AFCAT 1 2023 - Exam Date, Eligibility, Registration

AFCAT 01/2023 – The Indian Air Force has released AFCAT 1 2023 Notification. The Admit card for AFCAT 1 2023 exam was released on February 10 2023. 

 The AFCAT 1 2023 exam date as per the released notification, is scheduled for February 24, February 25 and February 26, 2023. Candidates will be able to download the AFCAT 1 2023 notification PDF below.

What is AFCAT?

AFCAT is the Air Force Common Admission Test. It is a national-level entrance examination conducted by Indian Air Force to select candidates for multiple posts in the Air Force. Various posts for which the AFCAT exam is conducted are: 

1. Flying Officers
2. Officers in Ground Duty – Technical Post
3. Officers in Ground Duty -Non-Technical Post

The AFCAT Exam is conducted biannually, once in February and then in August. Aspirants of various Government Exams can know the details of upcoming examinations on the linked page.

The article aims to provide detailed information on AFCAT exam both 1 and 2. Candidates will get the following details in the article-

IAF released AFCAT 2 Notification 2021 on May 27th 2021. The AFACT 2 2021 Exam date is as follows:

AFCAT 1 2021 Exam Date

Indian Air Force has published the AFCAT 1 2021 notification on November 28. The online form of AFCAT will be released on December 1st 2020. Aspirants willing to appear for AFACT 1 2021 exam can fill the AFCTA online application form 2021 from December 1st to December 30th 2020.

The AFCAT 1 2021 exam date is scheduled to be conducted on February 2021 for admission to the courses commencing in January 2022 for grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in Flying Branch and Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC) in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical). The selection is done on the basis of AFCAT written examination and AFSB Interview.

The AFACT 1 2021 Exam date is as follows:

AFCAT 1 2021 Exam Notification PDF Download PDF Here

AFCAT 2020 Exam

The notification for AFCAT 2 2020 exam was released in June 2020, while the AFCAT 1 2020 exam notification was announced in November 2019. The details of AFCAT exam dates and other events are highlighted below.

AFCAT Exam Date 2020

AFCAT 1 Exam Date 2020

Candidates can check AFCAT 1 2020 exam date given below-

The vacancies for AFCAT 01/2023 are announced by the IAF along with the notification. The vacancies announced are for grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in Flying Branch and Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC) in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches.

AFCAT 2023 Vacancies

Vacancies of AFCAT 01 2023

Vacancies of AFCAT 01 2022

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 January 2023. No representation in this regard will be entertained.

AFCAT 2021 Vacancies

Vacancies of AFCAT 02 2021

AFCAT 1 2021 Vacancies

A total of 235 vacancies are announced for AFCAT (1) exam. 10% seats out of CDSE vacancies are reserved for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC are reserved for the NCC Special Entry Flying branch. IAF will select candidates based on an online exam and AFSB Interview. The highlights of AFCAT 2021 Vacancies are as follows:

Detailed expansion of vacancy is given on the AFCAT Notification page linked here. 

AFCAT 2020 Vacancies

The highlights of vacancies announced for both AFCAT 1 2020 and AFCAT 2 2020 are given below-

** PC for men and SSC for men and women. These are types of commission in IAF which are explained below.

Type of Commission

1. Permanent Commission (PC) for Men. Candidates joining as PC officers would continue to serve till the age of superannuation in their respective branches as per their rank.
2. Short Service Commission (SSC) for Men & Women.

(a)The engagement period for Flying Branch (Men and Women) SSC Officers is fourteen years from the date of Commissioning (Non-extendable).

(b)The initial tenure for Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical) SSC Officers 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.

Candidates recruited in Indian Air Force through AFCAT exam are paid a handsome salary along with various allowances, perks and other benefits. 

1. The cadets in the final year of training are given a stipend of Rs. 56,100.
2. On commissioning as Air Force Officers, they are paid in Level 10 pay matrix of 7th pay commission ad will be given [56,100 – 1,10,700]
3. Military Service pay, Flying Branch allowance, Technical Allowance, Children education allowance, LTC, etc are also admissible to the Officers in the Air Force.

Candidates can know the detailed AFCAT Salary, Allowances and perks on the linked page.  

Candidates willing to appear for AFCAT exam are required to meet the eligibility conditions of the examination as mentioned by IAF on the notification.

Aspirants of AFCAT exam are required to fulfil the following eligibility criteria-

• Nationality – Indian
• Marital Status – Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried at the time of commencement of the course.  Widows/ Widowers and divorcees below 25 years are also not eligible. 
• Age Limit – 

1. Flying Branch (NCC Special Entry & AFCAT entry) – 20 to 24 years
2. Ground Duty (technical & Non-technical) – 20 to 26 years
3. IAF accepts the date of birth that is mentioned in the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognized by an Indian University.

• Educational Qualification – the criteria for minimum education for Flying Branch and Ground Duty (technical and Non-technical) branches is different. However, to apply for the AFCAT exam, Candidates should have mandatorily passed with a minimum of 50% marks each in Maths and Physics at 10+2 level. 

Detailed AFCAT eligibility criteria explaining minimum education requirements and Physical and medical standard requirements are given on the linked page. 

Candidates are allowed one month time to fill the AFCAT application form. IAF mentions the steps to fill the AFCAT registration in detail in the notification.  Aspirants willing to fill AFCAT exam application form have to follow the below-mentioned steps – 

1. Visit the official IAF website
2. Click on New registration under the ‘Candidates Login’ section.
3. Fill in the registration details asked and submit
4. Use the registration Id and password to fill out the application form
5. Provide the necessary information and upload a scanned signature and photograph.
6. Pay the required application fee and click on submit.
7. Candidates have to pay an amount of Rs. 250/- as a non-refundable examination fee.

Note – the procedure to apply for the AFCAT exam and the examination fee for AFCAT 1 and AFCAT 2 is the same. 

The online application for AFCAT 1 2022 started on December 1st 2021. The last date to register for the AFCAT exam 2022 was December 30th 2021. 

The syllabus and exam pattern of AFCAt is prescribed by the conducting body. IAF mentions the detailed syllabus and scheme of AFCAT online exam in the notification. 

The examination is divided into two stages-

1. AFCAT written Test
2. AFSB interview

The AFCAT written test is further subdivided into two parts-

1. AFCAT exam – mandatory for all the candidates appearing for any branch (Flying branch, Ground Duty Technical or Ground Duty non-technical branch)
2. EKT – Engineering Knowledge Test – This exam is only for candidates who have applied for the Ground Duty Technical branch.   

The AFCAT Exam pattern is highlighted below-

AFCAT Exam Marking Scheme-

1. 3 marks awarded for each correct answer
2. 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer
3. No marks are deducted or awarded for any unattempted questions.

AFCAT Syllabus

The AFCAT syllabus is set by the Indian Air Force and is mentioned in detail in the notification. The syllabus more or less remains the same every year.  The syllabus for AFCAT exam as prescribed by IAF is given below-

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

Working in the Indian Air Force is a dream of many. The AFCAT exam brings a great opportunity for aspirants to fulfil their dreams.  

Clearing the AFCAT examination is not a cakewalk. Candidates need to do dedicated and strategized preparation to ace the Air Force Common Admission Test. Given below are a few points that might help candidates in their AFCAT exam preparation.

1. Understand the Ins and Outs of AFCAT exam. It is important to know every minute details related to the AFCAT exam. Keep referring to the official site for the latest details.
2. Be thorough with the syllabus and exam pattern. It will help to understand the examination well and strategize the preparation accordingly.
3. Gather good study material and avoid referring to too many materials for one subject. 
4. Create a timetable that fits in your regular routine and follow it religiously.
5. Do not haste while preparing, work on conceptual knowledge first and then move on to the shortcuts.
6. Refer to good newspapers and follow news channels daily to upkeep current affairs and general knowledge and to have good command over English.
7. Have a habit of preparing handwritten notes while going through important facts, information or any difficult subject or topics.
8. Solve previous year papers to understand the level of examination and to know the variety of questions framed from a topic.
9. Practice and revision is the key to success. Make sure to regularly revise and practice all that you learn. This will help to ingrain things in memory better.
10. Take mock tests regularly to analyse your preparation level. Learn from mistakes and work to improve on it. 

Planned approach for AFCAT preparation will make it easy to outshine the competition. 

Candidates appearing for AFCAT exam can download the admit card from the official website of IAF. As it is clearly mentioned in the notification that no admit card will be sent by post.

To download the AFCAT Admit Card, a candidate should have his/her Username and Password and are required to follow the below-mentioned steps –

1. Visit the official website  (www.careerindianairforce.cdac.in)
2. Choose the AFCAT cycle
3. Click on download AFCAT Admit Card link
4. A copy of the e-admit card will be sent to registered mail Id.
5. Check all the details mentioned on the admit card
6. Download the AFCAT admit card

Note- No candidate will be allowed to appear in the examination unless he/ she holds a downloaded AFCAT e-Admit Card for the examination. 

Candidates who have applied for AFCAT 01/2023 exam can refer the linked article for more updates on Admit Card.

The Indian Air Force releases the AFCAT exam result in two stages on its official website. 

1. AFCAT written exam result 
2. AFCAT Final result

Candidates on clearing the AFCAT written test have to log on to afcat.cdac.in and register themselves to get the AFSB testing exam date and centre details. Candidates who do not select the date and venue option will be automatically allotted the same by the system. 

On successful completion of AFSB testing, IAF announces AFCAT final result based on the performance of candidates in written exam and the interview round. 

Candidates who appeared for FASB interview for AFCAT 2 2020 exam are still awaiting the final result.

The result for the written exam of AFCAT 2 2021 is released by IAF on 17 September 2021. Candidates had to choose the date and venue for the AFSB interview for AFCAT 2 2021. Indian Air Force will soon release the AFSB interview Admit Card on its official website.

Detailed information on AFCAT Result can be found on the linked page. 

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

Check details related to Government exams after 12th in the given link. 

For further assistance on preparation, strategy and tips, important books etc. look no further than BYJU’s.