UPSC CDS 2025 Paper Analysis - Section-wise Difficulty Level, Expected Cutoff, Chapterwise Weightage

Updated By Tiyasa Khanra on 02 Sep, 2024 16:58

The English section has 100 questions of easy to moderate difficulty level. General Knowledge had 100 questions with the difficulty level ranging from moderate to tough. The Elementary Mathematics section had 100 questions with moderate to high difficulty level. Check the UPSC CDS 2 exam analysis below.

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UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2024

The UPSC CDS exam analysis 2024 for the CDS 2 exam is available here as the exam was conducted on September 1, 2024. The overall difficulty level of the CDS 2 exam ranged from easy to moderate. The English Paper was easy but lengthy, and the difficulty level of the GK and Maths paper ranged from moderate to high. The English paper was conducted from 9 AM to 11 AM, the General Knowledge exam from 12 PM to 2 PM, and the Mathematics paper from 3 PM to 5 PM. Candidates will find out about the difficulty level of the questions, important topics for each section, and the number of successful attempts with the full subject-wise UPSC CDS 2 2024 exam analysis.

The UPSC CDS 1 2024 exam English paper was concluded at 11 AM and the overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate to challenging. Two new types of questions were introduced in the paper which included Correlating sentences and Matching lists. Some other types of questions asked in the English Paper were Usiage of Paired words, Prepositions & Determiners, Identifying the Word Class, Reading Comprehension, Synonyms, etc. The UPSC CDS 1 2024 General Knowledge question paper was Moderate in terms of difficulty level. Students found the Mathematics paper to be challenging. 

The CDS exam, administered by UPSC, is for admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Candidates applying for IMA, INA, and AFA must take all three sections (English, Elementary Maths), while OTA candidates take two (English, General Knowledge). The written exam for IMA, INA, and AFA carries 300 marks, while OTA's exam carries 200 marks. Candidates are selected for the SSB Interview based on their written exam performance.

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Section-wise UPSC CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis

The overall difficulty level of the UPSC CDS 2 2024 Exam was moderate.

  • On average, 90-93 questions could be answered from English.
  • The English paper was lengthy. The difficulty level ranged from easy to moderate.
  • Candidates encountered new type of questions in the English section.
  • The pattern of the CDS 2 question paper was observed to be different as compared to CDS 1.
  • In GK, more questions were asked from Current Affairs.
  • The difficulty level of the GK section ranged from moderate to high.
  • Questions from History, Polity, and Science in the GK section.
  • Good attempts in the GK section ranged from 70 to 75.
  • Maths paper was moderate in terms of difficulty.
  • Pattern was changed for mathematical problems. Candidates found questions on Statement and Trignometry.
  • Expected cutoff for the Math section is 120-150. Good attempts can be estimated at 70-80 questions.

The difficulty levels of individual sections have been provided below:

CDS 2 PaperDifficulty Level
EnglishEasy to Moderate
General KnowledgeModerate
MathematicsModerate

UPSC CDS 2 2024 Good Attempts

The UPSC CDS 2 question paper comprised 3 sections – English Language, General Knowledge, and Mathematics. It is challenging to attempt a maximum number of questions with accuracy within the specified time frame. Gaining insights into good attempts is crucial to evaluate their performance and strategize their approach toward attempting questions in the future CDS exams. The good attempts for each section have been provided below:

CDS 2 SubjectsGood Attempts Range
English Language80-90 questions
General Knowledge70-80 questions
Mathematics65-75 questions

CDS 2 2024 English Section Analysis

The overall difficulty of this section ranged from low to moderate. There were a range of topics, each with varying difficulty levels in the English section of the UPSC CDS 2 2024 Exam. Questions were framed on the same lines like that of CDS 1. The topics covered along with the number of questions: 

Name of TopicsNumber of Questions AskedGood Attempts
Opposite Words53-4 questions
Fill in the Blanks106-8 questions
Idioms and Phrases53-4 questions
Para Jumbles2012-16 questions
Grammar106-8 questions
Reading Comprehension106-8 questions
Fill in the Blanks (Preposition)106-8 questions
Error Detection106-8 questions
Vocabulary (Antonym and Synonyms)2012-16 questions
Match the Following53-4 questions
Sentence Combination53-4 questions
Sentence Improvement106-8 questions

CDS 2 2024 General Knowledge Analysis

The overall difficulty of this section ranged from moderate to high. Questions from various subjects are asked in this section each contributing to the overall assessment of the knowledge of candidates reagrding different topics. The difficulty level of this section was higher than CDS 1. The topics covered in this section along with the number of questions have been provided in the table below:

Name of SubjectNumber of Questions AskedGood Attempts
Geography2012-16 questions
Current Affairs159-12 questions
History2012-16 questions
Science and Technology, Defence Related Quetions2012-16 questions
India Polity2012-16 questions
Environment and Ecology106-8 questions
Economics159-12 questions

CDS 2 2024 Exam Analysis – Mathematics

The overall difficulty level of this section was moderate. The topics covered under this section along with the number of questions have been provided below:

Topic

Number of Questions Asked

Number System

10-12

Geometry

8-9

Mensuration

9-10

Trigonometry

18-20

Algebra

7-8

Time, Speed, and Distance

6-8

Mean-Median-Mode

4-5

Simple Interest/Compound Interest

5-6

Time and Work

6-7

Percentage

4-5

Profit/Loss

4-7

Mixture

4-5

Set Theory

3-4

Section-wise UPSC CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2024

The section-wise UPSC CDS 1 Exam Analysis 2024 will be made available to candidates after the exam has been conducted on April 21, 2024. The following table will cover section-wise difficulty levels of English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics sections, along with the total number of questions and the number of subject-wise good attempts.

Subject

Number of Questions

Difficulty Level

Good Attempts

English

120

Moderate to Difficult

80-90

General Knowledge

120

Moderate

73-78

Elementary Mathematics

100

Difficult

63-67

Overall

340

Moderate to Difficult

-

UPSC CDS 1 English Exam Analysis 2024

The overall difficulty level of the UPSC CDS 1 English paper was moderate to difficult with a variety of questions. Two new types of questions were asked in the paper which included Matching Lists and Correlating Sentences. Other topics that were asked in the exam included usage of Paired words, Prepositions & Determiners, Identifying the Word Class, Reading Comprehension, Synonyms, etc. Check the topic-wise distribution in the table below:

Topics

No. of Questions

Adverb

06

Antonyms

10

Cloze Composition

10

Commonly Used words

7

Completion of Sentence

10

Determiners

1

Fill in the Blanks

10

Idioms & Phrases

12

Noun

08

Ordering of Sentences

10

Ordering of words

10

Participle

5

Parts of Speech

10

Preposition & Determiners

10

Reading Comprehension

12

Spotting Error

10

Synonyms

10

Total

120

UPSC CDS 1 GK Exam Analysis 2024

The UPSC CDS 1 GK 2024 paper was moderately difficult for most students. The Science portion was a bit tricky with Physics questions being balanced while Biology and Chemistry were on the doable side. Candidates were also asked questions on areas like Indian Economics, Current Affairs, Geography, etc. Take a look at the topic-wise questions right here:

Topics

No. of Questions

Current Affairs

17

Modern History

16

Geography

15

Polity

18

Chemistry

14

Economics

12

Physics

10

Medieval History

7

Biology

9

Defence

2

UPSC CDS 1 Mathematics Exam Analysis 2024

The Mathematics paper for UPSC CDS 1 2024 was challenging for most students. Some of the most commonly asked questions were from topics like Arithmetic, Geometry, Time and Work, etc. Take a look at the topic-wise distribution for UPSC CDS 1 Mathematics mentioned below:

Topics

No. of Questions

Algebra

9

Clock

4

Geometry

20

Mean-Median-Mode

5

Mensuration

16

Mixture

1

Number System

18

Percentage

3

Profit/Loss

2

Set Theory

2

Simple Interest/Compound Interest

4

Time and Work

4

Time Speed and Distance

5

Trigonometry

12

UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2023

We have determined the UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2023 difficulty level for every section based on feedback provided by applicants who took the exam. English and GK were easier to moderate this year. Over the past ten years, the CDS exam's overall difficulty level has been regarded as moderate to difficult. The subject-specific difficulty level, subjects covered, and question weightage for the CDS exam this year are listed below.

UPSC CDS 2 2023 Exam Analysis: Difficulty Level

Based on student feedback, the analysis of the UPSC CDS 2 exam indicates that the English section was perceived as moderately difficult, with students aiming for approximately 68 to 74 good attempts. Similarly, in the General Knowledge section, students aimed for around 65 to 72 good attempts, also categorized as moderate in difficulty. However, the Mathematics section posed a slightly greater challenge, with students targeting approximately 55 to 60 good attempts, indicating a moderate to difficult level. The following table provides an overview of the section-wise difficulty levels and good attempts for various sections of the CDS 2 2023 Exam. 

Subject

Number of Questions

Difficulty Level

Good Attempts

English

120

Moderate

68-74

General Knowledge

120

Moderate

65-72

Elementary Mathematics

100

Moderate to Difficult

55-60

Overall

340

Moderate to Difficult

 UPSC CDS 1 2023 Exam Analysis - Difficulty Level

Based on student feedback, the analysis of the UPSC CDS 1 exam suggests that the English section was perceived as moderately difficult, with students aiming for approximately 67 to 72 good attempts. Similarly, in the General Knowledge section, students targeted around 60 to 71 good attempts, also categorized as moderate in difficulty. The table below offers insights into the analysis of the CDS 1 2023 Exam, providing details on the difficulty levels of its sections and the good attempts for English, General Knowledge, and Mathematics. 

Subject

Number of Questions

Level

Good Attempts

Difficulty Level

English

120

Moderate

67-72

Moderate

General Knowledge

120

Moderate

60-71

Moderate

Elementary Mathematics

100

Moderate

52-58

To be Announced

Overall

340

Moderate

-

-

 UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2023: English

The English language part, according to candidates, was Moderate. The table below shows the subjects and question weightage from this year.

Topic 

Number of Questions

Difficulty Level

Reading Comprehension

15

Moderate

Synonyms

5

Moderate-Difficult

Sentence Completion

10

Easy-Moderate

Ordering of Words

10

Moderate

Cloze Composition

10

Moderate-Difficult

Preposition and Determiners

10

Easy-Moderate

Ordering of Sentences

10

Moderate-Difficult

Word Meaning

10

Moderate

Fill in the Blanks

10

Moderate-Difficult

Usage of Paired Words

10

Moderate

Spotting Errors

10

Moderate

Parts of Speech

10

Easy-Moderate

Total

120

Moderate

UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2023: General Knowledge

This year, the majority of the questions came from the fields of science, politics, history, economics, etc. The general knowledge exam was rated as Moderate by candidates. For information about this year's topics and question weightage, see the table below.

Name of Sub Section

Difficulty Level

Science

Easy-Moderate

History

Moderate-Difficult

Polity

Moderate

Geography

Easy-Moderate

Economics

Moderate

Current Affairs

Moderate-Difficult

Static GK

Moderate

Total

Moderate

UPSC CDS Exam Analysis 2023: Maths

Candidates expressed how challenging the mathematics section was. Examine the subjects and the importance of the questions.

Topic

Difficulty Level

Algebraic Identities

Moderate

Area and Perimeter(2D)

Moderate

Circle

Moderate-Difficult

clock and time

Moderate-Difficult

Data Interpretation

Easy-Moderate

HCF and LCM

Easy-Moderate

Height & Distance

Moderate

Linear Equations

Moderate

Logarithm and Exponential

Moderate-Difficult

Polynomials and Inequations

Moderate

Powers and Roots

Moderate-Difficult

Properties of Number System

Easy-Moderate

Quadratic

Moderate-Difficult

Quadrilaterals and Polygon

Moderate-Difficult

Ratio and Proportion

Moderate

Reminders

Easy-Moderate

Sequence and Series

Moderate-Difficult

SI and CI

Moderate-Difficult

Statistics

Moderate

Time and Distance

Moderate

Triangles

Moderate

Trigonometry

Moderate-Difficult

Volume and Surface Area (3D)

Moderate-Difficult

Work and Time

Moderate

Overall

Difficult

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