AFCAT 2021 Exam Date, Syllabus & Eligibility

The Air Force Common Admission Test or AFCAT exam is conducted by the Indian Air Force. The exam is held twice a year in February and August / September, respectively, to select Class I officers in flight and ground duties (technical and non-technical). AFCAT is a gateway for male and female candidates who wish to join the Indian Air Force for Short Service Commission in Flight Branch and Standing Commission / Short Service Commission in Land Tasks for technical and non-technical roles.

AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) is an entrance test conducted by the Indian Air Force with the help of the C-DAC for applicants who wish to join the Indian Air Force as Commissioned Officers in Flight, Service Ground (Technical) and Ground Service (Non-Technical). branches. The AFCAT exam consists of two parts: AFCAT and EKT (only for the technical branch). The test is conducted twice a year across the country by the Indian Air Force. AFCAT I 2020 was successfully taken from February 22 to 23, 2020. The exam was taken online in more than 100 cities in two shifts. The examination for the morning shift took place from 9.45 a.m. at 11:45 p.m. while the afternoon shift was held from 2.15 a.m. at 4.15 p.m. The dates of the AFSB interviews for AFCAT I 2020 will be announced soon, after this event the candidate can choose the AFSB centers and download the call letter.

Candidates are selected based on their performance in the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) online exam and interview. Candidates opting for ground service (technical) branches must take both the AFCAT and the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT).

AFCAT 2021 Exam Highlights

AFCAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the AFCAT 2021 exam, candidates must meet the following criteria

Nationality: Candidates must be citizens of India

Age limit: the age limits prescribed for the exam are different for the different branches

Marital Status

• Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried at the time of commencement of the course.
• Widows/Widowers and divorcees below 25 years of age are also not eligible.
• Candidates who marry to the date of his application though successful at SSB or medical will not be eligible for training.
• Those who marry during the period of training will be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the government.
• Married candidates above 25 years are eligible to apply but during their training period, they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family.

Educational Qualifications

Branch Educational qualification

AFCAT 2021 notification

The AFCAT 1 2021 notification has been posted online on the official website. Notification PDF contains details such as exam dates, application dates, eligibility criteria, salary details, application fees, how to complete the application form, details about the admission card, examination scheme, the study program standard , medical standards, examination centers etc.

AFCAT 2021 application form

The AFCAT application form will be posted online on December 1. The application fees, which are Rs 250 for all categories, can be paid online. To complete the application form, candidates need to enter the Aadhaar card number. The Aadhaar card is optional for candidates belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya.

Dates AFCAT 2021

The AFCAT 2021 dates are provided below for both exam sessions. The dates are announced along with the notification.

AFCAT 1 dates 2021

AFCAT 2 Dates 2021

Candidates can check below AFCAT 2 dates:

Vacancies AFCAT 2021

The AFCAT vacancies have been announced by the examining authority together with the notification. A total of 235 vacancies will be filled through the AFCAT (1) 2021 exam. Below is the breakdown by branch of the AFCAT 1 2021 vacancies.

Till the time the vacancies for 2021 are released, candidates can check below the previous year's break-up of AFCAT 2 vacancies.

Selection process AFCAT 2021

The full AFCAT selection process is explained below

Filling the application form

The AFCAT application form is published online on the official website. To complete the application form, it is mandatory to have the Aadhaar Card. The application fee can be paid through the online payment gateway. Candidates are advised to check the eligibility criteria before completing the application form.

Release of admission card

The AFCAT admission card can be accessed through the candidates' login. Registered candidates can download the admission card by entering the email ID and password. The hard copy of the admission card is not sent to candidates by mail.

Test online

All registered candidates must appear for the AFCAT online test. The test comprises questions of General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test. The EKT, which is conducted for candidates with one of the options as Technical Branch, comprises questions from Mechanics, Computer Science, and Electrical and Electronics. The maximum marks assigned to AFCAT are 300. The EKT test has a total of 150 points.

Result statement

The AFCAT result is announced online on the official website. Candidates must log into their account by entering email ID, password, and captcha code. The result shows grade status, section grades, overall grades, and cut marks. Based on the AFCAT result, candidates are summoned for the AFSB interview.

AFSB interview

Candidates declared successful on the AFCAT exam are called to the AFSB interview. The interview consists of three stages.

Stage I: The first day the intelligence qualification test of the officers will be carried out along with the perception of the image and the discussion test.

Stage II: Psychological tests take place on day 1 (afternoon) and group tests and interview will begin after document verification for the next five days.

For the flight branch: Candidates applying for the flight branch must appear in the Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS).

Final merit list

The final list of merits is prepared by the candidates who achieve the minimum scores separately on the written exam and the AFSB test. All candidates are placed in the order of merit based on the total scores obtained on the written exam and the AFSB test.

AFCAT 2021 Exam Centers

The AFCAT exam will be held in approximately more than 100 cities in the country. Candidates can choose the AFCAT 2021 test centers by completing the application form. Exam centers are assigned to candidates based on their choice.

Analysis of the AFCAT 2021 exam

The AFCAT exam analysis will be provided to candidates within a few hours after the exam ends. The analysis of the AFCAT exam highlights the thematic distribution of the questions, the weighting of the topics, the number of good attempts, etc. The general AFCAT document is usually moderate in terms of level of difficulty. Until the AFCAT 2021 exam analysis is released, candidates can refer to the previous year's analysis to find out the level of difficulty of the exam and prepare accordingly.

AFCAT Cut off

The cut is released along with the result. Candidates can verify crop marks by logging into their dashboard. The 2020 AFCAT cutoff of 300 points was 155. The cutoff for the EKT was 40. Candidates must score at or above the cut-off points to be selected for the AFSB interview.

AFCAT Exam Day Guidelines 2021

Items to permitted inside the exam centre

The following items are permitted inside the exam centre:

• Admit Card
• Candidate’s Aadhaar Card
• PAN card/ passport/ driving licence/ voter identity card/ college identity card
• Two passport-size colour photographs
• Ballpoint Pen (Blue or Black)
• Items not permitted inside the exam centre

Candidates are not allowed to carry the following items:

• Textual material
• Calculators
• Docupen
• Slide rulers, log tables, electronic watches
• Mobile phones
• Blue tooth, pager

AFCAT payment and assignment

AFCAT 2021 applicants can view detailed information on AFCAT Pay & Allowance here. The rules and regulations related to it are as follows: Even before eligible candidates are commissioned as an Air Force Officer, you will be paid a monthly stipend of Rs. 56,100. However, the monthly stipend is applicable only during the last year of training. The applicable allowance in the Commission award to flight officers is Rs. 56,100 - 1,10,000 per month. For military service, the payment is Rs. 15,500 per month.

Frequently asked questions about AFCAT 2021

Question1. How many times is AFCAT held in a year?

Answer. The AFCAT exam is held twice a year.

Question2.Howcan I apply for the AFCAT exam?

Answer. Candidates who wish to apply for AFCAT can complete their application forms online.

Question2 Is AFCAT tough?

Answer. It is not difficult to pass the AFCAT exam if candidates have prepared well.

Question 3What is a good score for AFCAT?

Answer.It is recommended that candidates score 140-160 out of 300.

Question 4 Are there any reservations for the AFCAT exam?

Answer. No, there is no reservation for the AFCAT exam.

Question 5How many times can I take the AFCAT exam?

Answer. There is no limit on the number of attempts.

Question 6What is the salary of a flight officer?

Answer. The salary of a flight officer is 56,100 to 1,110,700 rupees.

Question 7How was the list of merits prepared?

Answer. The list of merits for selecting candidates for the AFSB test is prepared from those who have achieved the minimum qualifications.

Question 8how are candidates for training selected?

Answer. Candidates recommended by the AFSB and who are medically fit are selected for training based on merit and availability of openings.

Question 9 Can I apply for AFCAT after class 12?

Answer. No, to be eligible for the AFCAT exam, candidates must be graduates.

Question 10what is the minimum acceptable height?

Answer. The minimum acceptable height for male candidates in the ground service branch (technical / non-technical) is 157.5 cms. For female candidates, the minimum acceptable height is 152 cms. The minimum acceptable height for male and female candidates at Flying Branch is 162.5 cm.