AFCAT Cut Off 2026: Previous Year Marks and Target Score

The AFCAT cut off is the minimum overall score in the written exam that gets you called to the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB). The paper carries 300 marks, and the Indian Air Force shows the cut-off on each candidate's scorecard on the official portal, afcat.edcil.co.in, when the result is declared. This page explains how to read the figures and what score to aim for in practice.

Table of Contents

1. What the AFCAT Cut Off Means

2. Previous Year AFCAT Cut Off

3. What Affects the Cut Off

4. How to Set Your Target Score

What the AFCAT Cut Off Means

• Overall, not category-wise: The cut-off is a single figure out of 300. Reports for the 02/2026 cycle say it is not published category-wise, and the IAF may apply a second cut-off for a particular branch based on its requirements.

• Only a gateway: Clearing it earns an AFSB call. Final ranking combines written marks and AFSB marks, and you need the minimum qualifying marks in each.

• Normalised marks: When the exam runs in more than one shift, marks are normalised. Compare your normalised score with the cut-off, not your raw score.

• Entry-specific rules: GATE Score Entry candidates are checked against a GATE cut-off instead of the written paper. If your branch notification lists a separate technical test, it carries its own cut-off.

Previous Year AFCAT Cut Off

The table lists the overall written cut-off (out of 300) for the two years where third-party tables agree. These are not official publications.

Figures for 2024 and 2025 differ from page to page, with AFCAT 1 values reported anywhere between 121 and 151. Until they can be checked against official scorecards, treat any single number for those years with caution. Across all reported cycles since 2022, cut-offs have stayed between roughly 40% and 52% of the total marks.

What Affects the Cut Off

• Vacancies: More seats in a cycle generally allow a lower cut-off.

• Paper difficulty: A tougher paper pulls average scores, and the cut-off, down.

• Applicants: The number and quality of candidates who appear shape the qualifying line.

• Normalisation: Multi-shift papers are adjusted so that scores are comparable.

How to Set Your Target Score

Net score is what counts, because each wrong answer costs 1 mark on top of the 3 you could have earned. For example, 60 correct and 10 wrong answers give 180 minus 10, which is 170 marks from 70 attempts.

• Beat the highest recent figure: Score above 157 in three full-length mocks in a row before you trust your preparation.

• Track accuracy with attempts: Attempting more questions helps only while accuracy holds.

• Keep a buffer: A margin of 15 to 20 marks over the highest recent figure is a sensible safety cushion, since the cut-off moves every cycle.