Best Books for CDS Exam
Now that we know that the basic idea behind the CDS exam is to check your aptitude skills through the exam featuring English, Math and GK section, let’s move forward to the list of books that can help us prepare for the test.Let’s tackle each of the sections: English, General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics one by one.
CDS Exam Book List: English
According to the information given on the website, the CDS English section will be designed to test our understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. Now this typically includes a lot of synonyms, antonyms and Fill in the blanks type of questions. So please find below, are top 5 recommendations that will help you improve your command over the English language and help you ace the CDS.
a. Word Power Made Easy, Norman Lewis
This book is the greatest thing that’s been written for all the people who wish to improve their vocabulary without getting bored by flash cards and mneimonics.Interesting explanations and you’re guaranteed to become a word maestro by the end of it.
b. Wren & Martin
Revisiting this book will help you refresh all your basic grammar rules and evoke a sense of nostalgia. For those of you who hated English grammar back at school-maybe growing up has changed your opinion, if it hasn’t, too bad you’ll have to go back and read it either ways.
c. Last but not the least read, read and read. You could start off with short stories by O Henry, Roald Dahl and Ruskin Bond. Read children’s classics like Alice in Wonderland and Tom Sawyer, then move on to George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and P.G. Wodehouse works. Reading the newspapers and articles from the New York Times, the Economist, Scientific American,National Geographic would be educational as well.
CDS Exam Book List: General Knowledge
General Knowledge: The brief given about the General Knowledge section on the UPSC website is that the section will test your knowledge of current events and matters of everyday observation that you are expected to know.
The top picks for you to improve your general knowledge are:
- Start reading newspapers daily. The Hindu and Indian Express are highly recommended for the language that they use and the way the news is depicted. Reading magazines like the Week and Business Insider will help you frame your opinion on a given issue that’s taking the country by a storm at any point of time.
- Malayala Manorama, India’s leading regional daily releases a yearbook every year called the Manorama Yearbook. It is a chronicle of all the events of importance that have occurred in India and the world throughout the year. The content of the Manorama Yearbook typically covers condensed information on people (holding public offices, receiving major awards or recognition, or involved in newsworthy events), places (demography, capital, economic data, and political status of countries, Indian states, population, literacy etc.), events and other notable developments.
- Arihant also releases its offering in General Knowledge every year. This book is a collection of carefully curated material written in crisp and concise language and is helpful a lot of competitive exams.
CDS Exam Book List:Elementary Mathematics
The Elementary Mathematics section is a test of the entire Math you have learnt up to class 10. Of course, now your 10th level Math must be rusty, so we recommend the below books to get your mathematical skills oiled and running full speed.
- Mathematics for C.D.S. by R.S. Aggarwal
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal.
Both these books will help you to brush up on your basics of topics like Number Systems,Ratio proportion, Profit and Loss and so on.
Besides these books Arihant has a series of Pathfinder books which will help you with the complete preparation of CDS.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the suggestions given on this page. You can start one at a time and as you go forward with your preparation decide how many of the books you need to use. If you find any alternative books that are helpful towards your preparation, please let us know too.
Happy Studying!!!
