Air Force Common Admission Test
Entrance exam for Indian Air Force
AFCAT Study Material
The AFCAT exam, short for Air Force Common Admission Test, is the Indian Air Force entry test for Group 'A' gazetted officers in the Flying branch and the Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. It is held twice a year. The 02/2026 cycle of AFCAT 2026 announced 379 tentative vacancies for courses starting in July 2027.
Table of Contents
AFCAT 2026 at a Glance
Where the AFCAT Cycle Stands Now
AFCAT 02/2026 Important Dates
AFCAT Vacancy Details
AFCAT Eligibility
Application Fee and How to Apply
AFCAT Exam Pattern
AFCAT Syllabus Summary
Selection Process and AFSB
Salary, Commission and Training
AFCAT Cut-Off Reference
How to Prepare for AFCAT
This page puts the essentials in one place: the current status of the cycle, vacancies, age and qualification rules, fee, exam pattern, AFSB stages, pay and preparation. Figures come from the official AFCAT 02/2026 notification. Anything reported only by third-party sites is marked as such.
AFCAT 2026
Particular | Details |
|---|---|
Exam | Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) |
Conducting body | Indian Air Force |
Current cycle | AFCAT 02/2026, for courses commencing in July 2027 |
Entries | AFCAT Entry, NCC Special Entry (Flying), GATE Score Entry (Technical) |
Branches | Flying; Ground Duty (Technical): AE(L) and AE(M); Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Weapon Systems, Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education, Meteorology |
Vacancies | 379 (tentative) |
Commission | Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission, for men and women |
Age limit | Flying 20 to 24 years; Ground Duty 20 to 26 years (as on 1 July 2027) |
Written exam | Online, 100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours, English only |
Stages | AFCAT written exam, AFSB testing, medical examination, merit list |
Application fee | Rs. 550 plus 18% GST for AFCAT Entry; no fee for NCC or GATE entry |
Pay | Level 10, Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,77,500, plus Military Service Pay of Rs. 15,500 |
Official website |
Where the AFCAT Cycle Stands Now
The 02/2026 written exam was held on 8 August 2026, and several education portals report that the result was declared on 9 September 2026. Shortlisted candidates choose their AFSB date and centre on the candidate portal. AFSB testing is reported to run from October to December 2026, followed by medical examinations. That schedule is a media report, not an official calendar.
If you missed this cycle, the next one is AFCAT 01/2027. No official notification for it was found when this page was drafted, and third-party pages expect it in November or December 2026. In the 02/2026 cycle, the exam came less than three months after the notification, so finishing the syllabus before the notice appears is the safer plan.
AFCAT 02/2026 Important Dates
Event | Date |
|---|---|
Notification and application start | 20 May 2026 |
Last date to apply | 19 June 2026 per the notification; an extension to 21 June 2026 was reported |
Admit card download | From 4 August 2026 |
AFCAT online exam | 8 August 2026 |
Question paper, answer key and objections | 9 August 2026 (5 pm) to 11 August 2026 (5 pm) |
Written result | 9 September 2026 (reported) |
AFSB testing | October to December 2026 (expected) |
Training starts | First week of July 2027 |
Dates marked reported or expected come from third-party sources and can change. Track the candidate portal on the official website and your registered email.
AFCAT Vacancy Details
The notification lists vacancies branch-wise for men and women. Adding the table gives 379: 353 through AFCAT Entry and 26 through GATE Score Entry. The figures are tentative and can change with service requirements.
Entry and branch | Men (PC) | Women (PC) | Men (SSC) | Women (SSC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AFCAT: Flying | - | - | 30 | 5 |
AFCAT: Technical, AE(L) | 2 | 2 | 107 | 25 |
AFCAT: Technical, AE(M) | 8 | 2 | 52 | 13 |
AFCAT: Weapon Systems | - | - | 21 | 5 |
AFCAT: Administration | - | - | 50 | 12 |
AFCAT: Logistics | - | - | 4 | 2 |
AFCAT: Accounts | - | - | 5 | 2 |
AFCAT: Education | - | - | 1 | 2 |
AFCAT: Meteorology | - | - | 1 | 2 |
GATE Entry: AE(L) | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
GATE Entry: AE(M) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Total (379) | 12 | 6 | 289 | 72 |
NCC Special Entry for Flying is not a fixed number. It takes 10% of the CDSE vacancies for Permanent Commission and 10% of the AFCAT vacancies for Short Service Commission. Two Ground Duty (Non-Technical) seats are reserved for law graduates.
AFCAT Eligibility
Nationality, marital status and other conditions
Nationality: You must be an Indian citizen under the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955.
Marital status: You must be unmarried when the course starts. Marriage during training leads to termination and refund of government expenses.
Flying branch: Candidates who failed the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) earlier, or were suspended from flying training at the Air Force Academy, cannot apply for Flying.
Legal record: Candidates convicted on criminal charges, or facing criminal proceedings, are not eligible.
Age limit
Age is counted as on 1 July 2027, with both dates of the birth window inclusive. Only the date of birth on your matriculation or secondary school certificate is accepted.
Branch | Age | Date of birth window |
|---|---|---|
Flying (AFCAT and NCC Special Entry) | 20 to 24 years | 2 July 2003 to 1 July 2007 |
Flying, with a valid DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence | Up to 26 years | 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007 |
Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical), including GATE entry | 20 to 26 years | 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007 |
Educational qualification
Branch | Qualification |
|---|---|
Flying | 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics; three-year graduation in any discipline, or BE/B.Tech (four years), or AMIE / Aeronautical Society of India Sections A and B |
AE(L) | 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics; four-year engineering degree in the listed electronics, electrical and computer disciplines, or MSc Electronics with BSc Physics |
AE(M) | 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics; four-year engineering degree in the listed mechanical, aeronautical and production disciplines |
Weapon Systems | 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics; three-year graduation or BE/B.Tech |
Administration and Logistics | 10+2 and three-year graduation in any discipline |
Accounts | 10+2 and B.Com, BBA/BMS/BBS with Finance, CA/CMA/CS/CFA, or BSc with Finance |
Education | 10+2 and postgraduation in any discipline |
Meteorology | 10+2 and BSc with Physics and Mathematics, or four-year engineering in the listed streams |
Final-year students can apply if they have no backlog, and they must show proof of completing the final exam by 30 May 2027. GATE Score Entry needs a BE/B.Tech in the listed disciplines and a valid GATE score from the three years before the course starts. Earlier cycles and many reference pages mention minimum marks for 10+2 and graduation. The 02/2026 notification text does not state a percentage for these entries, so confirm the marks rule on the official notification before you apply.
Application Fee and How to Apply
AFCAT Entry carries a non-refundable fee of Rs. 550 plus 18% GST, paid online. NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry candidates pay no fee. Aadhaar is mandatory for registration.
Register: Sign up on the official portal with your name, mobile number and email, and verify both with OTPs.
Log in: Use the User ID and password sent to your email and phone.
Fill the form: Complete personal, communication and qualification details, and select all courses in your order of preference.
Upload documents: Add your photograph, signature and thumb impression, and capture a live image.
Pay and print: Pay the fee online and save a printout of the submitted form.
Document | File size | Format |
|---|---|---|
Photograph (recent, colour, light background) | 100 KB to 200 KB | jpg/jpeg |
Signature (black ink on white paper) | 80 KB to 150 KB | jpg/jpeg |
Thumb impression (left for men, right for women) | 50 KB to 100 KB | jpg/jpeg |
Older pages may still show smaller file sizes and an earlier website address, so follow the official notification. A form cannot be edited after payment, so check every field before you submit.
AFCAT Exam Pattern
Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test | 100 | 300 | 2 hours |
Marking: 3 marks for each correct answer, 1 mark deducted for each wrong answer, nothing for unattempted questions.
Format: Objective questions, online, in English only. Calculators and electronic devices are not allowed.
Normalisation: Marks are normalised when the exam runs in more than one shift. The IAF can also fix qualifying marks in any or all subjects.
Section split: The notification fixes only the totals. Recent papers are commonly reported as 30 questions in English, 25 each in General Awareness and Reasoning, and 20 in Numerical Ability. Treat that as indicative.
What this means for you: a wrong answer costs 1 mark on top of the 3 you could have earned, so a blind guess is a poor trade. Attempt questions you can eliminate down to two options, and skip the rest. There is no sectional time limit, so you can start with your strongest section. AFCAT Syllabus Summary
Section | Important topics |
|---|---|
English | Comprehension, error detection, sentence completion, synonyms and antonyms, cloze test, idioms and phrases, analogy, sentence rearranging, one-word substitution |
General Awareness | History, geography, polity, economy, science, environment, art and culture, sports, organisations, personalities, defence, current affairs |
Numerical Ability | Arithmetic topics such as time and work, percentage, ratio, interest, time and distance, mensuration, probability and number system |
Reasoning and Military Aptitude | Verbal and non-verbal reasoning |
Numerical Ability is set at matriculation level, and the other subjects are at graduation level.
Selection Process and AFSB
AFCAT written exam: Candidates who clear the minimum qualifying marks are called to an Air Force Selection Board. NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry candidates skip the written exam and go straight to AFSB.
AFSB Stage I: The Officer Intelligence Rating test and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test are held on day one. This is a screening stage, and candidates who do not qualify are sent back that day.
AFSB Stage II: Psychological tests, group tests and a personal interview follow over the next days.
CPSS for Flying: The Computerised Pilot Selection System is given only to recommended Flying candidates, and it can be taken once in a lifetime.
Medical examination: Recommended candidates are tested against the medical standards in the notification.
Merit list: Candidates need the minimum qualifying marks separately in the written exam and AFSB, and are ranked on their combined marks.
The five boards are at Dehradun, Mysuru, Gandhinagar, Varanasi and Guwahati. The notification advises being able to run 1.6 km in 10 minutes and do 10 push-ups and 3 chin-ups when you report.
Salary, Commission and Training
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Pay on commissioning | Level 10 of the Defence Pay Matrix, Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,77,500 |
Military Service Pay | Rs. 15,500 per month |
Flight Cadet stipend | Rs. 56,100 per month during the training year |
Training duration | About 62 weeks for Flying and Technical branches; about 50 weeks for Non-Technical branches |
Insurance | Rs. 1.25 crore cover for death in service, on contribution |
Permanent Commission officers serve until superannuation. Short Service Commission is 14 years for Flying and an initial 10 years for Ground Duty, which can be extended by four years. SSC officers are not entitled to pension. Allowances such as flying, technical, and risk and hardship allowance depend on branch and posting.
AFCAT Cut-Off Reference
The IAF shows the cut-off on candidate scorecards. The table below is reported by third-party pages and is not an official publication.
Year | AFCAT 1 (out of 300) | AFCAT 2 (out of 300) |
|---|---|---|
2024 | 151 | 153 |
2023 | 155 | 151 |
2022 | 157 | 157 |
For AFCAT 02/2026, a cut-off of 135 has been reported, which is not confirmed from an official source. Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat past figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.
How to Prepare for AFCAT
For the written exam
Start with accuracy: With 1 mark lost per wrong answer, accuracy in Numerical Ability and Reasoning protects your score.
Read daily: Read one editorial a day for English and keep monthly current affairs notes, with extra attention to defence news.
Revise in short cycles: Revise static General Awareness and vocabulary weekly instead of in one long push.
For AFSB
Reasoning practice helps with the Officer Intelligence Rating test, and current affairs help in group tasks and the interview. Build basic fitness early. Do not wait for the result to start.