AFCAT 2 Cutoff 2026 (Soon): Passing Marks, Result, Previous Year Cutoff

The AFCAT 2 Cut Off 2026 represents the minimum score candidates need to secure in the online AFCAT 2 examination 2026 to qualify for the next stage of the selection process. The AFCAT 1 cut-off 2026 was 110 marks out of 300, and it was announced along with the written result on March 11, 2026. In the previous recruitment cycle, the cut-off stood at 121 marks in AFCAT 1 2025 and 140 marks in AFCAT 2 2025. The AFCAT 2 2026 cut-off will be announced for the August 8, 2026 examination, along with the written result. Candidates who meet the required cut-off will be shortlisted for the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) testing, subject to eligibility verification. Candidates recommended by the AFSB will be subsequently called for the medical examination.

• The IAF does not have any fixed minimum qualifying criteria. Candidates must secure the written exam cutoff to qualify for the next stage.
• The IAF may impose an additional cutoff for specific branches as per the organisational requirements. Candidates meeting this additional cutoff will be shortlisted for consideration in the merit list of the respective branch.
• Candidates shortlisted in this branch-wise cutoff will be considered only for the particular branch for which they were shortlisted and not for other branches. Their final selection will be subject to the availability of vacancies and their position in the merit list.
• The AFCAT 2 2026 written exam carries 300 marks, with 3 marks awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark for each incorrect response. Unattempted questions do not carry any marks.
• For candidates who qualify the written exam, the AFSB date and venue have to be selected through the AFCAT portal to generate the call letter for the AFSB interview.
• NCC Special Entry candidates do not have to score more than the AFCAT written cutoff, as they won’t appear for the written exam. Such candidates will be directly called for AFSB testing.
• The final merit list will depend on merit, medical fitness, vacancies, and selection rules. Scoring above the written cutoff does not guarantee selection into the Indian Air Force.
• AFCAT total marks are 300 with 100 questions carrying 3 marks each and a negative marking of 1 mark for every incorrect answer.

AFCAT Cutoff 2026 ( Expected)

The expected AFCAT 2026 cutoff is likely to vary between the two exam sessions based on the difficulty level and candidate performance. AFCAT 1 2026 is expected to have a cutoff of around 105–115 marks, while AFCAT 2 2026 could have a comparatively higher cutoff of 135–145 marks.

Note*: These are tentative estimates based on previous-year trends, and the actual cutoff will be announced by the Indian Air Force after the respective examinations.

AFCAT Cutoff 2026: Highlights

The AFCAT Cut Off 2026 is the qualifying criteria used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to shortlist candidates for the next stage of the selection process. The AFCAT 1 2026 examination was conducted on January 31, 2026, while AFCAT 2 2026 was held on August 8, 2026. The AFCAT written examination carries 300 marks, and the cutoff will vary across examination cycles, depending on the overall performance of the candidates, vacancies, and other requirements of the IAF. The AFCAT 1 cutoff 2026 was 110 marks, while the AFCAT 2 cutoff 2026 is yet to be announced. The important details regarding the AFCAT cutoff 2026 are provided below.

How to Check the AFCAT Cutoff 2026?

AFCAT Cutoff 2026 is released after the declaration of the results for the examination. Candidates can check the AFCAT Cutoff 2026 online through the official AFCAT candidate login portal after the declaration of the AFCAT Result 2026. Below is the step-by-step process for checking the AFCAT Cutoff 2026:

Step 1: Visit the official AFCAT website at https://afcat.edcil.co.in/

Step 2: Click on Candidate Login.

Step 3: Select the AFCAT 1 2026 cycle.

Step 4: Enter your registered email ID and password.

Step 5: The AFCAT scorecard and cutoff marks will appear on the screen.

Step 6: Download the scorecard for future reference.

AFCAT Cutoff 2026: Marks Calculation

AFCAT Cutoff 2026 is calculated by awarding 3 marks for each correct answer and deducting 1 mark for each wrong response, based on the total correct and incorrect answers. The AFCAT scores are calculated in the following way:

• Candidates receive three marks for the correct answers.
• According to the AFCAT Exam Pattern, one score is deducted for each wrong response.
• Candidates' scores are computed using the number of correct and wrong answers.

Check: AFCAT Exam Pattern 2026

AFCAT Normalisation 2026

The AFCAT 2026 normalisation process is used to ensure a fair comparison of marks when the examination is conducted in more than one shift, as is the case with the AFCAT 2 exam 2026. Since candidates appearing in different shifts can face question papers with different difficulty levels, the Indian Air Force (IAF) uses a normalisation method before preparing the result.

• As per the AFCAT 2 notification 2026, normalisation will be applicable if there is more than one shift examination.
• The normalised scores will then be considered for determining the candidates' performance and qualifying status.
• The normalisation method considers certain factors, which include the candidates' actual marks, mean marks, and standard deviation of the candidates' shift, and the performance of the top 0.1% candidates across the shifts.
• To determine the top 0.1% performance, the average marks of the top 0.1% of candidates will be considered, with the number of candidates rounded up for the normalisation calculation.
• For shift-wise performance, the average performance and standard deviation of candidates in each shift will be taken to adjust the marks appropriately.
• Normalisation does not mean that a fixed number of marks will be added or deducted from every candidate. The adjustment will be calculated as per the formula and the shift-wise performance of candidates.

Factors Affecting the AFCAT Cutoff 2026

AFCAT Cutoff 2026 is decided by comparing the paper difficulty, the overall marks level, the number of available vacancies, and the total number of candidates appearing. Changes in any of these factors directly impact the final qualifying cutoff score.

• Difficulty level of the written examination: A tougher paper generally results in a lower cutoff.
• Total number of vacancies announced: Fewer vacancies lead to a higher cutoff.
• Number of candidates appearing: A larger candidate pool increases competition and affects the cutoff.
• Overall candidate performance and normalisation of marks across shifts.

Check: AFCAT Syllabus 2026

AFCAT 2 Expected Cut Off 2026

The AFCAT 2 20026 written cutoff has not been released yet by the Indian Air Force. Based on the exam difficulty level and community discussions by candidates, the AFCAT 2 2026 expected cutoff is likely to be around 120 to 130 marks for the AFCAT 2 2026 entry. Candidates who appeared for the exam described the paper as easy to moderate, although some found Mathematics and a few Reasoning questions time-consuming. Several candidates also reported attempts in the range of 60 to 80 questions, but accuracy will play an important role in determining the final scores. The cutoff may vary depending on the overall performance of candidates, the number of vacancies, and normalisation of marks across shifts. Therefore, the 120 to 130 marks range should be considered an expected cutoff only, and the actual AFCAT 2 cutoff 2026 will be known once the Indian Air Force officially releases it.

AFCAT Cutoff 2026: Previous Year Cutoffs

AFCAT Previous Year Cutoff trends help candidates understand the fluctuation in qualifying marks across different recruitment cycles. The cutoff varies every year depending on factors such as exam difficulty level, number of vacancies, and overall candidate performance in the AFCAT examination. Below are the AFCAT Previous Year Cutoffs:

Check: AFCAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

AFCAT Cutoff 2026 FAQs