CDS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CDS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. The Deccan Plateau is bounded on the east by which mountain range? → Eastern Ghats
2. Name the continents that form a mirror image of each other. → Africa and South America
3. The Indian Navy's official motto is derived from which ancient text? → Atharva Veda
4. A circle has a radius of 7 cm. What is its circumference? (Use π = 22/7) → 44 cm
5. Which ocean surrounds India on three sides? → Indian Ocean
6. Which of the following cities will never get the vertical rays of the Sun? → Srinagar
7. Which index measures inflation at the wholesale level in India? → Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
8. Which Indian missile is named after the ancient god of fire? → Agni
9. What does the term 'NIFTY 50' refer to? → Benchmark stock market index of the National Stock Exchange
10. The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award. It is given for acts of bravery in what context? → Peacetime gallantry
11. The Indian Constitution was adopted on which date? → November 26, 1949
12. Which type of electromagnetic radiation has the highest frequency? → Gamma rays
13. What is the sum of interior angles of a hexagon? → 720°
14. If the simple interest on $500 at 6% per annum for 3 years is calculated, what is the interest amount? → $90
15. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which was abrogated in 2019, related to the special status of which region? → Jammu and Kashmir
16. The Reserve Bank of India was nationalised in which year? → 1949
17. If the ratio of two numbers is 3:5 and their sum is 96, what is the larger number? → 60
18. The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was introduced by which Governor-General? → Lord Cornwallis
19. The broken hills famous for zinc and lead are located in: → Australia
20. The National Defence Academy (NDA) is located in which state? → Maharashtra
21. The Finance Commission of India is constituted every how many years? → 5 years
22. The speed of light in vacuum is approximately how many km/s? → 300,000 km/s
23. What is the chemical formula of common salt? → NaCl
24. Approximately how many kilometers are represented by 1 degree of latitude? → 111 km
25. The Simon Commission was boycotted by Indians because it had no Indian members. In which year did it arrive? → 1928
26. Ashoka's Dhamma was primarily based on the principles of which religion? → Buddhism
27. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented in India on which date? → 1 July 2017
28. Which institution is known as the 'lender of last resort' in India? → Reserve Bank of India
29. Identify the word that has the correct spelling: → Maintenance
30. The unit of electrical resistance is named after which scientist? → Georg Ohm