UPSC CDS 2 Question Paper 2026: The Union Public Service Commission has conducted the CDS 2 English paper in the morning shift from 09:00 am to 11:00 am. The General Knowledge paper will be conducted in the afternoon shift from 12:30 pm to 02:30 pm and the Elementary Mathematics paper in the evening shift from 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm. The candidates who are preparing for the UPSC CDS examination can download these question papers and get an idea on the level of the examination. These papers help in guiding the candidates so that they can strategise their preparation according to the requirements of the exam.
UPSC CDS 2 Question Paper 2026 Highlights
The UPSC is responsible for conducting the Combined Defense Services Examination twice in a year. Through this examination, in 2026, the UPSC is going to recruit 451 candidates in the academies including the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Check the highlights in the table below:
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Particulars
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Details
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Conducting Body
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Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
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Exam Name
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Combined Defense Services Examination-II 2026
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CDS 2 Exam Date
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13th September 2026 (Sunday)
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Question Type
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Multiple Choice Questions
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Negative Marking
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1/3 mark deducted for wrong answer
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Duration
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2 hours for each paper
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Papers
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English, General Knowledge, Mathematics
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UPSC CDS 2 Question Paper 2026 PDF
The UPSC CDS 2 question paper pdf for all the three subjects- English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be soon provided here. The candidates can directly download the question paper pdf.
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Subjects
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Question Paper
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English
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General Knowledge
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Elementary Mathematics
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Download PDF
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UPSC CDS 1 Question Paper 2026 PDF
The UPSC has conducted the CDS 1 examination 2026 on 12 April 2026. The candidates who are preparing for the CDS examination can download the question paper pdf from here. These papers provides an insight into the exam paper pattern and will be helpful for the candidates.
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Subjects
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Question Paper
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English
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General Knowledge
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Download PDF
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Elementary Mathematics
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Download PDF
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How to Use the UPSC CDS Question Paper Effectively?
The candidates who are preparing for the CDS examination should streamline their preparation by practising using the question papers. Here are some tips to use the UPSC CDS question papers effectively:
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Analyse the Topics: After downloading the question paper, the candidates should analyze each subject paper for the topics i.e. which are topics from where most of the questions are being asked.
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Look for the Recurring Topics: Take at least 3 years of question papers for each subject and analyse them for the recurring topics. This will help you prepare more effectively.
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Prepare Maths: Those who are appearing for IMA, INA, & AFA, will have to appear for the Elementary Mathematics paper. Therefore, preparation for elementary level maths is very important. Take the help of the previous year question papers.