| Conducting body | Indian Air Force (IAF). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Flying Branch (Short Service Commission), Ground Duty (Technical): Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics), Ground Duty (Technical): Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical), Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Weapon Systems, Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Administration, Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Logistics, Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Accounts, Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Education, Ground Duty (Non-Technical): Meteorology |
| Qualification | Flying: Mathematics and Physics at 10+2, plus a three-year degree in any discipline, a four-year BE/B.Tech, or Sections A and B of AMIE or the Aeronautical Society of India. Ground Duty (Technical): Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 and a four-year engineering degree (or equivalent listed in the notice) in the specified disciplines for AE(L) or AE(M). Weapon Systems: Maths and Physics at 10+2 plus a degree or BE/B.Tech. Administration and Logistics: 10+2 and a degree in any discipline. Accounts: B.Com, BBA/BMS/BBS with finance, B.Sc. finance, or CA/CMA/CS/CFA. Education: postgraduation in any discipline. Meteorology: B.Sc. with Physics and Maths or a four-year engineering degree in listed streams. Final-year students can apply if they have no backlog when applying, and must submit proof of passing their final exams by 30 May 2027. |
| Age limit | 20–26 years on 1 July 2027 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Online AFCAT: 100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours → AFSB Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating test and Picture Perception and Discussion Test on day one → AFSB Stage II: psychological tests, then group tests and interview over the next five days → CPSS for Flying Branch candidates recommended by the AFSB → Medical examination and final merit list |
| Latest notification | Notification for AFCAT Cycle 02/2026 (courses commencing July 2027) · 379 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About AFCAT
AFCAT is the Indian Air Force's own online test for commissioned officers in the Flying, Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches, held twice a year. The AFCAT 02/2026 notification is for courses starting in July 2027 and lists 353 vacancies through AFCAT and 26 through the GATE score entry for technical branches, for men and women. Candidates who clear the online test go to an Air Force Selection Board, and flying aspirants also take the CPSS.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 20–26 years, counted on 1 July 2027.
Age relaxation
- Flying Branch: holders of a valid DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence can be up to 26 years (born 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007).
Qualification
Flying: Mathematics and Physics at 10+2, plus a three-year degree in any discipline, a four-year BE/B.Tech, or Sections A and B of AMIE or the Aeronautical Society of India. Ground Duty (Technical): Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 and a four-year engineering degree (or equivalent listed in the notice) in the specified disciplines for AE(L) or AE(M). Weapon Systems: Maths and Physics at 10+2 plus a degree or BE/B.Tech. Administration and Logistics: 10+2 and a degree in any discipline. Accounts: B.Com, BBA/BMS/BBS with finance, B.Sc. finance, or CA/CMA/CS/CFA. Education: postgraduation in any discipline. Meteorology: B.Sc. with Physics and Maths or a four-year engineering degree in listed streams. Final-year students can apply if they have no backlog when applying, and must submit proof of passing their final exams by 30 May 2027.
Other conditions
- Flying Branch age: 20 to 24 years as on 1 July 2027 (born 2 July 2003 to 1 July 2007).
- Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) age: 20 to 26 years as on 1 July 2027 (born 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007).
- Candidates must be unmarried when the course begins, and marriage is not allowed during training.
- Exam fee for the AFCAT entry: Rs 550 plus GST, non-refundable.
- Two Ground Duty (Non-Technical) seats are reserved for law graduates.
- CPSS is a once-in-a-lifetime test. Anyone who has failed CPSS or PABT earlier cannot be considered for the Flying Branch.
Selection process
- Online AFCAT: 100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours
- AFSB Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating test and Picture Perception and Discussion Test on day one
- AFSB Stage II: psychological tests, then group tests and interview over the next five days
- CPSS for Flying Branch candidates recommended by the AFSB
- Medical examination and final merit list
Exam pattern
Online AFCAT
Mode: Computer-based, objective type, English only · Duration: 2 hours · Negative marking: 3 marks per correct answer, 1 mark deducted per wrong answer, no marks for unattempted questions
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test (combined) | 100 | 300 |
AFCAT syllabus
English
- Comprehension and error detection
- Sentence completion, cloze test and fill in the gaps
- Synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases
- Analogy, sentence rearrangement and one-word substitution
- Transformation of sentences and homonyms
General Awareness
- History, geography, art and culture
- Indian polity and economy
- Basic science, science and technology
- Sports, personalities, national and international organisations
- Environment and ecology
- Current affairs and defence
Numerical Ability (matriculation level)
- Decimal fractions, percentages and averages
- Profit and loss, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest
- Time and work, time and distance, trains, boats and streams
- Area, perimeter and elementary mensuration
- Number system, series, HCF and LCM, squares and cubes
- Probability, mixtures and alligation, heights and distances
- Mean, median and mode, exponents and powers
Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test
- Verbal reasoning
- Non-verbal reasoning
What they ask
AFCAT is a single two-hour online paper of 100 questions carrying 300 marks, set only in English. You get 3 marks for each correct answer and lose 1 for each wrong one, so a careless guess wipes out a third of a correct answer. Numerical Ability stays at matriculation level while English, General Awareness and reasoning are pitched at graduation level. The Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test covers both verbal and non-verbal reasoning, so expect figure-based questions alongside word-based ones.
How to prepare
- Give non-verbal reasoning regular practice alongside verbal reasoning, since the notification lists both under the Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test.
- Revise Class 10 arithmetic topics from the notice's list, such as time and work, interest and mensuration, and aim to solve each question in under a minute.
- Keep a running list of defence news, exercises and appointments, since the General Awareness syllabus names defence and current affairs.
- Take the online practice test on afcat.edcil.co.in before the exam to get used to the interface and the +3/-1 marking.
- Use a short daily topic-wise quiz on the free Improvam app for English vocabulary and reasoning practice.
AFCAT is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appAFCAT FAQs
Yes. Each correct answer earns 3 marks and each wrong answer loses 1 mark. Unattempted questions score zero.
Sources
- IAF: Notification for AFCAT Cycle 02/2026 ↗ (official, checked )
- AFCAT official portal (EdCIL for IAF) ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.