AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern (Updated): Duration, Number of Questions, Marking Scheme, Max Marks

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023

AFCAT 2 2023 exam pattern has been officially released by the Indian Air Force (IAF). AFCAT 2 Written Exam is an entry-level exam for candidates wishing to join the Indian Airforce. According to the AFCAT exam pattern 2023, the question paper consists of 100 questions and a total of 300 marks. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. AFCAT 2 is an online examination that paper consists of objective-type questions and English language only. For every right answer, +3 marks will be awarded and - 1 will be deducted for every incorrect answer. 

AFCAT 2 2023 exam dates have been announced and it will be conducted on August 25, 26 and 27, 2023. Candidates appearing for the AFCAT exam 2023 must check the exam pattern of AFCAT 2023. The candidates can understand the structure of the exam with the help of AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern. It is important for the candidates to have a proper understanding of the AFCAT Exam Pattern so that they are familiar with the type of questions that will be asked in the exam. Candidates can also practice AFCAT mock test and AFCAT previous year question papers to understand the detailed marking scheme and AFCAT exam pattern 2023. Candidates are also advised to check AFCAT 2023 syllabus for preparation. 

The candidates get a fair idea about the total marks, time duration, marking scheme, and question paper pattern through AFCAT exam pattern 2023. questions depends on whether the candidate has applied for a technical or non-technical branch. One can refer to this page given below to get more details and updates on AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023.

AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern Highlights

Check the major highlights of AFCAT exam pattern 2023 is provided below. 

• There are four sections named as Numerical Ability, General Awareness and Reasoning, Verbal ability and Military Aptitude.

• The language of the exam is English.

• Duration of the exam is 150 Minutes.

• Total of 100 questions will be asked in the AFCAT exam.

• Candidates will be rewarded three marks for each correct attempt.

• One mark will be deducted for each incorrect attempt.

• The maximum mark a candidate can score in AFCAT is 300.

AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern Importance

This section will discuss, as to why it is important for the candidates appearing for AFCAT Exam 2023 to be thorough about the exam pattern:

• Understanding the AFCAT 2023 Exam pattern would help the candidates to get an understanding of the final question paper.
• This will help the students to focus on topics that would have more weightage in the exam.
• AFCAT 2023 exam is a national level exam that is conducted for various branches such as flying, ground as well as technical branches, therefore preparing for the exam can be competitive. So, candidates who are well versed with the exam pattern will be able to qualify the exam with flying colors.
• Having an idea about the AFCAT 2023 Exam pattern will help the candidates in scoring better in the final exam.
• By knowing the AFCAT exam pattern candidates would be able to strategize their final preparation accordingly, by giving more time to important topics.
• They would be able to utilize their time judiciously and focus on solving mocks as well as previous year’s question papers.

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023 Overview

The structure of the AFCAT exam pattern is given below.

Changes in AFCAT Exam Pattern

The AFCAT exam schedule has undergone several alterations this year thanks to the IAF. Candidates can review the test pattern adjustments that have been implemented below.

• EKT was eliminated by IAF from the AFCAT 1 2023 test. For applicants in the Technical stream, EKT was previously held. Similarly, for AFCAT 2, the EKT will not be conducted.
• There was no mention of a vacancy on the Permanent Commission.
• Weapon System was one of the new branches featured in the AFCAT 1 2023 test. Students can expect the same changes for AFCAT 2 exam pattern.
• Candidates have to take the AFCAT online test to be considered for the Meteorology branch.

AFCAT 2023 Exam Stages

Prior to the AFCAT exam preparation, it is crucial for students to understand the AFCAT exam pattern 2023 and important points. There are three stages in the AFCAT 2023 exam and candidates who successfully pass the first stage of the exam - the online AFCAT written test 2023 - become qualified to move on to the next stage and subsequent rounds. In order to pass the next rounds of AFCAT exam, candidates must be physically fit and it is best to take proper physical training before the test comes around. More detailed information about the AFCAT 2023 exam pattern can be found below.

As stated above there are three stages in the AFCAT exam pattern and if candidates fail to qualify in the first round of the written online exam, they will not be eligible for the further rounds. Aspirants can check the below-mentioned three stages to understand the important aspect of the AFCAT exam pattern 2023:

Step 1: Online AFCAT exam

The EKT or Exam and Engineering Knowledge Test in the AFCAT exam is an online test that is conducted in various examination centres throughout the country. The test consists of objective-type questions. The AFCAT 2023 online exam is meant for both non-technical and technical candidates. But the EKT is only for technical candidates and the test is conducted for a total of 150 marks. 

Candidates can take a look at the tabular form of the AFCAT and EKT exam here:

Check the structure for the AFCAT exam below:

Step 2: SSB or Air Force Selection Board Exam

The online test of the AFCAT 2023 exam is followed by a 5-day affair for SSB round selection. It is conducted in Air Force centres such as - Dehradun, Varanasi, Gandhinagar, and Mysore. During AFSB, the candidates are judged on various parameters like picture perception, screening, discussion test, personal information questionnaire, physical training like jumping across the screen, monkey crawl, parallel beam balancing, etc. It is one of the toughest section to clear for the AFCAT exam pattern.

Step 3: Medical exam

In the last part of the AFCAT 2023 medical testing stage, candidates undergo a thorough health check up. If the aspirants are found to have any kind of medical issue, they will be given time to recover and again re-tested. Clearing all 3 stages is mandatory to be eligible for passing the AFCAT 2023 exam. So, make sure you go through the entire AFCAT 2023 exam pattern comprehensively.

Exam features:

• There are four papers or four subjects in the AFCAT exam pattern 2023- General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude.

• The AFCAT exam’s duration is 150 minutes or 2 hours.

• A candidate needs to score within the range of 140 and 190 marks out of 300 in the AFCAT exam to be considered a good score.

Detailed AFCAT Exam Pattern and EKT Exam Pattern

The detailed AFCAT exam pattern and EKT exam pattern is provided in the table below.  

AFCAT 2023 Exam Pattern Subjects

The general marking scheme and questions of AFCAT 2023 exam are mentioned below:

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023 Marking Scheme

Knowing about the exam pattern as well as marking scheme will help the candidates to avoid negative marking in the final exam. Details regarding the AFCAT marking scheme are mentioned below:

• For every correct question answered the candidates would be given three marks each.

• For all the questions in the exam that are left unattempted by the candidate no marks would be provided.

• For every incorrect answer, one mark will be deducted.

Note: Candidates are advised to leave the question unattempted if they are not confident while answering it.

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023: AFSB interview

AFSB or Air Force Selection Board conducts interviews for candidates who have successfully qualified for the online AFCAT exam. To appear for the AFSB interview, candidates are required to visit the website careerindianairforce.cdac.in or afcat.cdac.in and choose a date for the AFSB interview along with the venue for the interview. The centres for AFSB testing are Dehradun, Mysore, Varanasi and Gandhinagar. Once the choices are stated, a call letter will be generated for the AFSB interview.

There are three stages in the AFSB interview in AFCAT exam 2023:

Stage 1 - Comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test along with Picture Perception (PP) and Discussion Test (DT). After the screening of Stage 1, candidates also go through the process of document verification and eligibility check for the branches applied for respectively. Candidates who are unable to clear Stage 1 of the SSB interview will not be allowed to move to the next stage of the selection process. 

Stage 2 - After successfully completing the first stage of screening, a candidate will be eligible to appear for Stage 2 which takes approximately 3 to 4 days to finish. It comprises a Psychological test, Group Test and an Interview. Candidates are tested for their overall mental agility and fitness and personality for the posts that will be assigned upon successfully qualifying the tests. Group tasks are also assigned which include a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. 

Stage 3 - The third stage of the AFSB test is for the Flying Branch and candidates are required to undergo CPSS or Computerised Pilot Selection System. Candidates must qualify in the CPSS for the Flying Training. Candidates who fail at this stage are disqualified from the Flying Branch.

AFCAT Exam Pattern for Technical Branch

Below is a breakdown of the AFCAT exam structure for the Technical Branch:

AFCAT Exam Pattern for Non-Technical Branch

Candidates applying for Non-Technical ground duty positions should be familiar with the AFCAT exam format. The Non-Technical Branch's exam pattern is provided below.

AFCAT Exam Time

The AFCAT online test lasts for two hours. The EKT lasts 45 minutes. Below are the times for the AFCAT exam:

AFCAT Syllabus 2023

We have framed the AFCAT syllabus 2023 according to the AFCAT exam pattern for the benefit of candidates who are willing to appear in the AFCAT exams in 2023. By checking the exam pattern carefully, it will be easier for candidates to achieve a high score for the upcoming AFCAT exam 2023.

AFCAT Syllabus - General Awareness

• History

• Geography 

• Environment

• Civics

• Politics

• Basic science

• Defence

• Art

• Currents affairs

• Culture

• Sports, etc.

AFCAT Syllabus - English 

• Comprehension

• Synonyms

• Error detection

• Antonyms 

• Vocabulary

• Sentence completion

• Filling blanks with correct words

• Idioms and phrases

AFCAT Syllabus - Numerical Ability

• Average

• Time and work

• Percentage

• Decimal fraction

• Ratio and proportion

• Profit and loss

• Simple interest

• Time and distance

AFCAT Syllabus - Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test

• Spatial ability

• Verbal Skills

• Blood Relation

• Missing Figures

• Figure Classification

• Coding and Decoding

• Spotting the Embedded Figures

• Sequencing

• Odd One Out

• Analogy

• Venn Diagram

AFCAT Syllabus: EKT Syllabus

Applicants who are aiming to apply for the ground duty (technical) branch will have to appear for an additional online test - Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT). In AFCAT exam pattern 2023, aspirants will be asked challenging core syllabus questions to determine candidates’ skillset and understanding of the overall syllabus: Here is the AFCAT EKT syllabus for reference:

AFCAT Syllabus Topics

AFCAT Exam Pattern 2023: Important Books

In the process to know the AFCAT 2023 exam pattern, students must know the best books for AFCAT exam. Here is the list of recommended books for the AFCAT exam:

AFCAT Question Papers 2023

IAF released AFCAT 2023 model question papers on the official website via online mode. Aspirants can refer to the IAF AFCAT question paper 2023 to prepare for the final exams. By solving the AFCAT 2023 question paper, candidates get a sound understanding of the AFCAT 2023 exam pattern. Aspirants should refer to AFCAT 2023 question papers because they comprise important questions such as logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English language, and general knowledge.

Sectional Break-Up of Questions of AFCAT and EKT (only for technical)

Both the AFCAT and EKT exam are divided into sections which must be focused by the candidates while preparing for both the exams. Candidates may refer to the table provided below, containing sections available in both the exam.

AFCAT Final Selection (Medical test)

After qualifying in the above rounds or stages, candidates will be asked to prepare for the Medical Exam round. IAF has some clearly stated standard medical fitness criteria for candidates and the final selection list is prepared by IAF in the form of a final merit list. Candidates who have scored the minimum qualifying marks in the AFCAT exam along with the AFSB interview round (separately) make it to the final merit list. The minimum qualifying marks for each of these tests are determined by IAF. Candidates who make it to the merit list are placed as per their total scores obtained in the AFCAT written exam along with the AFSB interview rounds.

Important Points to Remember while Attending AFCAT Exam

Being physically fit: all candidates who are set to report for the SSB exam must keep in mind that they are required to be physically fit as they will be asked to undergo various tests for the AFSB. The physical fitness level should be at least such that they can run one mine in 10 minutes and do 10 push-ups followed by 3 chin-ups. 

Tattoos: candidates who are appearing in the exam can only have permanent body tattoos on unexposed areas of the forearm which is the inside of the elbow to the wrist. The reverse side of the palm or the backside of the hand is also a safe place to have a tattoo. 

Narcotics: IAF does not allow any candidates to qualify for the test who are under the possession and influence of any kind of narcotics. Narcotics are strictly banned and prohibited by the authorities. 

Training duration: when candidates are found to be medically fit by the authorities and the medical board,  they will be recommended by the AFSB for details on training. This is done strictly on the basis of merit and the number of available vacancies in different branches of the IAF. The duration of training for the Flying branch and Ground Duty (technical) branches span a period of 74 weeks. Candidates who qualify for the Ground Duty (non-technical branch) train for a period of 52 weeks at the Air Force Training Establishments. 

Physical Conditioning for Training at IAF Training Establishments

• In order to adapt oneself to the intense physical demands of the training period, being in a good and proper physical condition is crucial for candidates.

• The training consists of various strenuous physical exercises such as running, rope climbing, and other forms of physical exercises which require training in order to complete them successfully. 

Here is a routine that candidates can follow in order to maintain their physical fitness:

• Running for 4 km in 15 minutes

• 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups (minimum)

• Skipping 

• 8 Chin-ups (minimum)

• 3 to 4 metres of rope climbing

• 25 metres of swimming

AFCAT 2023 Mock Test

AFCAT Mock tests are an important part of exam preparation and they are released by the authorities so that students can have a better chance of understanding the pattern of the exam and its trends. Aspirants will understand different specifications of the online tests by attempting the mock test and then analyse their own performance based on the test results. It will be easier to identify the areas of weakness and find places which need more improvement.