Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) Exam Guide

Defence Published on 13 October 2020

AFCAT, also known as the Air Force Common Admission Test is conducted by the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force conducts this AFCAT exam every year for recruiting candidates for the post of officers in all IAF (except medical and dental) divisions. Here we will provide the complete AFCAT Exam guide for all the aspiring candidates.


AFCAT 2020 Exam Date:


AFCAT exam is held twice in a year: AFCAT 1 2020 & AFCAT 2 2020. All the relevant Details related to the AFCAT exam is given below:


AFCAT 1 2020 Exam Dates: 



AFCAT-1 Events

Exam Dates

AFCAT-1 Exam Notification 2020

23rd November 2019

Online Application form date started

1st December 2019

Application Form Last date for receiving

30 December 2019

Admit Card Available

3rd February 2020

AFCAT 1 2020 Exam Date 

22nd & 23rd February 2020

AFCAT-1 Exam Result

17th March 2020

SSB Selection link activation date

18th March 2020

 


AFCAT 2 2020 Exam Dates:



AFCAT-2 Events

Dates

AFCAT-1 Exam Notification

1st June 2020

Online Application form date started

1st June 2020

Application Form Last date for receiving

July 2020

Admit Card Available

Released

AFCAT-2 2020 Exam Date

3,4 and 5 Oct 2020

AFCAT-2 Exam Result

Update Soon






AFCAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2020:


The Indian Air Force is one of India's best career opportunities for individuals. Growth opportunities in this sector are massive. Applicants would need to meet each of the eligibility criteria to be an Air Force member. The Indian Air Force conducts the AFCAT exam twice (in February and August) for selecting aspiring candidates in their squad. The Air Force has three divisions, which are as below:


  1. Flying Branch
  2. Technical Branch
  3. Ground Duty Branch


As per their eligibility and ability, applicants may choose one of the divisions as a profession. Each division has other requirements that must be met. Those who are eligible will apply as per the given schedule. In this article, we have covered the eligibility criteria for AFCAT. Along with this, it is also important that candidates follow a good AFCAT Exam Preparation.


The eligibility for a particular candidate for the AFCAT must be checked before applying online. Applicants are only permitted to apply for the AFCAT 2020 application form after they have satisfied themselves. The eligibility criteria for each branches are mentioned in detail below. 


A. Flying Branch:


Nationality- Candidate has to be a resident of India


Age Requirements- Applicants must, of course, be within 20 to 24 years for both Men and Women at the time of the election. 


Academic Credentials- Any graduate with or completed B.E./B. in Physics and Mathematics subjects. Technology. (Four-year course) achieving marks of at least 60 percent.


  1. Candidates participating in the final semester/year will also be qualified if he/she is necessary to apply for the exam and generate a certificate when needed. 


Marital status-Single applicant.


B. Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch):


Nationality– An Indian citizen. 


Age Criteria– Age must be between 20 and 26 years. 


Academic Qualification– Applicant must be a Graduate / Postgraduate to apply. However, in the qualifying test, the applicant must have received at least 60 percent marks. 


Gender– Both men and women can apply.


Marital status– Both married and single candidates can apply but candidates under the age of 25 must be unmarried.


C. Ground Duty (Technical Branch):


  1. An Indian citizen may apply for the position. 


  1. Age– The age of the applicant must, of course, be within 20 to 26 years at the time of the election. 


  1. Marital status-Candidates under the age of 25 should not be married. 


  1. Gender-Both men and women can apply. 


  1. Educational certification- Aeronautical engineering has two branches i.e. Electronics and mechanical, and standards are different depending on the source.


We advise you to follow AFCAT Exam preparation tips to clear each of these branches efficiently.


Total Vacancies:


Indian Air Force (IAF) has published the official notification for AFCAT 2020. According to the notification, a total of 249 vacancies for the Flying Branch and Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical) Branch will also be filled through AFCAT Exam. Applicants will be selected based on organizational criteria, specific process monitoring structures, the availability of training slots, and the number of actual vacancies.


AFCAT 2020 Application Process:


Part 1: 


Website: Applicants must visit the official portal of AFCAT for the registration.


New Candidate: Click on the 'Candidate Login' button to enroll for AFCAT. A new page will appear on which applicants must enroll as a New Candidate. 


Details: Applicants need to enter their personal details while registering with AFCAT. Applicants should be cautious of disclosing the information.


User ID & Password: Applicants will get their User ID and Password on the registered Email Address after successful registration with AFCAT. 


Application: Sign In with your User Id and Password for filling out the application form.


Forgot Password: If applicants do not remember their login ID and Password then applicants must click the "Forgot Password" button. Applicants can generate their new password by submitting their email ID here.


Part 2: 


Candidates should mention their academic qualifications while filling the AFCAT Part 2 section.


  1. Qualification Level: Applicants from the drop-down must clearly state their level of education. 


  1. Graduation Discipline: Next, applicants will choose Eligible Education from the options A, B, C, and D.


  1. Period of the program: Applicants must list their exact academic details together with the duration of the program including B.E / B.Tech 4 years / B.Com 3 years etc.


Required Details: Applicants will refer to the following additional information in Part 2 of the AFCAT Online Application Process: 

  1. College / Institute Name.
  2. Name of the University. 
  3. Graduation and 10 + 2 Percentage.
  4. Percent Independently obtained in Physics and Math at 10 + 2.
  5. Several Backlogs Applicants will check the information provided again and should press the button 'Continue to Part 3.'


Part 3:


  1. Applicants will tick the subject in Part 3 of the AFCAT 2020 Online Application Process as shown.


  1. Applicants should also enter other required details and then press the 'Skip to Part 4' button to continue to the next stage of the AFCAT 2020 Application Process.

 

Part 4:


To finish Part 4 of the AFCAT application process, applicants must choose the course and the Exam Center according to their preferences. 


Applicants must choose only those courses which they are eligible for. The courses will be shown based on prior information from the candidate that they stated in the application.


Part 5: 


To finish Part 5 of the AFCAT application process, applicants must provide their Basic Details including: 


Father's Name, Mother's Name, Additional Email ID, Aadhar Number, Mark Identity, Married / Unmarried, GATE (Appeared, Year and Marks), Postal Address, State, PIN, Nearby Railway Station, Permanent Address, etc.


Photo, return address and details of Thumb Impressions:


Photograph, Thumb Impression & Signatures: In the corresponding column, applicants applying for the AFCAT exam 2020 will upload their Passports Size Photograph, Thumb Impression, and Signature.


Verify the details: Once the applicants have completed filling in all AFCAT 2020 information. Candidates should press the 'Save and Display Document' key to check the details provided since no adjustments can be made after submitting the application form.


To finish the application process the applicant must click on the 'Submit' button. Following the successful submission of AFCAT 2020, Application Form applicants will obtain the "Application Uploaded to the Indian Airforce" pop-up on the computer.


AFCAT 2020 Admit Card:


On 4 February, the Indian Air Force (IAF) issued AFCAT admit card 2020. The admission card can be found on the official website- www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in. Applicants who has been approved can access their AFCAT 2020 admit card by logging on the official website. The hard copy of the admit card shall not be submitted by mail to candidates.


Applicants will be able to access the admit card before exam day. AFCAT 1 admit card 2020 includes all important details such as applicant's personal details, as well as information relevant to the test. Applicants may notify the examining authority before 7 February 2020 in case of any discrepancies. AFCAT 2020 exams are expected to take place on 22 and 23 February.


Candidates are suppose to follow a good AFCAT Exam preparation to clear the exam in the first attempt itself.


AFCAT Salary Structure:


The following mentioned AFCAT salary will refer to the Commission's grants to Flying Officers:- 

Pay in Pay Band (Common to all Branches)-Rs 56,100 Per Month (the Officer will be put at level 10 in the VIIth CPC Pay Matrix-56,100-1,10,700).


  1. Payment for military service:- 15,500 rs per month. 


  1. Besides, the newly commissioned Flying Branches Officers will receive:- Flying Allowance.


  1. Technical Allowances to Technical Branch Officers


AFCAT Selection Process:


Indian Air Force (IAF) performs the selection process for the AFCAT exam 2020 test. The selection process will comprise the entire process, including the examination ranking, interview, and community debate.


Applicants who have appeared for AFCAT 2020 need to clear all the rounds of recruitment to get into the Indian Air Force positions. Only selected applicants will be called up for further stages. Besides that, applicants would have to give the final medical round. The counseling process will commence after the outcome of AFCAT 2020.


AFCAT Exam Pattern:


  1. The online exam for the AFCAT exam is divided into four categories-general knowledge, verbal skill in English, quantitative skill, and reasoning, and military aptitude testing. 
  2. The test length is two hours.
  3. The problem paper contains a minimum of 100 questions. 
  4. The cumulative checkmarks allotted is 300. 
  5. The EKT exam will take 45 minutes to complete. The exam will consist of Mechanical, Computer Science, and Electrical & Electronics questions.


  1. There will be 50 questions in total. 
  2. The overall test marks assigned are 150. 
  3. All questions placed in the review will be the analytical form, with several choices. 
  4. Questions are only to be in English.
  5. Questions will be focused on the Weights & Measures metric system where appropriate. 
  6. Applicants are needed to achieve the minimum qualification marks to qualify for the exam.


Candidates are also required to prepare better for the exam. They should follow AFCAT Exam preparation tips to clear the exam easily.


AFCAT 2020 Cut off: 


AFCAT 2020 cut off will be issued by the IAF together with the result announcement on March 17 at afcat.cdac.in. Applicants are expected to enter the AFCAT login email Id and password to search the AFCAT 2020 cutout. The minimum scores needed to qualify for the written examination are referred to as AFCAT cut off 2020.


In addition, as per the announcement of AFCAT 2020 cut off IAF, only those applicants who participated in the technical exam have also issued EKT cutoff. Applicants who follow AFCAT 2020's defined cut-off will be selected to participate in the next stage. AFCAT eligible candidates will appear for the AFSB interview that will be held from April.


This was the complete AFCAT Exam guide that candidates should follow. Know the current and latest updates of the exam by referring to this guide as well as the official website. Good luck to all the candidates!