper is widely considered to be of a moderate difficulty level overall.
Q: Is there an attempt limit?
A:
There is no limit on the number of attempts, provided you meet the age and eligibility criteria (typically 19–25 years depending on the academy).
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Questions related to CDS
On Question asked by student community
Have a question related to CDS ?
Hello,
There are certain age limit criteria determined by the conducting body. For more details, you can refer to the article mentioned below regarding the age limit for the UPSC CDS exam.
Eligibility criteria for CDS candidates
Hello,
You can refer to the article mentioned below regarding the career options after a Bachelor of Computer Applications
Career opportunities after BCA
Hi
If you are a female candidate with a DOB of May 25, 2002, you can appear for the CDS exam for 4 to 5 more attempts. Check out the CDS exam dates 2026 to learn more about how and when to appear for the examination.
Yes, you can apply for the CDS 1 2027 and CDS 2 2027 exams, but likely ONLY for the Officers' Training Academy (OTA). You will be overage for IMA, INA, and AFA.
CDS 1 2027 Eligibility
For the course commencing in January/April 2028, the approximate age cut-offs will be:
|
Academy |
Yes you're eligible . If you're born on 1 july 2003, you're eligible for UPSC CDS 2 in 2026 for IMA . For IMA the candidate must be born between 2 july 2002 and 1 july 2007
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