Are you an aspirant of Defence Exams? Get the latest information on all the upcoming Defence exams in India such as NDA, CDS, CAPF and AFCAT exam in the article.
The Defence exams are conducted to recruit eligible candidates in the Indian Armed Forces. Through various Defence exams, candidates get admission in the various Defence training academies such as –
- Indian Military Academy (IMA) – Dehradun
- Indian Naval Academy (INA) – Ezhimala
- Air Force Academy (AFA) – Hyderabad
- Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) – Chennai
Every year lakhs of candidates appear for various defence exams to fulfil their dream of being a part of the armed forces, which is undoubtedly highly admired in India. This article aims to provide relevant information on the defence exams in India for aspirants to prepare conveniently for upcoming Defence exams.
Candidates willing to appear for other Government exams can go through the link for information on upcoming exams.
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Eying for a future in Defense services? Complement your Defence exams preparation with the following- |
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Upcoming Defence Exams
Defence exams offer prestigious, dignified and lucrative career opportunities. Most of the defence exams in India are conducted by the UPSC – Union Public Service Commission. However, there are individual organisations also that conduct their own exams to fill up various vacancies.
The information related to the following Defence exams are given in the article-
- CAPF – Central Armed Police Force
- NDA – National Defence Academy/ Naval Academy
- CDS – Combined Defense Services
- AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test
Lets us have a close look at various Defence exams in India-
Defence Exams – Dates
The exam dates for all Defence exams are announced by the conducting body through the official notification or on the official exam calendar.
The important dates of upcoming Defence exams 2023 are as follows-
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Defence Exam Dates 2023 |
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|---|---|---|
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Defence Exams |
Notification |
Exam Dates |
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NDA |
NDA 1 – 21st December 2022 NDA 2- 17 May 2023 |
NDA 1 – April 16th 2023 NDA 2- September 3rd 2023 |
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CDS |
CDS 1- 21st December 2022 CDS 2- 17 May 2023 |
CDS 1- April 16th 2023 CDS 2- September 3rd 2023 |
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CAPF |
April 26th 2023 |
August 6th 2023 |
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AFCAT |
November 26th 2022 |
24-26 February 2023 |
Candidates can know the relevant dates of Defence exams in the article.
Defence Exams – Notification
The notification for CAPF, CDS and NDA exam is released by the UPSC while the AFCAT exam is conducted by the Indian Air force itself. The notification details of these defence exams for the year 2023 are as follows-
CAPF Exam
CAPF is an All India level exam conducted annually. The notification for CAPF exam is released to recruit various Group A and Group B officers in the seven security forces of India. The notification for the CAPF Recruitment 2023 will be released on April 26, 2023, and the dates for Papers 1 and 2 are August 6, 2023. Thousands of applicants show up each year in the Central Armed Police Forces in the hopes of being selected as Assistant Commandants. For information on the various phases of the selection procedure, check the CAPF exam date 2023.
The CAPF ACs 2023 Notification will be released by UPSC on 26th April 2023. The table below highlights Defence exam 2023 dates for CAPF-
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Defence Exam 2023 – CAPF Dates |
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|---|---|
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Official Notification |
26 April 2023 |
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Online Application |
26 April 2023 to 16 May 2023 |
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Admit Card |
July 2023 |
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CAPF Written Exam |
06 August 2023 |
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CAPF Result |
To be notified |
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CAPF Interview |
To be notified |
The fresh vacancies to be filled through UPSC CAPF 2023 Exam will be released along with UPSC CAPF Notification 2023. Previous year vacancy is given below:
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UPSC CAPF (AC) Vacancies 2022 |
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|---|---|
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Security Forces |
Vacancies |
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Border Security Force (BSF) |
66 |
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Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) |
29 |
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Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) |
62 |
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Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) |
14 |
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Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) |
82 |
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Total |
253 |
Aspirants of CAPF exam can go through CAPF Recruitment for further information.
NDA / NA Exam
NDA/NA is an all India defence entrance exam that is conducted by UPSC twice a year, in April and in September. Candidates who qualify NDA exam get admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA & Indian Naval Academy Course -INAC.
NDA notification 2023 pdf for NDA 1 Exam has been released by the UPSC at www.upsc.gov.in on 21st December 2022 announcing vacancies for boys & girls to be recruited for FY 2023 for National Defence Academy and Naval Academy. The UPSC NDA-I 2023 Offline Written Examination will be conducted on 16th April 2023 (Sunday) & NDA-II will be conducted on 03rd September 2023 (Sunday) as mentioned in the notification pdf.
The details of this defence exam for 2023 is given in the table below-
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Defence Exam Date – NDA 2023 |
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|---|---|---|
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NDA exam events |
NDA I Exam |
NDA II Exam |
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NDA Notification & commencement of application |
21st December 2022 |
17th May 2023 |
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Last date for NDA Online application |
12th January 2023 |
06th June 2023 |
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NDA 2023 Written exam |
16th April 2023 |
3rd September 2023 |
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NDA Result |
May 2023 |
September 2023 |
Candidates can check the detailed NDA notification on the linked page for further details.
NDA 1 Exam 2023 will be used this year to fill a total of 395 positions at the National Defense Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA), of which 352 will go to NDA and the remaining 42 to NA. For a comprehensive breakdown of the vacancies for the NDA 1 exam in 2023, see the table below.
|
Sr. No. |
Academy |
Vacancies 2023 |
|---|---|---|
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1. |
Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme) |
25 (Only for Male Candidates) |
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2. |
National Defence Academy |
|
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Total |
395 |
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CDS Exam
CDS is a national level defence entrance exam which is again conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. CDS exam is conducted biannually, CDS I in February and CDS II in September.
UPSC has released the CDS exam dates 2023 for CDS I & II exams along with the UPSC Calendar 2023. As per the calendar, the CDS I 2023 examination going to be conducted on 16th April 2023 and CDS 2 exam will be conducted on 3rd September 2023. The important dates of the CDS defence exam are as mentioned below-
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Defence Exam 2023 – CDS Dates |
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|---|---|---|
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CDS exam event |
CDS 1 |
CDS 2 |
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CDS notification |
21st December 2022 |
17th May 2023 |
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CDS Online Application |
21st December 2022- 10th January 2023 |
17th May 2023 to 06th June 2023 |
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CDS Admit Card |
24th March 2023 |
August 2023 |
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CDS Written exam |
16th April 2023 |
03rd September 2023 |
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CDS Result |
May 2023 |
September 2023 |
This year, 341 vacancies are announced for Indian Air Force, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Officer’s Training Academy. Have a look at the Vacancy distribution.
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CDS (I) 2023 Vacancies |
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|---|---|---|
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Academy |
Course |
Total Vacancies |
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Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai |
33rd SSC Women (Non-Technical) Course commencing in April 2024 |
17 |
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Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai |
119th SSC (Men) Course (NT) commencing in April 2024 |
170 |
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Air Force Academy, Hyderabad |
(Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in January 2024 |
32 |
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Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala |
Course commencing in January 2024 Executive (General Service)/ Hydro |
22 |
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Indian Military Academy, Dehradun |
156th (DE) course commencing in January 2024 |
100 |
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Total |
341 |
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Detailed information on CDS notification and relevant details are given on the linked article.
AFCAT Exam
The Indian Air force conducts the AFCAT exam to select candidates for multiple posts in the Air Force such as Flying Officers, Officers in Ground Duty – Technical Post, and Officers in Ground Duty -Non-Technical Post.
The AFCAT exam is also conducted biannually, once in February and then in August. Aspirants from across the country can apply for this Defence exam. The official notification for AFCAT 1 2023 exam has been released for 258 vacancies and the online examination for AFCAT 1 exam will be conducted from 24th to 26th February 2023.
Indian Air Force (IAF) has released the detailed AFCAT 2023 Notification pdf for AFCTA 1 exam on 01st December 2022 for the Indian citizens (Men and Women) to be part of its elite force as Group A Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duty [Technical and Non-Technical] branches for course commencing in January 2024.
The details of important events for AFCAT defence exam is highlighted in the table below-
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Defence Exam 2023- AFCAT Dates |
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|---|---|---|
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AFCAT 2020 |
AFCAT 1 |
AFCAT 2 |
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AFCAT Notification |
27 November 2022 |
May 2023 |
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AFCAT Registration |
1 December 2022 to 31 December 2022 |
June 2023 |
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AFCAT Admit Card |
10 February 2023 |
July 2023 |
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AFCAT exam date |
24, 25, and 26 February 2023 |
August 2023 |
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AFCAT Result |
13 March 2023 |
September 2023 |
For the course starting in January 2024, the India Air Force has declared 258 vacancies to be filled through the AFCAT 1 2023 Exam. The vacancies are for Short Service Commission in the Flying Branch and Ground Duty. (Technical & Non-Technical branches).
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AFCAT 1 2023 Vacancy |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Entry |
Course Number |
Branch |
Vacancies (Women)- 33 |
Vacancies (Men)- 225 |
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NCC Special Entry |
215/24F/PC/M and 215/24F/SSC/M&W |
Flying |
10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC. |
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|
AFCAT Entry |
214/24G/SSC/M & W |
Ground-Duty(Non-Technical) |
Weapon System (WS) Branch: 02 Admin: 05 Accts: 02 Lgs: 02 Edn: 02 Met: 02 |
Weapon System (WS) Branch: 15 Admin: 43 Accts: 11 Lgs: 19 Edn: 08 Met: 07 |
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214/24T/SSC/ 104AEC/ M & W |
Ground-Duty(Technical) |
AE(L): SSC – 10 AE(M): SSC – 03 |
AE(L): PC – 23, SSC – 80 AE(M): PC – 07, SSC – 26 |
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215/24F/SSC/M & W |
Flying |
SSC – 05 |
SSC- 05 |
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Further details regarding AFCAT can be checked on the AFCAT Notification page.
Defence Exam Eligibility
Aspirants of various Defence exams have to fulfil the basic eligibility requirement as mentioned by the conducting body in the respective exam notification.
Every citizen of India, irrespective of class, caste, religion and community is eligible to appear for defence exams provided they meet the criteria such as physical standard, age and educational qualification.
The criteria for Defence exams eligibility are as follows-
Defence Exam Age Limit
The age limit for different Defence exams in India are different which is highlighted below-
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Defence Exam Age Limit |
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|---|---|---|
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Exams |
Minimum Age |
Maximum Age |
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CAPF |
20 years |
25 years |
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NDA |
16 years |
19 years |
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CDS |
19 years |
22 years – INA 23 years – AFA 24 years – IMA 25 years – OTA |
|
AFCAT Exam |
20 years |
24 years – Flying Branch 26 years – Ground Duty |
Defence Exam Education Qualification
The minimum education qualification required to appear for the defence exam is 12th Board pass. The details for education requirements for different Defence exams is as follows-
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Defence Exam Educational Qualification |
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|---|---|
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Exams |
Minimum Education Requirement |
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CAPF |
A Bachelor’s degree from any Government recognised University Or Deemed to be University |
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NDA/NA Exam |
12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination |
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CDS Exam |
Graduation/Bachelors from a Government recognised University |
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AFCAT Exam |
A Graduation degree from any Government recognised University |
All the Defence exams have certain physical and medical standards that are mandatory to be fulfilled by the candidates in order to be eligible for the examination. Aspirants can go through the detailed eligibility requirements of various Defence exams on the links provided below-
Defence Exam Vacancy
The Defence exam vacancies are announced by the conducting bodies along with the release of the official notification.
Candidates can go through the Defence exam vacancy for various Defence exams in India highlighted below
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Defence Exam Vacancy 2023 |
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|---|---|---|
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Defence Exams |
Exam 1 Vacancy |
Exam 2 vacancy |
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NDA/NA |
NDA – 370 Naval Academy – 25 |
NDA – To be announced Naval Academy – To be announced |
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CDS |
Army/Navy/Air Force – 154 Officers Training Academy – 187 |
Army/Navy/Air Force – 154 Officers Training Academy – 185 |
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AFCAT |
Men- 225 Women- 33 |
To be announced |
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CAPF |
To be announced for Assistant Commandants in (SSB, ITBP, CISF, BSF, CRPF) |
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For detailed information on Defence Exam vacancy please refer to the notification page for respective exams.
Defence Exam Syllabus & Exam Pattern
The UPSC and Air Force, reserves the right to set and make changes in the exam pattern and syllabus of CDS, NDA, CAPF and AFCAT respectively.
The notification published by the conducting body mentions the Defence exam syllabus and exam pattern in detail.
Aspirants of various defence exam in India can go through the highlights of patterns and Defence exam syllabus given below-
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Defence Exam Syllabus & Exam Pattern |
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|---|---|---|
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Defence Exams |
Exam Pattern |
Syllabus |
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CAPF |
Paper-I – Objective; 250 marks Paper-II – Subjective; 200 marks Physical Efficiency Test – on qualifying Paper I & II Personality test/Interview – 150 marks |
Paper I – General Ability and Intelligence Paper-II – General Studies, Essay and Comprehension |
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NDA |
Written Exam ( Part I – Maths – 300 marks, Part II – GAT – 600 marks) SSB Interview – Two stages – 900 Marks |
Written exam – broadly covers subjects like Maths, English, and General knowledge |
|
CDS |
Written Exam – (INA/IMA/AFA – 300 marks & OTA – 200 marks) SSB Interview |
English, General knowledge and Elementary Mathematics |
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AFCAT |
Written test (compulsory for all branches) – 300 marks EKT(Only for Technical) – 100 marks |
Written test– General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test EKT– Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical & Electronics |
Candidates can check the detailed Defence exam syllabus for different exams on the link provided below –
Aspirants of various Defence exams in India must be willing to know the remuneration, perks and allowances admissible to candidates selected in these exams. Hence, they can refer to the links provided below to know the Defence exam salary-
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Defence Exam Salary |
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|---|---|
Defence Exam Result
The various exam conducting bodies announce the Defence exam result within a month’s time span after the completion of the examination. This section will highlight the information regarding Defence exam results.
- CAPF Result – Since the exam for CAPF 2020 is scheduled to be conducted on 20th December 2020, the result for the same can be expected in February 2021. Details on CAPF results are elaborated on the CAPF exam page.
- NDA Result – UPSC has announced the result of NDA 1 and NDA 2 exam 2020 on October 9th. The common exam for NDA 1 and 2 was conducted on September 6th 2020. Check the details on NDA Result in the given link.
- CDS Result – The commission will announce the Defence exam result for CDS 2 in December 2020 as the exam is scheduled to be conducted on November 8th 2020. UPSC has announced the CDS 1 result on March 23rd, the exam for which was conducted on February 2nd 2020. Go through the detailed information on CDS Result in the linked article.
- AFCAT Result – The Indian Air Force announced the result of AFCAT 1 on March 17th 2020. The exam was conducted on February 22nd and 23rd. However, the result for AFCAT 2 released on October 21st 2020. Check further details on the AFCAT result page linked here.
Defence Exam Preparation
Aspirants of various Defence Exams in India must follow a strategic approach for defence exam preparation. They can follow the below-given tips for preparation of Defence exam-
- Set a schedule for your Defence exam preparation and make sure you stick to it.
- Socialize with people who are preparing for the same or have already qualified for the exam. Utilise this time to discuss preparation and clarifying doubts.
- While studying for the Defence exam, make notes as you go through the study material. These are short and effective and help for last-minute revision.
- Listen to the short news and do not waste time listening to unnecessary news based on discussion unless the topic demands it.
- Speed up your learning by following some memory techniques.
- Give tests and practice writing answers frequently.
- Practice mock papers, identify your mistakes and the area where you lack knowledge. This is an essential part of regular preparations for successful candidates. Also, it helps to increase your speed to solve the exam on time.
Candidates can go through preparation strategies for competitive exams to do diligent preparation for the examination.
Aspirants can also details related to Government exams after 12th in the given link.
Candidates who aspire to appear for various government exams can check the links below for relevant details-
