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Exam Central · Defence
AFCAT Exam Guide
Complete AFCAT guide: Flying and Ground Duty branches, eligibility, age limit, latest notification, AFCAT and EKT syllabus, AFSB and CPSS, previous paper analysis, mock tests and a preparation strategy.
- 7 guides
- 2 timed tests
- Verified official links
- Mock tests
- 2
- Guides
- 7
- Practice questions
- 75
- Official links
- 2
At a glance
AFCAT: Air Force Common Admission Test
- Conducted by
- Indian Air Force
- Eligibility
- Graduation / engineering degree with the marks set for each branch; Flying needs Physics & Maths at 10+2
- Age limit
- Flying 20–24 years (26 with a DGCA CPL) · Ground Duty 20–26 years; below 25 must be unmarried
- Mode
- Online (computer-based) · Twice a year (AFCAT 1 & AFCAT 2)
- Negative marking
- −1 for each wrong answer (+3 for a correct one)
- Final merit
- AFCAT score + AFSB performance (CPSS must be cleared for Flying)
- Selection
- AFCAT online test (+ EKT for technical) → AFSB (5 days, CPSS for Flying) → Medical → Merit list
The usual AFCAT year
- AFCAT 1 notificationNovember – December
- AFCAT 1 examFebruary
- AFCAT 2 notificationMay – June
- AFCAT 2 examAugust
- AFSB interviewsA few weeks to a few months after each result
- Training starts at AFAJanuary or July of the following year
Typical timing from recent years — exact dates come with the official notification. Official website
Exam pattern
Selection process & marks
How the AFCAT exam works from the first paper to the final merit list.
-
Stage 1 Online test
300 marks for merit
-
Stage 2 AFSB
Counts for the final merit
-
Stage 3 Medical
Qualifying – must be cleared
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Counts for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online test | ||||
| AFCAT – General Awareness, Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Reasoning & Military Aptitude | 100 | 300 | 2 h | Merit |
| EKT – Ground Duty (Technical) branches | 50 | 150 | 45 min | Technical branches only |
| AFSB | ||||
| Stage I – OIR test + PP&DT | — | — | Day 1 | Screening |
| Stage II – psychology, group tests, interview (+ CPSS for Flying) | — | — | 4 days | Merit |
| Medical | ||||
| Medical at AFCME New Delhi / IAM Bengaluru | — | — | — | Qualifying |
Final merit: AFCAT score + AFSB performance (CPSS must be cleared for Flying)
Negative marking: −1 for each wrong answer (+3 for a correct one)
Syllabus
AFCAT syllabus at a glance
The subjects each paper tests. Read the full syllabus guide for every topic, and keep the official PDF as your checklist.
Verbal Ability
- Comprehension
- Error detection
- Sentence completion
- Synonyms & antonyms
- Idioms
- Cloze test
Numerical Ability
- Simplification & fractions
- Average
- Ratio & percentage
- Profit & loss
- Interest
- Time, work & distance
Reasoning & Military Aptitude
- Verbal reasoning
- Spatial ability
- Embedded figures
- Mirror & water images
- Cubes & dice
EKT (technical)
- Mechanical
- Computer science
- Electrical & electronics
Guides
Everything about AFCAT
Read them in order, or jump straight to what you need.
01 About AFCAT & Latest Notification
02 AFCAT Syllabus & Exam Pattern
03 Practice, Papers & Mock Tests
04 AFCAT Preparation Strategy
Practice
AFCAT mock tests
Timed online tests with instant scoring, the correct answers and an explanation for every question. Free, no sign-up.
Official sources
AFCAT official links
Straight to the exam body's own pages – apply, download the syllabus and check notices only here.
IAF officer & airmen recruitment
Official portal – links to the AFCAT and Agniveervayu sites careerindianairforce.cdac.in
Indian Air Force
Official website of the Indian Air Force indianairforce.nic.in
LearnFrenzy is not affiliated with the exam body. These links open its official website in a new tab; always confirm dates and rules in the current notification.
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