New Delhi, 9 September 2026 — The Indian Air Force has declared the written examination result of the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) 02/2026. Candidates who appeared for the computer-based test held on 8 August 2026 may now check their individual marks, qualifying status and applicable cut-off through the official AFCAT candidate portal. Those who have cleared the written stage will proceed to Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) testing for courses commencing in July 2027.
The recruitment cycle covers Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) vacancies, along with NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry. The Indian Air Force has notified 379 posts under this cycle.
How to Check the Result
The result is available only through individual login. No common merit list of all written-test qualifiers has been published as a public PDF.
Candidates should:
- Visit the official AFCAT portal at afcat.edcil.co.in (also accessible through related IAF career pages).
- Sign in with the registered email address and password.
- Open the AFCAT 02/2026 result or scorecard section.
- Review marks obtained, qualifying status and the cut-off applicable to the relevant entry.
- Download and retain a copy of the scorecard for AFSB reporting and document verification.
The written examination is conducted for a maximum of 300 marks. Candidates who have forgotten their password may use the “Forgot Password” option on the login page. Heavy traffic was reported on the portal after the result went live; candidates facing access issues are advised to retry on a stable connection using an updated browser.
Cut-Off and GATE Score Entry
The qualifying cut-off is displayed on the individual scorecard. Education portals reporting the result have published an overall AFCAT 02/2026 written cut-off of 135 marks out of 300. Separate qualifying thresholds have also been cited for technical streams. Candidates must treat the status shown on their official scorecard as final.
The Indian Air Force has separately declared the cut-off for GATE Score Entry. Applicants who meet the prescribed minimum GATE score may proceed to AFSB through this route without having to qualify in the AFCAT written examination. They are required to log in to the same portal, confirm their GATE Score Entry status and follow the instructions issued for AFSB.
NCC Special Entry candidates, subject to eligibility, are called for AFSB testing as per the notified scheme.
Vacancy Position
The 379 vacancies notified for AFCAT 02/2026 (tentative and subject to service requirements) include:
| Entry / Branch | Indicative vacancies |
|---|---|
| Flying Branch (AFCAT SSC) | 35 (30 men, 5 women) |
| Ground Duty (Technical) — AE(L) and AE(M), PC and SSC | Majority of the technical intake |
| Ground Duty (Non-Technical) — Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education, Weapon Systems and Meteorology | About 107 |
| GATE Score Entry — Ground Duty (Technical) | 26 |
| NCC Special Entry — Flying | 10 per cent of relevant CDSE/AFCAT flying vacancies |
Exact allotment at the final stage will depend on merit, medical fitness, branch preference and vacancies then available.
Next Stage: AFSB Interviews
Qualifying candidates will now move to AFSB assessment. Boards are located at Dehradun (1 AFSB), Mysuru (2 AFSB), Gandhinagar (3 AFSB), Varanasi (4 AFSB) and Guwahati (5 AFSB). Shortlisted candidates are required to select an available date and venue on the official portal in order to generate the AFSB call letter.
AFSB testing is conducted in two stages:
- Stage I comprises the Officer Intelligence Rating Test and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test. This is a screening stage. Candidates who do not qualify are returned on the same day.
- Stage II, lasting four to five days, includes psychological tests, group tests (indoor and outdoor) and a personal interview. Flying Branch candidates also undergo the Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS).
Candidates recommended by the board are then sent for medical examination. The All India Merit List is prepared on the basis of performance in the written examination (where applicable) and AFSB, subject to medical fitness and vacancies.
Indicative Timeline
| Event | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Notification | 20 May 2026 |
| Application closing date (extended) | 21 June 2026 |
| Written examination | 8 August 2026 |
| Provisional answer key and objections | 11–13 August 2026 |
| Written result | 9 September 2026 |
| AFSB testing | October–December 2026 |
| Medical examination | November 2026–January 2027 |
| Final merit list | Around 1 June 2027 |
| Training commencement | July 2027 |
Training for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical) branches is of approximately 62 weeks. Ground Duty (Non-Technical) training is of approximately 50 weeks. On successful completion, candidates are commissioned as Flying Officers in Level 10 of the Defence Pay Matrix (Rs 56,100–1,77,500), with Military Service Pay and other admissible allowances.
Advice to Successful Candidates
Candidates declared successful should complete AFSB date and venue selection as soon as the link is activated, keep original educational certificates, identity documents and NCC or GATE records ready, and maintain the prescribed level of physical fitness. The Service advises an ability to run 1.6 km in about ten minutes, together with basic push-ups and chin-ups, before reporting. First-time AFSB candidates are eligible for travelling allowance as per rules, subject to submission of valid tickets and bank details.
All further instructions on call letters, reporting time, documents and medical standards will be issued only through the official AFCAT portal. Candidates should disregard unofficial result PDFs and rely solely on their individual login.
