Finally, the much awaited AFCAT has been successfully conducted now. Depending on the number of applicants every year, Air Force sets cut-off marks, which are generally, higher than the previous cut-offs.
Owing to a large number of applications, AFCAT 1 2017 was held in two shifts – morning and evening unlike last year’s morning and afternoon shifts.
Question Paper Analysis of AFCAT 1 2017:
Though not eligible, I have taken the AFCAT exam for the first time to understand its pattern and the type of questions asked – with no preparations whatsoever for that matter. And guess what’s my opinion on it? The AFCAT question paper was so damn easy that anyone who follows current affairs and read newspapers can crack it. Out of the 100 questions, I have attempted 61 and out of which, I am sure that 55 are correct. That means 165 marks scored and even if considering the rest as wrong answers, my final score stands 165-6=159, which is well above the expected cut-off.
Also Read: Expected Cut-off marks for AFCAT 1 2017
Section-wise question paper analysis of AFCAT 1 2017:
General Awareness:
This section was easy if you follow news and have a good GK. I have asked the same thing to other candidates who attended the exam in the Hyderabad centre (HYD-07, CMRTC) and most of them had the same deduction that keeping up with current affairs and reading newspapers will make it easier to crack the general awareness section.
Verbal Ability in English:
The same thing goes here too, read – magazines, newspapers, editorial, etc. The explanation is, it keeps you up to date, brushes up you GK, improves your reading skills and surely helps with the antonyms and synonyms. So, about 20 questions (and 60 marks) go here itself.
Numerical Ability:
For the major part, I have skipped the maths section. I was under tremendous pressure and was unable to concentrate properly (they were not allowing for washrooms, you see). Pro Tip: Before taking the exam, do attend washroom and do not drink water, or any other fluid for that matters. On a serious note, the numerical ability was also easy as it comprised of the syllabus from the elementary school maths and a bit from 11th and 12th.
Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test section:
This section judges the verbal skills and spatial ability of the candidate. This is the skill that you can’t develop in a day or two. It requires daily practice and logical problem solving skills applied in daily life.
EKT:
I have also attended the EKT paper for Computer Science stream and I found that a bit difficult. But taking the fact that I attempted the paper with no preparations, had I brushed up a few of my engineering subjects, it would also have been easier for me.
Concluding, I can say that AFCAT is easier to crack than CDSE and NDA exams. Add that with dedicated preparations and passion, voila, there is your SSB call letter!
