Last updated: 13 September 2026. CDS 2 2026 answer keys for all sets (A, B, C, D) are being published LIVE here, paper by paper, as each shift ends on 13 September 2026 — refresh after your paper.
Quick answer: The UPSC CDS 2 2026 exam is on Sunday, 13 September 2026, in three two-hour papers — English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics, 100 marks each. IMA, INA and AFA candidates write all three (300 marks); OTA candidates write English and GK only (200 marks). NCA Academy publishes the unofficial CDS 2 2026 answer key for all sets (A, B, C, D) within hours of each paper.
📅 Exam day: Sunday, 13 September 2026
This page is updated live, paper by paper, as each shift ends. Download the set-wise PDF using the form below.
CDS 2 2026 Exam — 13 September 2026 Snapshot
| Detail | CDS 2 2026 |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam date | Sunday, 13 September 2026 |
| Papers | English · General Knowledge · Elementary Mathematics |
| Duration | 2 hours per paper |
| Marks per paper | 100 |
| IMA / INA / AFA total | 300 marks (all three papers) |
| OTA total | 200 marks (English + GK only) |
| Question paper sets | Set A, Set B, Set C, Set D |
| Negative marking | One-third of the marks assigned to that question |
| SSB Interview | 300 marks (IMA/INA/AFA) · 200 marks (OTA) |
Check your admit card for exact reporting and start times for each shift — gates close well before the paper begins.
Download the paper: the full official CDS 2 2026 question paper PDF (all papers) is now available with NCA’s page-cited analysis.
Preparing for the next attempt? NCA Academy runs CDS coaching in Chandigarh for all four entries (IMA, INA, AFA and OTA) with the SSB taught on the same campus, and online CDS coaching from ₹8,000 for candidates across India.
CDS 2 2026 English Answer Key — All Sets
CDS 2 2026 English Question Paper with Answer Key — Set A, Set B, Set C, Set D (PDF)
The complete English paper from today’s CDS 2 2026 exam (13 September 2026) — all 120 questions with the correct answers marked by New Careers Academy faculty. Free download, no form to fill.
Download CDS 2 2026 English Answer Key — All Sets (PDF)
Works for every set. UPSC sets the same 120 English questions in all four booklet series — only the question numbering is rearranged. This scan is from booklet series BFVS-F-GNE – D, so if you wrote Set A, B or C, find your question by its text rather than by its number. This is NCA’s answer key; UPSC releases its official key after the recruitment cycle closes.
The CDS 2 2026 English answer key is published set-wise as soon as the first shift ends. English is 100 marks and is written by every candidate, whether you have applied for IMA, INA, AFA or OTA.
English is the most scoring of the three papers for most candidates and the one where negative marking does the least damage, because comprehension and grammar answers are either known or not — there is less temptation to guess than in General Knowledge.
CDS 2 2026 General Knowledge Answer Key — All Sets
CDS 2 2026 GK Question Paper with Answer Key — Set A, Set B, Set C, Set D (PDF)
All 120 questions of the CDS 2 2026 General Knowledge paper (13 September 2026) on NCA smartboard slides, with the correct option marked on every question. 60 slides, free download, no form to fill.
Download CDS 2 2026 GK Answer Key — All Sets (PDF)
Works for every set. UPSC sets the same 120 GK questions in all four booklet series — only the question numbering is rearranged — so if your set numbers differ, match by the question itself. This is NCA’s answer key; UPSC publishes its official key after the recruitment cycle closes.
The CDS 2 2026 GK answer key follows the second shift. General Knowledge is 100 marks covering current affairs, history, geography, polity, economics, general science and defence-related awareness.
This is the paper where scores separate. It is also where the one-third negative marking costs the most, because GK invites guessing in a way the other two papers do not.
CDS 2 2026 Elementary Mathematics Answer Key — All Sets
The CDS 2 2026 Elementary Mathematics answer key is published after the final shift, with worked solutions for the questions candidates most often dispute.
OTA candidates do not write this paper. If you have applied only for the Officers Training Academy, your CDS 2 2026 written exam is 200 marks — English and General Knowledge.
| Paper | Marks | IMA / INA / AFA | OTA |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 100 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| General Knowledge | 100 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Total written | — | 300 | 200 |
CDS 2 2026 Answer Key — Video Solutions & Paper Analysis
CDS 2 2026 English Answer Key — All Sets (A, B, C & D), full paper analysis. NCA faculty go through all 120 English questions from the 13 September 2026 paper, question by question, with reasoning for each answer. Watch on YouTube.
CDS 2 2026 General Knowledge Answer Key | GK Set A, B, C, D | Full Paper Solution — NCA faculty go through all 120 questions of the CDS 2 2026 General Knowledge paper from 13 September 2026, question by question, with the reasoning behind each answer. The same questions appear in every booklet set — only the numbering changes. Watch on YouTube.
Watch NCA Academy faculty work through the CDS 2 2026 paper question by question — English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics — with the expected cut-off and section-wise analysis. Videos are uploaded the same evening as the exam.
▶ More paper-wise video solutions are added here as each shift is analysed
Disputed questions explained and the expected cut-off follow in the same series. Subscribe on YouTube so you get the next one as it goes live.
Download the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key PDF (All Sets)
Also available: the CDS 2 2026 GK answer key — all sets (A, B, C, D), 120 questions with marked answers. Direct PDF, no form needed.
Already available: the CDS 2 2026 English answer key — all sets (A, B, C, D) — direct PDF download, no form needed.
Enter your details to receive the set-wise CDS 2 2026 answer key PDF for all three papers as each is released, along with our marks calculator and expected cut-off analysis.
📄 Get the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key PDF
CDS 2 2026 Marking Scheme — Calculate Your Score
Each paper is 100 marks. UPSC deducts one-third of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
How to calculate: total your correct answers per paper, then subtract one-third of a mark for each wrong answer at that paper’s per-question value. Do this paper by paper — IMA/INA/AFA candidates add all three, OTA candidates add English and GK only.
A practical warning: candidates routinely overestimate their CDS score by 15–25 marks because they count correct answers and forget the deductions. Count both.
Official UPSC CDS 2 2026 Answer Key — When and Where
UPSC publishes the official CDS 2 2026 answer key on upsc.gov.in only after the entire selection process for the examination is complete — typically several months after the written exam.
Every key available on exam day, ours included, is an unofficial key prepared by faculty. Use it to estimate your score and plan your SSB preparation, not as a result.
CDS 2 2026 Expected Cut Off
Quick answer: NCA faculty expect the CDS 2 2026 written cut off to be around 120 out of 300 for IMA, 130 out of 300 for AFA, 100 out of 200 for OTA (Women) and 80 out of 200 for OTA (Men), based on the 13 September 2026 papers. UPSC has not released an official CDS 2 2026 cut off — official figures come out only after the whole selection cycle ends, months from now. The most reliable guide today is the CDS 2 2025 official cut off, published by UPSC in August 2026, shown below. NCA faculty publish an expected CDS 2 2026 cut off once the papers have been analysed.
CDS 2 2025 Official Cut Off (the most recent UPSC figures)
| Academy | Written cut off | Final cut off (written + SSB) |
|---|---|---|
| IMA | 124.11 / 300 | 249.61 / 600 |
| INA | 109.23 / 300 | 238.50 / 600 |
| AFA | 132.51 / 300 | 263.67 / 600 |
| OTA (Men) | 80.01 / 200 | 162.84 / 400 |
| OTA (Women) | 98.06 / 200 | 193.01 / 400 |
Source: UPSC, CDS 2 2025 marks of recommended candidates. A minimum of 20% in each subject is required regardless of your total.
How to read these numbers
- AFA is always the highest. At 132.51 it sat about 8 marks above IMA and 23 above INA — a handful of vacancies against a large applicant pool.
- OTA is on a different total. 80.01 out of 200 is not easier than IMA at 124.11 out of 300 — that is 40% against 41%. Comparing the raw numbers is the commonest mistake candidates make.
- The written cut off only buys you an SSB call. The final cut off is roughly double it, because the SSB carries the same weight as the written exam.
- 20% per subject is a hard floor. A strong GK score does not rescue a Maths paper below 20%.
What the CDS 2 2026 cut off will depend on
Cut-offs move with two things only: the vacancies notified for that cycle, and how hard the papers turned out. A harder Elementary Mathematics paper pulls the IMA, INA and AFA cut-offs down and leaves OTA untouched, because OTA candidates do not write it. That is why an expected cut off is worth nothing until someone has actually solved the paper.
NCA Expected CDS 2 2026 Cut Off (faculty estimate, 13 September 2026)
| Academy | Expected written cut off | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| IMA | 120 | 300 |
| AFA | 130 | 300 |
| OTA (Women) | 100 | 200 |
| OTA (Men) | 80 | 200 |
Estimated by New Careers Academy faculty after solving the 13 September 2026 papers. This is an unofficial expected cut off, not a UPSC figure — UPSC publishes the official CDS 2 2026 cut off only after the full selection cycle ends.
What these numbers mean for you: if your CDS 2 2026 score is at or above the figure for the academy you applied to, treat an SSB call as likely and start preparing now. Within about 10 marks below it, still prepare — cut-offs shift with vacancies and every year candidates just under the estimate get called.
- IMA at 120 / 300 is 40% — slightly below the 124.11 that UPSC set for CDS 2 2025, reflecting this year’s paper.
- AFA at 130 / 300 stays the highest, as it does every cycle — the Air Force Academy takes the fewest candidates.
- OTA Women at 100 / 200 is 50%, against OTA Men at 80 / 200 which is 40%. Far fewer vacancies for women means a markedly higher bar on the same papers.
- Remember the 20% per subject floor. Clearing the total does not help if any single paper falls below 20 out of 100.
CDS 2 2026 Expected Cut Off — NCA Faculty Analysis (video)
NCA faculty walk through the expected CDS 2 2026 cut off for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA, and the safe score for each, based on the actual 13 September 2026 papers.
CDS 2 2026 Expected Cut Off | IMA, INA, AFA & OTA Safe Score | Complete Paper Analysis — NCA faculty break down the expected CDS 2 2026 cut off for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA, with the reasoning behind each number. Watch on YouTube.
UPSC sets CDS cut-offs separately for each academy — IMA, INA, AFA and OTA — and they differ significantly. OTA cut-offs are calculated on 200 marks rather than 300, so they are not comparable with the others.
Cut-offs are decided after the exam, based on vacancies for that cycle and the difficulty of the papers. Official cut-offs for previous CDS examinations are published by UPSC on its cut-off marks page.
NCA Academy publishes its expected CDS 2 2026 cut-off, academy by academy, once faculty have analysed the actual papers.
What to Do After the CDS 2 2026 Exam
- Calculate separately for each academy you applied to. Your IMA score and your OTA score are different numbers on different totals.
- Start SSB preparation immediately if you are near the cut-off. For CDS, the SSB carries the same weight as the written paper — 300 marks against 300 for IMA/INA/AFA.
- Do not wait for the result. The interval between the CDS result and SSB call-ups is short.
- If you fell short, work out which paper did it. For most CDS candidates it is Elementary Mathematics or General Knowledge, and both respond quickly to structured practice.
Prepare with New Careers Academy
NCA Academy — New Careers Academy, Chandigarh, established 1967 — has 39,000+ selections across defence recruitment. After CDS 2 2026, the next step is SSB.
- SSB coaching in Chandigarh — 14-day intensive, real GTO ground
- Online SSB coaching — live, from anywhere in India
- CDS coaching in Chandigarh — for CDS 1 2027
- Online CDS coaching — live classes across India
- CDS coaching fees
Frequently Asked Questions — CDS 2 2026 Answer Key
When will the CDS 2 2026 answer key be released?
NCA Academy publishes its unofficial CDS 2 2026 answer key within hours of each paper on 13 September 2026, set by set. The official UPSC answer key is released only after the entire selection process concludes, usually several months later.
What is the CDS 2 2026 exam date?
The CDS 2 2026 exam is on Sunday, 13 September 2026, in three shifts — English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics, each of two hours.
How many marks is the CDS 2 2026 exam?
Each paper carries 100 marks. Candidates for IMA, INA and AFA write all three papers for a total of 300 marks. OTA candidates write English and General Knowledge only, for a total of 200 marks.
Is there negative marking in CDS 2 2026?
Yes. One-third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
Do OTA candidates write Elementary Mathematics?
No. The Officers Training Academy paper consists of English and General Knowledge only, totalling 200 marks. Elementary Mathematics is written by IMA, INA and AFA candidates.
How do I find my CDS 2 2026 question paper set?
Your set — A, B, C or D — is printed on the cover of the question booklet and marked on your OMR sheet. Match the set letter before checking any answer key, as question order differs between sets.
Where is the official UPSC CDS 2 2026 answer key published?
On upsc.gov.in, under the examination page, after the entire CDS 2 2026 selection process is complete.
What is the expected cut off for CDS 2 2026?
NCA faculty expect the CDS 2 2026 written cut off to be around 120 out of 300 for IMA, 130 out of 300 for AFA, 100 out of 200 for OTA (Women) and 80 out of 200 for OTA (Men), based on the 13 September 2026 papers. These are unofficial estimates. UPSC sets the official cut-offs after the exam based on vacancies and paper difficulty, and publishes them only once the selection cycle is complete. OTA cut-offs are on 200 marks and IMA, INA and AFA on 300, so they cannot be compared directly.
Conclusion
CDS 2 2026 on 13 September 2026 is three papers of 100 marks each — 300 for IMA, INA and AFA, 200 for OTA. Check your set, count the negative marking honestly, and if you are close to the cut-off, begin SSB preparation straight away; it carries the same weight as the written exam.
Writing NDA the same day? See our NDA 2 2026 answer key.
Written by
Capt. Dhaliwal · Director, New Careers Academy
Ex-Indian Army officer and SSB mentor at NCA Academy, Chandigarh (est. 1967), coaching NDA, CDS, AFCAT and SSB aspirants since the 1980s. About the author →
Reviewed by Hartaj Dhaliwal — SSB Strategist, NCA · third-generation officer · recommended by the SSB three times.
