AFCAT Exam 2021

Updated Tue, 15 Dec 2020 04:49 PM IST

The AFCAT exam stands for the Air Force Common Admission Test which is also known as the Indian Air Force Exam. AFCAT is a competitive exam which is conducted at a national level by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in order to select officers for its various branches excluding the medical and dental branches.

The exam is held in order to recruit the Commissioned Air-Force Officer for Grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in Flying & Permanent Commission (PC)/Short Service Commission (SSC) in Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-technical) Branches. All the eligible men and women can apply for IAF AFCAT 2021 from 01 December to 30 December 2020 on AFCAT official website www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in OR www.afcat.cdac.in .  As per AFCAT l 2021 Notification, the exam is scheduled to be held on 20 February 2021 and 21 February 2021. The candidates who are selected in AFCAT 2021 will be placed as Commissioned Officers in Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. 

Table of Contents 
AFCAT 2021 Notification Details 

AFCAT 2021 Important Dates
AFCAT 2021 Exam Schedule
AFCAT 2021 Type of Commission
AFCAT 2021 Vacancy Details
AFCAT 2021 Salary
AFCAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria
AFCAT 2021 Selection Process
AFCAT 2021 Admit Card
AFCAT 2021 Location 
AFCAT 2021 Physical Fitness

AFCAT 2021 Training
AFCAT 2021 How to Apply 
AFCAT 2021 Preparation 

AFCAT 2021 Notification Details

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Download the PDF for AFCAT 2021 

AFCAT 2021 Important Dates

Subject

Important Date

Commencement for Online Application

01 December 2020

Ending date for Online Application

31 December 2020

AFCAT 2021 Admit Card Date

05 February 2021

AFCAT 2021 Exam Date

20 and 21 February 2021

AFCAT 2021 Course Commencement

January 2022

 

AFCAT 2021 Exam Schedule

(a) Scheme of Online Examination. All applicants whose applications are submitted by the due date will be called for AFCAT at one of the examination centres on either  20 Feb 21 (Saturday) or 21 Feb 21 (Sunday). It is mandatory for the candidates opting for Ground Duty (Technical) branch to appear in both AFCAT as well as Engineering  Knowledge Test (EKT). 

(i) Exam Schedule. The AFCAT (and EKT) will be conducted in two days as per  the following schedule:- 

Activity

20 Feb 21 (Day 1) 

21 Feb 21 (Day 2)

1st Shift 

2nd Shift 

1st Shift 

2nd Shift

Candidate  

Reporting Time 

08:00 hrs 

12:30 hrs 

08:00 hrs 

12:30 hrs

Verification of  Admit Card & ID  Proof, Biometrics,  Photo/ Thumb  Impression/ Sign  on Attendance  Sheet & Candidate  Seating in Exam  Hall

08:00- 09:30  hrs

12:30- 14:00  

hrs

08:00- 09:30  hrs

12:30-14:00 hrs

Reading of  Instructions by  Candidates

09:30- 09:45 

hrs

14:00- 14:15  

hrs

09:30- 09:45  hrs 

14:00- 14:15 hrs

AFCAT 

09:45- 11:45  hrs

14:15 -16:15  

hrs

09:45- 11:45  hrs

14:15 -16:15 hrs

Reading of  Instructions by  Candidates for  EKT

NA 

16:15 -16:30  

hrs 

NA 

16:15 -16:30 hrs

EKT

NA 

16:30 -17:15  

hrs 

NA

16:30 -17:15 hrs

 

Note: Candidates will not be permitted to enter the exam centre, under any circumstance, after the  pre-exam verification process has commenced at 08:00 hrs for shift-I and 12:30 hrs for shift-II. 

 

AFCAT 2021 Type of Commission

  • PC for Men - Candidates joining as PC officers would continue to serve till the age of superannuation as per their branch and rank.

  • SSC for Men & Women -The engagement period for Flying Branch SSC officers is fourteen years from the date of Commissioning (Non extendable). The initial tenure for SSC officers in Ground Duty (Tech and Non-Tech) branches would be for a period of ten years. An extension of four years may be granted subject to service requirements, availability of vacancies, willingness, suitability and merit

AFCAT 2021 Vacancy Details

Entry, Branch, Course Number and Vacancies. 

Entry 

Branch 

PC/ SSC 

Course Number 

Vacancies*

AFCAT Entry 

Flying 

SSC for Men &  Women

211/22F/SSC (M & W) SSC - 69

 

Ground Duty  

(Technical) 

{Aeronautical  

Engineer Electronics  and Aeronautical  Engineer Mechanical}

PC for Men and  SSC for Men &  Women

210/22T/PC/100AEC (M) 

210/22T/SSC/100AEC (M & W)

AE(L): PC- 27, SSC-40 AE(M): PC-12, SSC-17 

Ground Duty (Non Technical)  

{Administration, 

Logistics & Accounts)

PC for Men &  SSC for Men

210/22G/PC (M) 

210/22G/SSC (M)

Admin: PC-12, SSC-19  Accts : PC-06, SSC-10 LGS : PC-09, SSC-14

NCC Special  Entry

Flying 

PC for Men &  SSC for Men &  Women

211/22F/PC (M) and 211/22F/SSC(M & W)

10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC

*Disclaimer. Vacancies indicated are tentative and subject to change without notice. Actual intake would depend on organisational requirements, various cadre control mechanisms, availability of training slots and actual number of vacancies accruing in Jan 2022. No representation in this regard will be entertained.

 

AFCAT 2021 Salary

Flying Officer -  Rs. 56100 - 177500 at Pay Level - 10, MSP Rs. 15500 (Flight Cadets shall receive a fixed stipend of Rs 56,100/- per month during one year of training.)

AFCAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification & Experience:

Flying Branch:

  • Graduates in any discipline from a recognised University  with  minimum 60% marks in aggregate and  should have passed Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 level with a minimum of 50% marks OR Graduation with minimum three years degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

  •  Alternatively they should have a B.E / B.Tech degree with minimum 60% marks OR Candidates who have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branches):

  • Administration: Passed 10+2 AND Graduate Degree (Minimum three year degree course) in any discipline from a recognised university with 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 recognised university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

  • Accounts - B.Com degree (minimum three year degree course) from a recognised university with a minimum 60% marks or equivalent.

  • Logistics - Graduate Degree (Minimum three year degree course) in any discipline from a recognised university with 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 recognised university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

Ground Duty (Technical Branch):

  • Aeronautical Engineer(Electronics) {AE(L)}: Candidates with a minimum of 50% marks each in Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level and a minimum of four years degree graduation/integrated post-graduation qualification in Engineering/Technology from recognized University  Or Cleared sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India by actual studies with minimum 60% marks or equivalent in relevant disciplines specified by IAF.

  • Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical):   Candidates must have passed 10+2 with 50% in Physics and Mathematics and degree/integrated post-graduation in Engineering/Technology. Or Cleared sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India by actual studies with minimum 60% marks or equivalent in relevant disciplines specified by IAF.

NCC Special Entry (Flying Branch) (as per AFCAT 2020)

NCC Air Wing Senior Division ‘C’ certificate acquired on or after 01 Dec 17. Minimum of 60% marks in both Maths and Physics at 10+2 level. Graduates with a minimum three years degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.

OR

BE/B Tech degree (Four years course) from a recognised University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent OR Candidates who have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent\

AFCAT 20201 Age Limit:

  • Flying Branch: 20 to 24 years as on 01 January 2022 i.e. born between 02 January 1998 to 01 January 2002 (both dates inclusive)

  • Ground Duty (Technical/Non-technical) Branches : 20 to 26 years as on 01 January 2022 i.e. born between 02 January 1996 to 01 January 2002 (both dates inclusive)

Marital Status:

Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried at the time of commencement of the course. Widows/ Widowers and divorcees (with or without encumbrances) below 25 years of age are also not eligible.

Read the detailed Eligibility Criteria for AFCAT including the Physical Requirements for both Male and Female

AFCAT 2021 Selection Process

The selection is done on the basis of written examination for AFCAT, and other tests like Officers Intelligence Rating Test & Picture Perception and Discussion test, Psychological test and Group tests / Interview. The candidates who qualify in the Online AFCAT are called at one of the Air Force Selection Boards (AFSB ). Candidates who have directly applied for NCC Special Entry/Meteorology are directly called for AFSB testing at one of the AFSB centres:

There are three stages under AFSB

Stage-I -  Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with Picture Perception and discussion test- This test is conducted on the first day. Stage-I test is a screening test and only those who qualify would undergo subsequent testing. 

After that all those who have qualified Stage-I  are subjected to document check to ascertain their eligibility for the branches applied for. Candidates who either do not qualify in Stage-I or do not meet the required eligibility criteria are sent back on the first day itself.

Stage-II - Psychological test is conducted on Day 1(Afternoon) and the Group Tests and Interview  starts after the  documents are duly  checked for the next five days.

For the Flying Branch. - Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) is administered to recommended candidates only. This is once in a lifetime test. Candidates who have failed the CPSS/ PABT in an earlier attempt or a Flight Cadet suspended from flying training at Air Force Academy are not eligible for this test.

AFCAT 2021 Admit Card 

Candidates will be able to download AFCAT Admit Card after 05 Feb 21 by clicking on “DOWNLOAD ADMIT CARD”  from the website - afcat.cdac.in and the candidates will also receive admit card on their registered email ID.

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2021

(ii) Syllabus. The subjects, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to  each subject will be as follows:-

Exam 

Subject 

Duration 

No. of  Questions

Max  

Marks

AFCAT

General Awareness, Verbal  Ability in English, Numerical  Ability and Reasoning and  Military Aptitude Test

02 Hours 

100 

300

EKT [For  Candidates  

with one of  the choices  as (Technical) Branch]

Mechanical, Computer  Science and Electrical &  Electronics

45  

Minutes 

50 

150

 

(iii) The Online examination will consist of objective type questions and will be in  English only for both AFCAT and EKT. 

(iv) Marking Scheme is as follows:- 

(aa) Three marks will be awarded for every correct answer. 

(ab) One mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer. 

(ac) No marks for unattempted questions. 

(v) Questions will be based on the metric system of Weights & Measures wherever  applicable.  

(vi) Candidates are required to appear for the Online AFCAT in person. Under no  circumstance will any scribe or another candidate be allowed to appear/ assist in the  exam.  

(vii) Air Force has the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the  examination. 

(b) Standard and Syllabus of the Examination: 

(i) Syllabus.  

(aa) English. Comprehension, Error Detection, Sentence Completion/ Filling in of correct word, Synonyms, Antonyms and Testing of Vocabulary,  Idioms and Phrases. 

(ab) General Awareness. History, Geography, Civics, Politics, Current  Affairs, Environment, Basic Science, Defence, Art, Culture, Sports, etc. 

(ac) Numerical Ability. Decimal Fraction, Time and Work, Average, Profit &  Loss, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion and Simple Interest, Time & Distance  (Trains/Boats & Streams). 

(ad) Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test.Verbal Skills and Spatial Ability. 

(ii) Standard. The standard of Numerical Ability Questions will be of Matriculation  level. The standard of questions in other subjects will be of graduation level (Indian  University). 

(c) Practice Test. An online Practice Test (for AFCAT & EKT) is available on the IAF  website https://careerindianairforce.cdac.in or https://afcat.cdac.in. 

AFCAT  2021 Location 

 Agartala, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Alwar,  Allahabad, Ambala, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bathinda, Behrampur (Odisha), Belagavi,  Bengaluru, Bhagalpur, Bhilai, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bhuj, Bikaner, Chandigarh,  Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi and NCR, Dhanbad, Diu, Dibrugarh, Durgapur,  Faridabad, Ganganagar, Gaya, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Guntur, Gurugram, Guwahati,  Gwalior, Haldwani, Hissar, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur,  Jalandhar, Jalpaigudi, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Jhansi, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kannur, Kanpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Kota, Kurukshetra, Leh, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Meerut, Mumbai, Muzzafarpur, Mysore, Nagpur, Nasik,  Nizamabad, Noida, Panaji, Patiala, Patna, Port Blair, Puducherry, Pune, Rajkot, Ranchi,  Rourkee, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Silchar, Sonipat, Solapur, Srinagar,  Thane, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Tirunelveli, Tirupati, Udaipur, Vadodara,  Varanasi, Vellore, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Warangal. 

(g) Allotment of Centres. As far as possible, candidates will be allotted centres as per  their choice. Candidates should note that no request for change of centre/ date/ slot will  be entertained. Therefore candidates should exercise due care before deciding date/ slot of  his/ her choice for the centre for the examination before filling the form. In case of any eventuality, the AFCAT exam centres may be cancelled. In this scenario alternate centres  would be provided to the affected candidates. No representation would be entertained in this  regard and the IAF decision  would be final. 

 

AFCAT 2021 Physical Fitness

Candidates will be required to complete a 1.6 km run in a stipulated time frame of 10 Min,  110 push ups and 3 chin up.

AFCAT 2021 Training

Training will commence in the first week of Jan 2022 for all courses at Air Force Academy Dundigal (Hyderabad). The duration of training for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical) Branches is 74 weeks and that of Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches is 52 weeks at Air Force Training Establishments. PAN Card and account in SBI/ Nationalised Bank is mandatory at the time of joining Air Force Academy. Aadhaar Card is mandatory for registration.

AFCAT 2021 How to Apply 

Click on the below link to know the detailed procedure to apply for AFCAT along with the Application form.

AFCAT 2021 Preparations
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