Exam Pattern
CDS Exam Pattern
CDS (Combined Defence Services Examination)
The two papers here are not scored the same way, and the English one is the odd case. Elementary Mathematics is 100 questions for 100 marks, a clean mark each, with a third deducted for a wrong answer. English is 120 questions for 100 marks, roughly 0.83 a question, so a wrong answer there costs about 0.28 rather than 0.33. Both run two hours. The practice sets built on this site are deliberately shorter than either official paper, 18 Mathematics questions and 12 English, and the English set scores at a clean 1 mark a question rather than at the official fractional value.
The CDS exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Elementary Mathematics
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.33 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Arithmetic, Algebra and Trigonometry, Geometry and Mensuration |
Timing: Single composite 120-minute timer for the whole Elementary Mathematics paper: no sectional lock.
The official UPSC CDS Elementary Mathematics paper has 100 questions for 100 marks in 2 hours, each question carrying 1 mark with one-third (0.33) deducted per wrong answer. This mock is a TakeMockTest-defined shorter set: 36 questions in 43 minutes across the same syllabus areas in proportion, at the official pace of 1 minute 12 seconds a question.
Official source · checked 16 August 2026The CDS Elementary Mathematics exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 100 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 72 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are Arithmetic, Algebra and Trigonometry and Geometry and Mensuration. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
CDS Elementary Mathematics marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.33 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 24.8% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 53.4 out of 100.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 72 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free CDS mock test to see where your time actually goes.
English
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 120 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.28 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Grammar and Usage, Vocabulary and Comprehension |
Timing: Single composite 120-minute timer for the whole English paper: no sectional lock.
The official UPSC CDS English paper has 120 questions for 100 marks in 2 hours (roughly 0.83 marks per correct answer), with one-third of that (about 0.28 marks) deducted per wrong answer. This mock is a TakeMockTest-defined shorter set: 24 questions in 24 minutes across grammar, usage, vocabulary, and comprehension, scored at a clean 1 mark per question rather than the official fractional value.
Official source · checked 16 August 2026The CDS English exam pattern is 120 questions carrying 100 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 60 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 2 sections are Grammar and Usage and Vocabulary and Comprehension. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
CDS English marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 0.83 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.28 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 25.2% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right only 25% of the time, which is below that line, so guessing at random costs you marks: guess only when you can genuinely eliminate options.
- Worked example: attempt 96 of the 120 questions and get 72 right and 24 wrong, and you score 53.04 out of 100.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 60 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free CDS mock test to see where your time actually goes.
CDS exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in CDS?
CDS Elementary Mathematics deducts 0.33 marks for a wrong answer; CDS English deducts 0.28 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in CDS?
CDS Elementary Mathematics has 100 questions, CDS English has 120 questions. That leaves about 72 seconds per question in CDS Elementary Mathematics and 60 seconds per question in CDS English.
What are the total marks in CDS?
CDS Elementary Mathematics is out of 100 marks, which works out at 1 mark a question, CDS English is out of 100 marks, which works out at 0.83 marks a question.
How long is the CDS exam?
CDS Elementary Mathematics runs for 120 minutes, CDS English runs for 120 minutes.
Does CDS have a sectional time limit?
No. CDS runs every section on one composite timer, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.
How many stages does CDS have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: Elementary Mathematics, English. Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.