The Combined Defence Service 2023 syllabus and notification have been released. One must have a strong preparation strategy to crack the CDS exam. Most of the time, students panic a few days before the exam. This article is for those students who find it difficult to decide what to study 30 days before the exam.
Broadly, the syllabus of CDS is divided into three sections:
1. English
2. General Knowledge
3. Elementary Mathematics
During this short-term phase of 30 days before the exam, a planned strategy is critical to cover all that you have studied for the exam.
Week-wise planning for CDS Exam 2023
1st-week planning
Start with a target-based approach for revision and work dedicatedly on the plan. Select the right set of recommended books and mark important concepts in sections – already covered, to be covered and doubts. Dedicate a certain duration each day for revisiting those concepts. Dedicate morning time for Mathematics and English and evening for General Awareness. Divide the number of topics and start your focused preparation and revision.
2nd-week planning
Work on solving a maximum number of problems from each topic and clarify any pending doubts with experts. Take frequent tests and gauge your time management skills, speed and accuracy. Check for common and recurring mistakes and focus on resolving and strengthening those aspects.
3rd-week planning
Pick Mathematics and English topics and dedicatedly work on solving numerical problems from Maths and grammar and analytical parts from English. Solve previous years’ question papers and check the repetitive sections and weightage from each part. Concentrate on repeated questions and work on different approaches to solve each problem with maximum accuracy and less time.
4th-week planning
Study general awareness daily and do final revision from already prepared notes. Go through only the topics that you have a thorough understanding of and shift your focus to less prepared ones only if you have time. Do not stress too much about confusing topics or the ones that are untouched. Whatever you have prepared needs to be revised thoroughly but remain calm and relaxed in the last week. Studying too much at the last moment might lead to unnecessary stress and confusion. Try to rest and take good care of your health.
Subject-wise Preparation Strategy Crack CDS Exam 2023
CDS preparation strategy for Mathematics
The topics covered in the CDS syllabus of mathematics are Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration and Statistics.
- Revise important formulas and their application methods for Algebra, Arithmetic, Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, and Statistics.
- Practice previous years’ questions and sample problems on these topics to gauge your understanding of the topic.
- Avoid calculation mistakes, as you might lose marks unnecessarily.
- Mark important theorems and problems based on them. Make sure to revisit it before the exam.
- Focus on the arithmetic part as it is generally very simple and based on specific patterns, and thus a thorough preparation will help a lot in improving your scores in the examination.
Prepare these below topics for Maths
CDS preparation strategy for English
The questions in the English section of the CDS exam are designed to test the candidate’s understanding of basic grammar, vocabulary and knowledge of English.
- Make a habit of reading newspapers, magazines, journals, etc., and improve English language, vocabulary and grammatical knowledge along with General knowledge.
- Practice grammar part thoroughly to avoid any mistakes with topics like – Antonyms, Sentence improvement, Comprehension, Synonyms, Word substitution etc.
- Improve your vocabulary and reading skills to quickly analyse the passage and answer the questions in a short span of time.
Refer to the links of relevant English language topics that are asked frequently in the examination:
- List of One-Word Substitutions
- Adjective Degree Of Comparison Rules
- List of Homophones/Homonyms
- List of Synonyms and Antonyms
- Active And Passive Voice Rules
CDS preparation strategy for General Awareness
The General Knowledge section in the CDS exam tests the knowledge related to current events and happenings around the world. The questions in this section are included from the History of India, Geography of nature and science as well.
Read the newspaper and be updated with the latest news and events. Aspirants need to be updated with atleast the past 3 months’ happenings around India and in the world.
Identify high-weightage sections and prepare questions accordingly from previous year’s papers.
- In Polity, revise the topics like the structure of the Indian Constitution, the Centre-State relationship, etc.
- In History, students need to study the Indian Freedom Struggle as it is a very crucial part of the paper and thus needs to be of the highest priority.
- Indian Geography and Physiography are important topics in the Geography portion of the exam paper.
Do not forget to study about:
- List of Neighbouring Countries of India
- List of Highest Mountains in India
- List of Longest Rivers in the World
- Tennis Grand Slam Winners
- List Of Indian Ambassadors to Foreign Countries
- List of Indian Navy Chief Admirals
Also, check the following:
In addition to the above-mentioned strategies, aspirants must make a daily routine and strictly follow that. Allocate time from Morning till evening and specify time slots for different planned activities and ensure to complete those.
Make a to-do list of topics to be covered throughout the day, and ensure to mark the completed ones to analyse your preparedness for the CDS exam.
Always remember that with a limited time, aspirants must not pick up any new topic or concepts. If you are sure about that topic, then only pick that up with the intention of having a brief understanding of the concept atleast. Starting anything new at the last moment would only jeopardise the newly begun topic and can also lead to confusion on already prepared topics.
