Physical and Medical Standards for AFCAT 2023 (Male & Female)

Working in the AFCAT is reputable but it is a highly demanding job. The AFCAT job requires officers to not only be in top physical structure but also be medically fit and mentally strong in order to handle the requirements of the job. Thus, the Indian Air Force has to ensure that a candidate is physically & medically fit in order to serve as an officer in the Air Force.

Physical and Medical Standards for AFCAT IAF

Every candidate for the AFCAT has to undergo a medical & physical fitness test in which they are profoundly scanned to be a medical practitioner. The physical attributes of the candidate such as their weight and height are also measured & recorded.

Candidates may check the branch-wise height & weight physical standard tests for male & female candidates given below. The candidates who are found to be overweight according to the specified standards are issued with a letter of caution & they have to decrease their weight to the specified standard weight before they report themselves to the appeal medical board.

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AFCAT Height Standards for the Flying Branch of IAF

Below are the maximum and minimum accepted height for male & female candidates for the flying branch of the IAF. No concession is given to any candidate in these parameters.

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Parameter	Min. (in cms)	Max (in cms)
Acceptable Height	162.5	--
Leg Length	99	120
Thigh Length	--	64
Sitting Height	81.5	96

AFCAT Height Standards for Ground Duty Branch of IAF

The height standards for male & female candidates for the Ground Duty (i.e. Technical / Non-Technical) branch of the Indian Air Force can be found given below.

Parameter	Min. (in cms)	Max. (in cms)
Acceptable Height for Males	157.5	--
Acceptable Height for Females	152	--

The IAF provides a concession to the following specific category of candidates in this branch. The minimum accepted heights for the following kinds of candidates can be 2 cms less than the specified standards.

Gorkhas
Individuals belonging to:
- hills of North-Eastern Region
- Garhwal Region
- Kumaon Region

1. AFCAT Height Vs Weight Standards for Male Candidates

The below table provides the height weight standard for the candidates as measured against their heights and age range. The male candidates can refer to the below table to find what should be their weight for the AFCAT for their height & age.

Height (in cm) Without Shoes	Weight (in Kgs) for Age Range (in Years)
Height (in cm) Without Shoes	15-17	18-22	23-27	28-32 years	33-37years
152	46	47	50	54	54
153	47	47	51	55	55
154	47	48	51	56	56
155	48	49	52	56	56
156	48	49	53	57	57
157	49	50	54	58	58
158	49	50	54	58	58
159	50	51	55	59	59
160	51	52	56	59	60
161	51	52	56	60	60
162	52	53	57	61	61
163	52	54	58	61	62
164	53	54	59	62	63
165	53	55	59	63	63
166	54	56	60	63	64
167	54	56	61	64	65
168	55	57	61	65	65
169	55	57	62	65	66
170	56	58	63	66	67
171	56	59	64	66	68
172	57	59	64	67	68
173	58	60	65	68	69
174	58	61	66	68	70
175	59	61	66	69	71
176	59	62	67	70	71
177	60	62	68	70	72
178	60	63	69	71	73
179	61	64	69	72	73
180	61	64	70	72	74
181	62	65	71	73	75
182	62	66	72	74	76
183	63	66	72	74	76
184	64	67	73	75	77
185	64	68	74	75	78
186	65	68	74	76	78
187	65	69	75	77	79
188	66	69	76	77	80
189	66	70	77	78	81
190	67	71	77	79	81
191	67	71	78	79	82
192	68	72	79	80	82
193	68	73	79	81	83
Standard Deviation	6	6.3	7.1	6.6	6.9

2. AFCAT Height Vs Weight Standards for Females

The standard prescribed weight of female candidates according to their heights & age range can be found in the table below.

Height (in cm) Without Shoes	Age Range (in Years) / Weight (in Kgs)
Height (in cm) Without Shoes	20-25 Years	26-30 Years
148	43	46
149	44	47
150	45	48
151	45	48
152	46	49
153	47	50
154	47	50
155	48	51
156	49	52
157	49	53
158	50	53
159	51	54
160	51	55
161	52	55
162	52	56
163	53	57
164	54	57
165	54	58
166	55	59
167	56	60
168	56	60
169	57	61
170	58	62
171	58	62
172	59	63
173	59	64
174	60	64
175	61	65
176	61	66
177	62	67
178	63	67
Standard Deviation	5	5

AFCAT Visual (Eye) Standards for Different Branches

The Indian Air Force also checks the eyes of a candidate for any kind of defect. The candidates applying for IAF are required to have a good vision as per the standards specified by the AFCAT. The visual standard specified by the IAF for its various branches can be found in the table below.

Branch	Maximum Limits of Refractive Error	Visual Acuity Errors	Colour Vision
F(P) including WSOs	Hypermetropia: + 2.0D Sph Manifest Myopia: Nil Retinoscopic myopia: -0.5 in any meridian permitted Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl (within + 2.0D Max)	6/6 in one eye & 6/9 in other, correctable to 6/6 only for Hypermetropia	CP-I
Aircrew other than F(P)	Hypermetropia: +3.5D Sph Myopia: -2.0D Sph Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl	6/24 in one eye & 6/36 in other, correctable to 6/6 & 6/9	CP-I
Adm/ Adm (ATC)/Adm (FC)	Hypermetropia: + 3.5D Sph Myopia: -3.5D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian	Corrected visual acuity should be 6/9 in each eye.	CP-II
AE(M) AE(L)	Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian	Corrected visual acuity must be 6/9 in each eye. Wearing of glasses will be compulsory when advised	CP-II
Met	Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl	Corrected visual acuity must be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing of Glasses will be compulsory	CP-II
Accts or Lgs or Edn	Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl	Corrected visual acuity must be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing of Glasses will be compulsory	CP-III

AFCAT Standard of Ocular Muscle Balance for Flying Duties

Sr. No.	Test	Fit	Temporary Unfit	Permanently Unfit
1	Maddox Rod Test at 6 meters	Exo- 6 Prism D Eso- 6 Prism D Hyper- 1 Prism D Hypo- 1 Prism D	Exo- Greater than 6 prism D Eso- Greater than 6 prism D Hyper- Greater than 1 prism D Hypo- Greater than 1 prism D	Uniocular suppression Hyper or Hypo more than 2 prism D
2	Maddox Rod Test at 33 cm	Exo-16 Prism D Eso- 6 Prism D Hyper- 1 Prism D Hypo- 1 Prism D	Exo- Greater than 16 prism D Eso- Greater than 6 prism D Hyper- Greater than 1 prism D Hypo- Greater than 1 prism D	Uniocular suppression Hyper or Hypo more than 2 prism D
3	Handheld Stereoscope	All of the BSV grades	Poor Fusional reserves	Absence of SMP, fusion Stereopsis
4	Convergence	Up to 10 cm	Up to 15 cm with effort	Greater than 15 cm with effort
5	Cover Test for Distance and Near	Latent divergence or convergence recovery rapid and complete	Compensated heterophoria or trophia likely to improve with treatment or persisting even after treatment	Compensated heterophoria

Regarding Tattoos & Narcotics:

Tattoos

Narcotics

The permanent body tattoos are only permitted on the inner face of the forearm (i.e. from inside of the elbow to the wrist) and on the reverse side of the palm or back (i.e. dorsal) side of the hand.
Permanent body tattoos on any other part of the body are not acceptable.
The tribes with tattoo marks on the face or body according to their existing customs & traditions will be permitted on a case-to-case basis.

The possession of narcotics is banned. The candidate may be tested for the presence of drugs in their body during medicals & subsequently during training or service career as an officer.
If a candidate is found to be using or in possession of narcotics during any time of training or service career, the candidate would be disqualified from joining the IAF or be removed from service if already joined.

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FAQs

Is the PST (Physical Standard Test) mandatory in the AFCAT?

Yes, PST is crucial & mandatory for all the candidates.

Can I appeal in case I fail in the Medical Test?

Yes, one can appeal to the medical authorities after encountering treatment for the issue.

Is there relaxation for the North-East Candidates?

Yes, for the North-East Candidates, their weight parameters change as per the height.

What is the minimum visual acuity?

The minimum visual acuity specified by that of the AFACT authorities is 6/6 for one eye & 6/9 for another eye.

Are there various parameters for male & female candidates?

Yes, the parameters for male & female candidates are different as mentioned in the information above.

What is the minimum height criteria for Ground Duty branch of IAF through AFCAT?

Acceptable height for male candidates is 157.5 cms and for female candidates it's 152 cms.

Physical and Medical Standards for AFCAT 2023, Check Eligibility for Male & Female