The Air Force Common Admission Test [AFCAT] is one of the most coveted government recruitment examinations in the country. Selected candidates get the opportunity to work in verticals of Flying [Short Service Commission Only], Technical [Permanent and Short Service Commission] and Ground Duty [Permanent and Short Service Commission].
Conducted by the Indian Air Force, the
AFCAT 2021 exam is set to be held on Feb 20-21, 2021. The selection procedure comprises of the AFCAT written exam and an optional EKT for Technical branch, Interview and a Medical test. In this article, we present a section-wise AFCAT 2021 study plan which will help you shape up your AFCAT 2021 preparation strategy in the right way.
How to Prepare for AFCAT 2021: Exam Pattern
Before we move on to the AFCAT study plan, we would like to give a few details about the exam pattern. The AFCAT exam contains 100 questions totalling 300 marks. The Engineering Knowledge Test [EKT] is an additional exam of 60 questions which is applicable only for candidates opting for the technical branch. The given table makes it clearer.
| Exam | Type | Sections | Questions | Marks | Duration |
| AFCAT | Compulsory | - General Awareness
- Verbal Ability
- Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test
- Numerical Ability | 100 | 300 | 120 minutes |
| EKT | Only for Technical Branch | - Mechanical
- Electronics
- Computer Science | 60 | 180 | 45 minutes |
How to Prepare for AFCAT 2021: AFCAT 2021 Study Plan
Given below is a 60 days AFCAT 2021 study plan on which you can base your AFCAT preparation strategy.
| Week | Topics | Topics | Topics |
| Week 1-2 | Reasoning and Military Aptitude
Inequalities, Coding-Decoding, Clocks, Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Dates & Calendars, Order & Rankings, Directions, Similarities, Relationships, | Numerical Ability
Ratio & Proportion, Number System, Speed & Distance, Simplification/Approximation, Percentages, Profit & Loss, Average, Inequalities
Trigonometry, Probability, Simple & Compound Interest, Ages, Functions, Geometry, Quadratic Equations, Linear Equations, Series & Sequences, Permutation & Combination, Probability Graphs & Tables, Data Interpretation | General Awareness
Current Affairs, Indian Constitution & Polity, National Issues, Business & Economics, Important Institutions [Domestic & International] and current changes, etc. |
| End of Week 2 | 1 Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test + 1 Numerical Ability Test + 1 General Awareness Test + 1 Mock Test [You can alternate as per your suitability] |
| Week 2-4 | Reasoning and Military Aptitude
Cause & Effect, Assertion & Reason, Statements & Conclusion, Data Sufficiency, Venn Diagram, Spatial Analysis, Missing Figures, Sequencing, Spotting the Embedded figures, Dot Situation Analysis, Patterns | Verbal Ability
Reading Comprehension, Sentence/Paragraph Correction, Error Detection, Jumbled Sentences, Active & Passive Voice, Cloze Test, Odd One Out, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Connectors, Vocabulary [Synonyms, Antonyms, One-word Substitution], etc. | General Awareness
Indian and World History, Film & Television, Science & Technology, Indian & World Geography, Culture, Important Offices & Dignitaries etc. |
| End of Week 4 | 1 Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test + 1 Verbal Ability Test + 1 General Awareness Test + 1 Mock Test [You can alternate as per your suitability] |
| Week 4-6 | EKT Portion
Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Physics
Engineering Drawings
Computer Science Engineering
Electronics
Mechanical Engineering
OR
Verbal Ability [Reading Comprehension, Sentence/Paragraph Correction, Error Detection, Jumbled Sentences] AND Numerical Ability [Quadratic Equations, Linear Equations, Series & Sequences, Permutation & Combination, Probability Graphs & Tables, Data Interpretation] | General Awareness
Important Dates & Anniversaries, Environment, Sports and Recreation, Currency, Books & Authors, etc. |
| End of Week 6 | 1 EKT Test OR [1 Verbal Ability Test + 1 Numerical Ability Test] + 1 General Awareness Test + 1 Mock Test [You can alternate as per your suitability] |
Week 7 | Revise Reasoning and Military Aptitude concepts
AND
Revise
Numerical Ability formulae and concepts | Revise EKT Portion
AND/OR
Verbal Ability | General Awareness
Revise Current Affairs especially Indian Constitution & Polity, National Issues, Business & Economics, Important Institutions [Domestic & International] and current changes |
| 1 Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test + 1 Numerical Ability Test + 1 General Awareness Test + 1 EKT Test [optional] + 1 Verbal Ability Test + 1 Mock Test [You can alternate as per your suitability] |
| Week 8 | Adapt the above AFCAT study plan as per your strengths and weaknesses.
Revisit your notes from all the previous weeks and refer to AFCAT preparation online revision resources.
In the last week, do not get into new topics.
Concentrate on what you know and leave what you don’t.
Attempt one-two full-length strictly timed mock tests every day for three days only, i.e., only until Day 3 of Week 8. Leave it after that. |
How to Prepare for AFCAT 2021: Major Takeaways
Here are some of the basic parts of the ideal AFCAT 2021 preparation strategy that will support in making the most out of the above AFCAT study plan.
- AFCAT preparation strategy: The best way to utilise the above AFCAT study plan flexibly. Get done with what you are comfortable within the starting days itself. Further, work on your weak areas as prescribed above as well.
- Questions Breakdown: Looking at previous papers, the Reasoning section can be said to carry the highest weightage with around 34 questions. While General awareness had 25 questions and Verbal Ability contained 23 and Numerical Ability carries 18. A good attempt is anywhere 60-73 questions correct. Utilize this information in strengthening your AFCAT preparation strategy. The AFCAT preparation online resources will help you with as well.
- Time Management: There are 120 minutes for 100 questions in the exam. Therefore, dividing it into chunks is helpful. General Awareness would be done in 10 minutes so utilize that time judiciously. Further, a good AFCAT preparation strategy is to abide by the per question rule, that is, in this case, you have 72 seconds per questions so if you go beyond that, mark the question for revision and move on to the next. Leave 8-10 minutes in the end for revision in any case. Attempting mock tests on is an essential AFCAT 2021 preparation strategy to perfect time management.
- AFCAT Preparation Online Tools: To get the most out of your AFCAT 2021 study plan, you must combine both prescribed textbooks as well as AFCAT preparation online resources such as short test series, revision capsules, puzzles, quizzes, mock tests, explainer videos and much more. This is one of the best AFCAT 2021 preparation strategy.
Lastly, there isn’t a single answer to the ‘how to prepare for AFCAT 2021?’ questions. Have faith in yourself and believe in the hard work that you do.
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