UPSC conducts CDSE twice a year. It is a golden opportunity for non-engineers to attend SSB interviews for all three services. Entry through CDSE grants you permanent commission in all three services including Short Service Commission in Army.
If only a few days are left in your CDS Preparation, with the days fast approaching, we have got very less time to prepare for the exam. But it is not that difficult too, mind you. Here we present you the tips to crack CDSE this time. If you follow these tips, you will surely clear the exam this time.
CDS Exam Section-wise Preparation:
English:
Since this is the test of basic English, candidates need to clear this for sure. And this is the easiest of all three section that can be cleared with good marks. You need to be good in English, you need to read and write English as an above average candidate, otherwise, you might clear the exam, but you may not clear the SSB. All that “Hindi Hamari Matrabhsha”, “You can speak in Hindi in SSB”, is all pure BS. However, this is the topic for another time. Learn English if you don’t have a good grasp of it now.
This test comprises of basic grammar, spotting the correct sentences, antonym, synonym, etc.
Tips to Clear English Test:
- Develop the habit of reading the newspaper regularly to improve your vocabulary and reading speed for solving comprehension. If not now, it will surely help you in next exam.
- Improve your vocabulary for tackling Antonyms and Synonyms.
- Memorise by writing, not by reading.
- For rest topics, grab a good book and practice a lot.
- Go through previous year question papers for understanding the nature of questions and practicing.
General Knowledge:
GK test generally consists of History, Geography, Polity, Economics, General Science, Current Affairs, Indian Defence, etc.
Tips to Clear GK Test:
- Read newspapers regularly and watch English news channel.
- Read up all current affairs and GK books there in the market. Leave no stone unturned.
- Read a monthly magazine like CSR from the past 6 months.
- Read NCERT books for History, Geography, Polity, and Science etc.
- Go through previous year question papers for understanding the nature of questions and practicing.
Elementary Mathematics:
This section will have Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration and Basic statistics of the matriculation standard.
Tips to Clear Maths Test:
- Unlike the other tests, you need to go through previous year papers first to study for this section.
- Pick those topics in which you are comfortable with and which you find easy. After that, try to solve the difficult questions.
- Make all concepts clear.
- Write all important formulae on paper.
- Practise hard and practice regularly.
Tips to Prepare for CDSE Exam
- Examine the Syllabus:
Know the syllabus of the exam in-depth and prepare accordingly. Try to make out and understand what might be asked in the exam based on previous papers.
- Easy vs Hard:
Figure out topics where you do not need any preparation and the ones you have to prepare to clear CDS exam. Recognize your strong and weak areas of knowledge and act accordingly.
- Refer to previous question papers:
Enough said, this is the most critical part of any competitive exam preparation. It is the rehearsal of how you would score in the exam. You WILL score around the same marks that you score during previous exam preparations, give or take 20 marks.
- Time Table:
Set a time table for studying for exams. This is a high time now and a serious candidate need to study for at least 6-8 hours daily as CDSE has vast syllabus.
- Revise First:
This is the best strategy to follow while preparing. Recall your best chapters when you were in class 10th. Now pick up those topics and start revising/preparing. You will grasp these topics faster and will have covered almost half the syllabus by following this procedure. From the rest topics, prepare for the ones which requires less time. If you don’t have any idea about a particular topic, don’t start from scratch. Look at the questions, if you can learn it quickly, then only start preparing that topic.
- Make Notes:
Make notes for revision while studying topics, or best, just highlight the important topics in the book itself. It will be helpful for you to revise later in the same book.
- Manage Time:
This is again a most important part of the plan. You don’t have eternity to attempt the paper. Neither you should divide your time equally among all the questions. The best strategy is to divide your time equally among easy vs hard questions where easy questions take one-fourth of the time and hard ones take the rest.
- Be Positive and Confident:
Not that your life is at stake. If you be negative and be underconfident, it will only affect your performance. But on the contrary, if you are positive and confident, you might get lucky.
Conclusion:
With CDSE around the corner, this is a high time that candidate start preparing for the exam if not done already. This is not even too late, you can do it. You just need to have that confident and belief in yourself.
How To Prepare for SSB Interview:
Also Read: 8 Tips to Study and Crack AFCAT Exam within 30 Days
Also Read: Making Educated Guess In Objective Tests- Part 1 Of 2
