AFCAT Air Force Common Admission Test, an exam conducted by the Indian Airforce for recruiting officers in the three branches which are Technical, Flying and Ground Duty Branches. This written test is conducted twice every year in the month of February and August. You can check the eligibility criteria for AFCAT and make sure whether you are eligible for the same or not. Here we are going to discuss the paper pattern of AFCAT so that our aspirants may get a fair idea about the type of examination and thus can start preparing for it in a more focused and organized way. As we all know, for the first time, AFCAT exam will be conducted online and candidates can apply for AFCAT through AFCAT CDAC website. Many candidates who are applying for AFCAT are looking for updated latest AFCAT syllabus, topics, subjects, marking scheme and number of questions. In this article, you will find the latest syllabus for the AFCAT exam and related information. Though the syllabus has not changed much there are few topics which are new and you might face them in AFCAT 2019.
The subjects, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows:
| Exam | Subject | Duration | No. of Questions | Max Marks |
| AFCAT | General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test | 02 Hours | 100 | 300 |
| EKT(For Ground Duty Technical Branch only) | Mechanical, Computer Science and Electrical and Electronics | 45 Minutes | 50 | 150 |
Syllabus of the AFCAT 2018
- English: Comprehension, Error Detection, Sentence Completion/Filling in of correct word, Synonyms, Antonyms and Testing of Vocabulary, Idioms and Phrases
- General Awareness: History, Geography, Civics, Politics, Current Affairs, Environment, Basic Science, Defence, Art, Culture, Sports, etc
- Numerical Ability: Decimal Fraction, Time and Work, Average, Profit & Loss, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion and Simple Interest, Time & Distance (Trains/Boats & Streams)
- Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test: Verbal Skills and Spatial Ability
(a) General Awareness
- History
- Sports
- Geography
- Environment
- Civics
- Basic Science
- Defence
- Art
- Culture
- Current Affairs
- Politics
(b) Verbal Ability in English
- Comprehension
- Error Detection
- Sentence Completion
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Testing of Vocabulary
(c) Numerical Ability
- Decimal Fraction
- Simplification
- Average
- Profit & loss
- Percentage
- Ratio & Proportion
- Simple Interest
(d) Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test
- Verbal Skills
- Spatial Ability
Standard of AFCAT 2019 Question Paper:
- The standard of Numerical Ability Questions will be of Matriculation level. The standard of questions in other subjects will be of graduation level (Indian University).
- The Online examination will consist of objective type questions and will be in English only for both AFCAT and EKT
AFCAT 2019 Marking Scheme
- Three marks for every correct attempt
- One mark for every incorrect attempt
- No marks for unattempted questions
Questions will be based on the metric system of Weights & Measures wherever applicable. Candidates must appear for the Online AFCAT in person. Under no circumstance will any scribe or another candidate be allowed to appear/ assist in the exam. Air Force has the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
AFCAT Exam Schedule: The AFCAT (and EKT) will be conducted in two shifts as per the following schedule:
| Activity | 16 Feb 19 (Day1) | 17 Feb 19 (Day 2) | ||
| 1st Shift (AFCAT) | 2nd Shift (AFCAT+EKT) | 1st Shift (AFCAT) | 2nd Shift (AFCAT+EKT) | |
| Candidate Reporting Time | 08:00 hrs | 12:30 hrs | 08:00 hrs | 12:30 hrs |
| Verification of Admit Card & ID Proof, Biometrics, Photo/ Thumb Impression/ Sign on Attendance Sheet & Candidate Seating in Exam Hall | 08:00- 09:30 hrs | 12:30- 14:00 hrs | 08:00- 09:30 hrs | 12:30- 14:00 hrs |
| Reading of Instructions by Candidates | 09:30- 09:45 hrs | 14:00- 14:15 hrs | 09:30- 09:45 hrs | 14:00- 14:15 hrs |
| AFCAT | 09:45- 11:45 hrs | 14:15 -16:15 hrs | 09:45- 11:45 hrs | 14:15 -16:15 hrs |
| Reading of Instructions by Candidates for EKT | 16:15 -16:30 hrs | 16:15 -16:30 hrs | ||
| EKT | 16:30 -17:15 hrs | 16:30 -17:15 hrs | ||
Note: Candidates will not be permitted to enter the exam centre, under any circumstance, after the pre-exam verification process has commenced at 08:00 hrs for shift-I and 1230 hrs for shift-II
AFCAT Exam Pattern Highlights
| AFCAT Mode | Online (Computer-based) |
| Question Paper type | Objective (MCQs) |
| Number of Sections | General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical ability and Reasoning & Military Aptitude Test |
| Total no. of questions | 100 |
| Marks awarded for correct answer | +3 |
| Negative marking | -1 |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Exam duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) for AFCAT, 45 Minutes for EKT |
| Medium of Exam | English |
AFCAT Question Paper Sections, Questions Marks and Time
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 20 | 60 | 2 hours |
| Verbal Ability in English | 30 | 90 | |
| Numerical Ability | 15 | 45 | |
| Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test | 35 | 105 |
AFCAT Topics
Part 1: General Awareness
- History
- Sports
- Geography
- Environment,
- Defense
- Art and Culture
- International Current Affairs
- Politics
- Civics
- Basic Science
Part 2: Verbal Ability in English
- Comprehension
- Fill in the blanks by choosing the appropriate word
- Error Detection
- Sentence Completion
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Testing of Vocabulary
- Tenses
- Basic Grammar
Part 3: Numerical Ability
- Decimal Fraction
- Simplification
- Average
- Ratio and Proportion
- Simple interest
- Profit and loss
- Percentage
- Time and Distance
- Time and Work
Part 4: Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test
- Verbal Skills and Spatial Ability
- Data interpretation
- Embedded Figure
- Missing Character
- Sets based on arrangements
- Rotated blocks
- Hidden figures
- Analogy
How to prepare for AFCAT 2019 Online
