AFCAT Exam Pattern 2026: Check Phase-Wise Pattern and Selection Process
AFCAT 1 2026 exam on 31st January: Check detailed exam pattern and syllabus of the AFCAT 2026 Exam. The AFCAT 2026 Selection Process consists of Online Exam AFSB Interview & Final Selection after Medical Test.
AFCAT 2026 (1) Exam on 31st January, 2026.: AFCAT (1) 2026 Exam will be conducted in online mode by Indian Air Force on 31st January, 2026for Group A Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. Before appearing for the AFCAT 2026, candidates must go through the Exam Pattern and Syllabus in detail. So, for the ease of the candidates, we have compiled the latest Exam Pattern and Detailed Syllabus of the AFCAT 2026 Exam.
AFCAT 2026 Exam Pattern
The AFCAT 2026 Selection process consists of three phases – Online Exams, AFSB Interview and Final Selection after Medical Test.
Phase-1: AFCAT 2026 Online Exam Pattern
The AFCAT Online Examwill be held in online mode consisting of objective type questions. Each question carries 3 marks and 1 mark shall be deducted for every incorrect answer.
| Exam | Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| AFCAT | General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test | 100 | 300 | 2 Hours |
Check AFCAT 2022 Exam Preparation Tips & Strategy
Note:
- Both AFCAT Written will be conducted in English Medium only.
- Each question will consist of 3 marks in AFCAT written Exam
- 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
Download AFCAT Previous Year Papers
AFCAT 2026 Written Exam Syllabus
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).
| AFCAT 2026 Written Exam Syllabus | |
| Subjects | Topics |
| English | Comprehension, Detect Error in Sentence, Sentence Completion/ Filling in of correct word, Synonym/ Antonym, Cloze Test or Fill in the Gaps in a paragraph, Idioms and Phrases, Analogy, Sentence Rearranging, Substitution in a Sentence/ One Word Substitution. Transformation of Sentence (Complex to Simple), Homonyms |
| General Awareness | History, Geography, Sports, National & International Organisations, Art & Culture, Personalities, Environment & Ecology, Indian Polity, Economy, Basic Science Based Knowledge, Science & Technology, Current Affairs (National & International), Defence |
| Numerical Ability | Decimal Fraction, Time and Work, Average/Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio & Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Time & Distance and Races (Trains/ Boats & Streams), Area and Perimeter, Probability, Number System & Number Series, Mixture & Allegation Rules, Square & Square root/Cube & Cube roots, HCF & LCM, Elementary Mensuration, Heights and Distance, Statistics (Mean, Median and Mode), Exponents and powers. |
| Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test | Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
An online Practice Test is available on the IAF website https://afcat.edcil.co.in.
Phase-2: Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) Interview
Indian Air Force (IAF) will prepare a list of candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in the Online AFCAT Exam and will be called at one of the Air Force Selection Boards (AFSB). AFCAT AFSB Entry: Candidates who have applied for NCC Special Entry and Meteorology Branch will be directly called for AFSB testing at one of the AFSB centres. The AFSB centres are at Dehradun (1 AFSB), Mysuru (2 AFSB), Gandhinagar (3 AFSB) and Varanasi (4 AFSB). Candidates who opt for flying branch can only opt for Dehradun, Mysore and Varanasi. Candidates who have qualified in the written exam are required to choose AFSB date and venue by themselves on the website https://careerindianairforce.cdac.in or https://afcat.cdac.in in order to generate call- up letter for AFSB interview.
Check AFCAT 2026 Physical Standards
Physical Fitness: Candidates are advised to be physically fit when you report for SSB in order to be able to undergo various tests at AFSB. You should aim to achieve an ability to run 1 mile (1.6 kms) in 10 minutes, 10 push-ups and 3 chin-ups.
Tattoos: Permanent body tattoos are only permitted on the inner face of the forearm (from inside of elbow to the wrist) and on the reverse side of palm/ back (dorsal) side of the hand.
Narcotics: Use/possession of narcotics are banned.
Check AFCAT (2) 2021 Result, Cut-Off & AFSB Interview Details
AFSB Interview would consist of three stages as given below:
Stage-I: Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with Picture Perception and discussion test will be conducted on the first day. Stage-I test is a screening test and only those who qualify would undergo subsequent testing. All Stage-I qualified candidates would be 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 would be sent back on the first day itself.
Stage-II: Psychological test will be conducted on Day 1 (Afternoon) and the Group Tests and Interview would commence after the document check for the next five days.
Stage-III For Flying Branch: Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) would be 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 will not be eligible.
Check Indian Air Force Academy (AFA) Dundigal Training Details
Phase-3: Final Selection after Medical Test
Final Merit List: Indian Air Force (IAF) will select only those candidates who will secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in written examination and AFSB test as fixed by the IAF. Candidates will be placed in the order of merit on the basis of the total marks secured by them in the written examination and in the AFSB tests.
Training. Candidates recommended by the AFSBs and found medically fit by the appropriate medical establishment are detailed for training strictly on the basis of merit and availability of vacancies in various branches/ sub-branches.
(a) Date and Duration of Training: The approximate 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.
(b) Physical Conditioning: Prospective candidates are advised to keep themselves in good physical condition to adapt to physical training at AFA which encompasses running, swimming, rope climbing and other forms of physical training/conditioning in which they would undergo mandatory tests during training. Candidates are advised to keep themselves in good physical condition by following the under mentioned routine:-
- Running: up to 4 Km in 15 minutes.
- Skipping
- Push-ups & Sit-ups: Minimum 20 each
- Chin-ups: 08
- Rope Climbing: 3 to 4 metres
- Swimming (25 m)
Check AFCAT AFSB Interview Selection Process
After admission to Air Force Academy, candidates will not be considered for any other commission. They will not be permitted to appear for any interview or examination after they have been finally selected for training in AFA. No request for withdrawal of candidature received from a candidate after he/she has submitted his/her application will be entertained under any circumstance. PAN Card, Aadhaar card and account in SBI/ Nationalized Bank is mandatory at the time of joining Air Force Academy (AFA).