One of the most confusing merit lists in the defence world is that of the Air Force Academy, in which candidates often do not understand who has finally made it to the academy of their dreams till the final selection list is released. Therefore, most candidates take a lot of interest in knowing how AFA merit list works.
Today, we tell you the details on how this merit list works, which will help you gain more clarity.
AFA Merit List
Before building on how AFA merit list works, we must also understand what the AFA merit really is. While most of us know what it is, for the unaware, this is the official list of all candidates who clear the AFSB interview for the said course to join the Air Force Academy at Dundigal. This is why it has the word “AFA” in it.
This list ranks candidates based on their position in the merit, that is, the person with the maximum marks is placed on the top as All India Rank 1, and it continues in the same way till the last candidate.
Interestingly, this merit list does not take into account the results of the medicals, relevant documentation, and even the branch preference of a candidate. Hence, they get confused on how AFA merit list works. For this very reason, another final selection list is also released later.
How AFA Merit List Works?
As we have shared with you, the confusion around who is finally going to reach the Air Force Academy is caused by a variety of reasons. This is why we try to decode how AFA merit list works for you. So, let us get started.
AFSB Marking Scheme
First, we speak about the marking scheme to understand how AFA merit list works. This list is prepared by taking two things into account:
- Your score in the Air Force Common Admission Test out of 300
- Your score in the AFSB Interview out of 900
As far as the AFSB interview is concerned, the overall marking scheme remains the same as an SSB interview for the Indian Army. We have covered the same in detail here.
However, unlike the written entries for the Indian Army where both, the written as well as the interview, carry equal weightage, the AFA merit follows a different standard. While preparing the final list of merit the marks are decided based on a 1:3 ratio, that is, the AFCAT score has 25% weightage whereas the AFSB score has 75% weightage.
This clearly means that a good performance in the AFSB interview can boost your position in the merit list.
Merit Position of Candidates
Now, we come to how AFA merit list works in reality. Once the total marks of each candidate are compiled, they are placed in an order with the highest scorer occupying the first position and the lowest scorer at the last. But, this does not take three things into account:
- Medical fitness
- Documentation
- Order of course preference
If a candidate lacks the requisite documents or is deemed medically unfit, their story ends and they cannot make it through to the academy for the said course. But, the order of preference changes the dynamic a little.
Once this merit list for AFA is released, a separate selection list is released on the official website of EdCIL as well, where candidates are ranked as per their course preference. So, all candidates who have, let’s say, “Flying” as their first preference will be placed together.
Now you may ask why you are asked about your order of course preference during the application phase when it doesn’t even matter. We tell you why.
Order of Course Preference
The order of course preference is basically how you have ranked the different branches of Indian Air Force that you are eligible for, based on your preference. This very thing plays a pivotal role in how AFA merit list works. We explain it with a simple example:
Let’s say you have the following order of course preference while applying for the AFCAT exam:
- Flying
- Aeronautical Engineering (L)
- Administration
- Weapons System
- Logistics
Now, you get recommended for the said course and after successful documentation and medicals, you are ranked 11th in the final merit list. But you realize that the Flying branch has only 9 vacancies for that course and all those above you had also placed the same branch as their first preference. This means that you cannot join Flying, and now you will be considered for AE (L) branch.
This is exactly how AFA merit list works, and the same principle is used to create the final selection list.
Final Thoughts
We have elaborated on how AFA merit list works for you, by sharing the marking scheme, weightage of each stage, as well as the role of order of course preference. Please know that the final selection will depend on where you are placed in the official final selection list. Despite this, even getting recommended carries a lot of significance and irrespective of the result, you should be proud of your achievement. Best of luck!
