How To Prepare For CDSE 2012

Combined Defence ServicesExamination is conducted by UPSC twice very year. Next CDSE is ~~going to happen on~~ ~~16th Sep 2012~~.The examination comprises of two stages, the first stage consists of a written test, and those who qualify the written test are called for interview by the Services Selection Boards(SSBs).

I hope you all are aware of CDSE syllabus if not, you can check it here.

Section wise Difficulty Analysis :

Elementary Mathematics: The difficulty level is average overall , the level of questions are from 10th standard ,few of them are little advanced but on the whole it is from 10th standard. But again it is not simple enough to attend without any preparation, if you have a good hand on Maths then you will easily solve most of them.

Most of the candidates find themselves comfortable with the level of difficulty, but they are mostly uncomfortable with the time allotted to solve 100 questions in 2 hours . If you are lacking practice then you may find it difficult to solve more than 50 questions in 2 hours, but with proper practice you can also solve more than 80 questions within 2 hours.

Types of Questions(number of questions):

Algebra (10)
Arithmetic(26)
Mensuration(18)
Geometry(17)
Trigonometry(16)
Logarithm(02)
Statistics(11)

English: This is the easiest section in CDSE with 120 questions in 2 hours, one with above average knowledge in English can score maximum in this section. One should always try to get the maximum marks in this section because it is less difficult when comparing with other sections.

Types of Questions(number of questions):

Comprehension (20)
Sentence Rearrangement(20)
Synonyms Antonyms(20+20)
Spotting Error(20)

General Knowledge: This section consist 120 questions with 2 hours duration. This is the toughest section for most of the candidates, level of questions is certainly higher than questions in other sections, one should attempt know questions and avoid guessing. If you are weaker in this part then try to grab maximum marks in other two sections.

Types of Questions(number of questions):

Current Affairs (33)
Indian History(14)
Geography(20)
Politics(15)
Economy(04)
General Science(33)
Computer(01)

TIPS:

Refer to previous question papers and have a hang of such type of questions .
Prepare from a good preparation book, solved questions are worth than just previous questions.
Avoid guessing , there is a -ve marking scheme in CDSE, 0.33 dedication for one wrong answer.
Attempt more question in your stronger section and easier sections.
Keep a perfect time management, do not waste time in lengthy questions, specially in elementary mathematics.
Keep a note of shortcuts for solving maths problems, hence save considerable time.
Start preparing in advance , there are lot of things to be prepared for CDSE.