
CDS 2 2026 Question Paper: UPSC conducted the exam on September 13, 2026, in offline mode. CDS 2 2026 Question Paper is available after the successful completion of the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026. The question paper included English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Candidates who appeared for IMA, INA and AFA had to attempt all three papers, while OTA candidates appeared for English and General Knowledge.
CDS 2 2026 written exam covered objective-type questions. Each paper was conducted for two hours. English and General Knowledge included 120 questions each, while Elementary Mathematics cpvered 100 questions. Each paper carried 100 marks.
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CDS 2 2026 Question Paper Overview |
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Exam Conducting Body |
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
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Exam Name |
Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026 |
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Exam Date |
September 13, 2026 |
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Mode of Examination |
Offline (Pen and Paper / OMR-based) |
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Question Type |
Objective (Multiple Choice Questions - MCQs) |
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Language Medium |
Bilingual (Hindi & English), except the English section |
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Paper 1: English |
100 Marks (120 Questions) — 2 Hours |
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Paper 2: General Knowledge |
100 Marks (120 Questions) — 2 Hours |
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Paper 3: Elementary Mathematics |
100 Marks (100 Questions) — 2 Hours (Not applicable for OTA) |
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Negative Marking |
1/3rd (0.33) of allocated marks deducted per wrong answer |
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Official Website |
upsc.gov.in |
Candidates can download the CDS 2 2026 Question Paper PDF after it is made available by UPSC. The papers are useful for checking the questions asked in different sets.
The CDS 2 2026 paper is available for English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics. Set-wise papers such as Set A, B, C and D may also be available for practice and comparison.
CDS 2 English Question Paper PDF is available for the candidates in the PDF format. It compiles the questions asked in the English section in the CDS exam.
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Candidates can follow these simple steps to download the CDS 2 Question Paper PDF:
Visit the official UPSC website.
Open the examination or previous question papers section.
Find the CDS 2 2026 question paper link.
Select the required subject.
Choose the paper or set.
Download the PDF.
Save the file for future use.
Also Check: CDS 2 2026 Maths Exam Analysis
CDS 2 Questions Asked in Exam can help candidates review their performance. The English paper covered areas such as grammar, vocabulary, sentence improvement, comprehension and other language-based questions.
The General Knowledge paper covered different subjects, including science, history, geography, polity, economy, defence and current affairs. The Mathematics paper tested candidates on topics from the prescribed Elementary Mathematics syllabus.
Candidates can compare the questions with their answers and estimate their marks before the official answer key is released.
Candidates can follow the CDS 2 Paper Analysis 2026 to understand the level of the examination. Initial reviews suggest that the English paper was easy to moderate. The General Knowledge paper included questions from science, history, geography, polity, economy, current affairs and other areas.
The Mathematics paper included questions from different areas of the CDS syllabus. Candidates can use the analysis to understand which topics were more important and how much time was needed to solve the paper.
Also Check: UPSC CDS 2 2026 Exam Analysis
The CDS 2 Question Paper with Answers helps candidates check their responses after the examination. Coaching institutes release memory-based questions and unofficial answers based on candidate feedback.
Candidates should remember that these answers may not be final. The official answer key released by UPSC should be used for the final check.
Candidates should know the marking scheme to predict the scores.
English Paper
Total Questions: 120 multiple-choice questions.
Total Marks: 100 marks.
Correct Answer: +0.833 marks awarded for each correct response.
Incorrect Answer: -0.277 marks deducted for each wrong response.
General Knowledge (GK) Paper
Total Questions: 120 multiple-choice questions.
Total Marks: 100 marks.
Correct Answer: +0.833 marks awarded for each right response.
Incorrect Answer: -0.277 marks deducted for each wrong response.
Elementary Mathematics Paper
Total Questions: 100 multiple-choice questions.
Total Marks: 100 marks.
Correct Answer: +1.000 mark awarded for each correct response.
Incorrect Answer: -0.333 marks deducted for each wrong response.