AFCAT reasoning and military aptitude test syllabus
The article separates the official syllabus from topics reconstructed from past papers. EKT is not part of the current AFCAT paper.
The notification gives this section a single line: Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. That is the whole of the official syllabus. Every detailed topic list in circulation, including the one below, is reconstructed from past papers, and anyone presenting theirs as official is guessing with more confidence than the evidence allows.
Reasoning is also the section that has no counterpart in CDS or NDA, so defence aspirants sitting several exams meet it only here. The AFCAT syllabus hub page covers the rest of the paper.
Pattern
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions in the paper | 100 |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Duration | Two hours |
| Correct answer | Plus 3 |
| Incorrect answer | Minus 1 |
| Unattempted | Zero |
| Sectional timing | None |
| Medium | English only |
The notification publishes no question or mark split between the four subject areas, so there is no official figure for how many of the 100 questions this section carries. Splits quoted elsewhere are reconstructions from past papers and they contradict one another.
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What the notification says
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. There is no sub-topic list, no stated standard and no published weighting. The Air Force reserves the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all subjects.
Verbal reasoning, from past papers
- Series completion, in letters, numbers and mixed sequences
- Analogy between word pairs and between number pairs
- Odd one out and classification
- Coding and decoding
- Blood relations
- Direction and distance
- Ranking and ordering
- Syllogism and statement based conclusions
- Venn diagrams and set relationships
Non-verbal reasoning, from past papers
- Figure series and pattern completion
- Figure analogy and figure classification
- Mirror images and water images
- Embedded and hidden figures
- Paper folding and paper cutting
- Dot situation and figure matrix
- Cubes and dice
Non-verbal reasoning is the part that distinguishes this section from a bank or management entrance reasoning paper, where figure based questions have largely disappeared. It is also the part candidates most often leave unprepared.
What is not in the syllabus
- No published topic list. The notification gives one line
- No published weighting or question count
- No stated difficulty level, unlike Numerical Ability
- No equivalent section in CDS or NDA, so cross preparation does not cover it
- No separate military aptitude paper. The heading is one section of the single AFCAT paper
How to spend the time
Treat non-verbal reasoning as the priority, because it is the part general competitive preparation leaves out and the part that improves fastest with drilling. Mirror images, paper folding and figure series are pattern recognition, and the patterns are finite.
Verbal reasoning overlaps with bank exam preparation, so candidates coming from that background can move through series, coding, blood relations and direction questions quickly and should spend their time elsewhere.
Work these questions in the middle of the paper, after the recall sections and before the numerical ones. They take longer than General Awareness and less time than arithmetic.
Because no weighting is published, the only honest guide to how much this section matters is how many such questions you meet in practice papers. Browse the available AFCAT practice papers.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a detailed topic list as official, when the notification gives one line
- Skipping non-verbal reasoning because recent bank and management exams dropped it
- Preparing reasoning from CDS or NDA material, which has no reasoning section at all
- Looking for analogy here, when the notification lists it under English
- Guessing blind on figure questions at minus 1 a question
- Assuming a published question count when none exists
Reasoning across AFCAT, CDS and NDA
| Feature | AFCAT | CDS | NDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning section | Yes | No | No |
| Non-verbal reasoning | Yes | No | No |
| Official topic list | One line only | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Where reasoning is otherwise tested | In the written paper | At the SSB only | At the SSB only |
Officer Intelligence Rating at AFSB Stage I tests reasoning again, so work done for this section carries into the selection board. That is the one place where CDS and NDA candidates meet comparable questions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the official AFCAT reasoning syllabus?
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The notification gives no further breakdown.
How many reasoning questions are asked?
No section-wise split is published, so there is no official figure.
Is non-verbal reasoning really asked?
The notification names it, and past papers have included figure series, mirror images and paper folding.
Is the Military Aptitude Test a separate paper?
No. Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test is one of the four subject areas inside the single AFCAT paper.
Can I prepare this from CDS or NDA material?
No. Neither exam has a reasoning section in the written paper.
Where else does reasoning appear in the selection process?
At AFSB Stage I, through the Officer Intelligence Rating test on the first day.
Is analogy part of this section?
The notification lists Analogy under Verbal Ability in English rather than here, though word and figure analogies have appeared in past papers.
Is there a stated difficulty level?
No. The notification states a matriculation standard for Numerical Ability only.
How should I guess on figure questions?
Only after eliminating at least two options. At plus 3 and minus 1, a blind guess across four is not worth taking.
Does this section have its own cut-off?
None is published, though the Air Force reserves the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all subjects.