AFCAT Exam Pattern

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2019: Detailed Exam Pattern & Selection Procedure For AFCAT 2019

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2019: AFCAT 2019 is going to be conducted on 16th and 17th February 2019. Thousands of candidates have applied for AFCAT 2019 for only 163 posts in Flying and Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical) branches. So, you can imagine how competitive the exam is going to be. So, to crack AFCAT 2019, you need to be very serious. First, you need to be aware of the AFCAT Exam Pattern 2019 and then only you can start your preparation. AFCAT 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.

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2019

AFCAT 2019 will have three stages of selection. Let us have a look at all three of them.

  • Stage 1: AFCAT Online Test/ EKT Online Test (For Technical Post Aspirants)
  • Stage 2: AFSB (Air Force Selection Board) Testing
  • Stage 3: Medical Examination
  • For the preparation of the examination, a candidate should go through the exam pattern first. By going through the exam pattern candidate will get an estimate about the marking criteria.
  • Time Duration: 02 hours
  • Number of Questions: 100
  • Marking Criteria: +3 for each correct answer
  • Negative Marking: -1 for each incorrect answer
  • Number of Sections: 4 (Verbal ability, Numerical Ability, General Awareness and Reasoning and Military aptitude)
  • Mode of Examination: Online

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AFCAT Online Test 2019

Candidates who apply for Flying Branch and Ground Duties (Non-Technical) branch have to appear for only AFCAT Online Test 2019. Let us have look details of this AFCAT Online Test below:

Sections Number of Questions Maximum Marks
Verbal Ability in English 30 90
Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test 35 105
Numerical Ability 15 45
General Awareness 20 60

Note the following important points regarding AFCAT 2019 Exam Pattern:

  • a. Total marks for AFCAT 2019 is 300.
  • b. There will be a total of 100 questions from all 4 sections.
  • c. The total time duration of the exam is 120 minutes or 2 hours.
  • d. 3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer.
  • e. 1 mark will be deducted for every wrong attempt.
  • f. No marks will be deducted for un-attempted questions.

Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) 2019

Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) is mandatory for those candidates who wish to opt for Ground Duties (Technical) Posts. The details of EKT 2019 are as under:

Subjects Number of Questions Maximum Marks
Computer Science 50 150
Mechanical
Electrical & Electronics

Note the following important points about AFCAT Exam Pattern for EKT:

  • a. For every correct answer, 3 marks will be given.
  • b. 1 mark will be deducted for every wrong attempt.
  • c. There will not be any deduction for un-attempted questions.

AFSB (Air Force Selection Board) Testing 2019

Call letters will be sent to all the candidates who clear AFCAT/EKT 2019 to appear for the second stage of selection, that is, Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) Testing. AFSB testing will have 2 stages. Qualified candidates from Online Test will have to appear for Stage 1 AFSB Interview at any of the AFSB Centres located at Dehradun, Varanasi, Gandhinagar, and Mysuru. 

AFSB Testing Stage 1

AFSB Testing Stage 1 includes the following two tests:

  • a. Officer Intelligence Rating Test.
  • b. Picture Perception and Discussion Test.

Please note that AFSB Stage 1 is conducted only for screening purpose and candidates who do not clear it will be rejected and will not be called for AFSB Testing Stage 2.

AFSB Testing Stage 2

All AFSB Stage 1 qualified candidates will have to appear for AFSB Stage 2 and undergo the following tests:

  • a. Psychological Tests: These are the written psychological tests and are conducted by professional psychologists.
  • b. Group Tests: These tests involve mental and physical activities to examine the candidates’ on various mental and physical parameters.
  • c. Interview Round: In this round, the interviewing officer takes a personal round of interview for the candidate.
  • Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) Test: This test is mandatory for only those candidates who have applied for the Flying Branch.

Please note that AFSB Stage 2 Testing requires at least 4-5 days and the last day is exclusively allocated for Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) test. Also, the officers at the Selection Board will explain the tests in detail to all the candidates and aspirants can start the test only when they fully understand the instructions.

Medical Examination 

If the candidate clears the Online Tests and both the stages of AFSB Interview then he will be called for Medical Examination. The Indian Airforce has prescribed only two centres for Medical Examination which are Institute of Aviation Medicine, Bengaluru and Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME). After the Medical Examination, a final merit list will be prepared by the Board and the selected candidates will be asked to join any of the training establishments.

AFCAT 2019 Reference Books

AFCAT 2019 Reference Books are given below to help students score well:

Name of Book Author/ Publisher
AFCAT Exam Guide 1st edition for Flying and Technical Branch Ramesh Publishing House
AFCAT Solved Paper 2017 Arihant Publication
General Knowledge 2017 Arihant Publication
Quantitative aptitude for Competitive Examinations R S Aggarwal
A modern approach to Verbal Reasoning R S Aggarwal

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