AFCAT 2 2026 City Intimation Slip Out at afcat.cdac.in: Check Your Allotted Exam City, Shift and Download Link

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has released the AFCAT 2 2026 city intimation slip for the Air Force Common Admission Test 02/2026 cycle. The slip was activated on July 29, 2026, and candidates who applied between May 20 and June 21 can now check their allotted exam city on the official portals — afcat.cdac.in and afcat.edcil.co.in — by logging in with their registered email ID or application number and password.

The AFCAT 02/2026 online examination is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2026, in computer-based mode across centres nationwide. With just nine days left, the city intimation slip is the first official confirmation of where a candidate will actually have to travel — and that single detail decides train bookings, hotel reservations and leave applications for lakhs of aspirants.

Why the city slip matters more than candidates think

The city intimation slip is a pre-admit-card advisory. It exists for one reason: logistics. It tells you the city or district allotted to you so that you can arrange travel before the hall ticket is issued. It does not grant entry to the examination hall.

This is the single most common point of confusion every AFCAT cycle. To be absolutely clear:

• City intimation slip = your allotted exam city and, in most cases, the exam date and shift indication. For planning only.

• Admit card (hall ticket) = full centre name, complete centre address, reporting time, roll number, photograph and exam-day instructions. This is mandatory at the gate.

Candidates who arrive at the centre carrying only a printout of the city slip will not be permitted to sit for the exam. The admit card plus one original photo identity proof is non-negotiable.

AFCAT 2 2026 city intimation slip: how to download, step by step

1. Open the official AFCAT website — afcat.cdac.in or afcat.edcil.co.in.

2. On the homepage, click the candidate login window and select the AFCAT 02/2026 cycle.

3. Click the link that reads "City Intimation Slip for AFCAT 02/2026".

4. Enter your registered email ID or application number along with your password, then the captcha shown on screen.

5. Submit. Your allotted exam city details will open on screen.

6. Verify your name, application number, cycle and allotted city, then download the PDF and keep at least two printouts.

Candidates should also check the inbox and spam folder of the email ID used during registration. In previous cycles the IAF pushed city details directly to registered email IDs and mobile numbers alongside the website link, so many aspirants receive the information without logging in at all.

AFCAT 2 admit card 2026 date: mark August 4

As per the AFCAT 02/2026 notification, the admit card download window opens on August 4, 2026, from 1100 hours onwards at afcat.edcil.co.in. That leaves a four-day gap between the hall ticket and the exam — a narrow window, which is exactly why the city slip has been issued a week in advance.

Once the admit card is live, candidates must cross-check every field: name spelling, date of birth, photograph, signature, centre address and reporting time. Any mismatch has to be reported to the AFCAT Cell immediately on the toll-free helpline 1800-11-2448 rather than being flagged on exam day.

AFCAT 2 2026 key dates at a glance

• Notification released: May 2026

• Application window: May 20 to June 21, 2026

• City intimation slip released: July 29, 2026

• Admit card release: August 4, 2026 (1100 hrs)

• AFCAT 02/2026 exam date: August 8, 2026

• EKT (for Ground Duty Technical candidates): same day, immediately after AFCAT paper

379 vacancies on the line

The AFCAT 02/2026 cycle has been notified for 379 tentative vacancies across the Flying Branch, Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches, covering both Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission entries for the July 2027 course. The IAF has clarified, as it does every cycle, that the final vacancy count may be revised in line with organisational requirements and training capacity.

Candidates applying through NCC Special Entry and the GATE score entry route are exempted from the written test and will be called directly for AFSB testing.

AFCAT 2026 exam pattern: the arithmetic of negative marking

The AFCAT paper carries 100 questions for 300 marks across a two-hour duration. Three marks are awarded for each correct answer and one mark is deducted for every incorrect answer, with no penalty for questions left unattempted.

The syllabus spans General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning and Military Aptitude. Ground Duty (Technical) aspirants additionally sit the Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) — 50 questions, 150 marks, 45 minutes — held on the same day.

Given the 3:-1 ratio, blind guessing is statistically punishing. A candidate needs better than a 25 per cent hit rate on pure guesses just to break even, which is why toppers in earlier cycles have consistently favoured selective attempting over volume.

What happens after August 8

Selection is a three-stage funnel. Candidates who clear the IAF's cut-off in the online AFCAT are shortlisted for the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) — Stage I screening (officer intelligence rating and picture perception discussion test), followed by Stage II (psychological testing, group tasks and interview). Those recommended then undergo a medical examination at IAM Bengaluru or CME Delhi. The final merit list is drawn from AFCAT score plus AFSB performance, subject to medical fitness and vacancy availability.

Exam-day checklist candidates should lock in now

• Carry a printed admit card (not the city slip) plus one original government photo ID.

• Reach the centre well before the reporting time; entry closes early and no relaxation is granted for traffic or transport delays.

• If your allotted city is more than a few hours away, travel a day earlier. August is peak monsoon across much of India, and waterlogging-related delays are the most avoidable reason for missing an exam.

• Do not carry mobile phones, smart watches, calculators or any electronic device into the hall.

• Keep the city slip and admit card saved digitally until the entire selection process concludes.

A word of caution on fake links

Every AFCAT cycle sees a spike in unofficial "direct download" links circulating on Telegram groups and lookalike domains that harvest login credentials. The IAF issues AFCAT documents only through afcat.cdac.in and afcat.edcil.co.in, with the exam-delivery link hosted on cdn.digialm.com. Candidates should verify every notification against the official portal before entering their password anywhere.