UPSC CDS-II Answer Key 2026 Out: Download PDF, Check Answers and Calculate Score

UPSC CDS-II Answer Key 2026 released on September 16. Check the official answer key PDF, exam date, papers, marking scheme, vacancy and steps to download the CDS 2 answer key.

Table of Contents

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the UPSC CDS-II Answer Key 2026 for candidates who appeared in the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026. The examination was conducted on 13 September 2026.

Candidates can use the answer key to match their responses, calculate their probable scores and assess their performance before the declaration of the written examination result.

UPSC CDS-II Answer Key 2026: Download PDF

UPSC has released the provisional answer keys for the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026. Candidates can download the answer key for their respective paper from the links below:

Paper	Answer Key
English	Download PDF
General Knowledge	Download PDF
Elementary Mathematics	Download PDF

How to Download UPSC CDS-II Answer Key 2026?

Follow these steps:

Visit the official UPSC website.
Go to the Examinations section.
Select Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026.
Look for the Answer Key section.
Select the required paper.
Download the PDF answer key.
Match the answers with your responses.
Calculate your probable score according to the CDS marking scheme.

How to Calculate UPSC CDS-II 2026 Marks?

Candidates can calculate their probable CDS-II 2026 score using the number of correct and incorrect answers.

CDS-II Marking Scheme

Paper	Total Questions	Maximum Marks	Marks for Correct Answer	Negative Marking
English	120	100	+0.83	−0.28
General Knowledge	120	100	+0.83	−0.28
Elementary Mathematics	100	100	+1	−0.33

Formula

For English/GK:

Score = (Correct Answers × 0.8333) − (Incorrect Answers × 0.2778)

For Elementary Mathematics:

Score = (Correct Answers × 1) − (Incorrect Answers × 0.3333)

Example: English

Suppose you attempted 100 questions:

Correct = 70
Incorrect = 30
Unattempted = 20

Marks = (70 × 0.8333) − (30 × 0.2778)
= 58.33 − 8.33
= 50 marks

Example: Mathematics

Suppose:

Correct = 65
Incorrect = 25
Unattempted = 10

Marks = (65 × 1) − (25 × 0.3333)
= 65 − 8.33
= 56.67 marks

Important: Unattempted questions carry no marks and no negative marking.

For candidates appearing for IMA/INA/AFA, calculate marks separately for English + GK + Mathematics. For OTA, calculate English + GK.

What After the CDS-II Answer Key?

After checking the answer key, candidates should:

Calculate their probable marks.
Compare their performance with previous official cut-off trends.
Continue preparing for the SSB interview if their written performance is competitive.
Keep checking UPSC for the written result and subsequent recruitment updates.

The CDS selection process includes the written examination followed by the SSB process, subject to the applicable eligibility and selection requirements.