AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) Syllabus 2026
Indian Air Force (IAF)
The Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) is conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for recruitment into the Flying Branch, Ground Duty (Technical), and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches. The AFCAT written examination is conducted online and consists of 100 objective-type questions carrying 300 marks. Candidates applying for Technical Branches are also required to appear for the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) after the AFCAT examination. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Duration
2 Hours
Marking
* The AFCAT examination consists of 100 objective-type questions carrying a total of 300 marks. * 3 marks are awarded for every correct answer. * Candidates applying for the Technical Branch must also qualify the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT).
Negative marking
1 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer. There is no negative marking for unanswered questions.
Exam Pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 25 | 75 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 75 |
| Numerical Ability | 18 | 54 |
| Reasoning & Military Aptitude | 32 | 96 |
| Total | 100 | 300 |
Subject-wise Syllabus
English
Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Sentence Completion, Fill in the Blanks, Cloze Test, Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms & Phrases, One Word Substitution, Sentence Rearrangement, Analogy, Homonyms, Transformation of Sentences, Vocabulary, Grammar
General Awareness
Current Affairs (National & International), Indian History, Geography, Indian Polity, Indian Economy, General Science, Science & Technology, Environment & Ecology, Defence, Sports, Art & Culture, National & International Organizations, Important Personalities, Awards & Honours, Books & Authors
Numerical Ability
Number System, Decimal Fractions, Simplification, Percentage, Average, Ratio & Proportion, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Time, Speed & Distance, Trains, Boats & Streams, Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Mixture & Allegation, HCF & LCM, Square & Cube Roots, Exponents & Powers, Probability, Statistics (Mean, Median & Mode), Area & Perimeter, Elementary Mensuration, Heights & Distances
Reasoning & Military Aptitude
Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Analogy, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Direction Sense, Series Completion, Classification, Venn Diagrams, Embedded Figures, Pattern Recognition, Spatial Ability, Logical Sequence, Puzzle, Statement & Conclusion
Preparation Tips
- Build a strong vocabulary and grammar foundation for the English section.
- Read newspapers daily to improve Current Affairs and General Awareness.
- Practice Reasoning and Military Aptitude questions regularly.
- Revise Class 10 Mathematics concepts thoroughly for Numerical Ability.
- Technical Branch candidates should revise their core engineering subjects for the EKT.
- Solve previous years' AFCAT papers and attempt full-length mock tests to improve speed and accuracy.