AFCAT Exam 2024: Notification, Dates, Eligibility, and Vacancy

The Indian Air Force conducts the Air Force Common Admission Test to enrol Class-1 Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duties, both technical and non-technical. The AFCAT is administered twice a year, once in February and again in August or September. The exam must be taken in English. Both the exam and the application process will be conducted online.

Latest Update 

The AFCAT 1 2024 Notification will be made public by the Indian Air Force in December 2023 for the course starting in January 2025.

What is AFCAT?

The Indian Air Force conducts the Air Force Common Admission Test twice a year to induct officers into the IAF. For those who are shortlisted, the written exam is followed by an interview with the Air Force Selection Board, known as the AFSB.

What options are available via AFCAT?

• All three IAF branches—the flying branch, the technical branch, and the ground duty branch—are open to applications through AFCAT.
• The eligibility criteria for different branches vary. For all three branches, both men and women may apply. 
• Through AFCAT, there is only a Short Service Commission for the Flying Branch. In general, Men have both Permanent and Short Service Commission, whereas women can only get Short Service Commission in any of the three branches.
• So, if you pass both the written exam and the AFSB, you have a chance of enrolling in the Air Force Academy.

AFCAT 1 2024 Exam Dates

These are the exam dates for AFCAT 1 2024. Students should keep an eye on the notifications mentioned on the Indian Airforce Official Website. Which are https://careerindianairforce.cdac.in or https://afcat.cdac.in. 

Event	Important Dates
AFCAT 1 2024 Notification date	December 2023
AFCAT 1 2024 Applications Start	(TO BE NOTIFIED)
AFCAT 1 2024 Applications Closing Date	(TO BE NOTIFIED)
AFCAT 1 2024 Admit Card Release	1-2 weeks before the exam date
AFCAT 1 2024 Exam Date	(TO BE NOTIFIED)
AFCAT 1 2024 Results Date	March 2024
AFCAT 1 2024 AFSB Interview dates	April 2024 to October 2024

Applications Process for AFCAT 1 2024

• IAF applicants must submit their applications online for the AFCAT 1 2024 exam at https://careerindianairforce.cdac.in or https://afcat.cdac.in. 
• The requirement for online registration is an Aadhaar Card.
• Once the formal notification of AFCAT 1 2024 is released, specific instructions for completing the online application form will be made available.

Also Read: UPSC CDS Eligibility Criteria 2023: Age Limit, Qualification Details

AFCAT 1 2024 Eligibility Criteria

AFCAT Age Limit

IAF BRANCH	Lower Age	Upper Age
Flying Branch	20 years	24 years
Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical)	20 years	26 years

Please Note: 

• The maximum age is relaxed to 26 years for applicants who already possess a Commercial Pilot Licence from the DGCA India.
• At the time the course begins, candidates under the age of 25 should not be married.
• Widows, widowers, and divorcees under the age of 25, with or without encumbrances, are also ineligible.

AFCAT Educational Qualification

The Educational Qualification for Flying and Technical Branches are mentioned below. 

AFCAT Flying Branch 

The candidates applying for the Flying Branch vacancies must have the following educational qualifications.

• Candidates must have received at least a 50% grade in math and physics in their 10+2 years and must also have completed a three-year degree programme in any discipline at a recognised university with at least 60% overall or an equivalent grade point average.
• A 4 year BE/B Tech degree with at least 60% or an equivalent grade from an accredited university is required.
• A minimum of 60% in Sections A and B of the Associate Membership exam of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India from an accredited university, or the equivalent.

Also Read: Best Books for UPSC CDS 2023: Direct Link to Buy

Technical Ground Duty AFCAT 

These are the list of Technical Ground Duties for AFCAT and their Educational Qualification Requirements.

AFCAT Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics)

• At least 50% in both mathematics and physics at the 10+2 level 
• A minimum of four years of undergraduate study or integrated post-graduate training in engineering or technology from a recognised university, or passing scores of at least 60% on the Graduate Membership Exam of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers or Sections A and B of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India.

AFCAT Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical)  

• A minimum of 60% marks each in Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level 
• Integrated post-graduate degree in engineering or technology with a minimum of four years of study from an accredited university, or successful completion of the Sections A and B examination for associate membership in the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India by actual study with a minimum of 60% marks or an equivalent in the following disciplines. 

AFCAT Administration & Logistics

• Graduate Degree in any discipline from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent or cleared section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

AFCAT Accounts

• B.Com. Degree from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

AFCAT Education

• MBA/ MCA or MA/ MSc degree in English/ Physics/ Mathematics/ Chemistry/ Statistics/ International relations/ International Studies/ Defence Studies/ Psychology/ Computer Science/ IT/ Management/ Mass Communication/ Journalism/ Public Relations with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together.

AFCAT Meteorology

• Post Graduate Degree in any Science stream/ Mathematics/ Statistics/Geography/Computer Applications/Environmental Science/ Applied Physics/ Oceanography/Meteorology/Agricultural Meteorology/Ecology & Environment /Geophysics/Environmental Biology with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together (Provided Maths and Physics were studied at Graduation Level with a minimum of 55% marks in each).  

NCC Flying Branch

• NCC Air Wing Senior Division ‘C’ certificate acquired on or after January 01, 2017, is mandatory. 
• Candidates should have mandatorily passed with a minimum of 60% marks each in Maths and Physics at 10+2 and Graduate with a minimum of three years degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. 
• BE/B Tech degree (Four years course) from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. Candidates who have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.  

AFCAT 1 2024 Admit Card

The admit cards for the exam are released two weeks before the exam by the Indian Air Force. Candidates appearing for the exam must download and print the admit card and have it ready for the exam.

AFCAT 1 2024 Results

The AFCAT results are typically made public about a month after the test has been taken. Candidates can check the results on the official website when they are formally announced. 

AFCAT 1 2024 Exam Pattern

The AFCAT EXam has 4 Sections and their division is given below: 

Section	Questions	Marks
General Awareness	20	60
Verbal Ability in English	30	90
Numerical Ability	15	45
Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test	35	105

AFCAT 1 2024 Syllabus

SUBJECT	SYLLABUS
English	Comprehension, Detecting Errors in Sentences, Sentence Completion/ Filling in of correct words, Synonym/ Antonym, Cloze Test or Fill in the Gaps in a paragraph, Idioms and Phrases, Analogy, Sentence Rearranging, Substitution in a Sentence/ One Word Substitution.
General Awareness	History, Geography, Sports, National & International Organisations, Art & Culture, Personalities, Environment & Ecology, Indian Polity, Economy, Basic Science Based Knowledge, Science & Technology, Current Affairs (National & International), and Defence.
Numerical Ability	Decimal Fraction, Time and Work, Average/ Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio & Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Time & Distance and Races (Trains/ Boats & Streams), Area and Perimeter, Probability, Number System & Number Series, Mixture & Allegation Rules, Clocks.
Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

AFCAT 1 2024 Exam Centers

Alwar	Allahabad	Ambala	Aurangabad
Agartala	Ajmer	Ahmedabad	Aizawl
Bareilly	Behrampur	Bathinda	Belagavi
Chennai	Coimbatore	Warangal	Delhi
Bengaluru	Bhagalpur	Bhilai	Bhopal
Bhubaneswar	Bhuj	Bikaner	Chandigarh
Dhanbad	Dibrugarh	Faridabad	Gaya
Gorakhpur	Guntur	Gurugram	Guwahati
Diu	Durgapur	Ganganagar	Ghaziabad
Imphal	Indore	Itanagar	Jabalpur
Gwalior	Haldwani	Hissar	Hyderabad
Jamshedpur	Jhansi	Jodhpur	Jorhat
Jaipur	Jalandhar	Jalpaiguri	Jammu
Kohima	Kolhapur	Kolkata	Kota
Kannur	Kanpur	Kochi	Kakinada
Mangalore	Meerut	Mumbai	Muzzafarpur
Kurukshetra	Leh	Lucknow	Ludhiana
Nizamabad	Noida	Panaji	Patiala
Mysore	Nagpur	Nasik	Chhapra
Patna	Port Blaire	Puducherry	Pune
Rajkot	Ranchi	Rourkee	Rourkela
Sambalpur	Shillong	Shimla	Silchar

AFACT 1 2024 Expected Cut-Off:

The difficulty of the exam, the number of openings, and the number of applicants who apply all play a role in determining the cut-offs. The AFCAT 1 cutoff for 2023 was 155. The AFCAT 1 2024 cut-off is anticipated to be close to that score.

These are cut-offs from previous years to give you an approximate:

Previous Year	AFCAT 1	AFCAT 2
2023	155	TO BE UPDATED
2022	157	157
2021	165	157

AFCAT 1 2024 Selection Process

The Selection Process has 3 Stages including the AFSB and the Medical Exam.

AFSB Testing Stage 1

These two tests are included in it:

• Officer Intelligence Rating Test.
• Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP&DT)

Please Note: Stage 1 is called the screening test. Candidates who clear this stage move on to the next.

AFSB Testing Stage 2

All Stage 1 qualified applicants will need to show up for AFSB Stage 2 and take the following exams:

• Psychological Tests: Written psychological tests that are administered by licenced psychologists.

• Group tests: These tests combine mental and physical challenges to assess candidates on a range of cognitive and physical abilities.

• AFSB Interview: During this round, the interviewing officer meets with the candidate one-on-one.

• Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) Test: Only applicants who have applied for the Flying Branch are required to take this test.

AFCAT Medical Examination

Recommendations for candidates will be called in for a medical exam. The Indian Air Force has only approved two medical examination facilities: 

• The Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME) in New Delhi 
• The Institute of Aviation Medicine in Bengaluru. 

AFCAT 1 2024 Merit List

A final merit list would be created based on the candidate’s performance in the written exam and AFSB interviews after the medical examination. All candidates who have been shortlisted will be given a letter of acceptance to the training programmes they have applied to.

This was all about the AFCAT exam. For more information on Defense Exams visit our Indian Exam Page and Follow us for regular updates.