CDS 2 Answer Key 2026 Live Updates (Out): Download Answer Key 2026 PDF for All Sets (A, B, C, D)

CDS-2 2026 English Answer Key with analysis Out Now: The CDS 2 2026 Answer Key has been released on 13 September after the examination at 5 PM. The CDS 2 2026 English Exam Analysis is out now for all sets with the official question paper. 

All set-wise PDF available for downloads, detailed solutions, and expert analysis prepared by Major Kalshi Classes. Candidates can access direct links to the subject-wise answer keys below:

• CDS 2 2026 Notification PDF
• CDS 2 2026 Admit Card / Hall Ticket - Released
• CDS 2 2026 Unofficial Answer key (Set A, B,C,D) - Released
• CDS 2 2026 Official Question Paper (Set A, B,C,D) - Releasing Soon
• CDS 2 2026 Official Answer key (Set A, B,C,D) - Releasing Soon
• CDS 2 Provisional Answer Key
• CDS 2 2026 Official Cut-off - Releasing Soon
• CDS 2 2026 Result - Releasing Soon
• CDS 2 Previous Year Cut Off: Last 10 Years Written & Final Cut Off
• CDS 2 2026 Answer Key (Live): Maths & GAT Set-Wise Solutions - Released
• Things to Know About CDS Preparation
• MKC to Release Unofficial CDS 2 2026 Answer Key with Expert Solutions
• CDS 2 Model Question Paper 2026 - English, GK & Maths Practice PDF
• CDS 2 2026 Answer Key (Live): English, GK & Maths Set-Wise Solutions

Mathematics Answer Key: Released

Time: 13 Sep,8 PM

The unofficial CDS (II) 2026 Mathematics Answer Key has been released with detailed solutions prepared by defence experts. Candidates can compare their responses and estimate their scores using the official marking scheme.

General Knowledge Answer Key - Released

Time: 13 Sep,04:18 PM

The unofficial CDS (II) 2026 GK Answer Key for all paper sets has been released with detailed explanations. Stay connected for updates and complete solutions.

English Answer Key Released

Time: 13 Sep, 2:20 PM

The unofficial CDS (II) 2026 English Answer Key was released with accurate solutions to help candidates analyse their performance and calculate their expected marks.

Set-wise PDFs Released

Time: 13 Sep, 8: 20 PM

The CDS (II) 2026 Answer Key PDFs for all question paper sets have been released. Candidates can download the set-wise answer keys along with detailed explanations for each paper.

CDS 2 Exam Analysis 2026: Live Updates

The CDS 2 2026 Exam Analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the paper's difficulty level, section-wise weightage, important topics, good attempts, and expected cut-off. 

Based on feedback from candidates and analysis by defence experts, aspirants can assess the overall level of competition and evaluate their performance.

CDS 2 2026 Mathematics Exam Analysis

Check the CDS 2 2026 Mathematics Exam Analysis below:

• Difficulty Level - Moderate to Moderate-Hard
• Nature of Paper - Conceptual, calculation-oriented and time-sensitive
• Key Topics Asked - The Paper is more focused on Algebra & Geometry, Calculation & Arithmetic, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Statistics, and Number System instead of difficult formulas.
• Student Feedback - Manageable but required good time management.
• Good Attempts - A reasonable estimate for good attempts in CDS 2 2026 Mathematics is around 65-72 questions

CDS 2 2026 General Knowledge Exam Analysis

Check the CDS 2 2026 GK Exam Analysis below:

• Difficulty Level - Easy to Moderate
• Nature of Paper-Easy to Moderate
• Key Topics Asked-Institution and organisation, Constituent Assembly, NITI Aayog, Theme, Writs, Union Territories, Statement-based questions, Commission, Disqualification of defections, etc
• Student Feedback- Easy to Moderate
• Good Attempts-Easy to Moderate

CDS 2 2026 English Exam Analysis

Check the CDS 2 2026 English Exam Analysis below:

• Difficulty Level - Easy to Moderate
• Nature of Paper - Easy to Moderate
• Key Topics Asked - Similar-looking words, confusing pairs, context-meaning and word-matching words. Homonyms, Previous Year Questions, Word and its meaning, Errors in Sentences, Idioms and Phrases, Vocabulary, Antonyms, Sentence formation.   
• Student Feedback - Easy to Moderate
• Good Attempts - Paper attempt is 75-85+ questions

Exam Overview

CDS 2 2026 Answer Key: Mathematics, English & GK with Question Paper

The Combined Defence Services (CDS) II 2026 Examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is a national-level defence entrance examination for graduates aspiring to join the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers' Training Academy (OTA).

After the examination, candidates can use the answer key 2026 to verify their answers, calculate their expected scores, and estimate their chances of qualifying for the SSB Interview.

The MKC CDS answer key released subject-wise solutions for Mathematics, English, and General Knowledge, helping candidates analyse their performance immediately after the examination.

Steps to Download the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key 

Official (UPSC) 

Follow these steps to download the official answer key once UPSC releases it:

1. Visit the official UPSC website.
2. Click on the Examinations tab.
3. Select Answer Keys from the dropdown menu.
4. Open the Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026 answer key.
5. Download the PDF for English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics.
6. Compare your responses with the correct answers.

Unofficial (MKC)

Candidates can easily access the CDS 2 Answer Key by following these simple steps:

1. Visit the Major Kalshi Classes Answer Key page.
2. Click on CDS 2 Answer Key.
3. Select your subject (Mathematics, English, or General Knowledge).
4. Choose your question paper set (if applicable).
5. Download the answer key PDF.
6. Compare your responses and calculate your estimated score using the official marking scheme.

CDS 2 Answer Key 2026 Live Updates: Provisional Key

The CDS 2 2026 Provisional Answer Key will help candidates evaluate their performance after the examination. Candidates can use the provisional key to:

• Check their answers for English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics.
• Compare their responses with the answers for Sets A, B, C, and D.
• Calculate their probable score using the CDS marking scheme.
• Identify incorrect or doubtful answers.
• Raise objections against any answer, if UPSC provides an objection window.
• Estimate their chances of qualifying for the written examination.

How to Calculate Your Math's Exam Score  

Candidate can estimate their expected score using the formula below :

Expected Score = (Correct Answers × 1) - (Incorrect Answers × 0.33)

Example:

Suppose a candidate attempts 100 questions and he has solved the - 

• Correct Answers: 75
• Incorrect Answers: 15
• Unanswered Questions: 10

Calculation:

Expected Score = (75 × 1) - (15 × 0.33)

Expected Score = 75 - 4.95 = 70.05 Marks

Note: This is an estimated score calculated using the CDS (official) marking scheme. The final score is determined by UPSC after the evaluation of exam papers.

CDS 2 2026 Exam Score Calculator - Prepared by MKC

Click Here to Download the calculator Excel sheet

Download the calculator Excel sheet above, fill in your correct and incorrect attempts for each paper (English, GK, Elementary Mathematics), and your expected CDS 2 2026 score will be calculated automatically, including negative marking deductions.

Download the calculator Excel sheet above, fill in your correct and incorrect attempts for each paper (English, GK), and your expected CDS OTA 2026 score will be calculated automatically, including negative marking deductions.

Not sure if you've cleared CDS 2 2026?

[Book Your Free Score Analysis Call]

Get the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key - Set-wise PDFs for English, GK & Mathematics

The unofficial CDS 2 2026 answer keys with set-wise PDFs and solutions for English, GK, and Mathematics are now available.

Download answer keys set-wise for the exam from the table below: 

CDS Exam Question Paper PDF Download

What is the CDS 2 Answer Key?

The CDS 2 Answer Key 2026 provides the correct answers to the questions in the English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics papers of the Combined Defence Services Examination. 

It enables candidates to compare their responses, estimate their probable scores using the official marking scheme, and assess their chances of qualifying for the SSB Interview.

The answer key also helps candidates analyse their strengths and weaknesses and begin preparing for the next stage of the selection process without waiting for the official UPSC result.

What is the Official CDS 2 Answer Key?

The official CDS 2 Answer Key is released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after the entire recruitment process, including the declaration of the final result, is completed. Since it is published several months after the examination, candidates generally use unofficial answer keys to estimate their scores immediately after the exam.

When Will the Official CDS 2 Answer Key Be Released?

The official answer key is not released immediately after the examination. UPSC generally publishes the CDS 2 Official Answer Key only after the final merit list is declared and the recruitment process concludes.

What is the CDS 2 Unofficial Answer Key?

The unofficial CDS 2 Answer Key is prepared by Major Kalshi Classes experienced defence faculty and coaching institutes soon after the examination. It contains tentative answers for all subjects and helps candidates calculate their expected scores before the official answer key is released.

Although unofficial, these answer keys are widely used by aspirants for performance analysis and score estimation.

When Will the CDS 2 Unofficial Answer Key Be Released?

The Major Kalshi Classes CDS 2 2026 Answer Key is expected to be released within a few hours after the examination. 

The answer key will include subject-wise solutions, set-wise PDFs, and detailed explanations prepared by defence experts to help candidates evaluate their performance accurately.

Some common asked question by candidates:

Is the MKC CDS answer key official?

No. It's an expert-prepared unofficial key, meant for self-assessment. It is not a substitute for UPSC's official key, but it uses the identical marking scheme.

Can I calculate my marks using an unofficial CDS key?

Yes. Since the marking scheme is public and fixed (+1 correct, -0.33 incorrect), an accurate unofficial key gives you a reliable score estimate, even though it isn't the legally official version.

When will the official CDS answer key come out?

Last year It was released by UPSC later, after the relevant stages of the examination process.

What is the expected CDS 2 2026 cut-off?

The expected cut-off varies by academy and depends on paper difficulty, vacancies, and candidate performance. Current estimates are 120–125 for IMA, 100–105 for INA, 128–130 for AFA, and 81–85 for OTA, subject to revision after the exam analysis.

Is there negative marking in CDS 2 Mathematics 2026?

Yes. According to the marking scheme used for CDS 2 2026 score estimation, candidates receive +1 mark for a correct answer and lose approximately 0.33 marks for an incorrect answer.

What is the minimum qualifying mark for CDS 2 2026?

Candidates must score at least 20% in each individual paper English, GK, and Elementary Mathematics (or English and GK for OTA) along with the overall cutoff to qualify for the SSB Interview stage.

What is the difference between the CDS unofficial and official answer key?

An unofficial answer key, like MKC's, is prepared by coaching experts soon after the exam to help candidates estimate their marks. The official answer key, released by UPSC, is the final, authoritative version.

Where Can You Download the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key PDF (Set-wise)?

Candidates has been download the CDS 2 Answer Key 2026 PDF for all available question paper sets from Major Kalshi Classes. The answer keys will include detailed solutions for:

• English Answer Key
• General Knowledge (GK) Answer Key
• Elementary Mathematics Answer Key
• Set-wise Question Papers (where applicable)
• Detailed Solution PDFs

The answer key PDFs is updated, allowing candidates to estimate their scores and compare them with the expected cut-off before the official UPSC result is announced.

CDS 2 2026 Expected Cut-Off

The CDS 2 Expected Cut-Off will be prepared after analysing the overall difficulty level of the examination, the number of vacancies, previous year cut-off trends, and feedback received from candidates. 

The expected cut-off gives aspirants an idea of their chances of qualifying for the SSB Interview before the official result is declared.

📌 Note: The expected cut-off is indicative and may change depending on the paper's difficulty level, number of vacancies, and candidates' overall performance.

CDS 2 2026 OTA vs IMA/INA/AFA - How Your Score Is Calculated Differently?

Not all CDS 2 candidates scored on the same total. The papers you're marked on, and the maximum score you're competing out of, depend on which academy you've applied for.

For IMA, INA & AFA candidates

Your score is calculated across all three papers:

English + General Knowledge + Elementary Mathematics = 300 Marks

For OTA (Officers' Training Academy) candidates

Mathematics is not counted. Your score is calculated out of two papers only:

English + General Knowledge = 200 Marks

Why this matters: If you're an OTA aspirant, don't let a weak Mathematics attempt worry you. It has no bearing on your OTA score. Use the CDS 2 2026 Answer Key to check only your English and GK responses to get an accurate picture of where you stand.

CDS 2 2026 Expected Cut-off vs CDS 2 2025 Official Cut-off

Here's how the CDS 2 2026 expected cut-off compares with the most recently confirmed CDS 2 2025 figures:

Why OTA and IMA/INA/AFA show different dates: UPSC processes OTA results separately from IMA, INA, and AFA. For CDS 2 2025, the IMA/INA/AFA merit list came out in March–April 2026, while the OTA cut-off followed several months later, in August 2026. Expect a similar gap in the CDS 2 2026 timeline.

CDS Previous Year Cut-off Trend (Last 5 Years)

CDS II Exam 2026 Question Paper Analysis

The CDS 2 2026 Question Paper Analysis will be updated immediately after the examination based on expert analysis and student feedback. It will help candidates understand the overall difficulty level, important topics, and expected good attempts for each paper.

• English: Expected to be moderate with questions from grammar, vocabulary, sentence improvement, and reading comprehension.
• General Knowledge: Likely to include a balanced mix of current affairs and static GK, including History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science, Defence, and Environment.
• Elementary Mathematics: Expected to be moderate, with questions from Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration, and Statistics.

A detailed section-wise analysis will be updated after the completion of the examination.

CDS 2 2026 Marking Scheme

Candidates should understand the official CDS 2 2026 Marking Scheme before calculating their estimated scores using the answer key.

• Each correct answer carries 1 mark for Mathematics,+0.833 for English & GK.
• One-third (- 0.33 mark) is deducted for every incorrect answer for Mathematics, - 0.277 for English & GK.
• If more than one option is marked for a question, it is treated as an incorrect response and negative marking is applied.
• No marks are deducted for unanswered questions.

Note - Use the CDS 2 Answer Key 2026 to calculate your probable score before the official result is announced.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates applying for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination II 2026 must satisfy the eligibility conditions prescribed by UPSC.

CDS 2 Admit Card 2026

The CDS II Admit Card was released by the UPSC on 3 Sep 2026. Candidates who have successfully completed the application process will be able to download their admit cards using their Registration ID or Roll Number.

Click here to Download e-Admit Card

Candidates must carry:

• Printed Admit Card
• Valid Photo Identity Proof
• Passport-size photographs (if required)

Without a valid admit card, candidates will not be permitted to enter the examination centre.

Success Stories

CDS 1 Written Exam 2026 Result: MKC Candidates Qualified for SSB

MKC students have once again delivered a strong performance in the CDS 1 Written Exam 2026.

Below is the verified list of MKC candidates who have qualified for the SSB interview stage, moving one step closer to joining the Armed Forces.

• Candidate Name - Uday Patel
• Exam - UPSC CDS 1 2026

“Successfully cleared the CDS 1 2026 written examination! The faculty, study material, and regular mock tests at Major Kalshi Classes helped me improve my preparation!.“

Thank you, MKC, for your constant guidance and support!”

• Candidate Name - Jitendra Jha
• Exam - UPSC CDS 1 2026

“ Cleared CDS 1 2026 with sheer dedication and unwavering discipline.The structured classes, practice tests, and guidance at Major Kalshi Classes made my preparation journey stronger and helped me chase my dream closer! “

• Candidate Name- Prithu Tandan
• Exam- UPSC CDS 1 2026

“Clearing the CDS 1 2026 written examination feels amazing. The structured classes, practice tests, and guidance at Major Kalshi Classes made my preparation more effective. Thank you, MKC, for helping me take one step closer to my defence career!”

• Candidate Name- Rahul Singh
• Exam - UPSC CDS 1 2026

I am happy to have cleared the CDS 1 2026 written examination. The guidance, regular tests, and study material at Major Kalshi Classes helped me prepare with confidence. Thank you to the entire MKC team for their constant support!”

CDS 2 2026 Exam Preparation Tips

A strategic preparation plan can significantly improve your chances of success in the CDS examination.

• Follow the latest UPSC syllabus and exam pattern.
• Prepare a realistic study timetable covering all subjects.
• Solve previous years' question papers regularly.
• Attempt mock tests to improve speed and accuracy.
• Revise important formulas, grammar rules, and current affairs consistently.
• Analyse your mistakes after every mock test.
• Maintain a healthy routine with proper sleep and exercise.

Read About : CDS 2 2026 Strategy: How to Crack the Exam in Your First Attempt