The Combined Defence Services (CDS) 2 examination has been conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) yesterday. Soon after the completion of the examination, several coaching institutes and YouTube channels have come up with their answer keys. These answer keys, although not official, can help candidates get an idea about the tentative score in the examination. A total of 339 vacancies will be filled through this recruitment drive this year.
UPSC CDS 2 had three papers namely English, General Knowledge and Mathematics and each one of them had 100 marks allotted. Mathematics received mixed reactions from the candidates as it had a moderate level of difficulty. The paper was time-consuming unlike English and GK. Reportedly, the safe score to qualify is likely to be around 80 marks for each subject.
To access the answer keys released by the coaching institutes, candidates should head straight to the YouTube search box and type ‘UPSC CDS 2 2021 answer key’. A pool of videos will appear. Click on any of the videos and crosscheck the answers. Some of the channels that can be useful in this regard are SSBCrackExams, Government exams funda, Defence Mania, Testbook.com, Cadets Point Defence Academy, etc. Nonetheless, once the official answer keys are made available on upsc.gov.in, candidates should crosscheck their answers from the same.
Here are the direct links to access the UPSC CDS 2 answer keys from YouTube.
| Coaching Institute’s Name | Direct Link |
| SSBCrackExams | Click Here |
| Government exams funda (English) | Click Here |
| Defence Mania | Click Here |
| Testbook.com | Click Here |
| New Careers Academy | Click Here |
| Unacademy | Click Here |
In addition to the YouTube channels, the answer keys are also available on private websites. Candidates can seamlessly download the PDF versions of the answer keys to analyse the correct answers. However, for some websites, the candidate might need to provide their basic details such as name, email ID, etc. The private websites include Major Kalshi Classes, Embibe, etc.
| Website’s Name | Direct Link |
| Major Kalshi Classes Pvt. Ltd. | Click Here |
| Embibe.com | Click Here |
| Aglasem | Click Here |
Minimum Qualifying Marks for UPSC CDS 2 Written Examination (5 Years)
| Category | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| IMA | 139 | 134 | 116 | 120 | 105 |
| INA | 134 | 122 | 102 | 111 | 90 |
| AFA | 152 | 148 | 131 | 135 | 135 |
| OTA (Men) | 97 | 95 | 80 | 86 | 72 |
| OTA (Women) | 97 | 95 | 80 | 86 | 72 |
The minimum qualifying marks for the written examination of UPSC CDS 2 have increased over the years. From the table above, it is seen that in 2018, there was a drop in the qualifying marks when compared to 2017. Based on these cut-off trends, it can be said that this time, the minimum qualifying marks for IMA, INA and AFA are likely to remain within 150. However, the same for OTA (Men and Women) is expected to be within 100.
