AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025 - Subject Wise Pattern, Marking Scheme, Syllabus

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025 - Subject Wise Pattern, Marking Scheme, Syllabus

Edited By Meghana Mohana Krishnan | Updated on Jun 02, 2025 12:52 PM IST | #AFCAT
Ongoing Event
AFCAT  Application Date : 02 Jun' 2025 - 01 Jul' 2025

Indian Air Force specifed the AFCAT 2 exam pattern 2025 in the official notification. The AFCAT 2025 exam pattern is available online on the official website - afcat.cdac.in. Candidates can know the important information pertaining to the exam such as subject-wise sections and the marking scheme through the AFCAT exam pattern 2025.

This Story also Contains
  1. AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025: Highlights
  2. AFCAT Syllabus 2025
  3. AFCAT Syllabus: EKT Syllabus
  4. AFCAT Question Papers 2025
  5. AFCAT Preparation Tips 2025
  6. AFCAT Books 2025
  7. AFCAT Mock Test 2025
AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025 - Subject Wise Pattern, Marking Scheme, Syllabus
AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025 - Subject Wise Pattern, Marking Scheme, Syllabus

Additionally, information such as total marks, section-wise marks and negative marking schemes can also be known through the AFCAT exam pattern. Before beginning the preparation for the AFCAT exam, candidates are advised to go through the details mentioned in the AFCAT exam pattern 2025. The AFCAT 2 2025 exam pattern consists of a written exam, Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) which candidates appearing for technical posts must attempt. Afterwards, the candidates who cleared these exams have to appear for the ASFB interview and a medical test. Candidates are encouraged to go through the material below for more information regarding the AFCAT exam pattern 2025.

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2025: Highlights

Exam

AFCAT 2025 Exam Pattern

EKT (only for technical)

Mode of Exam

Online

Online

No. of Questions

100

50

Maximum Marks

300

150

Duration of Exam

2 hours (120 minutes)

45 minutes

Sections in Paper

General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test

Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical & Electronics

Negative Marking

1 mark

1 mark

Also Read:

AFCAT 2025 Exam Stages

  • Online written test.

  • AFSB (Air Force Selection Board) Interview.

  • Medical Test.

AFCAT Question/Sample papers
Candidates can download AFCAT question papers along with answers from here.
Free Download

Online Written Test - The online test is the first stage of the AFCAT recruitment process. Aspirants with the AFCAT admit card will be eligible to appear in the AFCAT written test. The AFCAT online test will be conducted for subjects such as English, Numerical ability, Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test and EKT Syllabus for candidates opting for engineering knowledge test.

AFSB (Air Force Selection Board) - The AFSB will be conducted after the online test which is a 5-day event, conducted in various Air Force centres such as - Varanasi, Dehradun, Gandhinagar and Mysore. In AFSB, the aspirants will be judged based on various parameters like screening, picture perception and discussion test, personal information questionnaire, physical training like monkey crawl, jumping across the screen, parallel beam or balancing etc.

Medical Test - In the medical test, a thorough health checkup will be conducted for the candidates. If the candidate is found to be having any kind of medical issue, they will be given some time to recover.

AFCAT Syllabus 2025

The Indian Air Force (IAF) prescribes the AFCAT 2025 syllabus in the official notification. Candidates preparing the AFCAT syllabus must learn all the subjects, topics and sub-topics from which the question paper will be based. As per the AFCAT 2 syllabus 2025, there will be four sections - English, General Awareness, Numerical Ability & Reasoning, and Military Aptitude Test. From the following tables, candidates can check the subject-wise topics of the syllabus of AFCAT 2025.

AFCAT Syllabus: General Awareness

History

Sports

Geography

Art and Culture

Current Affairs (National & International)

National & International OrganisationsScience & Technology

Politics

Civics

Defence

Indian Polity

Basic Science Based Knowledge

Environment & EcologyEconomy

AFCAT Syllabus: English

Comprehension

Basic Grammar

Fill in the blanks by choosing the appropriate word

Error Detection

Sentence Completion

Synonyms and Antonyms

AnalogyIdioms and PhrasesCloze Test or Fill in the Gaps in a paragraph

AFCAT Syllabus: Numerical Ability

Decimal and Fraction

Simple Interest & Compound Interest

Time & Distance (Trains/Boats & Streams)

Percentage

Ratio and Proportion

Time and Work

Average/ Percentage

Profit and Loss

Area and PerimeterMixture & Allegation RulesNumber System & Number SeriesProbability

AFCAT Syllabus: Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test

Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

Also Read:

AFCAT Syllabus: EKT Syllabus

Candidates planning to apply for the ground duty (Technical) branch will have to take an additional online test - Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT).

AFCAT Syllabus Topics

Syllabus

Topics

AFCAT EKT Fundamental Engineering Syllabus

Engineering Physics, Engineering Mathematics, and Engineering Drawing

AFCAT EKT Mechanical Engineering Syllabus

Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics/Hydraulic Machines, Engineering Mechanics, Materials Science, Thermodynamics, Manufacturing Science, and Machine Drawing

AFCAT EKT Electrical & Electronics Engineering Syllabus

Microwave Engineering, Analog, and Digital Electronics, Electronic Devices, Telecommunication Systems, Microwave Engineering, Control Engineering, and Electrical Engineering

AFCAT EKT Computer Science Engineering Syllabus

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

AFCAT EKT Allied Engineering Topics Syllabus

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

Also check:

AFCAT Question Papers 2025

Some leading coaching institutes provide the question papers of AFCAT 2025 in online mode. Candidates can refer to IAF AFCAT question paper 2025 while preparing for the exam. The AFCAT 2025 question papers consist of questions from subjects such as quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, general knowledge, and English language. By solving past years' AFCAT question papers during preparation, aspirants will be familiar with the topics asked in the exam, the exam pattern, the difficulty level of questions, etc.

AFCAT Preparation Tips 2025

Candidates preparing for the AFCAT exam must prepare in such a way that they can beat the cut throat competition and qualify successfully. From the following points, candidates can check the preparation tips of AFCAT 2025.

  • Aspirants must refer to the exam pattern and syllabus mentioned in the official AFCAT notification.

  • Download the previous years' question papers of AFCAT in order to successfully practise for the exam.

  • They can go through the e-books, current affairs published monthly while preparing for the general awareness section.

  • Give mock tests on a regular basis to increase speed, accuracy, and time management skills.

  • Refer to the past year's trends of AFCAT 2025 cut off to know the difficulty level of the AFCAT exam.

  • Aspirants must do a self-analysis to know about their strong and weak sections.

  • Aspirants must also know about the defense equipment used by the Indian defense forces as the questions related to it can be asked in the interview rounds.

Also Read:

AFCAT Books 2025

To prepare for any exam and not just AFCAT, the best part is to refer to the study materials which can add on to the preparation strategy. From the following table, aspirants can check the best books related to the AFCAT exam preparations.

AFCAT Books 2025

Subjects

Publication

AFCAT Books on General Awareness

Lucent’s General Knowledge

The Malayala Manorama English Yearbook

From Plinth to Paramount by Neetu Singh - KD Publication

Verbal Ability

AFCAT Books on Verbal Ability

Objective General English by Dr. RS. Aggarwal

Verbal Reasoning by Bhupendra Kumar Singh

Numerical Ability

AFCAT Books on Numerical Ability

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Aggarwal/ S.Chand Publishing

Objective Arithmetic- S Chand

Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation-Disha Publication

AFCAT Books on Aptitude Test

Quantitative Aptitude- S.Chand

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams-McGraw Hill Education

Check Other Competitive Exam Patterns

AFCAT Mock Test 2025

IAF provides the AFCAT mock test in online mode on the official website. The AFCAT 2025 mock test will help the students understand the exam pressure and the AFCAT exam pattern 2025 in a better way. Candidates need to login through the dummy login credentials already mentioned on the page and start their AFCAT mock test 2025. Using the AFCAT mock test, candidates will be able to understand their preparation level too.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How many papers are in AFCAT?

There is one paper in AFCAT.  For candidates who want to appear in the ground duty (Technical) branch, they will have to appear in EKT (Engineering Knowledge Test) as well.

2. What is the pattern of AFCAT exam?

The exam pattern of the AFCAT exam consists of the stages, marking scheme, topics, subjects and time duration.

3. Is AFCAT exam tough?

Yes, it is a bit tough as a lot of candidates apply for it.

4. Who is eligible for AFCAT exam?

As per the academic qualification, candidates must graduate, as far as the age limit and physical requirements are considered, aspirants are advised to click here - AFCAT eligibility criteria 2025.

5. What are the topics covered in AFCAT Syllabus?

The topics covered in AFCAT Syllabus are General Awareness, English, Reasoning, Numerical Ability and Military Aptitude Test. In EKT, there will be topics from Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical and Electronics.

6. What are the important topics covered in English of the AFCAT examination?

The important topics covered in the English subject of the AFCAT examination are Comprehension, Error Detection, Sentence Completion, Synonyms and Antonyms, Filling in of correct word, vocabulary test, Idioms and Phrases.

7. How many times AFCAT exam is conducted in a year?

AFCAT is conducted twice a year.

8. Is there any AFCAT mock test available?

Yes, IAF provides the AFCAT mock test on the official website.

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Questions related to AFCAT

Have a question related to AFCAT ?

For a B.Tech in Civil Engineering (bachelor) candidate applying for AFCAT, the correct option is Graduate Option D .

Explanation:

AFCAT eligibility:

AFCAT requires a Bachelor's degree in any discipline (or B.Tech) from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks.

Engineering Graduates:

Engineers (B.Tech) are specifically mentioned as eligible under a graduate category, which is option D according to Quora.

Civil Engineering:

Since Civil Engineering is a B.Tech degree, it falls under the engineering graduate category, thus making option D the correct choice.

Option D:

Option D is specifically designed for engineering graduates. It allows you to mention your degree and specify your engineering discipline (Civil Engineering).

hi,

If AFCAT officials have clearly said they need a certificate and not just your marksheet , they’re most likely asking for your degree certificate — the official proof that you’ve completed your graduation. The marksheet alone only shows your scores, but not that you've actually passed the entire course.

If you haven’t received your original degree certificate yet, you can try submitting a provisional certificate . Most colleges or universities provide this after the final results are out. It’s usually accepted as a temporary replacement for the actual certificate.

If even the provisional certificate isn’t available, you can ask your college to issue a bonafide letter or a course completion letter saying that you’ve successfully completed your degree and the certificate is pending. Sometimes, that’s accepted too.

But the best and safest thing to do is contact the AFCAT helpdesk and clearly explain your situation. Ask if they will accept a provisional certificate or any temporary proof for now. They usually guide you well.

Hello there,

Yes, you can become eligible for the AFCAT Flying Branch by adding Mathematics to your 12th qualification.

Here’s what you can do:

  • You must have passed 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics, each with at least 50% marks, to be eligible for the Flying Branch.

  • Since you studied PCB, you can take Mathematics as an additional subject through NIOS or any other recognized board.

  • NIOS offers the option to appear for a single subject. Although they provide only a marksheet and not a full certificate, the marksheet is valid and recognized.

  • To ensure eligibility, complete your graduation with at least 60% marks and submit both your original 12th marksheet (with Physics) and the NIOS Mathematics marksheet while applying.

  • Before applying for AFCAT, it is recommended to confirm with the official AFCAT or Indian Air Force recruitment office whether the NIOS marksheet for a single subject is accepted.

This path is commonly used by students in similar situations.


I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries, feel free to share your questions with us, and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you, and I wish you all the best in your bright future.

Hello,

As of today (27 May 2025), you are 22 years old . For the AFCAT Flying Branch , the age limit is 20 to 24 years as of the course start date. However, candidates holding a valid Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) issued by DGCA (India) can apply up to 26 years .

AFCAT exams are conducted twice a year – AFCAT 1 (Feb) and AFCAT 2 (Aug).

For the Flying Branch , the age is calculated as on 1 July for AFCAT 2 and 1 January for AFCAT 1.

Your Date of Birth: 25 Oct 2002

  • For AFCAT 2 2025 (course starts July 2026) → You will be 23 years 8 months Eligible

  • For AFCAT 1 2026 (course starts Jan 2027) → You will be 24 years 2 months Still eligible

  • For AFCAT 2 2026 (course starts July 2027) → You will be 24 years 8 months Not eligible (crosses 24 years)

You are eligible for AFCAT 2 2025 and AFCAT 1 2026 for Flying Branch.

So, you have 2 attempts left including AFCAT 2 2025 .

Hope it helps !

Hello,

Yes, you are eligible for the AFCAT Flying Branch if you meet these conditions:

  • You must have passed 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics, securing at least 50% marks in each subject.

  • You must have completed graduation (minimum 3 years) from a recognised university with at least 60% marks.

Since you had PCB in 12th, you can take Mathematics as an additional subject through NIOS. NIOS is a recognised board, and its certificates are accepted. Just make sure you score at least 50% marks in Mathematics.

You don’t need to take a drop. You can study for the NIOS Mathematics exam along with your graduation. But you must complete and pass the Maths exam before applying for AFCAT.

Hope it helps !

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