AFCAT Eligibility 2023- Age Limit, Education & Physical Standards for Air Force

AFCAT Eligibility 2023– Every year the Indian Air Force publishes AFCAT eligibility in the official notification to find qualified individuals for flying and ground duty in technical and non-technical branches. The exam is held twice a year.The AFCAT Notification for 2023 was released on 1st December 2022. It will also contain details about the eligibility criteria.

AFCAT eligibility 2023 included details about the minimum educational qualification, nationality, marital status, AFCAT age limit, and physical and medical standards for both male and female candidates for different posts and branches. 

All the aspirants who aspire to join the Air Force must start preparing for AFCAT 2023. AFCAT eligibility criteria are decided by the Indian Air Force. Aspirants of AFCAT are required to meet the prescribed Air Force eligibility criteria to apply for the exam. For further details on the AFCAT exam check the link provided.

IAF prescribes the AFCAT eligibility criteria in detail in the official notification. In this article, you will find the AFCAT Exam eligibility criteria for the Flying branch and Ground Duty Staff based on the official AFCAT Notification 2023. Candidates can check the AFCAT Notification to dive deep for relevant details. 

Aspirants of other Government exams can check the linked page for the latest information regarding upcoming exams. 

What is AFCAT Exam?

The full form of AFCAT stands for Air Force Common Admission Test. Indian Air Force is in charge of administering the test. Each year, in February and August, the test is conducted to select Class-I Officers for Flying and Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical). Candidates can apply for the AFCAT whether they are male or female.

Through the AFCAT exam candidates are recruited in the Indian Air Force for the following branches- 

• Flying Branch
• Ground Duty Technical Branch
• Ground Duty Non-Technical Branch

What is AFCAT Exam Eligibility? The eligibility criteria of the Air Force comprise four main aspects that are mandatory for applicants to fulfil. The four components of AFCAT eligibility are

1. AFCAT Age Limit, Marital Status & Gender
2. AFCAT Citizenship/Nationality
3. AFCAT Educational Qualification
4. AFCAT Physical/ Medical Qualification

The Indian Air Force, through official notice, invites candidates to apply for the AFCAT exam and gives a detailed description of Air Force eligibility conditions that candidates need to meet.

Go through the AFCAT Subjects and Important Topics, to give an edge to your preparation, in the link attached.

AFCAT Eligibility: Overview

AFCAT provides an opportunity to candidates who are eagerly waiting to join in Air Force to give wings to their dream if they fit well in AFCAT Eligibility criteria. It is therefore advised that candidates go through the age and educational eligibility requirements provided by the authorities for various categories before applying.

The major highlights of the Eligibility Conditions are given below:

Aspirants must go through Eligibility for AFCAT because

• The mere issue of an Admit Card to the candidate will not imply that the candidature has been finally cleared by the IAF.
• The Air Force conducts verification of eligibility criteria with reference to original documents.
• Verification is done, once the candidate qualifies for the written exam and Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) Test.
• The conducting body has the right to reject the candidature of the applicant at any stage of recruitment in case he/she is found not fulfilling the required criteria and,
• If the candidate is appointed, in such a case he/she is liable to be removed from service.

For detailed topic-wise syllabus and important books candidates can check AFCAT Syllabus & Exam Pattern page linked here. 

AFCAT: Eligibility Criteria for Selection in Air Force

Since the AFCAT Notification 2023 is not yet released, below are the eligibility criteria based on the AFCAT Notification 2023. Check the detailed information based on the important parameters, followed by post-wise eligibility criteria:

AFCAT Nationality

As per the Indian Citizenship Act 1955, the candidate must be a citizen of India to apply for the AFCAT exam. 

AFCAT Marital Status

• At the time the training begins, candidates under the age of 25 must not be married. Divorcees and widows under the age of 25 are not eligible. 
• A candidate who marries during the training will be expelled from the service and will be liable to refund all the expenditure incurred on him by the government. 
• Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but they will not be provided married accommodation and they will not be allowed to live with their family outside the campus during the training period.

AFCAT Age Limit

The minimum age requirement for those wishing to apply for the flying branch is listed below. In the document verification step, the AFCAT scrutinises each document submitted by a candidate and is quite strict about age restrictions. 

The Air force age limit for candidates applying through NCC Special entry and AFCAT entry are the same. Detailed AFCAT age limit is highlighted in the table below-

The candidates will find the AFCAT Education Eligibility Conditions according to the branch for which the candidates apply, which is discussed below in detail.

Aspirants of other exams can go through the given links for assistance-

AFCAT Eligibility for Flying Branch in Air Force

The eligibility for AFCAT exam for Flying Branch through NCC Special Entry & AFCAT Entry are discussed below – 

• AFCAT Age limit- Between 20-24 years for both men and women
• Gender– Both Men and Women can apply. IAF provides Permanent Commission (for men) / Short Service Commission for men and women.
• Marital Status – Candidates below the age of 24 years must be Unmarried.
• AFCAT Educational Qualifications for Flying Branch is the same whether applying through NCC Special Entry or AFCAT entry. Check the details below-

• AFCAT Eligibility- Flying Officer: NCC Special Entry

• • • As an Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ Certificate holder of the National Cadet Corps, candidates can apply to the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force.
    • Unmarried men and women can apply. Permanent Commission is offered for men and Short Service Commission for men and women.

• AFCAT Eligibility- Flying Officer: AFCAT Entry

• • • Candidates can apply through AFCAT only for Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Flying Branch. The eligibility for Flying Branch through AFCAT entry goes as under –
    • Unmarried men and women can apply for SSC in the Airforce. The Short Service Commission in the Flying branch is for 14 years with no further extension.

• AFCAT – Nationality for Flying Branch through NCC Special Entry/ AFCAT Entry 

Any candidate who is willing to apply for the Air Force exam through AFCAT notification must be a citizen of Indian National.

Note –  

• Final Year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they do not have any present backlogs at the time of AFSB Testing also they have to produce a Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
• NCC Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ certificate and validity of the certificate would be two years before the date of advertisement.

Candidates who have completed their Graduation or Engineering have three modes to get entry in the Air Force Academy in the Flying Branch-

• Through the CDS exam, notification for which is released by UPSC in the months of November and August. Candidates can go through the CDS eligibility in detail here.
• Through NCC Special Entry, recruitment notification for which is released by the Indian Air Force in the months of June and December, and 
• Through AFCAT Entry. Notification for this is released by IAF along with the NCC Special Entry in June and December.

AFCAT Eligibility for Ground Duty Technical Branch in Air Force

The eligibility criteria prescribed by the Indian Air Force for the Ground duty technical branch is as follows – 

• AFCAT Age limit: For Ground duty, Technical Branch in Indian Air Force should be between 20 to 26 years at the time of commencement of the course.
• Gender– Both Men and Women can apply. IAF provides Permanent Commission (for men) / Short Service Commission for men and women.
• Marital Status – Candidates below the age of 25 years must be Unmarried.
• AFCAT Education Qualification: AFCAT Eligibility requirement for Ground Duty (Technical Branch) officers is given below:

Aspirants of the AFCAT exam can check the related links given below-

AFCAT Eligibility for Ground Duty (Non-Technical) in Air Force

The AFCAT eligibility for candidates willing to join Air Force as Ground Duty Non-Technical Officer is as mentioned below-

• AFCAT Age limit – 20 to 26 Years is age limit for officers joining the Non-Technical (at the time of commencement of course) in the Indian Air Force.
• Gender – Both men and women can apply. Permanent Commission (for Men)/Short Service Commission (for Men & Women). 
• Marital Status – Candidates below the age of 25 years must be Unmarried.
• AFCAT Education Qualification – As Graduate/Post Graduate candidates can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty (Non-technical) Branches with the mentioned minimum education qualification-

Learn about the AFCAT Exam Centres all over India in the linked article.

AFCAT Medical & Physical Standard

Candidates are required to be physically and mentally fit in order to apply for the AFCAT examination. Hence, IAF in the official notice mentions that candidates should get themselves examined medically before filling the AFCAT online application form, so as to avoid rejections at a later stage. Additionally, candidates must be free from any disease or disability.

The basic requirements of medical fitness are the same for all branches except for aircrew in which the parameters for visual acuity, anthropometry and certain other physical standards are more stringent. 

Important points regarding physical standards- 

• • Physical Standard: The candidates should train themselves to do running, skipping, push-ups, and sit-ups, and they should be in good physical shape. Candidates can train on their own according to the below-listed schedule:
    • Skipping
    • One set of Push-up and sit-ups, 20 in each set
    • 08 Chin-ups
    • 4 Km Running in 15 min
    • 3-4 meters of Rope Climbing
    • 25m Swimming
  • Physical Fitness
    • At the time of reporting, the candidates must be able to run 1.6 kilometres, perform 10 pushups, and perform 3 chin-ups.
    • Hence, prior to reporting for the SSB interview, candidates should make sure they are physically fit so they can participate in the Air Force Selection Board’s different examinations. 

• Visual Standards

The visual requirements for the AFCAT for Flying Branch and Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical)/NCC Special Entry for candidates have been given below:

• Height: Candidates will be screened for their height and weight at AFSB.
• • The minimum acceptable height for men and women candidates in Flying Branch is given below in the table. Candidates must note that there is No concession for age/ sex/ region.

• The minimum acceptable height for male candidates in Ground Duty Technical/ Non-technical) the branch is 157.5 cm.
• For women candidates, the minimum acceptable height is 152 cm. 

• For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of the North-Eastern region of India, Garhwal and Kumaon, the minimum acceptable height will be 5 cm less.
• In the case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height will be 2 cms less than what is applicable to men and women respectively).

• The height and weight can be checked by the candidates from the table below:

• Narcotics

• Alcohol consumption is prohibited. If a candidate uses drugs or alcohol while in training or while serving in the military, they will not be allowed to join the Indian Air Force and, if they have already joined, they will be dismissed from the service.

• Tattoos: The following terms apply to permanent body art on any region of the body.

• Permanent tattoos are not permitted except for tattoos on the inner face of forearms and the reverse side of the palm of both hands. The candidates who have tattoos on these parts have to sign a self-declaration certificate.

• Candidates from tribal tribes are permitted to get tattoos in accordance with their current norms and traditions, though this can vary from case to case.

• • Small tattoos of religious symbols and names of loved ones are only allowed provided they don’t interfere with military discipline.

Candidates can go through the detailed AFCAT eligibility requirements under the Physical and medical standards in the official notification provided below-

AFCAT Notification 2023 PDF- Download PDF Here

Solve AFCAT Question Papers for the previous years’, to score well in the exam.

AFCAT Eligibility- Important Points

• Applications for the exam are accepted by candidates who are in their final semester or year of study. They shouldn’t currently have any backlog. Furthermore, candidates must have gotten a minimum of 60% of the total marks in the previous semester.
• After commissioning, candidates seeking integrated/dual certification and students who have completed an LLB programme may apply for IAF legal responsibilities.
• Candidates should adhere to certain norms and regulations when applying to the AFCAT 2023 exam if they work for any government or government-owned organisations. They need to submit a No-Objection certificate.
  • The candidates (both from the government or government-owned industrial division) must present NOC during the AFSB testing. Regardless of whether they are contractual, permanent, or temporary subordinates, the candidates must present this NOC.
  • Even after submitting an AFCAT application, the applicants’ candidature may be cancelled if the authority gets a grant withheld from the employer.
  • If the employers are unable to provide the NOC for whatever reason, the refusal will be considered in writing and submitted to the AFSB.

Related AFCAT links- 

AFCAT Disqualification- Important Points

Candidates will be disqualified from the selection process if any of the following:

• Candidates will not be eligible to apply for a position at a flying branch if they previously failed the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) or Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) or if a Flight Cadet at the Air Force Academy had their flying training suspended.
• The candidates who were previously accepted into the
  • Indian Military Academy
  • Officer’s Training Academy
  • National Defence Academy
  • Indian Naval Academy
  • Air Force Academy
  • Chennai and Officers Training Academy Gaya

are not qualified to take the AFCAT Exam if they were removed from the previous institutions owing to misconduct/ indiscipline.

• Candidates will not be eligible for AFCAT if they have been barred from the Defense Ministry for holding any commission in the Defense Services.
• Candidates who are facing criminal charges are not eligible to take the exam.

Aspirants appearing for AFCAT exams must go through the Competitive Exam Preparation Strategies to plan out a good study schedule and leave no stone unturned for exam preparation.

Aspirants preparing for other exams can go through the given links for assistance-