Eligibility Criteria and Syllabus for AFCAT 2021

26-October 2020...........

AFCAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria and Syllabus

Indian Air Force (IAF) is one of the wings of the Indian armed forces. One of the most prestigious, national level competitive examinations organized to recruit officers in the stated defence wing is AFCAT. The abbreviation AFCAT stands for Air Force Common Admission Test. The examination is held twice annually in the months of February and August. Accordingly, the defence wing releases the first advertisement for the examination in the month of December annually. The second advertisement is published in the month of June annually.

Thus, the release of the first advertisement for AFCAT 2021 is scheduled for December, 2020. There are primarily three branches that the candidates can apply for. They are, namely, Flying branch, Ground Duty (Non Technical) branches and Ground Duty (Technical) branch. Further, the candidates are selected on either a permanent commission or a short service commission (SSC) basis. The usual tenure for SSC is 14 years. Let us explore, now, the eligibility criteria and the syllabus for the examination in detail.

Eligibility criteria

Broadly stating, men and women who are university graduates or post graduates in any discipline are eligible to apply for AFCAT. Also, depending upon the branch, the following eligibility criteria should be met:

Flying branch (Short Service Commission)

Age - At the time of commencement of the course the age of the prospective officer should be between 20 and 24 years (inclusive). For candidates holding valid Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India, the upper age limit is 26 years.
Nationality - Indian
Marital status – Unmarried
Gender – Both male and female

Education

1) At the senior secondary level of education, candidate must have secured a minimum of 50% marks in Mathematics and Physics, separately.

2) Completed graduation of minimum three years duration in any discipline with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university

Completed BE or B Tech of minimum four years duration with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university

Qualified sections A and B of the examination of Associate Membership of Institute of Engineers, India or Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent

Note: Final year students can also apply for the Flying branch. Nonetheless, at the time of AFSB testing, they should not have any backlog. Also, they should be able to produce university degree/provisional degree certificate by the date mentioned in the advertisement.

Ground Duty (Non Technical) branches {Permanent Commission for men/SSC for men and women}

Prospective officers are offered suitable responsibilities in various branches such as administration, accounts, logistics, education and meteorology. General eligibility criteria for the mentioned branches are:

1) Age - At the time of commencement of the course the age of the prospective officer should be between 20 and 26 years (inclusive).

2) Nationality – Indian

3) Marital status – Aspirants who are below the age of 25 years should be unmarried.

4) Gender – Both male and female

Special eligibility criteria for the above mentioned branches are:

Administration branch

Completed graduation of minimum three years duration in any discipline with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university

Qualified sections A and B of the examination of Associate Membership of Institute of Engineers, India or Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent

Accounts branch

Completed B.Com of minimum three years duration with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university

Logistics branch

Completed graduation of minimum three years duration in any discipline with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university

Qualified sections A and B of the examination of Associate Membership of Institute of Engineers, India or Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent

Education branch

1) Candidate should have completed 10+2 level of education.

2) Candidate should have completed graduation with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university.

3) Candidate should have completed post graduation with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university.

Note: Integrated post graduate programs pursued after 10+2 should be offered by a university as a single degree without the option of either exit in the midst of the program or lateral entry. Also, the minimum duration of such an academic program should be as per the prevailing UGC guidelines. The same should be completed by the student with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent.

Meteorology branch

1) One should have studied Mathematics and Physics at the undergraduate level. Also, the candidate should have secured an aggregate of 55% marks in each of these subjects of study.

2) At the post graduate level, the candidate should have studied a subject under science stream such as Mathematics, Statistics, Geography, Computer Applications, Environmental Science, Applied Physics, Oceanography, Meteorology, Ecology and Environment, Geo Physics or Environmental Biology. Also, the candidate should have secured an aggregate of 55% marks in the subject of study.

Ground Duty (Technical) branch {Permanent Commission for men/SSC for men and women}

Candidates are offered suitable responsibilities with regard to various trades as technical officers. Hence, one can join a sub branch of the Ground Duty (Technical) branch basis his or her stream of engineering education. General eligibility criteria are as follows:

1) Age - At the time of commencement of the course the age of the prospective officer should be between 20 and 26 years (inclusive).

2) Nationality – Indian

3) Marital status – Aspirants who are below the age of 25 years should be unmarried.

4) Gender – Both male and female

5) Education - Completed engineering education of minimum four years duration in any trade with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university/institution.

Note: Final semester/year engineering students can also apply for the Ground Duty (Technical) branch. Nonetheless, at the time of AFSB testing, they should not have any backlog. Also, they should be able to produce university degree/provisional degree certificate by the date mentioned in the advertisement.

Syllabus scheme

For all the above stated branches of IAF, candidates have to appear for AFCAT. The aspirants who have applied for Ground duty (Technical) branch will have to also appear for Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT). The following marking scheme is applicable for the above mentioned tests:

Every correct answer will attract an award of 3 marks.
Every incorrect answer will result in deduction of 1 mark.
No marks will be awarded for unattempted questions.

AFCAT comprises of four question papers on English, General Awareness, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test. Each of these question papers will comprise of 100 questions. Further, each of them has to be attempted in 2 hours. Now, let us examine these four testing segments of AFCAT in detail.

(1) English - Comprehension, Error Detection, Sentence Completion/Filling in of correct word, Synonyms, Antonyms and Testing of Vocabulary and Idioms and Phrases

(2) General Awareness - History, Geography, Civics, Politics, Current Affairs, Environment, Basic Science, Defence, Art, Culture, Sports, etc.

(3) Numerical Ability - Decimal Fraction, Time and Work, Average, Profit and Loss, Percentage, Ratio and Proportion, Simple Interest, Time and Distance (Trains/Boats and Streams)

(4) Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test - Verbal Skills and Spatial Ability

Next, the EKT specific question paper will comprise of 50 questions. This paper has to be attempted by the candidates in 45 minutes. Let us have a broad overview of the syllabus for EKT.

Computer science engineering syllabus

Fundamental engineering

Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Physics
Engineering Drawing

Specialized branch specific topics

Analog and Digital Electronics
Electronic Devices
Computer Networks
Network Theory Design
Switching Theory
Information Technology

Allied engineering

- Electrical Engineering
- Control Engineering
- Telecommunication Systems
- Microwave Engineering
- Antenna and Wave Propagation
- Radar Theory
- Instrumentation

Electrical and electronics engineering syllabus

Fundamental engineering

Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Physics
Engineering Drawing

Specialized branch specific topics

Analog and Digital Electronics
Electrical Engineering
Electronic Devices
Control Engineering
Telecommunication Systems
Microwave Engineering
Antenna and Wave Propagation

Allied engineering topics

- Instrumentation
- Computer Networks
- Network Theory Design
- Switching Theory
- Radar Theory

Mechanical engineering syllabus

Fundamental engineering

Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Physics
Engineering Graphics/Engineering Drawing

Specialized branch specific topics

- Engineering Mechanics
- Thermodynamics
- Theory of Machines
- Fluid mechanics/Hydraulic Machines
- Manufacturing Science
- Materials Science
- Machine Drawing