AFCAT Exam 2023: Notification, Dates, Eligibility, Vacancy

The Air Force Common Admission Test application form for AFCAT 2 is going to be concluded on June 30th 2023. While the AFCAT exam is bound to take place on August 23rd, 25th, and 26th 2023. The recruitment exam is one of the most popular government exams after 12th Science. Conducted twice a year in February and August, the examination aims to recruit candidates for Class-1 gazetted posts in Ground and Flying Duties (Technical and Non-Technical).

The AFCAT opens the door to several opportunities for both the men and women aspirants who want to be a part of the highly coveted Indian Air Force services and serve the country. Through this blog, we will discuss the key details of the AFCAT Exam 2023. 

Parameters	Details
Exam Name	AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test)
Conducting Body	Indian Air Force
Level of Exam	National Level
Exam Frequency	Twice a year
AFCAT 1 Date	February 24th to 26th 2023
AFCAT 2 Date	August 25th to 27th 2023
Mode of Exam	Online (Computer Based Test)
Language	English
Total Sections	4 Section
Posts Offered	Commissioned officers in: Flying Branch, Ground Duty (technical), and Ground Duty (Non-technical) Branch
Official Website	https://afcat.cdac.in/AFCAT/

Also Read: Government Exams After 12th Science

AFCAT Exam Dates 2023

The recruitment examination governing body has already released the dates for the upcoming exam cycle. Hence, the aspirants need to be aligned with the exam dates mentioned henceforth to avoid any deadline.

AFCAT 2

Check the table below to be aligned with the latest examination schedules and get an edge over other applicants.

AFCAT 2 Exam Schedules	Important Dates
Release of Notification	June 1st 2023
Application Process	June 1st to 30th 2023
Release of Admit Card	August 10th 2023
AFCAT 2 Exam Date	August 25th to 27th 2023

AFCAT 1

The exam dates for AFCAT 1 exam were read as follows:

AFCAT 1 Exam Schedules	Important Dates
Release of Notification	December 1st 2022
Application Process	December 1st to 30th 2022
Application Correction Window	January 10th to 13th 2023
Release of Admit Card	February 10th to 26th 2023
AFCAT 1 Exam Date	February 24th to 26th 2023
AFCAT 1 Result	March 13th 2023

Types of Commission in the AFCAT Exam

Before understanding the AFCAT exam comprehensively, it is important to know about the types of commissions. Therefore, candidates who wish to be a part of the armed forces can join under two types of commissions, the details of which have been summarised below:

Permanent Commission

This type of commission applies to male candidates in particular. All the male candidates who join as PC officers will serve until they attain the age of retirement in their respective chosen branches.

Short Service Commission

The short service commission is open for both male and female candidates equally. When it comes to the Flying Branch, SSC officers can serve up to 14 years from the date of commissioning. The term is not extendable under any circumstances. While for the Ground Duty (both Technical and Non-Technical), SSC officers would be engaged for 10 years.

A four-year extension is possible only in the cases of suitability, vacancies, service requirement, willingness and merit of the personnel. 

Must Read: How to Become a Pilot After 12th

AFCAT Exam 2023: Eligibility Criteria

To be able to apply for the AFCAT exam, the candidates need to fulfil fill certain parameters. Since the prerequisites differ from one branch and duty to another, it is important to go through the criteria in detail. Given below are the branch-wise eligibility criteria to join the services: 

Ground Duty (Technical Branch)

To appear for the AFCAT exam for this branch, the age e of the candidate should be between 20 to 26 years at the time of commencement. Further, the applicants who are below the age of 25 years should be unmarried. 

• Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) 

The candidate should have secured a minimum score of 60% in Mathematics and Physics in higher secondary school and must hold four-year graduation or an integrated post-graduation degree in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university to appear for the AFCAT exam

OR 

Must have cleared the sections A and B examination of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (AMIE-India)

OR 

Cleared sections A and B examinations the of Aeronautical Society of India or have cleared the graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications in the following disciplines:

Communication Engineering	Computer Engineering and Application	Computer Science and Engineering	Electrical Engineering	Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electronic Science and Engineering	Electronic and Communication Engineering	Electronic and Computer Science	Electronic and Telecommunication	Electronic Communication and Instrumentation Engineering
Electronical Engineering	Electrical and Electronics Engineering	Electronics Instrument and Control Engineering	Instrumentation and Control Engineering	Information Technology
Electronics and Computer Engineering	Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering (Microwave)	Electronics Instrument	Electronics and Computer Sciences	—

Note: final-year year students, who have no backlogs and will be able to produce the original or provisional degree certificate from the university are eligible for the exam. 

• Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) 

With the same eligibility criteria as that of Aeronautical Engineering(Mechanical), the only difference lies in the disciplines of the graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications. The applicant must have secured a minimum of 60% in any of the following disciplines to appear for this branch of the AFCAT exam:

Aerospace Engineering	Aeronautical Engineering	Aircraft Maintenance Engineering
Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering and Automation	Mechanical Engineering (Production)
Mechanical Engineering (Repair and Maintenance)	Mechatronics	Industrial Engineering

Flying Branch

To apply for this branch through the AFCAT exam, the candidate must be between 20 to 24 years. Further, the candidate must have scored a minimum of 60% in Physics and Maths in class 12th.

Candidate should further have a minimum three-year graduation degree in any discipline from a recognized university with an aggregate score of a minimum of 60% or equivalent

OR

A four-year BTech or BE degree from a recognized university with an aggregate score of 60% or equivalent. 

OR 

Must have cleared sections A and B examination of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) OR Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with an aggregate score of mini of mum 60% or equivalent.

Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch)

The AFCAT exam for this branch requires that the candidate’s age should be between 20 to 26 years. Further, due to the many roles and duties, the educational qualification varies from one duty branch to another. Given below are the duty-wise qualifications: 

Branch	Qualification Eligibility Criteria
Accounts	A minimum three-year degree in Commerce stream from a recognized university with a minimum score of 60% or equivalent.
Administration	A minimum three-year graduate degree in any discipline from a recognized university with a minimum score of 60% or equivalent OR  qualification degree in section A and B examination AMIE (India) OR that of the Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with an aggregate score of a minimum of 60% or equivalent.
Logistics	A minimum three-year graduate degree in any discipline from a recognized university with an aggregate score of minimum 60% or equivalent OR cleared section A and B examination of AMIE (India) OR that of Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with an aggregate score of minimum 60% or equivalent.

Must Read: How to Become a Commercial Pilot?

AFCAT Exam 2023 Syllabus

To score well in the exam, the students need to be well-vein with the AFCAT Syllabus and the exam pattern. The test consists of 4 sections namely:

• Verbal Ability
• Numerical Ability
• General Awareness
• Military Aptitude

From reading comprehension and simplification questions to governance and seating arrangement questions, the exam tests the abilities of candidates in many areas.

AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern

Tabulated below are the details regarding the mode and the number of questions asked in the AFCAT exam: 

Exam Pattern	AFCAT	EKT (Technical Branch)
Total Questions	100	50
Maximum Marks	300	150
Negative Marking	1	1
Exam Duration	2 hrs (120 minutes)	45 minutes
Mode of Exam	Online	Online

Note: It is mandatory for the candidates who have applied for Ground Duty (Technical) branch to appear in both AFCAT and EKT. 

Also Read: Types of Reasoning Questions

Recruitment Procedure

Be it a Technical or Non-Technical Branch, to be able to join the Indian Air Force, the candidates go through a rigorous selection process. Listed below are the details regarding the same: 

• Online Test: The candidates need to first appear for the online AFCAT exam. The students wanting to go to the Technical Branch need to appear for both AFCAT and EKT exams on the same day. 
• AFSB Interview: After clearing the online tests, the candidates have to appear at one of the AFSB(Air Force Selection Board) for an Interview. The process is conducted in three stages/tests namely, Officer Intelligence Rating Test, Psychological Tand est, and Computerized Pilot Selection System (for Flying Branch). 

Note: For the AFSB interview, shortlisted candidates will be required to bring some documents along with them. You can visit the official website of the Indian Air Force to know more about it. 

Documents Required for AFCAT Interview

It is mandatory to carry a bunch of important documents for all the selected candidates who will be asked to appear in the final interview round, Here is a list of documents that you need to have before appearing for the AFCAT exam interview-

• Class 10th and 12th certificate and their photocopies
•  Passport size colour photograph
•  A valid and original commercial pilot licence that is issued by DGCA
•  NCC certificate
•  provisional graduation or post-graduation mark sheet
•  NOC from employees of state/central government or public sector
• AFCAT exam admit card 

FAQs

Hopefully, this blog has provided with you an insight into the information regarding the AFCAT exam. For more updates related to any other Indian examination, check out our Indian Exams page, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.