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[Studyplan] Combined Defense Services

CDS: booklist, strategy, free study material,
previous papers, cutoffs, physical medical
SubscribeStudyplan254 Comments4 years Ago

DONOT apply for CDS exam, unless and until youre certain that you fulfill all medical/physical
requirements (Given @the bottom of this article). Because in past, many candidates have cleared
the written exam, but failed in the medical test. The SSB interview tips given in a seperate article
click me

1. Topicwise Breakup:
2. Grab the weapons (Booklist)
3. 1: History & Culture
1. Ancient
2. Medieval
3. Modern History
4. Culture
4. 2: Science
1. Physics
2. Chemistry
3. Biology
5. 3: Geography
1. Physical Geography
1. Universe
2. Earth: Basics
3. Rocks/Geology related
4. Atmosphere and Climate related
5. Ocean related
6. Disaster related
2. Indian Geography
3. World, Human and Economic Geography
4. Agriculture
6. 4: Environment and Biodiversity (EnB)
7. 5: Polity
8. 6: Economy
9. 7: International relations/events/diplomacy
10. 8: Defense
11. 9: Misc GK
12. Conclusion / summary / final tips
13. Appendix1: Download Links
1. NCERT and NIOS (Essential/Core)
2. History
3. Science
4. EnB
5. Economy
6. Geography
7. India yearbook
8. NCERT and NIOS (Peripheral)
14. Appendix2: CDS notification, cutoffs, previous papers
1. CDS(II) 2013 Notification
2. Cutoffs 2011
3. CDS Previous papers
15. Appendix3: Physical Standards, Medical checkup rules for CDS
 1. Height
2. Weight
3. Weight: Females
4. Eye standards
5. Radial keratotomy
6. Laser Surgery
7. Visual Standards for Navy
8. Pregnancy
9. X-ray Exams
10. Other physical criteria
11. Physical Conditioning Test
12. Airforce: Special tests
13. Appeals after rejections

Topicwise Breakup:
CDS exam is held twice a year, so lets see how were last three papers?

Topic 2012(I) 2012(II) 2013(I)

Science 26 19 28
History n Culture 19 22 18
Geography 15 24 15
Economy 12 5 14
Polity 11 20 14
Misc.GK 7 6 14
IR 6 6 10
EnB 11 7 7
Defense 8 7 0
Agro 5 4 0
Often the new players make mistake of preparing too much current affairs, but as you can see in
the table, majority of the paper is made up of static/theory topics only. Even in Economy and
Polity while lot of current events take place but majority of the MCQS are centered on theory
only.

Grab the weapons (Booklist)

In the market, there is no dearth of jholachhap publications with readymade guides on CDS and
mock tests and what not. But Looking at the previous papers, all I can say is that you need only
three sources to cover up majority of the syllabus:

1. NCERT and NIOS textbooks (even here, youve to do very limited study of specific
chapters, as explained in this article. free download links @bottom)
2. Indian Polity by M.Laxmkanth (religiously mugup this book for ~10 marks in the exam.)
3. General Studies Manual (for filling up the gaps/topics left in NCERTs + for practice of
mock questions) you dont need to buy latest edition, because static topics (history,
geography, science) remain one and same in all edition. So grab second hand/used copy
for a cheaper price or borrow it from a friend. Any publication will work: Unique, TMH,
Spectrum etc.

First well see how to approach static topics (history, geography, science, EnB, economy and
polity.) then well see how to approach the current affairs (for IR and Misc.GK)

1: History & Culture

Update Feb-24-2014:

for History/culture portion, use the Tamilnadu (TN) State education board books, theyre better
than NCERTs. Click me for free download

end of update-
can be sub-classified into following:

Ancient Harappa, Asoka etc.

Medieval Delhi sultanate, Mughals etc.
Modern British raj and freedom struggle.
Culture Music, painting, dance, religion, architecture, books etc. in above 3 periods.
World update: in CDS(II)2013, UPSC did ask a few questions from World history. You
history may consult Lucents GK book + Mrunal.org/history for this. more details soon.

Lets see how much history was asked in last three papers?

Topic 2012(I) 2012(II) 2013(I)

Ancient 3 4 1
Medieval 0 2 1
Modern 12 6 5
Culture 4 10 11
total 19 22 18
% out of 120 15.83 18.33 15

In old times, UPSC used to ask trivial GK question from kings, war timelines etc. =waste
of time in preparation.
But nowadays, questions usually centered around culture or just true/false/find correct
statement; cause-effect-reasons type questions.
I suggest you look at last 2-3 years papers by yourself (given in the appendix) and see it
yourself.

Ancient
In Ancient period, the MCQs mostly come from 2 topics:

1. Harappa
2. Jainism-Buddism (includes Asoka etc.)- Although this can be classified under culture.

Ive already uploaded the NCERTs according to topics (and not according to standards/classes),
so just download from appendix and start reading. If you already have downloaded NCERTs
from any other source, then prepare in following sequence:

*subject*, *class*,*chapter no.*, *chapter name*

1. History6_1_What, Where, How And When

2. History6_2_On The Trail Of The Earliest People
3. History6_3_From Gathering To Growing Food
4. History6_4_In The Earliest Cities
5. History6_5_What Books And Burials Tell Us
6. History6_6_Kingdoms, Kings And An Early Republic
7. History6_7_New Questions And Ideas
8. History6_8_Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War
9. History6_9_Vital Villages, Thriving Towns
10. History6_10_Traders, Kings And Pilgrims
11. History6_11_New Empires And Kingdoms
12. History6_12_Buildings, Paintings And Books
13. History12_1_Bricks Beads and Stones_Harappa
14. History12_2_King farmer towns
15. History12_3_Kinship Caste Class
16. History12_4_Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings

After that: GS Manual and finally mock questions.

Medieval
If youre willing to take the risk (or running out of time), you can even skip this topic
(kings, wars, dynasties etc.). Because rarely 1-2 question come from medieval portion
nowadays. But do prepare culture related things from medieval period.

1. Hist7_1_Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years

2. Hist7_2_New Kings And Kingdoms
3. Hist7_3_The Delhi Sultans
4. Hist7_4_The Mughal Empire
5. Hist7_5_Rulers And Buildings
6. Hist7_6_Towns, Traders And Craftspersons
7. Hist7_7_Tribes, Nomads And Settled Communities
8. Hist7_8_Devotional Paths To The Divine
9. Hist7_9_The Making Of Regional Cultures
10. Hist7_10_Eighteenth-Century Political Formations
11. History12_1_Foreign Travelers to India
12. History12_2_Bhakti -Sufi Traditions
13. History12_3_Vijayanagara-An Imperial Capital
14. History12_4_Mughal Empire and Agrarian Society
15. History12_5_Mughal Courts

After that: Read the Medieval history section in your GS Manual and finally mock questions. But
keep in mind: GS manuals contain truckload of kings and timelines in the medieval period, dont
waste time mugging them up.

Modern History
Important: NCERTs dont cover all MCQ worthy topics from within the Modern history /
freedom struggle. Therefore you must do following

Read GS manual multiple times for this section.

OR use Spectrum publications brief history of Modern India.
And then solve the Mock Questions given in the GS Manual.

here is the list of NCERT chapters:

1. History8_1_How When and Where

2. History8_2_From Trade to Territory
3. History8_3_The Company Establishes Power
4. History8_4_Ruling the Countryside
5. History8_5_Tribals Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age
6. History8_6_1857 and After When people rebel
7. History12_1_Colonialism Official Archives
8. History12_2_1857 Revolt And Its Representations
 9. History12_3_Colonial Cities Urbanisation, Planning And Architecture
10. History12_4_Mahatma Gandhi And The Nationalist Movement
11. History12_5_Understanding Partition
12. History12_6_Framing The Constitution

Culture
While reading above NCERTs, youll come across lot of culture related topics (in painting,
literature, dance, music, religion etc.) however for better and consolidated preparation, I suggest
you also go through the NIOS study material for Culture. (Free download links @bottom)

2: Science
@Arts/commerce students
yeh mujse nahi hoga / science is not my cup of tea = this is loser talk. You want to pass CDS
or SSC, then science has to be prepared, whether you like it or not. Besides, NCERT textbooks
explain the science in very lucid, layman friendly manner, so science is that not difficult, just
read and revise often.

@Science/Engineer/Medical students
dont live in some overconfidence that Just because Im M.Sc (Botany) so I dont need to read
these stupid class7 NCERT science textbooks. I know everything!

Because, you may be good at the technical and latest things happening in your graduation field,
but UPSC asks from basic principles and theories that might have evaporated from your head
after you left highschool years ago. Therefore, no matter what your academic qualification is,
always start with NCERTs.

anyways, continuing onScience can be further divided into

Science subtopic Comment

Physics 1. This is to be prepared from NCERTs, then General Studies (GS)
Chemistry Manual and finally mock questions at the end of GS Manual.
2. (optional): you may also read NIOS material on Geography for
additional grip over the subject. Free download links @bottom.
3. Please note: in GS Manuals, they often go into very minute details,
Biology like chemical formulas of hormones etc. dont waste that much
time. You just need basic science concepts, principles and their
day-to-day application clear.
 You can ignore this if youre running out time. otherwise
Current affairs,
Go through www.Mrunal.org/snt
biotech, nanotech,
goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST,
computer IT, space
Pratiyoigta, Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important things
etc.
from science-tech pages.

Science: Internal breakup in last 3 CDS

Topic 2012(I) 2012(II) 2013(I)
Physics 8 7 6
Chemistry 5 5 10
Biology 6 4 11
Sci-Tech 7 3 1*
total 26 19 28
% of out 120 22% 16% 23%

* (one Qs on Chemistry noble prize 2012)

here is the list of NCERT chapters to be prepared:

Physics
1. Sci10_13_Magnet
2. Sci10_12_electricity
3. Sci10_10_light
4. Sci9_12_Sound
5. Sci9_11_Work And Energy
6. Sci9_10_Gravitation
7. Sci9_9_Force And Laws Of Motion
8. Sci9_8_Motion
9. Sci8_16_Light
10. Sci8_14_Chemical Effects Of Electriccurrent
11. Sci8_13_Sound
12. Sci8_12_Friction
13. Sci8_11_Force And Pressure
14. Sci7_15_Light
15. Sci7_14_Electric Current and its Effects
16. Sci7_13_Motion and Time
17. Sci7_4_Heat
18. Physics11_1_What is Physics

Chemistry
 1. Sci7_5_Acids,Bases andSalts
2. Sci7_6_Physical and Chemical Changes
3. Sci8_3_Synthetic Fibres And Plastics
4. Sci8_4_Materials Metals And Non-Metals
5. Sci8_5_Coal And petroleum
6. Sci8_6_Combustion And Flame
7. Sci9_1_Matter In Our Surroundings
8. Sci9_2_Is Matter Around Us Pure
9. Sci9_3_Atoms And Molecules
10. Sci9_4_Structure Of The Atom
11. Sci10_1_Chemical Reactions and Equations
12. Sci10_2_Acids, Bases and Salts
13. Sci10_3_Metals and Non-metals
14. Sci10_4_Carbon and its Compounds
15. Sci10_5_Periodic Classification of Elements

Biology
1. Sci7_1_Nutrition in Plants
2. Sci7_2_Nutrition inAnimals
3. Sci7_10_Respiration in Organisms
4. Sci7_11_Transportation in Animals and Plants
5. Sci7_12_Reproduction inPlants
6. Sci8_2_Microorganisms Friend And foe
7. Sci8_8_Cell Structure And Functions
8. Sci8_9_Reproduction In Animals
9. Sci8_10_Reaching Theage Of Adolescence
10. Sci9_5_The Fundamental Unit Of life
11. Sci9_6_Tissues
12. Sci9_7_Diversity In Living Organisms
13. Sci9_13_Why Do We Fall ill
14. Sci10_6_Life Processes
15. Sci10_7_Control and Coordination
16. Sci10_8_reproduction
17. Sci10_9_evolution
18. Sci10_11_human eye
19. Biology12_11_Biotechnology Principle and Processes
20. Biology12_12_Biotechnology and its Applications

3: Geography
Geography can be further classified into

Physical Universe, earth, atmosphere, weather, climate etc.

Indian Topics related to India (e.g. industry, drainage etc.)
World Again not much asked from this.

Geography + Agro: Internal breakup

Topic 2012(I) 2012(II) 2013(I)
Physical 9 12 8
Indian 3 10 7
World 3 2 0
Agro 5 4 0
Total 20 28 15
% out of 120 17% 23% 13%

Earlier geography used to encompass Environment biodiversity (EnB) + agriculture, but

now both of them have grown up and getting more special attention from UPSC
Examiners. (Although in 2013s CDS-1, the agro MCQs were conspicuously absent.)
Again, our approach is NCERT => GS Manual => Mock questions.
(optional): you may also read NIOS material on Geography for additional grip over the
subject. Free download links @bottom.
Note: In GS manual, they sometimes go in very minor details e.g. state where particular
breed of goat/pig/cow/buffalo is found. dont waste time in such details. Even for Indian
geography, you should know broad things. If you try to prepare every detail, youll be
stuck there forever.

Physical Geography
Universe
When you go to universe, there is no dearth of GK regarding relative size, color, distance of
various planets etc. but again keep the time factor in mind.

1. Sci8_17_Stars And The solar system

2. Geo6_1_The Earth in the Solar System
3. Geo11_2_The Origin and Evolution of the Earth

Earth: Basics
From earth basics, UPSC usually asks a few questions on

1. Latitudes, Longitudes and timezones (perhaps to test the level of the wanna be navy
officers.)
2. oceanography
 3. atmosphere, climate, weather phenomenon related

Anyways, here is the list of NCERT chapters

1. Geo6_2_Globe Latitudes and Longitudes

2. Geo6_3_Motions of the Earth
3. Geo6_4_Maps
4. Geo6_5_Major Domains of the Earth
5. Geo6_6_Major Landforms of the Earth
6. Geo11_1_Geography as a Discipline (although doesnt fit in this classification!)
7. Geo11_3_Interior of the Earth
8. Geo11_4_Distribution of Oceans and Continents

Rocks/Geology related
1. Geo11_5_Minerals and Rocks (after that, immediacy read the Indian geography
chapters related to distribution of mines and minerals in India)
2. Geo11_6_Geomorphic Processes
3. Geo11_7_Landforms and their Evolution.

Atmosphere and Climate related

1. Geo11_8_Composition and Structure of Atmosphere
2. Geo11_9_Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature
3. Geo11_10_Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems
4. Geo11_11_Water in the Atmosphere
5. Geo11_12_World Climate and Climate Change

Ocean related
6. Geo11_13_Water (Oceans)

7. Geo11_14_Movements of Ocean Water

Disaster related
8. Geo11_7_India_Natural Hazards and Disasters

9. Sci7_8_Winds, Storms and Cyclones

10. Sci8_15_Some Natural Phenomena lightening earthquakes

Misc
11. Geo11_1_Geography as a Discipline

12. Geo11_Glossary

Indian Geography
Here UPSC often asks questions on rivers-tributaries. but then again, no point in mugging up
beyond a level. Apart from NCERT, also read chapter 30 from India Yearbook (free download
link @bottom).

India: Physical Geography

1. Geo6_7_Our Country India
2. Geo9_1_size and location
3. Geo9_2_physical
4. Geo9_4_CLIMATE
5. Geo11_1_India_Location
6. Geo11_2_India_Structure and Physiography

India: rivers
1. Geo9_3_drainage
2. Geo10_3-water resources
3. Geo11_3_India_Drainage System
4. Geo12_India_6_Water Resources

India: Economic geography

1. Geo10_1_resources & Development
2. Geo10_5-mines & ENERGY RESOURCES
3. Geo10_6-industries
4. Geo10_7-transport
5. Geo12_India_7_Mineral and Energy Resources
6. Geo12_India_8_Manufacturing Industries
7. Geo12_India_9_Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context
8. Geo12_India_10_Transport and Communication
9. Geo12_India_11_International Trade
10. Geo12_India_12_Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems

India: Human geography

 1. Geo9_6_Population
2. Geo12_India_1_Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition
3. Geo12_India_2_Migration Types, Causes and Consequences
4. Geo12_India_3_Human Development
5. Geo12_India_4_Human Settlements

World, Human and Economic Geography

1. Geo7_7_transport
2. Geo7_8_Life in tropical areas
3. Geo7_9_life in Grasslands
4. Geo7_10_life in Deserts
5. Geo8_1_Resources
6. Geo8_3_minerals and energy
7. Geo8_5_industries_steel_IT
8. Geo8_6_Human Resources
9. Geo12_1_Nature n Scope
10. Geo12_2_The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth
11. Geo12_3_Population Composition
12. Geo12_4_Human Development
13. Geo12_6_Secondary Activities
14. Geo12_7_Tertiary and Quaternary Activities
15. Geo12_8_Transport and Communication
16. Geo12_9_International Trade
17. Geo12_10_Human Settlements

Agriculture
Agriculture MCQs are slowly getting more attention in both CSE and CDS exams. Here is the
list of NCERT chapters that should be specifically read and revised. More emphasis on soil-
types, crops and cropping technologies.

1. Geo8_4_agri
2. Geo10_4-agriculture
3. Geo11_6_India_Soils
4. Geo12_5_Primary Activities
5. Geo12_India_5_Land Resources and Agriculture
6. Sci7_3_Fibre to Fabric
7. Sci7_9_Soil
8. Sci8_1_Crop Production And Management
9. Sci9_15_Improvement In Food Resources

4: Environment and Biodiversity (EnB)

 As far as CDS is concerned, majority of EnB questions are centered around static/theory
portion.
For EnB, the foundation /base material is NIOS (free download links @bottom).
Go through the articles posted on Mrunal.org/enb

Besides, certain chapters of NCERT Geography and Science textbooks also help in EnB. Here is
the list:

1. Biology12_13_Organisms and Populations

2. Biology12_14_Ecosystem
3. Biology12_15_BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
4. Biology12_16_Environmental Issues
5. Chemistry11_14_ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
6. Economy11_9_ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
7. Geo6_8_India Climate, Vegetation and Wildlife
8. Geo7_1_environment
9. Geo7_2_rocks
10. Geo7_3_Rivers
11. Geo7_4_Air
12. Geo7_5_water
13. Geo7_6_Jungle
14. Geo8_2_Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resource
15. Geo9_5_forest and wildlife
16. Geo10_2-forest & wildlife resources
17. Geo11_4_India_Climate
18. Geo11_5_India_Natural Vegetation
19. Geo11_15_Life on the Earth
20. Geo11_16_Biodiversity and Conservation
21. Sci7_7_Weather, Climate and Adaptations of Animals to Climate
22. Sci7_16_Water A Precious Resource
23. Sci7_17_Forests Our Lifeline
24. Sci7_18_Waste water Story
25. Sci8_7_Conservation Of Plants And animals
26. Sci8_18_Pollution Of Air And Water
27. Sci9_14_Natural Resources carbon cycle
28. Sci10_14_Source of energy
29. Sci10_15_environment_food chain
30. Sci10_16_ Management of natural resources

(Youll find their download link @the Bottom of this article)

5: Polity
In both Civil service exam and CDS exam, polity MCQs form a signification portion. The cost:
benefit ratio is quite good.
 1. Indian Polity by M.Laxmikanth (click to buy from flipkart, pay on delivery)
2. India Yearbook chapter number 3 and 20. (you dont need to specifically
Primary
buy the latest edition for CDS, just use India 2011, Free download link
source
@bottom)

3. Depending on your time and mood, the NCERT, NIOS political science and
Peripheral sociology textbooks. (again free download @bottom).

Here are some tips on how to Laxmikanths book efficiently and get a good grip over the polity
within a short period of time?

Dont study the book in a linear fashion (that is chapter 1,2,3,4sequence)

Instead I suggest you read the book in following direction:

1. First you read the chapter on President, Vice President and immediately move to the
chapter on governor. Then read on Emergency provisions.
2. Read chapter on PM and cabinet, then move to CM and state council of Ministers.
3. Chapter on Parliamentary system and then directly to parliament, but after budget topic
is done pause this chapter and move to on CAG. Then come back and resume the chapter
on parliament.
4. Once parliament is finished, move to State legislative assembly.
5. Supreme Court and then High court, tribunals.
6. Attorney Gen =>Advocate General
7. UPSC =>State PSC
8. Finance Commission =>Planning Commission=>Nat.Development council
9. Now Centre State relation and Interstate relations.
10. Election Commission=> chapter on election, Anti-defection
11. All the National Commissions on Women, SC, ST,OBC, CVC, Lokpal and so on.
Once ^this is done. Move to

1. Citizenship, Fundamental rights, DPSP, duties.

2. Amendment of Constitution=> preamble
3. Jammu Kashmir => Scheduled and Tribal Areas.
4. UT, Panchayati Raj, municipalities

After ^this is done. Read whatever chapters are remaining. Ultimately

Appendix for union-state-concurrent list, table of precedence etc.

the mock MCQ questions given in Laxmikant + also in your General studies manual.

Note: the short explanations given in appendix of every chapter= should be read.

Single time reading of Laxmikanth= useless. Revise his book, minimum 3 times.

An allied topic of Polity is rights-issue for example women rights, children rights,
SC/ST/OBC/PH/Minorities and various schemes meant for that. Although not much is asked
from It and Most of that stuff is already covered under my economic survey chapter summaries
:Mrunal.org/economy and Mrunal.org/polity

6: Economy
Dont waste your time in mugging up stupid numbers (like IIP in xyz month, how much
sharemarket went up or down etc.). In CDS/IAS exam the Economy MCQs are mostly
static/theory based. To prepare Economy use following resources

1. NCERT class 11 and 12. (free download link @bottom.)

2. NIOS material for economy (free download link @bottom)
3. Mrunal.org/economy
4. Finally GS Manual Mock questions for practice.

You dont need to specifically buy Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh for CDS exam, but if
you have it (or can borrow from a friend) then do read it.

7: International relations/events/diplomacy
until now we saw how to prepare the static / theory areas viz. history, geography, science,
polity, EnB and economy. Now comes a current-affairs-oriented topic: International
events.
What separates CDS exam from CSE (IAS/IPS) exam is the specific attention paid to IR
and defense MCQs. So, what type of questions are asked in International events and from
where to prepare their answers?
 1. Various international summits, their
locations, themes

2. Agreements and dispute between

countries for some border, island etc.
Goto library, read whatever competitive
3. Joint military exercises (although I magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta, Chronicle,
count them under Defense topic.) Wizard) and note down important things from
diary of international events + Person in news.
4. Election of President / PM and which
party does he belong to. (Although I
count them under Misc.GK=>Person
in New (PIN)).

5. Basic things about international

organizations such as UN, UNESCO, youll find them covered under your GS Manual
WTO, ASEAN, NATO etc. + in sociology/political science related NCERTs

8: Defense
The questions about various missiles, DRDO technology, joint-military exercises with
other countries.
although 2013s CDS(I) did not contain any specific questions from Defense but 2012s
both CDS (I & II) had questions from defense.
A lot of topics that happened from 2012 upto March 2013, are already compiled in the
following article

http://mrunal.org/2013/03/defense-current-affairs-compilation-2012-13-missiles-joint-exercises-
operations-organizations.html

beyond that, again Goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST,
Pratiyoigta, Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important things from diary of
international events + Person in news.
for basics about army, navy, airforce: organization, recruitment, training etc. read Chapter
9 Defense From India Yearbook. (You dont need to specifically buy India 2013, just
refer the India 2011 free PDF given at bottom of this article. Because that chapter
remains almost one and same in all editions of India yearbook.)

9: Misc GK
It involve sports, awards, books-authors, persons in news and all other stupid infinite trivial
database.
Topic 2012(I) 2012(II) 2013(I)
Awards 2 2 2
Books-authors 1 0 3
PIN (Persons in News) 3 2 6
Sports 1 2 3
total 7 6 14
% ouf of 120 6% 5% 12%

Ive published compilation from 2012 to March 2013 click me after that, goto library, read
whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta, Chronicle, Wizard) and note down
important names/details. Following areas to concentrate

1. Within sports: lawn tennis

2. Within PIN: international personas (PM, President, chiefs of various organization etc.)
3. Books: award-winners or someone who recently died.

Conclusion / summary / final tips

Revision is essential. Whatever you read in NCERT, NIOS or Laxmikanth, keep a target
of revising it multiple times. Otherwise, you wont be able to recall the exact details in
the exam and UPSCs MCQs are very tricky.
If youve applied for this exam, then focus on your studies only. Dont underestimate the
level of competition. Dont waste time in day-dreaming, facebook, orkut, random net
surfing, chatting, TV, cricket, weddings of distant relatives etc. Time-pass activities
will always be there, but once you cross the age-limit, there is no restart button. (This rule
applies to all competitive exams.)
When you get bored reading General studies, then solve maths / English question. when
you get bored with maths/english, resume your General studies preparation.
Dont go in the exam-hall with a cutoff mindset. Dont push luck in negative marking.
Dont tick answers based on guesswork.
maths, english strategy will be posted soon.

Appendix1: Download Links

1. Foxit PDF reader (necessary prerequisite for using Mrunals autonotemaker) click me to
download
2. Almost all of these PDF files provides direct copying of text. => That means you can use
Mrunals autonotemaker to quickly make notes and mindmaps out of it, just use mouse
cursor to highlight a particular line /phrase and my software will copy its text in a
separate file. for more instructions click me

NCERT and NIOS (Essential/Core)

TN State edu Books (for History) https://files.secureserver.net/0fnzZYT7SDNuC9

NIOS (for Culture) https://files.secureserver.net/0fdAWETp4sONW5

NCERT files: topicwise: https://files.secureserver.net/0fHCh0CLd6Az63

Youll find the material organized in various folders. Click on individual folder and download
zip files. Here is the description about the contents of individual folder:

Folder Comment
Contains NCERT history chapters from class 7 to 12, in three zip files:
ancient, medieval and Modern
History +NIOS Culture material

Contains class 7 to 10 NCERT Science in three zips: physics,

chemistry, biology.
Science +NIOS Science material. (although there will be lot of overlapping)
Class 11, 12 Science books given in the peripheral section below.

Contains selective chapters from class 6 to 12 from science and

geography textbooks that are relevant for Environment and
EnB biodiversity.
+NIOS material for environment and biodiversity EnB.

Contains NCERT class 11 + NCERT 12 Macro economics

+NIOS economy material.
Economy Class 12 Micro-economics not included because not worth the time for
CDS. although download link in the peripheral section below.

Contains NCERT class 6 to 12 in five zip folders: physical, India,

World, Agro and glossary.
Geography +NIOS material on geography (although lot of overlapping)

India yearbook
earlier government used to upload free PDF files for India yearbook (e.g. India 2010,
India 2011 etc.)
But since 2012, they stopped. However, for CDS you dont need a latest edition and you
dont need to refer all chapters.
just download the India 2011 edition click me

And read chapter following chapters

1.Land and the People

 2.National Symbols
3.The Polity (for polity)
9. Defense
20 Justice and Law (for polity segment)
30. State and UT (for geography related questions)

NCERT and NIOS (Peripheral)

read these if depending on your time and mood.

Single folder contains many courses from NIOS: sociology, political science
NIOS Download
etc. download as per your time, mood and requirement.

NCERTs
Biology 12 Biology Download
Chemistry 12 Chemistry 1 Download
Chemistry 12 Chemistry 2 Download
Economics 12 Introductory Microeconomics Download
Economics 10 Understanding Economic Development Class X Social Science Download
Economics 9 Economics for Class 9 Download
Physics 12 Physics 1 Download
Physics 12 Physics 2 Download
Political Science 12 Contemporary World Politics Political Science Class 12 Download
Political Science 12 Political Science 2 for Class 12 Download
Political Science 11 Political Theory Political Science Class 11 Download
Political Science 11 Indian Constitution at Work Political Science Class 11 Download
Political Science 7 Social and Political Life Part 2 Class 7 Download
Political Science 8 Social and Political Life Class 8 Download
Social sci. 10 Democratic Politics Part 2 for Class X Social Science Download
Sociology 12 Sociology Indian Society Download
Sociology 12 Sociology Social Change and Development in India for Download
Sociology 11 Introducing Sociology Class 11 Download
Sociology 11 Understanding Society Sociology Class 11 Download
World history 9 India and Contemporary World 1 for Class 9 Download
World history 10 India and the Contemporary World 2 Class X Social Science Download

Appendix2: CDS notification, cutoffs,

previous papers
CDS(II) 2013 Notification
Official notification PDF uploaded here: click me

Cutoffs 2011
As per earlier R.T.I:

There is no provision for reservation (category wise) in CDS examination however, course-wise
cut-off marks of written examination are as under

Name IMA AFA INA OTA

CDSE(I)-2011 90 111 45 72
CDSE(II)-2011 93 126 78 68

CDS Previous papers

1. 2013s CDS (I) GK paper uploaded here: click me
2. other earlier papers available on UPSCs official site: click me
3. if you want topicwise solved papers, then use Arihants book: click me to buy from
flipkart

Appendix3: Physical Standards, Medical

checkup rules for CDS
In your own interest you are advised to undergo a preliminary medical check up for wax
in ears, refractory error of eyes, fungal infection of skin and also gynaecomasties etc for
female candidates before reporting for the interview.
The Medical standards for candidates of Naval Aviation Branch will be the same as for
flying duties of Air Force.
Detection of any disability in the course of a special test carried out prescribed for one
service, may render the candidate unfit for any other service(s), if so considered as
disqualifying by Medical Board.

Height
1. The candidate must be in good physical and mental health and free from any disease /
disability which is likely to interfere with the efficient performance of duties.
2. There should be no evidence of weak constitution, bodily defects or over weight.
 3. The minimum acceptable height for male candidates is 157.5 cms. ( 157 cms for Navy
and 162.5 cms for Air Force ).
4. For Women candidates minimum acceptable height is 152 cms.
5. For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North Eastern region of India, Garhwali
and Kumaon, the Minimum acceptable height will be 5 cms less.
6. In case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height can be reduced
by 2 cms.
7. These concessions are not applicable for Navy and Air Force. Height and weight
standards are given below for Army and Navy only.
8. Interpolation for weights against height not mentioned may be done.

Weight
Weight in Kgs.
Height in Centimetres ( Without shoes )
18 years 20 years 22 years
152 44* 46 47
155 46 48@ 49
157 47 49 50
160 48 50 51
162 50 52 52
165 52 53 55
168 53 55 57
170 55 57 58
173 57 59 60
175 59 61 62
178 60 62 63
180 63 64 65
183 65 67 67
185 67 69 70
188 70 71 72
190 72 73 74
193 74 76 77
195 77 78 78

*45 for Navy @ 47 for Navy

10% ( for Navy ) departure from the average weight given in the Table above is to be
considered within normal limit.
However, in individuals with heavy bones and broad built as well as individuals with thin
built but otherwise healthy this may be relaxed to some extent on merit.
The acceptable weight for Air Force candidates will be + 10% of the average weight
given above.

Weight: Females
 Weight in Kgs.
Height in Centimetres (Without shoes)
20 years 25 years 30 years
148 39 41 43
150 40 42 43.5
153 42 43.5 45
155 43 44 46
158 45 46 48
160 46 47 49
163 47 49 51
165 49 51 53
168 50 52 54

Eye standards
A candidate should be able to read 6/6 in a distant vision chart with each eye with or
without glasses (For navy and Air Force without glasses only)
Myopia should not be more than 3.5D and hypermetropia not more than 3.5D including
Astigmatism.
For women candidates the minimum acceptable visual acuity are : Distant vision
(corrected) better eye 6/6 worse 6/18, Myopia of not more than minus 5.5 including
Astogination.
Internal examination of the eye will be done by means of ophthalmoscope to rule out any
disease of the eye.
A candidate must have good binocular vision. The colour vision standard will be CP-III
for Army.
For Navy it will be CP-I for Executive Branch and CP-II for the rest.. A candidate
should be able to recognise red and green colours.

Radial keratotomy
Candidates who have undergone or have the evidence of having undergone Radial
Keratotomy, to improve the visual acuity, will be permanently rejected for all the three
services.
In order to detect PRK/LASIK all the candidates at SMB will be subjected to the
measurement of Axial length by A-Scan biometer.

Laser Surgery
Candidates who have undergone Laser Surgery for correction of refractive error will be
considered for commission in Army if they fulfill following criteria :-

1. Age more than 20 years.

2. Uncomplicated stable LASIK/Excimer (PRK) laser procedure done for Myopia or
Hypermetropia, with stable refraction for a period of six months after the procedure.
 3. A healthy retina.
4. Corrected vision should be 6/6 in better eye and 6/9 in worse eye, with maximum residual
refraction of + 1.50 in any meridian for myopia or hypermetropia.
5. Axial length within permissible limits.

Notes : The candidates will be asked to declare at the time of medical examination that he has
undergone LASER procedure as above. He will be subjected to a thorough corneal and retinal
evaluation by the ophthalmologist. However, he will be declared unfit at the SMB and those
found to be within the acceptable limits for approval as above will be advised to undergo an
Appeal Med. Board. During AMB he will be subjected to a thorough corneal and retinal
evaluation as also scrutiny of the records by a Senior Adviser in Ophthalmology.

Visual Standards for Navy

(a)Uncorrected without glass 6/12
(b)Corrected with glass 6/6
(c)Limits of Myopia -3.5
(d)Limits of Hypermetropia +2.5
(e)Binocular vision III
(f)Limits of Colour Perception I

Pregnancy
For women candidates if pregnancy is detected at any stage, after selection at SSB or during
training will debar the candidates from grant of commission.

X-ray Exams
The following conditions detected on X-ray examination will be disqualifying for entry to
Armed Forces.

1. Granulomatous disease of Spine.

2. Arthritis/spondylosis.
3. Scoliosis more than 15 degree as measured by Cobbs Method (10 degree for Army)
4. More than mild Kyphosis/Lordosis
5. Spondylolisthesis/Spondylosis.
6. Herniated nucleus pulposes.
7. Compression fracture of Vertebra.
8. Sacaralisation Disease.
9. Cervical ribs with demonstrable neurological or Circulatory deficit.
10. Presence of Schmorls node at more than one level.
11. Atlanto-occipital, and atlantoaxial anomalies.
12. Incomplete Sacaralisation Unilateral or Bilateral.
13. Spinabifida other than SV1 and LV5
 14. Any other abnormality, if so considered by specialist.

Other physical criteria

Chest should be healthy. The minimum range of expansion after full inspiration should be
5 cms. In recording the measurements, fraction of less than 0.5 cm will be ignored, 0.5
cm will be recorded as such and 0.6 cm and above will be recorded as 1 cm. X-Ray of the
chest is compulsory and will be taken to rule out any disease of the chest.
There should be no disease of bones and joints of the body.
A candidate should have no past history of mental breakdown or fits.
The hearing should be normal. A candidate should be able to hear a forced whisper with
each ear at a distance of 610 cms. in a quiet room. There should be no evidence of present
or past disease of the ear, nose and throat.
There should be no sign of functional or organic disease of the heart and blood vessel.
Blood pressure should be normal.
The muscles of abdomen should be well developed and there should be no enlargement
of liver or spleen. Any evidence of disease of internal organs of the abdomen will be a
cause for rejection.
Un-operated hernias will make a candidate unfit. If operated, this should have been done
at least 1 year prior to the present examination and healing is completed.
There should be no hydrocele, varicocele or piles.
Urine examination will be done and any abnormality, if detected will be a cause for
rejection.
Any disease of the skin which is likely to cause disability or disfigurement will also be a
cause for rejection.

Physical Conditioning Test

Prospective candidates are advised to keep themselves in good physical condition by following
the under mentioned routine :-

Running : 2 to 4 Km. in 15 minutes

Skipping
Pushups & situps: Minimum 20 each
Chin ups : Minimum 08
Rope Climbing : 3 to 4 meters.

Airforce: Special tests

In addition to the above, the following medical standards will be applicable in respect of Air
force candidates only :

1. Anthropometric measurements acceptable for Air Force are as follows :

Height 162.5 cms

Leg Length Min. 99 cms. & Max. 120 cms.
Thigh Length Max. 64 cms.
Sitting Height Min. 81.5 cms. & Max 96 cms.

2. X-Ray of Chest is compulsory.

3. Vision
a. Distant Vision 6/6, in one eye and 6/9 Correctable to 6/6 Near Vision N-5 each
eye Colour Vision CP-1 (MLT)
b. Manifest Hypermetropia must not exceed +2.00 DCYL Myopia-NIL & +0.75
DCYL.

4. Ocular Muscle Balance

a. Hetrophoria with the Maddox Rod Test must not exceed :
b. at 6 metres Exophoria 6 prism dioptres Esophoria 6 prism dioptres Hypo-
phoria/Hyperphoria 1 Prism Dioptres.
c. at 33 cm Exophoria 16 prism dioptres. Esophoria 6 prism dioptres;
Hypophoria/Hyperphoria 1 prism Dioptres.

5. Binocular Vision-Must possess good binocular vision (fusion and stereposis with good
amplitude and depth)

6. Hearing Standards
a. Speech test : Whispered hearing 610 cms. each ear.
b. Audiometric Test : Audiometric loss should not exceed + 20 db in frequencies
between 250 Hz and 4000 Hz.

7. Routine ECG and EEG should be within normal limits.

Appeals after rejections

1. Candidates who are unfit may apply for Appeal Medical Board (AMB) to be completed
within 42 days of SMB and may request for Review Medical Board (RMB) within one
day of completion of Appeal Medical Board.
2. Candidates declared unfit by AMB will be intimated by the President AMB about
procedure of challenging the findings of AMB.
3. The candidates will also be intimated that holding Review Medical Board (RMB) will be
granted at the discretion of DGAFMS based on the merit of the case and that RMB is not
a matter of right.
4. The candidate should request for RMB if he/she so desires to ADG Rtg. (CDSE) Army
Hq., West Block-III, RK Puram, New Delhi.-110066 and a copy of the same is handed
over to the President of AMB. The O/o the DGAFMS will inform the date and place
(Delhi and Pune only) where the candidate will appear for RMB.

Mrunal recommends
Books for UPSC IAS/IPS
SBI/IBPS Bank Exams
SSC CGL: Staff selection
CDS: Defense Services
CAT/IIM MBA Entrance
ACIO Intel Officer

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254 Comments on [Studyplan] Combined Defense Services

CDS: booklist, strategy, free study material, previous
papers, cutoffs, physical medical
1. Reply

Rana

Hlo sir gudevening

Im preparing for cds2 2017 .
But sir my English is Very week . Please tell me how to preapre for english exam

2. Reply

navdeep kaur

hello sir! sir im preparing for cds ota 21017 which is going to help in november so sir i
would like to have latest edition of gk general knowldge so sir kindly mail me or jus
update it so that i can refer it as soon as possible.

3. Reply
 upendra singh

please give me latest paper plus how to prepare for enlish for cds ima

4. Reply

Shivam

Helow sir.
How can we prepare for english in cds exam.

5. Reply

Kiran Ray

Jai Hind Sir!

Thanks for this information Sir. We r waiting for ur next content about CDS 2ND 2017.

6. Reply

Raghuram

Sir,
I applied for AFCAT & I m going to attend CDS. My insisors(front teeth) are with a gap.
Is it a problem?

7. Reply

karamveer

sir im doing bsc 1 year how can i prepare for cds ota with graduation sir there is no one to
help me so pls reply me soon

8. Reply

Neha Pawar

Good Afternoon Sir. I am preparing for CDSE II 21017 which will be held on 19th
November. So Sir I would like to know the latest edition of general studies. So Sir please
kindly email or just update it on your portal, so that i can refer to it as soon as possible.

1. Reply

mohit
 you need not to learn from edition of gs but std gs books wll only help in ncert
and moreover your natural awareness to learn wll hlp to pass gs section of
cdse.ncert ,india year book for trivial gk

9. Reply

Abhishek Bhardwaj

I have a desire to serve my country as a commission office in IMA and I am optimistic

about CDS I think its Very effective one thank you for the information sir

10. Reply

Anu Mehla

Please give current plan from where questions are asked now
It will be very helpful for us

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