AFCAT 1 Exam 2026 - Answer key (Out), Result, Cutoff

The Indian Air Force was activated from the AFCAT application form correction window 2026 from December 23 to 24, 2025. IAF closed the AFCAT 1 2026 application form on December 19, 2026 at afcat.edcil.co.in. Earlier, the IAF had activated the AFCAT 1 2026 application form on November 17, 2025 (revised date), in online mode. 

Candidates have to pay the mandatory application fee of Rs. 550 + GST via credit/debit cards and net banking. To apply for the AFCAT exam, candidates must first register/sign up on the official website. After successfully signing up, candidates could fill the AFCAT application form by entering their personal details, education qualification details, course preference, and communication details, uploading documents, and selecting an exam city, followed by the signing of the declaration. 

Candidates have to choose their selection of entry. After filling in all the relevant and mandatory information, candidates can pay the AFCAT application fee. After making the online payment, they can also check ‘Payment Status’. If the registration number is displayed in the ‘Payment Status’, then their application is successfully submitted.

Steps to fill out the AFCAT application form 2026

• Sign Up

• Fill out the AFCAT 2026 application form.

• Upload Photo, Signature and Thumb Impression

• Pay the application fee for AFCAT

Documents required to fill the AFCAT 2026 Application Form

Details required to keep while applying for AFCAT

• Class 10 and 12 certificates and details

• Valid Email

• Valid working Mobile Number

• Aadhaar Card details

Nationality: Candidates must be citizens of India

Age Limit: Candidates applying for Ground Duty (Technical), the age limit is 20 to 26 years of age

Marital Status: Candidates below the age of 25 years must be unmarried. Widows/ widowers and divorcees below 25 years of age are not eligible to apply for the exam

Educational Qualification: Candidates who have opted for Ground Duty (Technical branch) should hold the following educational qualification to be eligible for the examination:

Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) {AE(L)}: Candidates having passed class 12 with 60% or more in Physics and Mathematics and additionally holding four years Bachelor’s degree/integrated post-graduation degree in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university.

Or

Candidates clearing sections A and B exam of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India)/ Aeronautical Society of India/ Graduate membership exam of Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers with at least 60% in the following discipline:

• Communication Engineering
• Computer Engineering/Technology
• Computer Engineering and Application
• Computer Science and Engineering/Technology
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics Engineering/Technology
• Electronics Science and Engineering
• Electronics
• Electronics and Communication Engineering
• Electronics and Computer Science
• Electronics and/or Telecommunication Engineering
• Electronics and/or Telecommunication Engineering (Microwave)
• Electronics and Computer Engineering
• Electronics Communication and Instrumentation Engineering
• Electronics Instrument & Control
• Electronics Instrument & Control Engineering
• Instrumentation & Control Engineering
• Instrument & Control Engineering
• Information Technology

Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) {AE (M)}: Candidates with minimum 60% in Mathematics and Physics in class 12 and bachelor’s degree (4 years)/integrated post graduation in Engineering/ Technology from a recognized university are eligible to apply for the exam. Candidates who have cleared section A and B exam of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India)/Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% in any of the disciplines mentioned below:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Aeronautical Engineering
• Aircraft Maintenance Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering and Automation
• Mechanical Engineering (Production)
• Mechanical Engineering (Repair and Maintenance)
• Mechatronics
• Industrial Engineering

AFCAT eligibility criteria are prescribed by Indian Air Force (IAS) along with the notification. The eligibility criteria of AFCAT exam are provided below.

Nationality: Candidates must be citizens of India

AFCAT Age Limit 2025: Candidates applying for Flying Branch should be between 20 to 24 years of age while for Ground Duty (Non-Technical) candidates, the AFCAT exam age limit is 20 to 26 years of age

Marital Status: Candidates below the age of 25 years must be unmarried. Widows/ widowers and divorcees below 25 years of age are not eligible to apply for the exam

Educational Qualification:

For Flying branch

Candidates must have passed class 12 with minimum 60% in both Mathematics and Physics and

• hold a Bachelor’s degree (3 years) in any discipline from a recognised university.

Or

• hold B.Tech/ BE degree with minimum 60% from a recognised university

Or

• have cleared section A and B exam of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India)/ Aeronautical Society of India with minimum 60% from a recognised university

For Ground Duty (Non-Technical branch)

Administration and Logistics: Candidates should hold bachelor’s degree of minimum three years from a recognised university in any discipline with minimum 60% or equivalent or should clear section A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India)/ Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised university with 60% or more

Accounts: B.Com degree with at least 60%

Education: MBA/ MCA/ MA/ MSc degree in English/ Physics/ Mathematics/ Chemistry/ Statistics/ International Relations/ International Studies/ Defence Studies/ Psychology/ Computer Science/ IT/ Management/ Mass Communication/ Journalism/ Public Relation with 50% aggregate and 60% during graduation. For integrated courses, the minimum duration should be in accordance to the UGC guidelines with a minimum aggregate of 50%.

Candidates applying for Ground Duty (Technical branch) must appear for additional online test - Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT). The test is held for half an hour immediately after the completion of AFCAT online test. The exam pattern of AFCAT Engineering Knowledge Test is given below.

AFCAT exam pattern for Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT):

The exam pattern of AFCAT is provided by Indian Air Force (IAF). The exam pattern allots details such as the number of questions, duration and total number of marks of the exam. AFCAT exam pattern for the various exam stages have been provided below.

AFCAT Exam Pattern for Online Test:

Marking Scheme:

For correct answer: 3 marks

For incorrect responses: 1 mark

For unattempted questions: No marks

IAF releases the AFCAT mock tests on its official website. Candidates who are planning to appear and qualify in the AFCAT exam must refer to the IAF mock tests and practice them while preparing to score well in the exam. 

The mock tests of AFCAT exam 2026 will help aspirants understand the syllabus and exam pattern. Regular practising will help aspirants increase their speed, accuracy, and effectiveness, time management skills and confidence. It will also help candidates make less errors in the exam.

The AFCAT exam which is conducted by IAF is one of the toughest exams in India. To work for the Indian Air Force at the highest position, a candidate has to go through both physically as well as mentally challenging exams throughout the recruitment process. A special exam like AFCAT requires special preparations, few of which we have mentioned below.

• Understand the AFCAT 2026 exam pattern and marking scheme before starting with the exam preparation. Candidates should also know all the subjects and topics involved in the exam syllabus to get around the idea of what will be the nature of the AFCAT 2026 question paper.

• Take a look at all the mocks and previous year AFCAT Cut Offs this will give candidates an understanding as to what is a secure score to obtain in order to qualify and make way to the recruitment process.

• Read the complete syllabus

• Prepare General Awareness and refer to NCERT History and Geography books from class 6th to 12th

• Read Indian Express daily/Hindu

• Prepare English

• Solve previous 10-year question papers. It will help increase your accuracy

• Analyse yourself and do proper time management

• Strategise a proper study plan to prepare for not just AFCAT but any other government exam. 

AFCAT 2026 Payscale 

IAF is one of the most challenging jobs but the authorities take great care of the recruits which also makes IAF one of the most well-paid jobs in the world. After qualifying the AFCAT, an officer can earn a salary of Rs. 56,100-1,10,700. Apart from the salary, IAF also provides the officers with In the below table we have shared the post-branch-wise payscale of AFCAT.

AFCAT Exam 2026 - Branch-wise Payscale

AFCAT Exam - Benefits

After joining the Indian Air Force you enjoy the luxury of working for one of the best defence organisations in the world. This job comes with challenges, a handsome paycheque and more than that endless benefits and facilities for you and your family. Few of the benefits are mentioned in the table below:

AFCAT Exam 2026 - Various Benefits

Contact information

AFCAT CELL, IAF

Contact the AFCAT cell of IAF for queries related to the scheme & syllabus of AFCAT)

Address - Director of Education, West Block - VI, Air HQs(RKP), RK Puram, New Delhi – 110066

Tele: 011 – 23010231 Extn:2112- 6245, 6246

E-Mail: afcatcell@gmail.com

Tele Timings: 9 am - 1 pm & 2 pm - 5 pm ( Monday to Friday, except holidays)

AFCAT CELL, C-DAC

Candidates can contact the AFCAT Cell of the Indian Air Force for queries pertaining to the registration/application process, payment related issues, admit card and AFCAT exam as well as counselling centres.

Tele: +91-9513252077 

Toll-Free no. 1800-11-2448 

E-Mail: afcathelpdesk@edcil.co.in

Tele Timings: 9 am - 1 pm & 2 pm - 5 pm ( Monday to Friday, except holidays)

The AFCAT 1 admit card 2026 has released in online mode on January 22, 2026, at afcat.edcil.co.in. Candidates who successfully applied for the AFCAT exam can download their AFCAT 1 2026 admit card by logging in to the website using their email ID and password. Candidates have also received the admit cards in their registered emails.

How to Download the AFCAT 1 2026 Admit Card?

• Visit the official website - afcat.edcil.co.in

• Go to the Candidate login

• Enter your email ID and password

• Click on the AFCAT 2026 admit card link

• You admit will appear on the screen

• Download the admit card

• After downloading, check all the details carefully

• If there are any discrepancies in the admit card, contact IAF as soon as possible

*IAF will also send the admit card on the registered email of candidates.

Candidates will have to carry the following things to the AFCAT 2026 exam hall:

• Admit Card for AFCAT 2026

• Aadhaar Card

• 1 valid photo identity card such PAN card, Passport, Driving license, Voter identity card and College identity card or any other valid photo identity proof, with details of name, father’s name, date of birth and a clear photograph

• Two passport size colour photographs - same as the photo uploaded in the application form of AFCAT 2026

• Candidates should also keep a Ballpoint Pen (Blue or Black) for formalities during the checking, signing attendance and for rough work if any.

The IAF released the answer key of AFCAT 1 2026 on the official website along with the result. However, students will also be able to get the AFCAT answer key 2026 provided by some top institutes. With the help of AFCAT answer key, candidates can predict their scores by using the marking scheme. For each correct answer, 3 marks will be given and 1 mark is deducted as an AFCAT negative mark for each wrong response. No points will be deducted for questions that are not attempted.

Candidates who will appear in the AFCAT 1 2026 exam can check the exam analysis. The AFCAT 2026 exam analysis will help the students to know if there is a change in exam pattern, the difficulty level of question paper and all other details. The exam analysis of AFCAT exam is updated as per the feedback given by candidates.

AFCAT Exam Analysis 2026

With the help of the AFCAT exam analysis 2026, candidates will get to know about the difficulty level of the question paper and the number of good attempts. Candidates will be able to check the exam analysis of AFCAT 2026 shift-wise on the end of AFCAT exam day.

IAF will declare the AFCAT 1 2026 result in online mode on the official website. To check the AFCAT result 2026, candidates will have to visit the AFCAT website and log in using their email ID, password and captcha code. The AFCAT exam result 2026 displays the qualifying status of candidates. Candidates qualifying in the online test will be eligible to appear in the next round, and they will be called by IAF for the AFSB interview. 

How to check the result of AFCAT 2026?

• Visit the official website

• Login in the candidate window using your credentials

• Click on the AFCAT result link on this page

• The result will appear on your screen

• Download and take the printout of the result

AFCAT 2026 Result – Details printed on the result

• Registration number

• Name of the candidate

• AFCAT cut off

• Obtained score

• Qualifying status

 AFCAT 2026 Result – How the final score will be calculated?

Below is the marking scheme of AFCAT 2026 

• 3 marks are awarded for every correct answer

• 1 mark is deducted for every incorrect 

• No marks will be awarded for unattempted questions

Candidates scores will be calculated based on the number of their correct answers after deducting the penalty for wrong answers.

What after the declaration of AFCAT result 2026?

IAF will prepare a list of candidates who have obtained the minimum qualifying marks (cut off marks) in the exam. Candidates qualifying the online test will be called at one of the Air Force Selection Boards (AFSB) for further rounds. The AFSB centres located at Dehradun (1 AFSB), Mysuru (2 AFSB), Gandhinagar (3 AFSB) and Varanasi (4 AFSB). 

Only those candidates who have opted for Flying Branch can opt for Dehradun, Mysore and Varanasi. Candidates need to choose an AFSB date and venue to download the AFSB Interview call letter.

The AFSB Interview will be conducted in three stages. The first stage will be Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with Picture Perception and discussion test. The second stage will be a Psychological test. The third stage will be the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) which will be conducted only for the candidates who have opted for Flying Branch.

AFCAT Result 2026- Preparation of Final Merit List

A candidate's final selection in AFCAT will be done based on their own performance in the online test as well as the AFSB Interview. Separate cut off marks are fixed for the online test and AFSB Interview by IAF. Candidates will be placed in order of merit on the basis of their total score in both online tests as well as AFSB. 

Finally, candidates will be allotted in Permanent Commission/Short Service Commission in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches based on the number of vacancies released by IAF, candidate's performance in the selection process and choices given by the candidates.

The IAF decides a minimum qualifying mark for the exam that candidates need to score in order to be recruited for IAF. The minimum marks are known as cut off.  IAF releases the AFCAT 2026 cut off on the official website. The cut off is also mentioned in the scorecard of candidates. 

AFCAT cut off has been decided by IAF on the basis of factors like difficulty level of exam, number of vacancies and the number of applicants etc. On the basis of AFCAT cut off, candidates will be selected for the next round of selection process. 

Previous year cut off marks of AFCAT exam

A candidate needs to go through the following stages to get recruited in the Indian Air Force:

Online Test: All the candidates who have successfully appy for AFCAT 1 2026 will have to first appear for the online test. The question paper of 2026 AFCAT online test will carry questions from General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test. The EKT question paper carries questions from subjects -Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical & Electronics. Maximum marks allotted to AFCAT are 300. The test paper of EKT carries a total of 150 marks.

AFSB Interview: After successfully qualifying the online test, candidates will be called by IAF to appear for the AFSB Interview. The AFSB interview will comprise of the following three stages:

Stage I: The Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with the Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP&DT) will be conducted on the first day of AFSB.

Stage II: Psychological test will be conducted on Day 1 (Afternoon) and the Group Tests and Interview will be conducted for the next five days after the document verification (DV).

For Flying Branch: Candidates applying for the Flying Branch will be required to appear in the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS).

AFCAT 2026 Counselling centres

Candidates qualifying the online test of AFCAT 2026, will be called for the SSB interview. The SSB interview involves the following 4 stages"

Stage 1: Officer Intelligence Rating Test – Picture perception and discussion test. In case the candidate fails to clear this, they will be disqualified on the same day.

Stage 2: Stage 2 will be conducted for the next 3-4 days and will consist of the following stages.

•          Psychology Test (Written)

•          Group Test (Activities)

•          Personal Interview

•          Computerized Pilot Selection System Test CPSS (In case of Flying Branch)

Stage 3: Medical Examination – Candidates qualifying all the above stages will have to appear in the medical round. The medical round will either be conducted at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment, New Delhi or at the Institute of Aviation Medicine, Bengaluru.

State 4: All India Merit List - The Air Force Selection Board will prepare an All India Merit List of candidates on the basis of the qualified candidate’s performance in the tests and all the stages of the AFSB.

Candidates whose name is mentioned in the merit list will receive call letters and joining instructions from IAF on the basis of the vacancies available in various branches.

AFCAT counselling will be conducted at the following centres:

Documents required during the AFCAT 2026 counselling

• Class 10th certificate

• Class 12th mark sheet

• Certificate of graduation/ post-graduation degree

• NOC (No Objection Certificate) from an employer if the candidate is Government employee

• Commercial Pilots License issued by DGCA (if applicable)

• NCC certificate (if applicable)