The ground exams every CPL candidate in India must clear, broken down subject by subject.
The subjects, thresholds and format below reflect commonly reported information from flight-training resources, not a direct reading of DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements or Pariksha portal notices. Exam patterns, passing marks, and reference material lists change — treat this page as a starting point for study planning, not a registration reference, until it's been checked against the official source.
Five theory subjects plus the radio telephony exam (RTR(A)), which is conducted separately by the Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing, not DGCA directly.
| Subject | What it covers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Air Navigation | Route planning, position-fixing, charts, flight calculations | The most calculation-heavy paper; foundational for actual flying. |
| Aviation Meteorology | Weather systems, charts, hazards to flight | Directly affects flight safety and planning decisions. |
| Air Regulations | Airspace rules, air traffic services, licensing rules, safety regulation | The legal framework every pilot must operate within. |
| Technical General | Aircraft systems, engines, principles of flight (general, not aircraft-specific) | Core technical knowledge applicable across aircraft types. |
| Technical Specific | Systems specific to your aircraft category | Bridges general theory to the aircraft you'll actually fly. |
| RTR(A) | Radio telephony procedures and communication | Legally required for every pilot to operate aircraft radios — conducted by WPC, not DGCA. |
Commonly cited minimums: Class 12 (10+2) with Physics and Mathematics, generally around a 33% pass threshold, plus a Class 2 medical to begin. A Class 1 medical is required before the CPL itself can be issued. Students who haven't cleared Physics/Maths in school often use NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) as a recognised alternate route.
Exams are computer-based, multiple-choice, held at DGCA-approved centres, and registered for through the official Pariksha DGCA portal. Exam sessions typically run on a fixed quarterly-style cycle — confirm current dates on the portal.
Work through each subject's topics with structured ground-school notes or a course.
Topic-by-topic questions to catch gaps early, before they compound.
Timed, subject-specific tests once you've covered the material once.
Full-length timed papers that mirror the real exam format.
Use your mock-exam breakdown to target the topics costing you marks.
Practice questions, topic tests and mock exams are planned for the Exam Preparation Center in V2 — this page currently covers structure and subject content only.