IAF goes digital with online examination web portal

Minister of State (MoS) Defence Subhash Bhamre inaugurated the online examination web portal of Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Air Force Headquarters today in Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhamre congratulated the IAF for contributing towards the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Digital India'.

He also congratulated IAF for developing the online examination system, in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

Air Marshal S.B Deo, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, along with other senior Air Force Officers was present during the inauguration.

IAF is the first amongst the three services to take up Information Technology (IT) enabled online testing system, for induction of officers and airmen cadre.

In association with C-DAC, IAF is switching over to the new system from January 2018. Online registrations will commence from December 15.

The selection system for officers and airmen cadre in the IAF has been continuously evolving and sustained efforts are in place to strengthen the testing system.

Though the existing system is time-tested and well proven, constraints of testing capacity and geographical reach were the major limitations.

This deprived deserving and eligible candidates' opportunities, especially rural youth, from all over the country.

To improve the system and to make it more candidate-friendly, while enhancing organizational efficiency, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on October 31 last year.

Earlier, IAF had over hundred centres spread across India for the officer cadre exams and fourteen centres for airmen selection exams. Some states and union territories did not have any testing centre.

Consequently, candidates had to spend considerable time and resources on travelling to the testing centres.

In the new system, there would be about 760 examination centres spread all over the country. Candidates would be now required to travel considerably less from the place of his/her residence.

It will enable approximately four lakh candidates for airmen selection and two lakh candidates for officer's selection. They will appear in the exam after every six months.