AFCAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key; PDF Download
What's New in AFCAT?
- Aug 08, 2026: Candidates can check AFCAT 2 Exam Analysis 2026 for details on the overall and section-wise difficulty level, good attempts, memory-based questions, and students’ reactions to the exam. Check Here
AFCAT 2026 is conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) twice a year to recruit officers for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. AFCAT 1 2026 was held on 31 January 2026 and AFCAT 2 2026 is scheduled for 8 August 2026. Download AFCAT 2026 memory based question papers and answer keys from the table below.
AFCAT 2 2026 Question Paper and Answer Key PDF
| Question Paper PDF | Answer Key PDF |
|---|---|
AFCAT 1 2026 Memory Based Question Paper PDF (Aug 08, 2026) (Shift 1) |
Download PDF |
| AFCAT 1 2026 Memory Based Question Paper PDF (Aug 08, 2026) (Shift 2) |
Download PDF |
AFCAT 1 2026 Question Paper and Answer Key PDF
| Question Paper PDF | Answer Key PDF |
|---|---|
| AFCAT 1 2026 Memory Based Question Paper PDF (Jan 31, 2026) (Shift 1) |
Download PDF |
| AFCAT 1 2026 Memory Based Question Paper PDF (Jan 31, 2026) (Shift 2) |
Download PDF |
AFCAT 1 2026 Exam Analysis
AFCAT 1 2026 was held in two shifts on 31 January 2026 and was rated easy to moderate overall, with no out of syllabus questions. English and Reasoning were the most scoring, while Numerical Ability needed careful time management.
| Section | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | Easy to Moderate | 16 to 20 |
| Verbal Ability in English | Easy | 20 to 23 |
| Numerical Ability | Moderate | 12 to 15 |
| Reasoning and Military Aptitude | Easy to Moderate | 22 to 26 |
| Overall | Easy to Moderate | 60 to 75 |
AFCAT 2026 Highlights
Before downloading the papers, candidates should note the key details of both AFCAT 2026 cycles.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) |
| Conducting Body | Indian Air Force (IAF) |
| AFCAT 1 2026 Exam Date | 31 January 2026 |
| AFCAT 2 2026 Exam Date | 08 August 2026 |
| Mode | Online (Computer Based Test) |
| Total Questions | 100 (AFCAT) + 50 (EKT, technical only) |
| Total Marks | 300 (AFCAT) + 150 (EKT) |
| Marking Scheme | 3 marks for a correct answer, 1 mark deducted for a wrong answer, 0 for unattempted |
| Language | English only |
AFCAT 2026 Exam Pattern
AFCAT paper has 100 questions across four sections in a two hour window with no sectional time limit. Ground Duty (Technical) candidates additionally take the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT).
| Section | Questions (approx.) | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 25 | 75 |
| Verbal Ability in English | 25 | 75 |
| Numerical Ability | 18 | 54 |
| Reasoning and Military Aptitude | 32 | 96 |
| Total (AFCAT) | 100 | 300 |
EKT (Ground Duty Technical only): 50 questions, 150 marks, 45 minutes, no negative marking, held right after AFCAT. Check the complete marking scheme and section split on AFCAT exam pattern.
AFCAT Important Topics
These topics appeared often in AFCAT 2026 and earlier cycles and carry the highest practice value across the four sections.
- General Awareness: current affairs from the last six months, Defence and Military, History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Sports, International Organisations.
- Verbal Ability: Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Synonyms and Antonyms, Idioms and Phrases, Cloze Test, Sentence Rearrangement.
- Numerical Ability: Percentage, Time and Work, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportion, Averages, Simple and Compound Interest, Time and Distance.
- Reasoning and Military Aptitude: Analogy, Coding and Decoding, Odd One Out, Verbal reasoning, Rotated and embedded figures, Spatial ability.
Check the complete section-wise topic list on AFCAT syllabus.
| AFCAT Previous Year Question Paper | |
|---|---|
| AFCAT Question Paper 2016 | AFCAT Question Paper 2015 |
| AFCAT Question Paper 2014 | AFCAT Question Paper 2013 |
AFCAT Expected Cut Off and Selection
Clearing AFCAT written cut off is only Stage 1. Qualified candidates move to the AFSB interview and medical. AFCAT cutoffs have dipped recently, from the 150s and 160s in 2022 and 2023 to around the 130s and lower in 2024 and 2025.
- AFCAT 1 2022 written cut off was 165 out of 300.
- AFCAT 2024 cut off fell to around 137.
- AFCAT 2025 cut off dropped further to around 121.
Branch wise, the expected qualifying range is roughly Flying 135 to 143, Ground Duty Technical 128 to 136, and Ground Duty Non-Technical 115 to 125. A written score of 170 or above gives a comfortable AFSB call. Selection then runs through these stages:
- Online written test (AFCAT, plus EKT for Ground Duty Technical).
- AFSB interview across two stages, with psychological tests, group tasks and a personal interview.
- Document verification and medical examination.
- Final merit list and joining.
Best Books for AFCAT Preparation
The right books help candidates cover all four sections and practise memory based questions under timed, negatively marked conditions.
| Subject | Recommended Book | Author / Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Guide | AFCAT Common Admission Test Guide | Arihant Experts |
| General Awareness | General Knowledge | Lucent |
| Verbal Ability | Objective General English | S.P. Bakshi (Arihant) |
| Numerical Ability | Quantitative Aptitude | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Reasoning | Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Practice | AFCAT Previous Year Papers and Mock Tests | Arihant / Pearson |
Solving AFCAT previous year question papers is one of the most reliable ways to learn the four section structure, the memory based question style, and the pace needed under negative marking. Use the year wise papers below to practise across cycles and track your accuracy before AFCAT 2 2026. Once the papers feel routine, attempt a full length AFCAT mock test to rehearse that pace under a live timer, which is the closest feel to the actual online exam.
| Relevant Links | ||
|---|---|---|
| AFCAT Admit Card | AFCAT Result | AFCAT Study Material |
| AFCAT Eligibility | AFCAT Salary | AFCAT Application Proess |
AFCAT 2026 Question Paper FAQs
Ques: Are AFCAT 2026 question papers official or memory based?
Ans: IAF does not release official AFCAT papers. The papers available are memory based, rebuilt from candidate recollections across shifts, so they closely mirror the real pattern and topics but may not be complete.
Ques: Do AFCAT previous year questions repeat in the exam?
Ans: Exact questions rarely repeat, but question types, topic weightage and difficulty stay consistent year to year, especially in Numerical Ability and Reasoning, so past papers directly improve speed and accuracy.
Ques: Can candidates view their own AFCAT question paper and the answer key after the exam?
Ans: Yes. After the exam the IAF opens a short window where you can view your question paper and responses and raise objections against the answer key for a fee. Coaching sites also publish memory based sets with solutions much sooner.
Ques: Is there a separate previous year paper for the EKT?
Ans: Yes. Ground Duty (Technical) candidates take the Engineering Knowledge Test after AFCAT, and its papers are branch specific (Mechanical, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics), practised separately from AFCAT itself.
Ques: Do old AFCAT papers help with General Awareness if it is current affairs heavy?
Ans: Static GK, defence, history and polity questions recur, so older papers stay useful there. For current affairs, pair them with the last six months of news, since that portion changes every cycle.
Download the PREPP App and attempt FREE AFCAT Mock Tests and get complete study material!
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