AFCAT Syllabus 2026 – Complete Subject-Wise Syllabus, Books & Previous Year Papers
The AFCAT Syllabus 2026 covers four main subjects: General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning & Military Aptitude. The Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) is conducted twice a year by the Indian Air Force (IAF) — AFCAT 1 (exam held January/February) and AFCAT 2 (exam held June/August) — as the gateway to officer-level positions in the Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical) branches.
AFCAT 1 2026 was held on 31 January 2026, and AFCAT 2 2026 notifications were released on 20 May 2026 for courses commencing in July 2027.
AFCAT 2026 Syllabus – Quick Overview
|
Subject |
Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
|
General Awareness |
25 |
75 |
— |
|
Verbal Ability in English |
25 |
75 |
— |
|
Numerical Ability |
25 |
75 |
— |
|
Reasoning & Military Aptitude |
25 |
75 |
— |
|
Total (AFCAT) |
100 |
300 |
2 Hours |
Additionally, candidates applying for Technical Branches must appear for the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT):
|
EKT Subject |
Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
|
Mechanical / CS / Electrical & Electronics |
50 |
150 |
45 Minutes |
Note: The EKT was reported as discontinued in some sources from 2025 onwards. Always verify the latest AFCAT 2 2026 notification at afcat.cdac.in before preparation.
Section-Wise AFCAT Syllabus 2026
1. General Awareness (25 Questions – 75 Marks)
This section tests knowledge of current affairs, history, geography, politics, and science.
|
Sub-Topic |
Key Coverage |
|
History |
Indian freedom struggle, ancient & medieval India |
|
Geography |
Indian & world geography, rivers, mountains, climate |
|
Civics & Polity |
Indian Constitution, Parliament, President, judiciary |
|
Current Affairs |
National and international events (last 12 months) |
|
Science |
Physics, Chemistry, Biology basics |
|
Defence & Military |
IAF history, ranks, aircraft, important battles |
|
Economy |
Union Budget highlights, GDP, RBI |
|
Sports & Awards |
National sports awards, Olympic highlights |
|
Books & Authors |
Notable recent publications |
|
International Affairs |
UN, bilateral summits, global treaties |
2. Verbal Ability in English (25 Questions – 75 Marks)
|
Sub-Topic |
Description |
|
Reading Comprehension |
Passages with inference, main idea, tone questions |
|
Vocabulary |
Synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution |
|
Fill in the Blanks |
Grammar-based blanks |
|
Error Detection |
Identify grammatically incorrect sentences |
|
Sentence Completion |
Fill the appropriate word/phrase |
|
Para Jumbles |
Rearrange sentences to form a coherent paragraph |
|
Idioms & Phrases |
Meaning and usage |
|
Cloze Test |
Passage with multiple blanks |
3. Numerical Ability (25 Questions – 75 Marks)
|
Sub-Topic |
Coverage |
|
Ratio & Proportion |
Simplification, mix and alligation |
|
Average |
Simple and weighted averages |
|
Percentage |
Percentage increase/decrease, profit & loss |
|
Simple & Compound Interest |
SI and CI calculations |
|
Time, Speed & Distance |
Trains, boats, relative speed |
|
Time & Work |
Pipes & cisterns, efficiency |
|
Number System |
LCM, HCF, fractions, decimals |
|
Algebra |
Basic equations, factorisation |
|
Geometry |
Triangles, circles, area, volume |
|
Data Interpretation |
Tables, bar charts, pie charts |
|
Mensuration |
Area and volume of 2D and 3D figures |
4. Reasoning & Military Aptitude Test (25 Questions – 75 Marks)
|
Sub-Topic |
Description |
|
Verbal Reasoning |
Analogies, classifications, series completion |
|
Non-Verbal Reasoning |
Figure patterns, mirror images, paper cutting |
|
Spatial Ability |
3D figures, cube counting |
|
Mathematical Operations |
Coded operations, order and ranking |
|
Blood Relations |
Family tree questions |
|
Directions |
Compass and navigation-based questions |
|
Coding-Decoding |
Letter and number codes |
|
Military Aptitude |
Situational judgement, military scenario questions |
AFCAT EKT Syllabus 2026 (Engineering Knowledge Test)
|
Branch |
Key Topics |
|
Mechanical |
Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Production Technology, Theory of Machines |
|
Computer Science |
Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Networks, DBMS |
|
Electrical & Electronics |
Circuits, Control Systems, Digital Electronics, Microprocessors, Electromagnetic Fields |
AFCAT Previous Year Question Papers – Topic-Wise Analysis
Studying past papers is one of the most effective AFCAT preparation strategies:
|
Year |
Key Observations |
|
AFCAT 2023 |
Higher GA weightage; English was moderately difficult |
|
AFCAT 2024 |
Numerical Ability was slightly tougher; Reading Comprehension lengthier |
|
AFCAT 1 2025 |
Balanced paper; defence-specific questions in GA increased |
|
AFCAT 2 2025 |
Similar trend; Military Aptitude section more scenario-based |
|
AFCAT 1 2026 |
Held 31 Jan 2026; difficulty: moderate |
Previous year papers are available on the official portal afcat.cdac.in after login. Book publishers like Oswaal Books also compile 10-year solved papers.
AFCAT 2026 Preparation Strategy
|
Month |
Focus |
|
Month 1 |
Complete GA (Static) + English Grammar basics |
|
Month 2 |
Numerical Ability full coverage + Vocabulary |
|
Month 3 |
Reasoning & Aptitude + Current Affairs (catch-up) |
|
Month 4 |
EKT (if applicable) + Full-length mock tests |
|
Final 2 Weeks |
Revision + Previous Year Papers daily |
The AFCAT syllabus rewards consistent daily practice, especially in English and Reasoning. Aiming for 150+ marks out of 300 significantly improves your chances of clearing the cutoff for most branches.
