It’s a crucial period for the aspirants of CDS, scheduled to be conducted on February 2, 2020. Conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), candidates who qualify the exam are offered admission to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy(AFA), and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). With just a few days left for the exam, candidates might have started panicking over how to crack the exam with a good rank. Fret not! Here are a preparation strategy candidates must follow to ace the exam.
CDS Preparation Tips 2020
Know the syllabus
Candidates aspiring to crack the CDS exam need to go through the exam syllabus. This will give them an idea about the topics to be covered for the exam. While studying according to the CDS syllabus, candidates should jot down all the topics they are confident about and those where they lack knowledge. Try to focus on weaker areas and cope up with them as soon as possible to avoid last-minute confusion.
Previous Year Papers and Mocks
Solving the previous years’ CDS question papers plays an important role in exam preparation. This helps candidates in gaining familiarity with the type of questions asked in the exam, distribution of questions, difficulty level, and marking scheme. Besides, it helps to assess the level of preparation for the exam. In doing so, candidates can focus on the weaker areas.
Keep the fundamentals clear
It is important to clear your basic concepts rather than cramming the formulas. Since simple questions are asked in a tricky format, be thorough with your concepts to understand and solve the questions.
Focus on important topics
During preparations, emphasize important topics, carry maximum marks, and easier to score in.
Attempt easier questions first
Candidates should go through all questions and try solving those questions first, which they find easy and require less time to score qualifying marks. Beware of attempting questions that you are not confident of as there is negative marking too.
Unwind before the exam
When it’s just one day left before CDS, stop bothering much about it instead of just relax. Sit for the exam with a rejuvenated mind.
Section-wise CDS Preparation Tips 2020
English
- To enhance the score in English paper, one must go through the rules of grammar.
- Prepare idioms and phrases thoroughly.
Read more on how to prepare for CDS English section
General Knowledge
- Identify the high weightage topics after analyzing the previous years’ question papers.
- Revise important facts from those topics
- Revise the current affairs of the last 4-5 months properly.
Elementary Mathematics
- Revise important formulas and their application methods for Algebra, Arithmetic, Trigonometry, Geometry, Menstruation, and Statistics.
- Do not start with new topics rather revise those you have studied.
Read more on how to prepare for CDS Elementary Mathematics
How to prepare for SSB Interview?
Based on the marks secured in the written exam, candidates are selected for SSB Interview. The test is conducted in two stages. At the SSB Interview centers, candidates are tested based on their intelligence and personality. The Stage I of SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT;). Stage II comprises Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference. These tests are conducted over four days.