The Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026 is scheduled for 13 September 2026, according to the UPSC examination notification.
CDS 2 2026 Mock Test – Current Affairs
For CDS 2 2026, Current Affairs preparation should be focused, selective and revision-oriented. The objective is not to memorise every news event but to identify the topics most likely to connect with General Knowledge, Defence, Polity, Economy, Geography, Science, International Relations and national developments.
Follow the Right Current Affairs Window
For CDS 2 2026, give maximum attention to:
- January–August 2026: complete important coverage
- April–August 2026: intensive revision
- June–August 2026: highest priority for recent developments
- Last 2–3 weeks: revision and mock-test phase
Do not spend excessive time collecting very old current affairs.
The final objective should be:
Current Affairs → Short Notes → Revision → Mock Test → Error Analysis
Give Maximum Priority to Defence Current Affairs
CDS aspirants should give very high priority to defence-related developments.
Prepare current affairs concerning:
- Indian Army
- Indian Navy
- Indian Air Force
- DRDO
- Ministry of Defence
- Defence Acquisition Council
- New missiles and weapon systems
- Fighter aircraft
- Helicopters
- Warships and submarines
- Air-defence systems
- Military exercises
- Defence agreements
- Defence exports
- Indigenous defence production
- Atmanirbhar Bharat
- Military technology
- Important defence appointments
- Joint military exercises
- Strategic partnerships
Best Revision Format
For every defence development, remember:
What → Developed by → Purpose → Service → Important feature
This makes defence current affairs much easier to retain.
Military Exercises – High Priority Area
Create a separate revision list of important military exercises.
For each exercise, learn:
- Exercise name
- Participating countries
- Participating forces
- Location
- Edition
- Purpose
- Whether it is bilateral or multilateral
Do not merely memorise exercise names.
Try to connect:
Exercise → Countries → Sea/Region → Military branch → Purpose
This approach is particularly useful for CDS preparation.
National Current Affairs
Focus on nationally significant developments rather than every political headline.
Important areas include:
- Major government schemes
- Important Acts and Bills
- Constitutional developments
- Major government initiatives
- Important appointments
- National commissions
- Major infrastructure projects
- Important economic decisions
- Education initiatives
- Health initiatives
- Environment-related policies
- Major national missions
- Important commemorations and anniversaries
For each major event, ask:
What happened? Who/which organisation was involved? Where? When? Why is it important?
International Relations
This is an important area for CDS.
Pay special attention to:
- India’s relations with major countries
- India’s neighbourhood
- Strategic partnerships
- Defence cooperation
- Bilateral agreements
- Major international summits
- UN-related developments
- G20
- BRICS
- SCO
- ASEAN
- QUAD
- BIMSTEC
- Other important international organisations
- Major geopolitical developments
For every international event, revise the associated:
Country + Capital + Organisation + Headquarters + Region
This creates a strong connection between Current Affairs and Static GK.
Science & Technology
Current Science & Technology should be studied along with basic concepts.
Focus on:
- ISRO missions
- Satellites
- Launch vehicles
- Space exploration
- Human spaceflight
- Defence technology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum technology
- Semiconductor technology
- Biotechnology
- Nuclear technology
- Cyber technology
- New scientific discoveries
- Emerging technologies
CDS Strategy
Whenever you see a scientific development, ask:
What is it? → How does it work? → Who developed it? → What is its application?
This prevents rote memorisation.
Economy & Banking Current Affairs
CDS candidates should not ignore economic developments.
Focus on:
- Union Budget
- Economic Survey
- RBI
- Monetary policy
- Repo rate
- Inflation
- GDP
- Banking developments
- Digital payments
- Financial inclusion
- Major government economic schemes
- Important economic reports
- International financial institutions
- IMF
- World Bank
- Asian Development Bank
- Major economic indices
Do not try to memorise every economic figure.
Give priority to important concepts + major developments + significant numbers.
Environment & Ecology
Prepare current environmental developments connected with static concepts.
Focus on:
- Climate change
- COP conferences
- Environmental agreements
- National parks
- Wildlife sanctuaries
- Biosphere reserves
- Ramsar sites
- Tiger reserves
- New species/discoveries
- Conservation projects
- International environmental organisations
- Renewable energy
- Major climate reports
Use the strategy:
Current Event + Location + Species/Concept + Organisation
Awards & Honours
Maintain a separate list for:
- Civilian awards
- Gallantry awards
- Military decorations
- Sports awards
- Literary awards
- International awards
- National honours
- Important foreign honours given to Indian personalities
For every important award, remember:
Award → Recipient → Field → Country/Organisation
Give greater priority to nationally and internationally significant awards.
Important Appointments
Prepare important appointments related to:
- Armed Forces
- Government institutions
- Constitutional bodies
- International organisations
- Financial institutions
- Scientific organisations
- Sports organisations
- Major national institutions
For CDS, military and strategic appointments should receive special attention.
Sports Current Affairs
Sports is a factual and scoring area.
Focus on:
- Major tournaments
- Winners and runners-up
- Indian achievements
- Major records
- Important championships
- Host countries and cities
- Important sportspersons
- Sports awards
- Important sports organisations
- Major appointments
Instead of reading long sports reports, convert them into short facts.
Current Affairs + Static GK Strategy
This is one of the most effective CDS strategies.
Do not study Current Affairs independently from Static GK.
Example:
Military Exercise
↓
Participating countries
↓
Their capitals
↓
Geographical location
↓
Neighbouring countries
↓
Relevant sea/ocean
↓
Defence forces involved
One current-affairs topic can therefore revise several areas of the CDS syllabus.
Similarly:
ISRO Mission → Launch Vehicle → Launch Site → Orbit → Objective
International Summit → Organisation → Headquarters → Member Countries
Award → Institution → Recipient → Field
This method saves time and improves retention.
