UPSC · Combined Defence Services · 2026

From Classroom
To Commission.

Structured prep for CDS — entry into the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers Training Academy — with mocks mapped to each academy's actual paper combination and SSB interview groundwork.

IMA INA AFA & OTA covered English + GK + Maths mocks SSB interview prep Daily current-affairs targets

Start Preparing Free View Exam Pattern

2,100+

CDS aspirants

Academies covered

4.7

Rating

What's included

Everything you need,
nothing you don't.

Academy-Specific Mock Tests

Separate mock combinations for IMA/INA/AFA (English + GK + Maths) and OTA (English + GK only, no Maths paper).

Daily Target Questions

10 questions every day across English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics, with current-affairs questions refreshed daily.

Elementary Maths Drills

Focused practice on the Class 10-level Mathematics paper that trips up candidates who haven't touched the subject in years.

SSB Interview Groundwork

Curated material on the Officer Intelligence Rating test, group tasks and personal interview format used at Services Selection Boards.

Defence Current Affairs

Daily-updated General Knowledge content weighted toward the defence, geography and current-affairs topics CDS papers favour.

All-India Leaderboard

See exactly where you stand against every other CDS aspirant on the platform, updated after every mock.

Exam Pattern

Know the paper before you sit it.

IMA / INA / AFA — Three-Paper Pattern

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
English	~120	100	2 hr
General Knowledge	~120	100	2 hr
Elementary Mathematics	~100	100	2 hr
Total	~340	300	6 hr (3 papers)

Each paper is a separate 2-hour sitting OTA applicants skip the Mathematics paper entirely written-exam and SSB-interview marks are combined for the final merit list

OTA — Two-Paper Pattern (No Maths)

Stream	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	~120	100	2 hr
General Knowledge	~120	100	2 hr

CDS 2026 Cycle (Typical)

CDS 1 NotificationDec

CDS 1 ExamApr

CDS 2 NotificationJun

CDS 2 ExamSep

Syllabus

What CDS actually tests.

Reading ComprehensionError SpottingSentence CorrectionSynonyms & AntonymsOrdering of WordsIdioms & PhrasesSpotting Errors

Current AffairsDefence & Military AffairsIndian HistoryGeographyIndian PolityEconomicsScience & TechnologySports

Number SystemAlgebraTrigonometryMensurationStatisticsGeometryArithmetic — Class 9-10 level

Officer Intelligence RatingPicture Perception & Discussion TestGroup Planning ExercisePersonal InterviewPsychological Tests

Your Faculty

Major Vikram Negi (Retd.)

CDS Subject Expert, AptiEdge

Indian Army (Retd.) · SSB Assessor Experience

Taught by someone who has actually served.

Vikram served 18 years in the Indian Army and was involved in candidate assessment processes before transitioning to full-time CDS and SSB coaching.

He focuses heavily on the Elementary Mathematics paper, since most CDS aspirants come from non-maths backgrounds years after last touching Class 10-level topics.

18 yrs

Army service

1,400+

Candidates mentored

260+

Selections via AptiEdge

What they cover

EnglishGeneral KnowledgeElementary MathematicsSSB Interview Coaching

Study Plan

90 days to CDS.
Here's the structure.

Days 1-20

Foundation

Revisit Class 9-10 Mathematics fully if your branch is IMA/INA/AFA. Build a daily current-affairs reading habit from day one.

Days 21-45

English & GK Depth

Daily timed English sets and structured GK revision — history, geography and polity in rotation, not all at once.

Days 46-70

Mock-Led Practice

Two full academy-specific mocks a week, each paper timed at its real 2-hour duration, reviewed section by section.

Days 71-90

SSB Readiness

Shift to Officer Intelligence Rating practice, group task formats and mock personal interviews — written marks alone don't get you in.

Success Stories

Students who cleared CDS.
In their own words.

Real people. We don't inflate this number.

Selected

Yash Tomar

Selected — Indian Military Academy

Written: 233/300

"Maths was the section I was most scared of. The Elementary Maths drills here got me from barely passing to comfortably clearing it."

Verified AptiEdge student

Selected

Ritika Chauhan

Selected — Officers Training Academy

Cleared SSB on 1st attempt

"I had no idea what to expect at SSB. The interview groundwork material made the actual process feel far less intimidating."

Verified AptiEdge student

Selected

Harshit Bisht

Selected — Air Force Academy

GK: 92/100

"Daily current-affairs targets meant I wasn't cramming the week before the exam — it was already in my head by exam day."

Verified AptiEdge student

FAQ

Common questions about CDS prep.

No — IMA, INA and AFA applicants write an Elementary Mathematics paper, but OTA (Officers Training Academy) applicants only write English and General Knowledge.

Yes, women candidates can apply through OTA for the Non-Technical stream, and eligibility has expanded in recent cycles — always check the current notification for exact details.

A multi-day Services Selection Board process after the written exam, including Officer Intelligence Rating tests, group tasks, and a personal interview — distinct from a typical college placement interview.

Marks from the written exam and the SSB interview are combined — clearing the written paper alone does not guarantee selection.

No — AFCAT is specifically for the Indian Air Force, while CDS feeds the Army (IMA), Navy (INA), Air Force (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA) through one common exam.

From Classroom To Commission.

Everything you need,nothing you don't.

Know the paper before you sit it.

What CDS actually tests.

Taught by someone who has actually served.

90 days to CDS.Here's the structure.

Students who cleared CDS.In their own words.

Common questions about CDS prep.

Your commission starts with one mock test.

From Classroom
To Commission.

Everything you need,
nothing you don't.

90 days to CDS.
Here's the structure.

Students who cleared CDS.
In their own words.