How to join Indian Air Force - Know the best ways to join IAF here
SubscribeHow To Join Indian Air Force? - Serving one's country by joining the defence services like the Army, Navy and Air Force gives you pride and valour. Many aspirants wanting to join the Indian Defence Services want to join the Indian Air Force. There are different ways to join the IAF. IAF aspirants can join the Air force services through exams like NDA, AFCAT, CDS, UES and more.
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These are some of the best ways to join the IAF. Aspirants fulfilling the various eligibility criteria on different IAF entrance exams will be eligible to appear for the above mentioned exams. Minimum educational qualification required to join IAF is 10th passed. To know more on How to join Indian Air Force, aspirants need to read the article below.
How To Join Indian Air Force?
Applicants can check the table below for the different ways to join the Indian Air Force and the minimum educational qualification required to appear for that particular exam.
Know how to join IAF and eligibility
Qualification | Name of entry |
10th (Diploma) and 12th pass | Air Force Group X & Y |
12th Pass and appearing | NDA & NA |
Graduation | UPSC CDS |
AFCAT | |
UES | |
NCC Special Entry |
Various IAF exam dates 2021
Entry | Notification | Exam |
AFCAT 1 | November 24, 2020 | February 20 & 21, 2021 |
AFCAT 2 | May 27, 2021 | August 28, 29 and 30, 2021 |
CDS 1 | October 28, 2020 | February 7, 2021 |
CDS 2 | August 4, 2021 | November 14, 2021 |
NDA 1 | December 30, 2020 | April 18, 2021 |
NDA 2 | June 9, 2021 | September 5, 2021 (postponed) November 14, 2021 (new date) |
Airmen Group X &Y | To be announced | To be announced |
NCC Special Entry | To be announced | Direct Entry |
Different ways to join IAF
Below mentioned are six different ways to join the IAF and some other details about each of the IAF exams.
Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT)
Indian Air Force is the exam conducting body for the AFCAT exam. The AFCAT exam is the most preferred competitive exam to join the India Air force as an officer. AFCAT is conducted twice every year. The AFCAT 2021 application form is released on the IAF official website. The AFCAT selection process consists of a written test, AFSB interview and medical test. Candidates clearing all the stages of the AFCAT 2021 recruitment will be commissioned in Flying Branch and Permanent Commission/ Short Service Commission in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches of Indian Air Force.
AFCAT exam overview
Conducting body | Indian Air Force |
Name of the exam | Air Force Common Admission Test |
Frequency | Twice a year |
Exam type | Graduation |
Mode of exam | Online |
Mode of application | Online |
Application fee | 250/- |
AFCAT Eligibility Criteria 2021
Branch | Age limit | Educational Qualification |
Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical) | 20 to 24 years | Graduation |
Flying branch | 20 to 26 years |
AFCAT Exam Pattern 2021
IAF prescribes the AFCAT 2021 syllabus for the AFCAT and EKT exam. The AFCAT and EKT exam will be conducted online at various centers across the country. Check the AFCAT 2021 exam pattern in the tables below.
AFCAT exam pattern
Subject | Duration | No. of Questions | Max Marks |
General Awareness | 120 minutes | 100 | 300 |
Verbal Ability in English | |||
Numerical Ability | |||
Reasoning and Military Aptitude |
EKT (For Ground Duty Technical Branch only) exam pattern
Subject | Duration | No. of Questions | Max Marks |
Mechanical | 45 minutes | 50 | 150 |
Computer Science | |||
Electrical and Electronics |
Combined Defence Services (CDS)
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the exam conducting authority for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination. Candidates fulfilling the CDS eligibility criteria 2021 can fill the CDS 2021 application form on the UPSC website - upsc.gov.in. The CDS selection process 2021 consists of a written test and SSB interview. Candidates clearing the CDS recruitment process will be recruited to any one of the three defence services i.e Indian Army, Navy or Air Force.
CDS exam overview
Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission |
Name of the exam | Combined Defence Services |
Frequency | Twice a year |
Exam type | Graduation |
Mode of exam | Offline |
Mode of application | Online |
Application fee | Rs 200 |
CDS Eligibility Criteria 2021
Courses | Age limit | Educational Qualification |
Indian Military Academy (IMA) | 19 to 24 years | Graduation |
Indian Naval Academy (NA) | ||
Air Force Academy (AFA) | 20 to 24 years | |
Officers' Training Academy (OTA - Men) | 19 to 25 years | |
Officers Training Academy (OTA - Women, Non-Technical) |
CDS Exam Pattern 2021
UPSC prescribes the CDS 2021 syllabus for the CDS written exam. The UPSC CDS written exam will be conducted in offline mode at various centers across the country. Check the CDS 2021 exam pattern in the tables below.
CDS Exam Pattern For INA, IMA & IFA
Subject | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
Elementary Mathematics | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
Total | 340 | 300 | 6 hours |
CDS exam pattern for OTA
Subject | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
English | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
General Knowledge | 120 | 100 | 2 hours |
Total | 240 | 200 | 4 hours |
National Defence Academy (NDA)
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the exam conducting authority for the National Defence Academy (NDA) examination. Applicants fulfilling the NDA 2021 eligibility criteria can fill the UPSC NDA 2021 application form online on the UPSC website - upsc.gov.in. The NDA 2021 selection process consists of a written exam and SSB interview. Applicants qualifying all the stages of the NDA recruitment process will be recruited as officers in the Indian Defence Services.
NDA exam overview
Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission |
Name of the exam | National Defence Academy |
Frequency | Twice a year |
Exam type | 12th passed |
Mode of exam | Offline |
Mode of application | Online |
Application fee | Rs 100 |
NDA Eligibility Criteria 2021
Exam | Age limit | Educational Qualification |
NDA 1 and 2 | 16.5 to 19.5 years | 12th passed or appearing |
NDA Exam Pattern 2021
UPSC prescribes the UPSC NDA 2021 syllabus for the National Defence Academy written exam. The NDA written test will be conducted in offline mode at various centers across the country. Check the UPSC NDA 2021 exam pattern in the tables below.
NDA exam pattern
Subject | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
Mathematics | 120 | 300 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
GAT | 150 | 600 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Total | 270 | 900 | 5 hours |
Indian Air Force Group X & Y
After completing their class 12th exams candidates can also join the Indian Air Force through the Airmen Group X and Y entry. This exam is also conducted twice every year. Candidates fulfilling the Airmen Group X and Y eligibility criteria can fill the Airmen Group X and Y application from. The upper age limit to appear for this exam is 21 years. For more information on the IAF Group X and Y entry eligibility check the table below.
IAF Group X and Y eligibility criteria
Group | Eligibility |
Group X (Except education instructor trade) | Passed Intermediate/ 10+2/ Equivalent examination with Maths, Physics and English |
Group Y (Except Automobile Technician, GTI, IAF(P), Musician and IAF(S) | Passed Intermediate/ 10+2/ Equivalent Exam in any stream with minimum 50% marks and 50% marks in English |
Group Y (Medical Assistant Trade) | Passed 10+2/Intermediate/ equivalent exam with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English with a minimum of 50% marks and 50% marks in English |
IAF Group X and Y exam pattern 2021
Indian Air Force Group X and Y syllabus is prescribed by the IAF. Check the tables below for the IAF Group X and Y exam pattern 2021.
IAF Group X and Y exam pattern
Group | Subjects | Number of questions | Duration |
Group X | English | 20 | 60 minutes |
Physics | 25 | ||
Mathematics | 25 | ||
Group Y | English | 20 | 45 minutes |
Reasoning & General Awareness | 30 | ||
Group X & Y | English | 20 | 85 minutes |
Physics | 25 | ||
Mathematics | 25 | ||
Reasoning & General Awareness | 30 |
Indian Air Force NCC Entry
It is a special entry provision provided to candidates for joining the IAF. Candidates with a NCC Grade C certificate and 60% marks in graduation are eligible for NCC entry. Candidates fulfilling the NCC entry eligibility criteria will be called for the SSB interview directly. Candidates can check the NCC IAF entry eligibility criteria in the table below.
IAF NCC entry eligibility criteria
Particulars | Eligibility |
Nationality | Indian |
Age limit | 19 to 23 years |
Marital status | Single |
Educational qualification | Graduate in any discipline from a recognized University with minimum 60% marks and passed class 12th with Physics and Mathematics |
BE/ B.Tech from a recognized University with minimum 60% marks | |
NCC Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ certificate |
University Entry Scheme (UES)
Indian Air Force conducts University Entry Scheme (UES) recruitment process for the final year candidates to join the IAF as officers in the different cadres. It is one of the best opportunities for candidates to join the Indian Air Force while completing their academic degree. Applicants need to fulfill the UES eligibility criteria to be eligible for UES recruitment. Applicants must also note that they should not have any backlogs at the time of SSB interview. Applicants must have 60% marks to be eligible for UES entry on completion of their degree. The IAF UES selection process comprises a group discussion round. The shortlisted applicants from UES GD round have to appear for SSB interviews followed by a medical test.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - How to join Indian Air Force - Know the best ways to join IAF here
Question: What posts is the AFCAT exam conducted for?
Answer:
AFCAT exam is held for recruitment of eligible and qualified applicants to Flying Branch and Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches.
Question: Is the CDS exam conducted in online mode or offline mode?
Answer:
CDS exam is conducted in offline mode for all the UPSC CDS courses.
Question: How many stages does the AFCAT exam have?
Question: What is the NDA 01/2021 exam date?
Answer:
UPSC NDA 01/2021 exam was held on April 18, 2021.
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Questions related to NDA
Can i join NDA with other than science stream.
Hello,
Yes, you can apply for National Defence Academy (NDA) Entrance Examination conducted by UPSC if you have passed 10+2 in a stream other than Science. But you can only opt to join Indian Military academy. The eligibility criteria is that a candidate who have passed 10+2 with Mathematics and Physics is eligible to join Indian Air Force Academy, Indian Military Academy and Indian Naval Academy. Candidates who have passed 10+2 in any stream are eligible to join Indian Military Academy.
Answer latermy eye sight is -6.5 so how can i improve this eyesight to join nda
Dear Shashwat,
There is no quick fix to cure eyesight immediately. If you go with medicines or home remedies, it will take you minimum 2months to start seeing the results. As your vision is -6.5 which is myopic defect or short-sightedness, that can't be cured in short fixes.
If you have enough time, you can try home remedy which is-
Take equal quantities of:
Mishri (granules of Sugar),
Badam (Almonds),
Green suanf (Fennel Seeds)
Grind these well in a mixer. You will get a powdery texture. Take one tablespoon of this mixture with glass of warm milk everyday. This remedy can take 1-2 months to start giving you results. For curing -6.5, it can take huge time as well.
Else, if you don't have sufficient time, you can consider doing Laser operation as well. This can be considered as a quick fix to cure your eyesight.
Hope this helps.
All the Best!!
Chapter wise weightage for jee mains 2022 by nda
Hello dear,
Chapter wise weightage for jee mains for 2022 by nta will make preparation better. There is 65 questions in total for the jee exam with maths ,physics, chemistry each 25 questions each .Every year there is variation in jee main syllabus and weightage. You can the link given below to get complete detail about the weightage and syllabus
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-syllabus-weightage
Hope this information is helpful to you
Good wishes
i am commerce without maths student can i give NDA exam
Dear Students,
Yes, Anyone with 12th passed or or appearing from any stream stream can give the NDA exam.
As you are from commerce stream so you will be eligible for the Army only.
The age limit for the NDA is 16.5 to 19.5 and the applying age should be under 15.5 to 18.5 years.
As you are from commerce group still you have to give every exam of NDA including Maths.
Good Luck :)
Im a girl,currently in class 12,can i give NDA 2 this year or should I wait till NDA 1 2022?
Dear Student,
For the upcoming NDA examination girls should apply and give the exam as the application date of NDA II 2021 is already passed and only further steps are left. And the government has given the order after the application deadline passed for the NDA II 2021.
From NDA I 2022 you will be eligible to apply for the exam and can give the exam.
You should note that the age limit for the NDA is 16.5 to 19.5 years and you can apply only if your age would comes under 15.5 to 18.5 years at the time of application form.
Good Luck :)
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