CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: Check Subject-Wise Paper Review, Difficulty Level & Good Attempts
CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: The UPSC is conducting the Combined Defense Services Examination-II today, on 13 September 2026 in offline mode. The candidates who are appearing for the examination can check the detailed review of the question paper and also know the difficulty level and good attempts in this article.
Key Points
- The UPSC CDS 2 Exam 2026 is being conducted today, September 13.
- The exam is for 451 vacancies across defense academies (IMA, INA, AFA, OTA).
- It's an offline exam with English, GK, & Math papers, conducted in three shifts.
CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: The Union Public Service Commission is conducting the Combined Defense Services Examination-II (CDSE-2) in three shifts today, on 13 September. The exam is being conducted in offline mode for a total of 451 vacancies in the defense academies including the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA). The CDSE consists of three papers- English, General Knowledge & Elementary Mathematics. These three papers are conducted for the IMA, INA, & AFA. The candidates who are appearing for the OTA do not have to attempt the Elementary Mathematics paper. We will provide the detailed analysis of each paper, once the exam gets over.
CDS 2 Exam Shift Timings 2026
The UPSC conducts the CDS examination twice a year to recruit candidates for admission into the academies like IMA, INA, IFA, & OTA. The UPSC CDS 2 exam 2026 is being conducted on 13 September in three shifts- morning, afternoon, and evening.
| Subjects | Shift | Exam Timing | Reporting Time |
| English | Morning | 09:00 am to 11:00 am | 08:30 am |
| General Knowledge | Afternoon | 12:30 pm to 02:30 pm | 12:00 pm |
| Elementary Mathematics | Evening | 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm | 03:30 pm |
CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: Difficulty Level
The CDS 2 exam analysis will give you an idea on the difficulty level of the exam, what type of questions are being asked, which topics are important, any recurring topics, and others. This analysis will be done by our experts and will be provided here shortly after the exam gets over.
| Subjects | Difficulty Level |
| English | To be Updated |
| General Knowledge | To be Updated |
| Elementary Mathematics | To be Updated |
CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: Good Attempts
The good attempts generally tell you how many questions you must have attempted in order to qualify the written exam. This is just a probable number that is safe enough to obtain marks nearby to the expected cut off. The good attempts will be shared here once the exam gets over.
| Subjects | No. of Questions | Good Attempts |
| English | 100 | To be Updated |
| General Knowledge | 100 | To be Updated |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | To be Updated |
| TOTAL | 300 | To be Updated |
CDS 2 Exam Pattern 2026
The CDS exam is conducted in pen and paper mode and consists of objective-type questions. There are three sections for IMA, INA, & AFA which consist of 100 questions each for 100 marks i.e. total questions will be 300 for 300 marks. For OTA, there will be two sections in the exam, where each section consists of 100 questions for 100 marks.
| IMA, INA, & AFA Pattern | |
| Subjects | No. of Questions |
| English | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 |
| TOTAL | 300 |
| OTA Exam Pattern | |
| Subjects | No. of Questions |
| English | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 100 |
| TOTAL | 200 |
There is also a provision for negative marking which means that if you have answered a question incorrectly, then 1/3rd of your marks will be deducted.
Upasna is an education journalist and subject matter expert with an extensive background in the competitive exam landscape. Currently contributing to the Exam Prep Section of Jagran Josh, Upasna specializes in creating well-researched, aspirant-centric content and simplifying complex topics for competitive examinations. Her academic expertise, coupled with her own firsthand experience preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, helps her provide strategic preparation insights and a comprehensive perspective to aspirants. She holds a Master's degree in Forensic Chemical Sciences. Apart from delivering valuable exam resources, Upasna is a passionate communications professional who also enjoys reading and writing.
