About AFCAT Exam 

The Air Force common admission test (AFCAT) is conducted by the Indian Air force for the selection of Class-1 Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical). The exam is organized twice a year, in February and August/September. And millions of candidates participate in this exam and wish to join the recognized Indian Air Force Academy and become the Indian Air Force Officer.

This exam is the opportunity for both male and female candidates who aspire to be a part of the Indian Air Force for serving Short Service Commission in Flying Branch and Ground Branch for both Short Service Commission and Permanent Commission.

Selection process summary –

The selection process consists of 2 stages:

1. Online Exam
2. Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) interview.

Candidates interested in going for Ground Duty (Technical) have to give both AFCAT as well as Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT).

Exam mode

The mode of the exam is an online Computer Based Test and the medium of the exam is English only. AFCAT Exam is a national-level online exam and holds primary importance. Its official website is www.afcat.cdac.in. The application form has to be filled and submitted in the online mode only. Being a part of the Indian Air Force will be a glorifying experience and pride and an honour in itself.

AFCAT (2) Notification/News

The AFCAT (2) notification was released on June 1, 2021, for the recruitment of 334 vacancies. And AFCAT (first) was conducted in February 2021. Indian Air Force has announced the official notification to select the Indian citizens (both Male and Females) in the elite force as Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical).

The Detailed Notification contains everything such as vacancies, eligibility criteria, Type of Commission (Short service commission and Permanent Commission), Exam Pattern, Selection Process, Application Process.

Notification overview

Read below to know detailed Information about AFCAT 2021 Notification

Indian Air force had set out AFCAT (ll) 2021 Application correction Form window on July 26, 2021. Candidates can edit the details in the form till 5 pm on 28th July. Candidates just need to log in with their credentials and do the corrections, if they made any mistakes.

AFCAT 2021 Exam Dates

As per the latest update, AFCAT 2021 (second) Exam will be held on August 28, 29, and 30, 2021. And AFCAT 2021 (first) Exam was held on February 20, 21, and 22, 2021.

The exact date of the AFCAT (2) result has not been out. Candidates are advised to check the Chegg website regularly or check it on the official website of AFCAT https://afcat.cdac.in.

AFCAT Application Fee

Candidates who fill the application form of AFCAT 2021 have to pay the registration fee online through a Credit card/Debit card/Net Banking after filling the form. The Registration Fee to be paid is discussed below.

The fee is the same for all the categories

AFCAT Eligibility Criteria

The candidates must fulfil the following criteria to be eligible for AFCAT Exam 2021.

Nationality

The candidate must hold the citizenship of India as a per of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955. 

Age Limit

Age Limit differs according to the branch:

• For Flying Branch: The age of the candidates should be between 20-24 years as of January 1, 2021. They must be born between January 2, 1998, and January 1, 2002.
• For Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical Branch): 20-26 years as of January 1, 2021. They should be born between January 2, 1996, and January 1, 2002.

Marital Status

• Candidates must be unmarried

• Widow/Widowers and Divorcees below 25 years of age are not eligible.

Educational Qualification

Flying Branch:

It is mandatory to opt for Maths and Physics in 12th Std. and obtain a minimum of 50% marks each in both of them and Graduation with a minimum three years degree in any discipline with a minimum of 60% marks or a 4-year BE/B.Tech with minimum 60% marks from a  recognized university or the Candidates who have passed Sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India with minimum 60% marks from a recognized university.

Ground Duty (Technical Branch):

1. Candidates having the degree of Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) AE (L) and have obtained 50% marks each in Physics and Maths in their 12th STD. And have completed a minimum of four years degree graduation/Integrated Post graduation in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university.
2. Passed Sections A and B  by Actual Studies of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India or Graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers with 60 per cent in the relevant disciplines notified by the examination authority.
3. Candidates having the degree of Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) AE(M) and have attained 50% marks each in Physics and Maths in 10+2 Level and a four years degree graduation/Integrated Post graduation in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university.
4. Cleared Sections A & B examination by actual studies of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% marks in the relevant disciplines notified by IAF authority

Ground Duty (Non -Technical Branch)

(a) Administration and Logistics

Passed in 12th STD and have completed graduation with a minimum 3 years degree course in any discipline from a recognized university and have attained a minimum of 60% marks.

(b) Education Department

Completed MBA/MCA or MA/M.Sc in English/Physics/Mathematics/Chemistry/Statistics/International Relations/International Studies/Psychology/Defense Studies/IT/Management/Journalism/Science/Mass Communication with a minimum 50% marks in their degree

(c) Accounts

B.Com Graduate with minimum 60% marks.

Also, the candidates need to be physically and mentally fit

AFCAT 2021 Vacancies

Indian Air Force has announced a total of 334 vacancies for AFCAT (ll) 2021 along with the notification. Before that total of 235 vacancies were set out for AFCAT (l) 2021 for different branches of AFCAT. And there is no intake of women in Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch). 

Also, 10% seats out of Combined Defense Service Exam (CDSE)  are reserved for Permanent Commission (PC) and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for Short Service Commission (SSC) are reserved for the NCC Special Entry Flying Branch. The Bifurcation of branch-wise vacancies is given below.

AFCAT 2021 Salary

During the period of training, candidates will be given a stipend of Rs. 56,100. And the tenure of training is 1 year. After the successful completion of training the payment will be according to the following method:

Salary fixed in level 10 pay matrix: 7th Pay Commission- 56,100-1,77,500

And the salary in-hand branch wise is given according to following

In addition to the above Military Service Pay of Rs.15,500 per month is also included. Officers also receive other allowances such as TA, DA, Children Education Allowance, etc.

Along with the salary and allowances, there are other additional benefits given to IAF officers.

• Fully Furnished accommodation
• Leave Travel Concessions
• Loans at subsidized rates
• Medical cover
• Recreational and Sports Facilities
• Leave Travel Concessions

AFCAT 2021 Syllabus

AFCAT 2021 online test includes the numerical ability questions of matriculation level and if we talk about other sections questions will be of graduation level.

English 

There will be questions from Comprehension, cloze Test, synonym and antonym, idioms and phrases, error spotting.

General Awareness

There will be questions from History, Geography, Political Science, current affairs, Defense-related questions, general science, miscellaneous.

Reasoning and Military Aptitude

This subject will comprise questions from Series, Venn Diagrams, Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning, spatial ability, Syllogism, Blood Relations, etc.

Numerical Ability

This subject can ask questions from Time and Work, Profit and Loss, Average, Percentage, Ratio and Proportion, Speed Distance and Time, Simple Interest and Compound Interest, etc.

EKT

It is for the candidates applying for Ground duty Technical Branch, there will be questions from Fundamental, Specialized, and Allied Engineering Topics in all the three sections of the Exam.

AFCAT 2021 Exam Pattern

• The exam will be the objective type where a Total of 100 MCQ questions will be asked. If applying for Technical Branch EKT, there will be a Total of 50 MCQ questions
• There will be four sections- Numerical Ability, Reasoning, and Military Aptitude Test, Verbal Ability, and General Awareness.
• For EKT, Three sections will be there- Mechanical, Electronics, and Computer Science.
• Total marks for AFCAT will be 300 and for EKT, it will be 150.
• There will be a penalty of 1 mark for each wrong answer and three marks will be given for the correct answer
• The total duration of the exam will be 2 hours for AFCAT and 45 minutes for EKT.

Structure of AFCAT and EKT Exam Pattern

Candidates qualifying in the online exam of AFCAT will be called AFSB Interview which is organized in the following stages:

Stage-1

Officer Intelligence Test along with  Picture Perception and Discussion Test. All the candidates qualifying in this stage have to subsequently go for the documentation check to ensure that they are eligible for the branch they have applied for.

Stage-2

After the monitoring of documents, there will be  Psychological tests along with Group Tests and Interviews

Stage-3

There will be a computerized pilot selection system CPSS for the recommended candidates in the Flying Branch only.