The Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) is how the Indian Air Force selects graduates for commissioned officer posts in the Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. It runs twice a year, so "AFCAT 2026" actually means two cycles: AFCAT 01/2026 and AFCAT 02/2026. This guide sets out the official dates for both, what the latest notification says about eligibility and the exam, and how to plan around the next cycle.
All dates and rules below come from the official AFCAT portal, afcat.edcil.co.in, and the notifications published there (checked on 9 October 2026).
AFCAT 2026 timeline at a glance
| Milestone | AFCAT 01/2026 | AFCAT 02/2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Courses commencing | January 2027 | July 2027 |
| Online application | 17 November to 14 December 2025 in the notification; the portal later announced that registration would stay open until 19 December 2025 (2330 hrs) | 20 May to 19 June 2026 in the notification; extended to 21 June 2026 (2359 hrs) |
| Exam date | 31 January 2026 (Saturday) | 8 August 2026 (Saturday), 1000–1200 hrs |
| After the exam | Objection management portal opened; AFSB call letters issued through the portal | Objection portal opened; result declared; AFSB seat selection from 1700 hrs on 10 September to 2359 hrs on 14 September 2026 |
Both 2026 cycles have now reached the AFSB (Air Force Selection Board) stage, so the next opportunity for new applicants is the AFCAT 01/2027 cycle. For reference, the AFCAT 01/2026 registration opened in November 2025, but the IAF has not published 01/2027 dates on the portal as of 9 October 2026. Watch the portal rather than relying on predicted dates.
Sources: AFCAT 01/2026 notification and AFCAT 02/2026 notification.
Keep preparing
Continue with Document Verification Checklist – Central and Defence Recruitment₹299 — coaching के एक महीने से काफ़ी सस्ता / far cheaper than a month of coachingEligibility in brief (AFCAT 02/2026 notification)
Age (as on 1 July 2027)
| Branch | Age range | Date of birth window |
|---|---|---|
| Flying (AFCAT and NCC Special Entry) | 20 to 24 years | 2 July 2003 to 1 July 2007 |
| Flying, holders of a valid DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence | Upper limit relaxable to 26 years | 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007 |
| Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) | 20 to 26 years | 2 July 2001 to 1 July 2007 |
For AFCAT 01/2026 the reference date was 1 January 2027, so the windows shift by six months between cycles. Always use the dates in the notification for your cycle.
Candidates must be unmarried at the commencement of the course, and marriage is not permitted during training.
Education (summary)
- Flying Branch: passed Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 level, and a graduation of at least three years in any discipline, or a four-year BE/B.Tech, or Sections A and B of the AMIE (Institution of Engineers) or Aeronautical Society of India examinations.
- Ground Duty (Technical): Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) and Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) streams require Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 and specified engineering or technology qualifications; the notification lists the accepted disciplines in detail.
- Ground Duty (Non-Technical): requirements differ by branch. For example, Weapon Systems needs Maths and Physics at 10+2 plus a degree; Administration and Logistics need 10+2 and a degree in any discipline; Accounts needs a B.Com or specified commerce/management degrees.
The notification is long and branch-specific. Read your branch's paragraph in full, including any rules on marks, CGPA conversion and integrated degrees.
Fee
The AFCAT entry examination fee in the 02/2026 notification was ₹550 + GST, non-refundable. It does not apply to NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry applicants.
Exam pattern
| Item | AFCAT 02/2026 rule |
|---|---|
| Subjects | General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test |
| Questions and marks | 100 questions, 300 marks |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Language | English only, objective type, online |
| Marking | +3 for a correct answer, −1 for an incorrect answer, 0 for unattempted |
| Normalisation | Applied when the exam runs in more than one shift |
The notification's syllabus lists topics such as comprehension, error detection, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and sentence rearrangement (English); history, geography, sports, polity, economy, science and technology, current affairs and defence (General Awareness); percentages, profit and loss, time and work, interest, mensuration, probability and basic statistics (Numerical Ability); and verbal and non-verbal reasoning (Reasoning and Military Aptitude).
Worked example: scoring under +3/−1
This is an illustrative calculation, not a cut-off estimate.
A candidate attempts 80 of the 100 questions, gets 62 right and 18 wrong:
- Marks for correct answers: 62 × 3 = 186
- Deduction for wrong answers: 18 × 1 = 18
- Score: 186 − 18 = 168 out of 300
If the same candidate had skipped 10 of those wrong answers, the score would rise by 10 marks to 178, because each skipped question costs nothing while each wrong one costs a mark. Under a 3:1 scheme, cutting careless errors is often worth more than attempting a few extra questions.
Selection after the written test
The notification describes AFSB testing in stages:
- Stage I: an Officer Intelligence Rating Test with a Picture Perception and Discussion Test on the first day. This is a screening test; those who do not qualify, or do not meet branch eligibility at the document check, are sent back the same day.
- Stage II: a psychological test, followed by group tests and an interview over the next days.
- Flying Branch only: the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) for recommended candidates. It is a once-in-a-lifetime test; candidates who have failed CPSS/PABT earlier are not eligible for the Flying Branch.
Candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks fixed by the IAF separately in the written examination and the AFSB tests, and the final merit list is based on total marks in both. Those recommended by the AFSB must also be found medically fit, and branch allotment depends on vacancies, performance, medical fitness and the candidate's choices.
Pay, training and type of commission
- Training: for AFCAT 02/2026, training is scheduled to begin in the first week of July 2027, lasting about 62 weeks for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical) and about 50 weeks for Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches.
- Stipend and pay: Flight Cadets receive a fixed stipend of ₹56,100 a month during one year of training. On commissioning, a Flying Officer is at Level 10 of the Defence pay matrix (₹56,100–₹1,77,500) plus Military Service Pay of ₹15,500, with allowances depending on branch and posting.
- Commission: entries are offered as Permanent Commission (PC) or Short Service Commission (SSC) depending on branch. SSC Flying officers serve fourteen years; SSC Ground Duty officers serve an initial ten years, extendable by four. The notification states that SSC officers are not entitled to pension.
A planning checklist for the next cycle
- Check your date of birth against the window in the next notification (it moves by six months each cycle).
- Confirm that your 10+2 subjects and degree match the branch you want.
- Keep scanned documents ready: photograph, signature, marksheets and degree or provisional certificate.
- Practise full 2-hour mocks and track wrong answers, since each one costs a mark.
- Start physical conditioning and read the medical standards in the notification's appendix early.
- Bookmark the official portal and ignore unofficial "expected date" posts.
AFCAT rewards candidates who prepare early and read the notification carefully. Use the 2026 cycles as a template, but take the dates and eligibility for your attempt only from the official notice for that cycle.