How to Prepare for AFCAT Exam? Study Plan, Preparation Tips

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Reported by Anshika Saxena

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Prepare for AFCAT Exam: The Air Force Common Admission Test AFCAT is conducted in order to admit aspirants to the post of Class-I Officers for Flying and Ground Duties of the Technical and Non-Technical kinds. The authorities hold the examination across various examination centres in India. The exam is attempted by many aspirants and is highly competitive on a national level. It is worth observing that the candidates who pass this examination qualify to get posted in Indian Air Force. The exam is of a very high difficulty level and many students struggle while preparing for it.

However, if you have the determination and the calibre for it, you will be able to East the exam very easily. Apart from these two things, you also require a spot-on strategy and a clear head on how to prepare for the AFCAT exam.

Prepare for AFCAT Exam
How to Prepare for AFCAT Exam?

In the subsequent article, we have simplified the process and prepared a curated report of all the tips and guidance you need as you prepare for the Air Force Common Admission Test. Additionally, check further for books, recommendations and suggestions regarding the best study material available in the market. Carefully read the ensuing article as it can really help you with your preparation as it shall provide you with an edge as you strive to ace the exam so as to qualify for the personal interview round. You shall be able to come very closer to your dreams if you score decent marks on the admission test for this shall get you added to the final Merit List.

How to Prepare for AFCAT Exam?

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The Indian Air Force IAF conduct the exam named Air Force Common Admission Test AFCAT twice a year. They do so in order to shortlist aspirants for IAF jobs. If prospects seek to get posted as an Indian Air Force Officer, they will have to not only pass this exam and strengthen their chances for the selection but also qualify for the personal interview through it. The examination pattern has been set in such a way that the authorities are able to understand if the applicant has the comprehensive ability, understanding, numerical proficiency, communication, efficiency, and other skill sets that are required in an IAF personnel. One has to aim to score very decent marks in this exam if one wishes to qualify for the interview round.

This exam is highly competitive as millions of students appear for it. There are also very limited vacancies that have to be filled. Thus, only eligible candidates should apply for the recruitment and appear for the Indian Air Force common admission test. Since Indian Air Force Officer is one of the most prestigious jobs in India, there are two kinds of posts or duties that you can fulfil. One of them is Flying duty and the other is Ground duty. There are further two kinds of posts for ground duty, technical and non-technical. It depends on the application of the applicant and their score if they are able to qualify for any of the posts.

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Plan for AFCAT Exam Preparation

Before starting to prepare for Air Force common admission test, the aspiring prospects need to be very particular with a plan. Education and preparation are very subjective. It depends from person to person and hence, the strategies shall also vary. However, one can follow one simplified pattern which is applicable to any and every candidate. Here we have provided a general plan which shall benefit you as you strive to prepare for the AFCAT exam for whichever session, and in whichever year:

  • As an aspirant, you have to be very particular with your aim. It has been observed that in order to ace exams such as this, the prospects need to be highly determined and energised.
  • Before preparing, be well versed with the examination pattern and syllabus of the exam. If you have no idea about the pattern or the syllabus, you will not be able to manage your time or your preparation.
  • Carefully observe the weightage of the section and its importance. You need to be observant and self-examining. Try to analyse which section is the strongest and start with that particular domain.
  • The examination is of an online type. However, for the technical branch, the authorities conduct EKT as well. 
  • Only the applicants applying for the technical branch will have to appear for Engineering, Knowledge Test or EKT. 
  • After the Examination and Engineering Knowledge Test EKT, the prospect who is able to score a decent amount of marks will be shortlisted by the authorities and will eventually qualify for the AFSB interview, followed by the medical test. 
  • The Examination is conducted in online mode and it only consists of objective questions, particularly multiple-choice questions.
  • AFCAT is a time-bound exam. The prospects will be allotted a limited amount of time within which they will have to complete the exam. Hence, while preparing for the common admission test for admission into Indian Air Force, the aspirants need to be very particular with their time management skills.
  • Each question in the question paper is of a maximum of three marks. If the candidates are able to answer correctly, they will be awarded three marks.
  • Being such a competitive exam, the authorities will deduct one mark as their policy of negative marking. Hence, the applicants were suggested that they must only answer when they were 100% sure about their correctness.
  • As mentioned earlier, the prospect must pick the topics in which they are proficient and wind them up first, they must also ensure that while doing so, they collect as much information and insights for the topic as possible since the syllabus is very vast and it will only help the preparation.
  • Once you are through with managing your best sections, you must pick up the topics which have higher weightage and are more connected. Try to build your proficiency in those topics and be sure that you are highly prepared for them.
  • Lastly, pick those topics which are highly confusing, and that you are having some trouble with. Try to find proper guidance for such topics, but if you are able to understand them on your own, try to treat them in the same way.
  • Once you are through with preparation, you need to practice previous years’ examination papers as they provide the best idea of how the exam can be. Hence, the prospect, must time themselves and try to attempt the examination in a real-time environment.
  • Do not overstress while preparing as it can have negative effects on you.
  • One of the most common mistakes that applicants for Air Force exams do is try to revise the complete syllabus at the end. However, it is practically very difficult and this leads them to skip many topics and their important points. Thus, it is a very imperative suggestion that the applicants prepare for the examination by making notes and important pointers. This will eventually help them to go through and revise whatever they have studied.

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Important Tips for AFCAT Preparation

There are some basic activities that you can do in order to prepare better for the AFCAT exam:

  • In order to be thorough with the latest and current affairs, take the help of newspapers and online news media sites.
  • As suggested earlier, the prospect must rely on the previous year’s examinations, questions and papers.
  • Be thorough with the syllabus and repair the questions in a section-wise manner.
  • Once you’re able to comprehend questions in a very organisational manner where you are aware of the topic try to prepare for questions in a mixed manner. This will be the real test of her concepts and aptitude.
  • Reasoning questions and section is one of the most important aspects of the exam. Thus, the aspirants are suggested to focus on that section as much as possible.
  • Important concepts must be revised regularly and viewed perpetually.
  • Reading novels and Books can really help in increasing your vocabulary, which shall further lead to verbal proficiency. This will not only help you in the English sections of the examination but also prove highly beneficial when you might qualify for the personal interview round, as it shall prepare you for communicative skills.

AFCAT Exam Pattern

As discussed earlier, being thorough with the exam pattern and marking scheme is highly important. The pattern is not very complicated, but it is very imperative to be acquainted with it if you were to make a dependable and sustainable strategy. Additionally, you shall get an idea of what and how the exam can be like which will eventually help you prepare better for it. Check the examination scheme with the marking scenario explained:

S.No,SubjectMarksQuestions
1.English9030
2.General Awareness5020
3.Reasoning & Military Aptitude10535
4.Numerical Ability4515
5.Engineering Knowledge Test EKT: Mechanical, Computer Science, Electrical, and Electronics15050

Suggested Books for Air Force Exam Prep

You can refer to the following books in order to ace the examination of Indian Air Force Common Admission Test:

S.No. SubjectBook
1.General AwarenessThe Malayala Manorama English Yearbook
From Plinth to Paramount by Neetu Singh – KD Publication
Lucent’s General Knowledge
2.Verbal AbilityVerbal Reasoning by Bhupendra Kumar Singh
Objective General English by Dr RS. Aggarwal
3.Numerical AbilityQuantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation by Disha Publication
Objective Arithmetic by S Chand
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations- RS Aggarwal
4.Reasoning and Military AptitudeQuantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams by McGraw Hill Education
Quantitative Aptitude by S.Chand
5.Engineering Knowledge Test EKTHandbook Series of Electrical Engineering by Arihant Publications
Let’s Crack EKT (All in One) by SSB Crack
Objective General Engineering by G. K. Publishers
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