CDS 1 2023 English Preparation Strategy: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced to conduct the CDS 2023 exam on 16th April 2023 for the eligible candidates against 341 vacancies across the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA).
Candidates appearing for the CDS 2023 exam should ace their preparation well within time from the date of examination. In this article, we have shared how to prepare for the CDS exam without coaching, important English topics, and tips & tricks to score high marks.
UPSC CDS 2023 Calendar
Event |
Date |
CDS 2023 Notification Release |
21st December 2022 |
CDS 2023 Registration Start Date |
21st December 2022 |
CDS 2023 Registration Last Date |
10th January 2023 (till 6.00 PM) |
CDS 2023 Application Withdrawal |
18th January to 24th January 2023 till 6 pm |
CDS 1 2023 Admit Card |
3 Weeks Before Examination Date |
CDS 1 2023 Exam Date |
16th April 2023 |
CDS 1 2022 Result |
To Be Announced |
UPSC CDS Exam Pattern 2023
CDS Exam Pattern for OTA
Subject |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
General Knowledge |
100 |
2 hours |
English |
100 |
2 hours |
Total |
200 |
4 hours |
CDS Exam Pattern for INA, IMA & AFA
Subject |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
Elementary Mathematics |
100 |
2 hours |
General Knowledge |
100 |
2 hours |
English |
100 |
2 hours |
Total |
300 |
6 hours |
UPSC CDS 1 2023 Syllabus and Latest Exam Pattern IMA INA OTA AFA
UPSC CDS 1 Salary 2023: Pay Scale, Allowances, Promotion IMA INA AFA OTA
CDS 1 2023: Check Toppers Preparation Strategy, Mock Test for General Knowledge
CDS Preparation Strategy 2023 for English
CDS syllabus for English includes Reading Comprehension, Spotting Errors, Sentence Rearrangement, Idioms & Phrases, Ordering of Sentences, Cloze Test (Fill in the Blanks), Synonyms & Antonyms, Grammar, and Vocabulary. The question paper of English is designed to test the candidate’s understanding of English and workmanlike use of words.
1. Read newspapers and editorials to score high marks in Reading Comprehension
The most number of questions are expected from Reading Comprehension in Combined Defence Services examination. As per previous exam analysis, approximately 10-12 questions have come from Reading Comprehension. Candidates should make a habit of reading editorials from The Economic Times, The Hindu analysis, etc.
2. Tips and Tricks to Solve English questions
Reading Comprehension: Never use knowledge or information outside the passage. Understand what the author wants to convey or wants to ask. Make notes of important points in the passage on the rough sheet provided. Solve synonyms and antonyms first.
Spotting Error: Read each part of the question statement carefully. Spotting the subject-verb agreement is the key to solving these problems. Read the statement thoroughly after solving it if it makes sense.
Sentence Correction: It requires good knowledge of English grammar. Assess the original sentence to spot grammatical errors and use the elimination method to narrow down the correct options.
Para Jumbles: The trick is to find the first sentence and concluding sentence to make the connection. After spotting the first and last sections, one can arrange to make a meaningful sentence.
Cloze Test: Spot the logical sequence between all options by using the elimination method. Choose the option that is grammatically correct.
3. Solve CDS Previous Years’ Question Papers, Mock Tests
Scoring high in Language sections is a matter of practice. Take up previous years’ question papers and mock tests to practice questions. This will help you in understanding the difficulty level and pattern of questions asked in the CDS exam. Below, candidates can check the link to the past years’ question papers and mock tests for the English section.
4. Important English topics in CDS exam
Each section has a few important topics which candidates must definitely prepare. The important English topics in the CDS exam include Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles, Sentence Arrangement, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Synonyms and Antonyms.
5. There will be negative marking for wrong answers
Candidates must refrain from guesswork in the CDS exam. There will be a penalty of 0.33 marks for each wrong answer. If a candidate marks more than one answer, it is counted as a wrong answer even if one of the options chosen turns out to be correct. However, if a candidate leaves a question blank then there will be no penalty.
For CDS 1 Admit Card 2023, Click Here