How to plan against this calendar
- 1
The computer number comes first, and it is not quick
You cannot book any paper without one, and for a new candidate it is allotted only after DGCA scrutinises the online application against a hard copy posted to Delhi. Start it well before the session you are aiming at, not in the month of it.
- 2
Regular and on-demand are the same exam on different schedules
Four Regular sessions of five days each, eight on-demand sessions of three days each. The eligibility and the rules do not change between them; only how long you wait does.
- 3
Stagger papers against the validity window, not against convenience
A passed paper stays valid for a defined period. Sitting everything in one session and then stalling on the flying side can expire an early pass; spreading attempts across sessions costs nothing and protects the ones already banked.
- 4
FIR and AFIR sessions are not your exam
Twelve of the twenty-five sessions in the programme are Flight Instructor and Assistant Flight Instructor Rating examinations. If you are working towards a CPL or an ATPL, those twelve dates are noise.
- 5
Treat every date as provisional until the portal confirms it
The programme carries DGCA's own tentative caveat. Confirm on the portal before you book travel, book leave, or promise anyone anything.
What this page is not
It is not the application window. The programme sets examination dates; the portal opens and closes applications separately, and those windows are announced on the portal rather than in this document. It is also not a substitute for the portal: a page on any website is a copy of a document that DGCA can reissue at any time.
Applications are made by the candidate, through the DGCA examination portal, using a computer number. No ground school can apply on your behalf, and any organisation offering to is describing something that does not exist.