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AFCAT technical vs ground duty: which branch fits your profile

AFCAT applicants can opt for Flying, Ground Duty (Technical) or Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches — each with different eligibility, exam sections and career shape.

Cadets Academy Faculty, Written Exams Desk 28 June 2026 6 min read

AFCAT applicants choose from three broad branch groups: Flying, Ground Duty (Technical), and Ground Duty (Non-Technical). Each has separate eligibility criteria, and the Technical branches require an engineering background in a relevant discipline, which rules the branch in or out for most candidates before preparation even starts.

The exam itself is common across branches — General Awareness, Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability and Reasoning — except that Technical-branch applicants additionally attempt the EKT (Engineering Knowledge Test), a separate, discipline-specific paper alongside AFCAT.

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