Quick answer: The CDS 2 2026 question paper was held by UPSC on Sunday, 14 September 2026 in three papers — English (100 questions, 100 marks), General Knowledge (120 questions, 100 marks) and Elementary Mathematics (100 questions, 100 marks), each of two hours, with one-third negative marking. OTA candidates sat English and GK only. All three official papers are available below as PDF from NCA Academy (New Careers Academy, Chandigarh, since 1967), along with our page-cited analysis of where the questions came from.
CDS 2 2026 exam snapshot
| Exam | UPSC Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026 |
| Exam date | 14 September 2026 (Sunday) |
| Papers | English · General Knowledge · Elementary Mathematics (IMA, INA, AFA); English · General Knowledge (OTA) |
| Questions / marks | English 100 Q / 100 marks · GK 120 Q / 100 marks · Maths 100 Q / 100 marks |
| Duration | 2 hours per paper |
| Negative marking | One-third of the marks for each wrong answer |
| Official key | UPSC provisional answer keys (English and GK) released 16 September 2026 — see our CDS 2 2026 answer key |
| Conducting body | upsc.gov.in |
Download the CDS 2 2026 question paper PDF
These are the official UPSC question booklets from the 14 September 2026 sitting, scanned and compressed for download. Open the paper you sat, then mark your responses against the answer key to estimate your score before the result.
| Paper | Questions | Pages | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 100 | 32 | CDS 2 2026 English question paper PDF (3.9 MB) |
| General Knowledge | 120 | 56 | CDS 2 2026 GK question paper PDF (7.5 MB) |
| Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 40 | CDS 2 2026 Maths question paper PDF (4.5 MB) |
Need the answers? The CDS 2 2026 answer key has NCA’s solved key for all sets alongside the UPSC provisional key.
CDS 2 2026 paper analysis — where the questions came from
After every CDS paper, NCA faculty trace each question back to the page of NCA material where the concept, word or fact was taught. The CDS 2 2026 trace is verified and page-cited. What it shows:
- English — vocabulary: 35 of the tested words and idioms (word pairs Q1–10, synonyms Q11–20, word meanings Q21–30, idioms Q51–60, antonyms Q61–70, similar-sounding words Q81–90, match-the-following Q101–110) were already taught in NCA material with their meaning; 8 more appear in our material without being taught as a word. In the confusing-word-pairs block, 8 of 10 were traced — Q1 (presumptive/presumptuous) and Q9 were effectively questions NCA had already set.
- Science (Q51–85): 29 of 35 questions were covered in NCA classes, lectures and preparation material; 24 of those are answerable from a specific NCA page and are cited to that page, and 19 carry the exact NDA, CDS or CAPF past-year question they were built from. Physics: 5 of 10 traced, including Q51 (Joule’s law of heating), Q53 (F = ma numerical) and Q54 (Fleming’s left-hand rule).
- General Knowledge — current affairs: 15 questions were covered in NCA’s free monthly Ghatak current-affairs magazine before the exam, with page numbers — including Q44 (Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY), Q100 (Floating Solar PV Potential Assessment of India, 102 GWp) and Q105 (Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, ₹10,000 crore).
Video proof — questions taught before the exam
Three short clips from the NCA Academy YouTube channel matching CDS 2 2026 questions to the class or page where they were taught. The full set of nine is on our online CDS coaching page.
How to use the CDS 2 2026 question paper
- Download the paper you sat (English, GK, Maths) from the table above.
- Mark your responses from memory or your rough sheet against the CDS 2 2026 answer key.
- Score it: +1 for each correct answer, −0.33 for each wrong answer, 0 for unattempted.
- Compare with the previous CDS cut-offs to judge whether to start SSB preparation now.
- If you are preparing for CDS 1 2027, solve the paper as a timed mock first, then study the analysis above to see which topics UPSC is currently favouring.
Preparing for CDS 1 2027 or CDS 2 2027?
NCA Academy (New Careers Academy), founded in 1967 with 39,000+ defence selections, coaches all four CDS entries — IMA, INA, AFA and OTA — with the written papers and the SSB interview taught on one campus. Classroom batches run at the Mohali campus through CDS coaching in Chandigarh (from ₹12,000 for the 30-day crash course to ₹90,000 for one year), and the same classes stream live through online CDS coaching across India from ₹8,000. New batches start every Tuesday. Benchmark yourself first with the free CDS English mock test.
Frequently asked questions — CDS 2 2026 question paper
When was the CDS 2 2026 exam held?
UPSC held the Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026 on Sunday, 14 September 2026. English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics were held on the same day in separate two-hour sessions.
Is the CDS 2 2026 question paper the same for all sets?
The questions are the same across booklet series; only the order of questions and options differs. The PDFs above are the series-A booklets, so match by question content rather than by question number if you sat a different series.
How is the CDS paper scored?
Each paper is 100 marks. English and Maths carry 100 questions of one mark each; GK carries 120 questions worth 100 marks in total. One-third of the marks allotted to a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Unattempted questions score zero.
Where is the CDS 2 2026 answer key?
NCA’s solved key for all sets, plus the UPSC provisional keys for English and GK released on 16 September 2026, are on the CDS 2 2026 answer key page.
How many CDS 2 2026 questions came from NCA material?
In Science, 29 of 35 questions were covered in NCA classes and material, 24 of them cited to a specific page. In English vocabulary, 35 tested words and idioms had been taught with their meaning. In GK, 15 current-affairs questions were in the free Ghatak magazine before the exam. The page-cited trace is summarised above and shown in the video clips.
