NDA-CDS 2 exam held, maths and GAT trip up candidates
UPSC's NDA and CDS 2 exam was held across centres on Sunday, with several candidates finding maths and GAT questions tough.
The Union Public Service Commission's National Defence Academy (NDA) and Combined Defence Services (CDS) 2 examination was held at various centres across the country on Sunday. The paper was conducted as two separate exams in fixed time slots. Questions were asked from mathematics, the General Ability Test (GAT), English, general knowledge and other subjects. After the exam, several candidates said parts of the paper were difficult and challenging.
The NDA mathematics paper included questions on matrices, quadratic equations, trigonometry, number systems, vector geometry, probability and statistics. Harshit, a candidate from Kanpur Nagar, said some questions on quadratic equations and probability were confusing. The mathematics paper was held from 10 am to 12:30 pm.
Some candidates found the physics questions in the GAT paper difficult. According to candidates, questions were asked on optics, instruments and motion. Time management became crucial as questions from different subjects appeared together in the paper. The GAT exam was held from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.
According to available figures, of more than 17,500 registered candidates in the first session, 13,090 candidates appeared for the exam, an attendance of about 74.5 percent. In the second session, 12,990 candidates took the paper.
In Prayagraj, the NDA and CDS exams were held at separate centres. In NDA, of 8,353 registered candidates in the first session, 6,247 were present, while 6,218 candidates appeared in the second session. Combined attendance for both sessions was around 75 percent. In CDS, of 4,266 candidates registered for the English paper in the first session, 2,918, or 66.83 percent, were present. In the second session, for the general knowledge paper, 2,912, or 66.70 percent, of candidates were present, and in the third session, 1,414, or 60.40 percent, of candidates took the paper.
In Lucknow, of 7,389 candidates registered for the first and second CDS sessions combined, 4,882 candidates were present, while 2,206 candidates took the paper in the third session. Overall CDS attendance in Lucknow was around 55.7 percent.
Varanasi saw a higher number of absentees. In CDS, of 3,912 registered candidates, 2,584 took the paper, while 1,328 candidates were absent. In NDA, of 11,417 registered candidates, 8,299 took the exam, while 3,118 candidates were absent.
According to candidates' responses, the difficulty level of each subject in the NDA and CDS 2 exam varied. In NDA mathematics, questions on quadratic equations, probability and other sections took up more of candidates' time, while some physics questions in GAT were challenging. However, the official difficulty level of the paper will become clear only after official information released by UPSC or a detailed analysis of the paper.
