To do well in the CDS Examination, you should understand all three main sections – English, GK, and Mathematics. In this blog, we provide advice for every section to help aspirants do well in each part.
How should you get ready for the CDS English exam?
CDS English tests a person’s vocabulary, how well they understand texts, grammar, and sentence structure. Following are some focus areas with their respective strategies:
Focus Area |
Strategy |
Vocabulary |
Learn 10–15 new words daily, use them in sentences |
Grammar |
Practice spotting errors, sentence improvement, and fill-in-the-blanks |
Reading Comprehension |
Read editorials, summarize paragraphs, and solve past papers |
Cloze Test |
Practice regularly for contextual understanding |
Make sure the English book you use for CDS exam has numerous practice papers. Solving questions from previous years helps you experience how the exam is like and notice major trends.
Read More: CDS Interview (SSB) Preparation: Tips to Ace the Personality Test
How should be prepared for the General Knowledge section in the CDS exam?
There is a lot to learn and it keeps changing in GK. This part of the exam checks how much a candidate knows about what is happening now, history, political systems, geography, and science.
Subject Area |
Preparation Tips |
Current Affairs |
Read newspapers and reliable current affairs magazines regularly |
History & Polity |
Revise NCERTs and make timeline charts for historical events |
Geography |
Focus on maps, physical geography, and Indian geography |
Science |
Focus on basics from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology |
Working on questions from a credible CDS GK book improves your knowledge in each topic and helps you answer questions faster and with more accuracy.
Following this method, you get to see real exam questions, notice questions that repeat, and focus on areas you need to improve.
What are the best ways to prepare for the Maths section in CDS?
Although the Mathematics part of CDS is for Class 10, it requires you to be both quick and accurate. It is more explained below:
Topic |
Tip for Preparation |
Arithmetic |
Practice profit & loss, time & work, averages, and percentages daily |
Algebra |
Revise identities, simplification, and basic equations |
Geometry |
Focus on theorems and properties of triangles, circles, and quadrilaterals |
Trigonometry |
Practice angles, values of sin/cos/tan, and height & distance questions |
Mensuration |
Learn and revise formulas regularly |
Solving problems from a good CDS Maths book helps you improve your problem-solving skills and manage your time well during exams.
It is also recommended to use Oswaal CDS Chapter-Wise and Year-Wise Solved Papers for English, Maths and GK. It enables you to identify questions asked frequently and develop effective understanding.
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Final Tip: How can you handle all three sections together?
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Make sure you study English, GK, and Maths in your daily study plan.
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Make sure to use a good cds gk book, English book for cds exam, and a cds maths book for better preparation.
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For the last 30 days, focus only on review and answering questions from previous years’ papers.
Bear in mind that sticking with your studies and being smart about it will help you achieve success. Keep your mind on the goal and rely on the steps you have taken.