AFCAT Eligibility Criteria 2024
The Indian Air Force (IAF) sets the AFCAT eligibility criteria for the AFCAT exam. The AFCAT exam is conducted two times in a year by the IAF for recruitment of candidates into flying and technical branch. The candidates who are interested to apply for the AFCAT 2024 exam must look into the AFCAT eligibility which includes fulfillment of the following parameters:
- Nationality & Marital Status
- Educational Qualification
- AFCAT Age Limit
- Physical Standards
The details for each of the AFCAT eligibility is discussed below in detail here.
AFCAT 2024 Age Limit
The age limit for the AFCAT flying branch and ground duty technical varies. The age limit for AFCAT 2024 exam is mentioned in the table given below:
AFCAT Age Limit for Flying Branch |
||
Age Limit |
20 to 24 years |
|
Upper Age Limit Relaxation |
The upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot License issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable up to 26 years. |
|
AFCAT Age Limit for Ground Duty (Technical/Non-Technical) Branches |
||
Age Limit |
20 to 26 years |
|
Upper Age Limit Relaxation |
No Upper Age Limit Relaxation |
Note: The date of birth accepted by the IAF is that entered in the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognized by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University, the extract must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the Higher Secondary or an equivalent examination certificate.
Marital Status for AFCAT Exam
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. A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his application though successful at SSB or medical will not be eligible for training. A candidate who marries during the period of training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the Government. Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply but during the training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live out with family.
AFCAT Eligibility 2024 Educational Qualification
Branch |
Educational Qualification |
Flying Branch |
Candidates should have mandatorily passed with a minimum of 50% marks each in Maths and Physics at 10+2 level AND (a) Graduation with a minimum three years degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. OR (b) BE/B Tech degree (Four years course) from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. OR (c) Candidates who have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized 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 and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India or Graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers by actual studies with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the following disciplines:- (aaa) Communication Engineering. (aab) Computer Engineering/Technology. (aac) Computer Engineering & Application. (aad) Computer Science and Engineering/ Technology. (aae) Electrical and Computer Engineering. (aaf) Electrical and Electronics Engineering. (aag) Electrical Engineering. (aah) Electronics Engineering/ Technology. (aaj) Electronics Science and Engineering. (aak) Electronics. (aal) Electronics and Communication Engineering. (aam) Electronics and Computer Science. (aan) Electronics and/or Telecommunication Engineering. (aao) Electronics and/or Telecommunication Engineering (Microwave). (aap) Electronics and Computer Engineering. (aaq) Electronics Communication and Instrumentation Engineering. (aar) Electronics Instrument & Control. (aas) Electronics Instrument & Control Engineering. (aat) Instrumentation & Control Engineering. (aau) Instrument & Control Engineering. (aav) Information Technology. (aaw) Spacecraft Technology. (aax) Engineering Physics. (aay) Electric Power and Machinery Engineering. (aaz) Infotech Engineering. (aba) Cyber Security. |
Ground Duty (Technical) Branch Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) {AE (M)} |
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 recognised University OR Cleared Sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India by actual studies with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the following disciplines:- (aaa) Aerospace Engineering. (aab) Aeronautical Engineering. (aac) Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. (aad) Mechanical Engineering. (aae) Mechanical Engineering and Automation. (aaf) Mechanical Engineering (Production). (aag) Mechanical Engineering (Repair and Maintenance). (aah) Mechatronics. (aaj) Industrial Engineering. (aak) Manufacturing Engineering. (aal) Production and Industrial Engineering. (aam) Materials Science and Engineering. (aan) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. (aao) Aerospace and Applied Mechanics. (aap) Automotive Engineering. (aaq) Robotics (aar) Nanotechnology (aas) Rubber Technology and Rubber Engineering. |
Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches - Administration |
Passed 10+2 and Graduate Degree (Minimum three years degree course) in any discipline from a recognised university with a minimum of 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 (Non-Technical) Branches - Education |
Passed 10+2 and Post-Graduation with 50% in any discipline including integrated courses offering PG (Single degree without permission to exit and lateral entry) and with 60% marks in Graduation in any discipline. |
Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches - Meteorology |
Post Graduate Degree in any Science stream/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Geography/ Computer Applications/ Environmental Science/ Applied Physics/ Oceanography/ Meteorology/ Agricultural Meteorology/ Ecology & Environment/ Geophysics/ Environmental Biology with minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together (Provided Maths and Physics were studied at Graduation Level with a minimum of 55% marks in each). |
NCC Special Entry (Flying Branch) |
NCC Air Wing Senior Division ‘C’ certificate acquired on or after 01 Dec 17 is mandatory. Candidates should have mandatorily passed with a minimum of 60% marks each in Maths and Physics at 10+2. Graduates with a minimum three years of 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 recognized 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 recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent |
Note:
- Two seats are reserved for law-qualified candidates in Ground duty (Non-Tech) branches and these candidates may be employed on legal duties of the IAF (after commissioning).
- In case the candidates are awarded grades/ CGPA instead of marks, the conversion of grades/ CGPA to the percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the University from where they have obtained the degree. In case the University does not have any scheme for converting CGPA to a percentage conversion certificate, CGPA will be converted into 10-point scale and multiplied by 10 to get an equivalent percentage.
- Candidates who are studying in the final year/ semester Degree course and are yet to pass the final year degree examination can also apply provided the candidate should not have any present backlog and should have secured a minimum of 60% marks up to the last semester/ year for which results have been declared up to the time of submission of application.
- Candidates who have failed the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) in an earlier attempt or a Flight Cadet suspended from flying training at Air Force Academy will not be eligible to apply in Flying Branch.
AFCAT Exam Physical & Medical Standards 2024
1. Height & Weight for AFCAT Exam
a) For Flying Branch: The minimum acceptable height for men and women candidates in Flying Branch is 162.5cms, Leg Length: Min - 99 cms, Max -120 cms. Thigh Length: Max - 64 cms, Sitting Height: Min - 81.5 cms, Max - 96 cms (No concession for age/ sex/ region).
b) For Ground Duty (Technical/Nontechnical) Branch: The minimum acceptable height for male candidates in Ground Duty (Technical/Nontechnical) Branch is 157.5 cms. For women candidates, the minimum acceptable height is 152 cms. (For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern region of India, Garhwal and Kumaon, the minimum acceptable height will be 5 cms 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).
AFCAT Exam Height and Weight for Male and Female Candidates
Height and Weight standards for men and women are given below for Indian Air Force. Interpolation for weights against height not mentioned may be done.
Height and Weight Standards for Male |
|||||||
Height (in cm) Without Shoes |
Age Range (in Years) / Weight (in Kgs) |
||||||
15-17 |
18-22 |
23-27 |
28-32 years |
33-37years |
|||
152 |
46 |
47 |
50 |
54 |
54 |
||
153 |
47 |
47 |
51 |
55 |
55 |
||
154 |
47 |
48 |
51 |
56 |
56 |
||
155 |
48 |
49 |
52 |
56 |
56 |
||
156 |
48 |
49 |
53 |
57 |
57 |
||
157 |
49 |
50 |
54 |
58 |
58 |
||
158 |
49 |
50 |
54 |
58 |
58 |
||
159 |
50 |
51 |
55 |
59 |
59 |
||
160 |
51 |
52 |
56 |
59 |
60 |
||
161 |
51 |
52 |
56 |
60 |
60 |
||
162 |
52 |
53 |
57 |
61 |
61 |
||
163 |
52 |
54 |
58 |
61 |
62 |
||
164 |
53 |
54 |
59 |
62 |
63 |
||
165 |
53 |
55 |
59 |
63 |
63 |
||
166 |
54 |
56 |
60 |
63 |
64 |
||
167 |
54 |
56 |
61 |
64 |
65 |
||
168 |
55 |
57 |
61 |
65 |
65 |
||
169 |
55 |
57 |
62 |
65 |
66 |
||
170 |
56 |
58 |
63 |
66 |
67 |
||
171 |
56 |
59 |
64 |
66 |
68 |
||
172 |
57 |
59 |
64 |
67 |
68 |
||
173 |
58 |
60 |
65 |
68 |
69 |
||
174 |
58 |
61 |
66 |
68 |
70 |
||
175 |
59 |
61 |
66 |
69 |
71 |
||
176 |
59 |
62 |
67 |
70 |
71 |
||
177 |
60 |
62 |
68 |
70 |
72 |
||
178 |
60 |
63 |
69 |
71 |
73 |
||
179 |
61 |
64 |
69 |
72 |
73 |
||
180 |
61 |
64 |
70 |
72 |
74 |
||
181 |
62 |
65 |
71 |
73 |
75 |
||
182 |
62 |
66 |
72 |
74 |
76 |
||
183 |
63 |
66 |
72 |
74 |
76 |
||
184 |
64 |
67 |
73 |
75 |
77 |
||
185 |
64 |
68 |
74 |
75 |
78 |
||
186 |
65 |
68 |
74 |
76 |
78 |
||
187 |
65 |
69 |
75 |
77 |
79 |
||
188 |
66 |
69 |
76 |
77 |
80 |
||
189 |
66 |
70 |
77 |
78 |
81 |
||
190 |
67 |
71 |
77 |
79 |
81 |
||
191 |
67 |
71 |
78 |
79 |
82 |
||
192 |
68 |
72 |
79 |
80 |
82 |
||
193 |
68 |
73 |
79 |
81 |
83 |
||
+/- SD |
6 |
6.3 |
7.1 |
6.6 |
6.9 |
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Height and Weight standards for Female |
|||||||
Height (in cm) Without Shoes |
Age Range (in Years) / Weight (in Kgs) |
||||||
20-25 Years |
26-30 Years |
||||||
148 |
43 |
46 |
|||||
149 |
44 |
47 |
|||||
150 |
45 |
48 |
|||||
151 |
45 |
48 |
|||||
152 |
46 |
49 |
|||||
153 |
47 |
50 |
|||||
154 |
47 |
50 |
|||||
155 |
48 |
51 |
|||||
156 |
49 |
52 |
|||||
157 |
49 |
53 |
|||||
158 |
50 |
53 |
|||||
159 |
51 |
54 |
|||||
160 |
51 |
55 |
|||||
161 |
52 |
55 |
|||||
162 |
52 |
56 |
|||||
163 |
53 |
57 |
|||||
164 |
54 |
57 |
|||||
165 |
54 |
58 |
|||||
166 |
55 |
59 |
|||||
167 |
56 |
60 |
|||||
168 |
56 |
60 |
|||||
169 |
57 |
61 |
|||||
170 |
58 |
62 |
|||||
171 |
58 |
62 |
|||||
172 |
59 |
63 |
|||||
173 |
59 |
64 |
|||||
174 |
60 |
64 |
|||||
175 |
61 |
65 |
|||||
176 |
61 |
66 |
|||||
177 |
62 |
67 |
|||||
178 |
63 |
67 |
|||||
+/- SD |
5 |
5 |
AFCAT Eligibility 2024: Visual Standard
Below are the Visual Standards for the Air Force Common Admission Online Test for Flying Branch and Ground Duties (Technical And Non-Technical)/ NCC Special Entry.
Branch |
Maximum Limits of Refractive Error |
Visual Acuity Errors |
Color Vision |
F(P) including WSOs |
Hypermetropia: + 2.0D Sph Manifest Myopia: Nil Retinoscopic myopia: - 0.5 in any meridian permitted Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl (within + 2.0D Max) |
6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in other, correctable to 6/6 only for Hypermetropia |
CP-I |
Aircrew other than F(P) |
Hypermetropia: +3.5D Sph Myopia: -2.0D Sph Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl |
6/24 in one eye and 6/36 in other, correctable to 6/6 and 6/9 |
CP-I |
Adm/ Adm (ATC)/Adm (FC) |
Hypermetropia: + 3.5D Sph Myopia: -3.5D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian |
Corrected visual acuity should be 6/9 in each eye. |
CP-II |
AE(M) AE(L) |
Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian |
Corrected visual acuity should be 6/9 in each eye. Wearing of glasses will be compulsory when advised |
CP-II |
Met |
Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl |
Corrected visual acuity should be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing of Glasses will be compulsory |
CP-II |
Accts/ Lgs/Edn |
Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl |
Corrected visual acuity should be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing of Glasses will be compulsory |
CP-III |
You may also check:
AFCAT Syllabus | AFCAT Exam Pattern |
AFCAT Selection Process | AFCAT Result |